Lightly Modified Japanese Import Mk3/NC For Sale

Here’s something you don’t see everyday… an imported Mk3/NC!

I sourced this car in Japan and sorted the shipping, import and registration all myself. I’m not a car trader or anything, just an enthusiast and this seemed like a fun way of getting one in great condition. A lot of the UK Mk3’s are starting to rust quite badly so for me it had to be an import.

It is an early Mk3 in True Red with a 2.0 engine, 6 speed manual, 17" wheels, Bilsteins, LSD, 6CD Bose stereo and Air Con.

I bought the car in 2019 and once in the UK I swapped the speedo clock faces to read in MPH. The odometer still reads in KM so the car shows as having 107k kilometres which is 66k miles. (Note that the DVLA recorded ‘mileage’ as part of the MOT just uses what the odometer shows, so that is showing the KM value). I have a full, comprehensive service history from Japan which will verify the mileage if you can unpick the Japanese!

Also required before UK registering was to replace the rear light cluster for a (new) UK one which included a fog light. The rear fog light I have wired in to the fronts so they all come on together.

With those things sorted I was able to get the car through the UK MOT and registered for the road. Since then (Jan 2020) I have done the following:

  1. New roof. Not just a repair to the existing one but a brand-new hand made mohair item, professionally installed.

  2. Wheels professionally stripped and repainted in anthracite grey colour. New Avon ZV7 tyres all round in the original size 205/45/R17.

  3. Steering wheel, handbrake and gear knob retrimmed by Royal Steering Wheels. The wheel was thickened with premium leather and red stitching.

  4. I lowered the drivers seat on a JAS Performance bracket. I’m 6’2" and this means I look more out of the centre of the windscreen. Could be returned to normal if required. I also added some leather effect seat covers which look pretty passable for the real thing. There is wear to the drivers seat bolster under the cover but that is pretty common with the cloth interior.

  5. Clear side repeaters

  6. Changed the front and rear anti roll bars for uprated ones from an RX8. Yellow dot front and orange dot rear. This gives excellent handling and the car feels great through the corners. New drop links added at the same time as swapping these over and polybushes on the front.

  7. Full geometry alignment set up at Wheels in Motion.

  8. I’ve done some maintenance on the car myself. A couple of oil changes, new battery, new front discs and pads and replaced the diff oil. I should be able to dig out receipts.

In addition to the above, the car had a ‘sporty’ backbox when it arrived from Japan. From memory I think it’s a Scorpion one. Not too loud but sounds good.

There is also a Blitz induction/air filter in place of the standard airbox, again done in Japan. I’m not sure it does anything to the power to be honest.

The car has a Viper alarm system which is a nice bonus. Again this was added in Japan, not by me.

If I were keeping the car I would add lowering springs as it is still at the original ride height. This was mentioned by the expert at Wheels in Motion who said it would be a big upgrade to the handling and looks. He also commented on how clean the car was underneath compared to the UK ones he sees.

Also I’ve been meaning to do something about the stereo. In Japan they use a different portion of the FM spectrum which only overlaps with ours around the frequency of Radio 2. Fortunately I can live with listening to Radio 2 or CDs but the new owner might want to swap the head unit for a UK one or aftermarket replacement to get around this.

Regarding the bodywork, there are a couple of minor stone chips and small marks on the paint but nothing major. The car is solid in all the places that matter. I always keep it in a garage on trickle-charge under a cover. The cover can be included in the sale.

So why am I selling? Well, we’ve just bought a puppy and that is going to take a lot of my time over the coming years. I’m also not driving it that much and while it’s nice to have a toy in the garage, I don’t really need it and it’s probably time for it to go to a new home.

Price £5,495

Private plate not included. I’ve just arranged for this to be removed. New reg is OW05 YFM.

Based in Abingdon, near Oxford.

PM me if interested or if I’ve missed anything.

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Now out of winter hibernation with a fresh 12 months MOT with no advisories. Still for sale.

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Bump. Still for sale

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The car is now sold