Cheap JDM Cars: Discover Japanese Performance On A Budget (2024)

Jul. 01, 2023 7:27 PM ET by Roger Biermann Car Culture / 10 Comments

The term JDM stands for 'Japanese domestic market,' and by definition, refers to cars built for the Japanese market, like Kei cars. While many Japanese imports (i.e., cars imported from Japan secondhand or in Japanese spec) can be called JDM models, the term has been popularized in recent years to simply describe cars from Japanese manufacturers - usually of the sporting variety - that earn you access to a unique little niche or car sub-culture. A Toyota GR Supra, for example, might be considered JDM - especially with a few Japan-style modifications, but the chances of someone calling your standard Corolla XSE a JDM car are incredibly slim.

Popularized in the early days of The Fast and The Furious, JDM car culture has now proliferated throughout the ranks of automotive enthusiasts, driven by special cars like the Mazda RX-7, Mk4 Toyota Supra, R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R, Honda NSX, and more. But the problem is that these cars are massively expensive. There are new options like the Honda Civic or Acura Integra and even the Honda Civic Type R, but again, new vehicles are expensive.

So, we've found 10 cheap JDM cars - all available for under $15,000 - to get you into the subculture for much less.

Often overshadowed by its older siblings, the 4th-gen Mitsubishi Eclipse never got the respect it deserved. That may be a shame for Mitsubishi, but it means that we can grab them for dirt cheap, with examples selling for as low as $5,000. Being such an affordable car, the Eclipse is a great entry point into the sports car scene.

Depending on the model you choose, you can enjoy a four-cylinder or a V6 engine. The most common of the V6s is the 3.8-liter in the Eclipse GT, which produced 265 horsepower as of 2009, up from 263 hp the year before. If you lust after the same style but can't afford the larger fuel bills, a 162-hp 2.4-liter four-pot, paired with a five-speed manual gearbox transmission, might be the better option.

No matter your choice, you get the bones on which to build a true sports car experience. The downside was that this generation was front-wheel-drive-only.

One of the most underrated hot hatches of all time, the Mazdaspeed3 had Golf GTI owners quaking in fear with its 263 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. That came from a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine paired with a six-speed manual transmission and was a recipe for hilarious torque steer despite a limited-slip differential up front.

For just $9,000, you can grab yourself a highly capable hot hatch that'll embarrass many car enthusiasts even today. If you're looking for something a little more modern, you may want to look at the second-gen Speed3 (2011 onwards);

Expect to pay around $14,000 to 15,000 for one of those, but it's still a bargain for a fun car from the Japanese market without breaking the bank.

It's not a Nissan GT-R in miniature, but the G35 and later the G37 were sold as Nissan Skylines in Japan. Available in various outputs from 260 hp to more than 300 hp throughout its lifespan, there are two important factors that make this predecessor to the Infiniti Q50 worth consideration.

The first is that this is the same platform as the Nissan 350Z and 370Z, and the second is that it had the same V6s as those sports cars. But, you could have the G35 and G37 as either a sedan or a coupe, and either was vastly more practical than the Z cars. They might have been uninspiring in stock form, but they're a great platform to get into JDM car ownership and are a classic example of cheap JDM cars you can buy for a steal.

Toyota Celica prices are mad, yet the seventh and final generation still seems pretty attainable compared to its older siblings. Typically, when someone were to bring up the Celica, more often than not, you'll probably quickly imagine the world-famous Celica GT-Four, with the colors white, green, and red fore of thought as the car's famous Castrol livery it wore in WRC back in the 1980s.

The final generation Celica wasn't that incredible when it came out, but nowadays, it's a great way to get into JDM cars cheaply. The T230 Celica was solely available in a two-door coupe body with a practical liftback trunk and was powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder (2ZZ-GE) producing 180 hp. It revved to 7,800 rpm and delivered all its power and torque up high, thanks to its VVT system. Plus, it had a sweet six-speed manual gearbox.

It lacked a sharp suspension, but thanks to the aftermarket, you can quickly rectify that without breaking the bank. This is one of the best cheap JDM cars on sale.

You can pick up early third-gen Miatas (NC) for less than $8k, but we recommend only looking at the 2008-onwards cars for a reason. The first of two facelifts (NC2) arrived that year and brought a revised valvetrain that completely changed how the NC Miata felt, revving hard and screaming at you until redlining like the previous ones never did.

The Mazda Miata is one of the most iconic cheap JDM cars for sale and is one of the few on this list to still be on sale brand new, albeit in fourth-gen ND form. The MX-5 was the epitome of sports cars back in the day, boasting ample power from a small engine, low weight, sporty styling, and the perfect balance of a front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive, with a manual gearbox in the middle.

Although originally under-appreciated, the NC Miata has become an icon in its own right and a hit among Spec Miata racers. Because it shared a platform with the Mazda RX-8, it was easy to swap in more robust suspension components without resorting to the aftermarket. With some work, the 2.0-liter engine came alive, and you had a chassis that could rival cars with twice its circa-170-hp outputs.

You may not think it, but it's the perfect track day weapon, and NC Miatas make for some great JDM cars.

Okay, let's get something straight. This is not an Evo, it's not a rally car, and it may not be the most exciting car in terms of looks, but the Lancer GT still stands out among the cheapest JDM cars. And it's practical, spacious, and a reliable daily driver. Plus, it looks cool. Priced at around $10,000, the Lancer GT and GTS make a more-than-modest 168 hp from a 2.4-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine.

Although great in stock form (provided you didn't get the CVT), there's a lot of potential for upgrades. Mitsubishi has a track record of building some incredibly reliable cars in the past, ones that can take a beating. In the true spirit of owning cheap JDM cars, one must make their vehicle flashier, louder, and faster to impress other daily commuters. If not, the Lancer is still great as a stock JDM car; it'll fit the kids in the back and reach 60 in under eight seconds.

A generation that saw much backlash from the community owing to a change in design, the WRX was offered as a hatchback for the first time in its life in 2007. While we thought it suited the car well, hardcore Subie purists decided to stick to the more well-known sedan body style. Luckily, Subaru offered this generation as both a sedan and hatchback, and no matter your choice, you were getting a solid contender for one of the best JDM cars on a budget.

At the front lies Subaru's world-famous EJ-series Boxer four-cylinder, specifically the EJ255. It may have suffered from its fair share of reliability issues, but it was used so much that the knowledge on how to make them reliable and get big power out of them is abundant.

In standard form, you got 227 hp and a five-speed manual gearbox, although a four-speed auto was also offered in some markets and later model years got 265 hp and 244 lb-ft of torque, leading to a sub-five-second 0-60 mph time. It was available as a hatch and sedan and in both narrow and wide versions correlating to the codes above.

A tuner's delight, the 350Z is a go-to for many looking to build track cars, drift cars, and show cars. The aftermarket support for this cheap JDM car spans far and wide. Why, you ask? Well, as with many Japanese cars, the 350Z can take a beating and delivers a rewarding drive.

Powered by a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 churning out 287 hp, outputs swelled in later years to 310 ponies. While it matched the Infiniti G35 in this regard, you had a smaller, lighter, more agile car at your disposal. For those who want to mod the motor, there are plenty of options, from turbos to engine swaps, with LS engines from GM not uncommon in a 350Z body.

It's front-engined, it's rear-wheel drive, and it's mated to a six-speed manual transmission - a formula many will argue is the peak of the motoring experience. The 350Z is arguably the best value for money when looking at the cheapest JDM cars for sale, and because of their initial popularity, there are plenty of them on the secondhand market.

There were big hopes for the rotary-powered successor to the RX-7, but sadly, many of those hopes were met with disappointment. Much of that came down to the fact that the RX-8 wasn't turbocharged, but the bigger issue was that the 13B Renesis Wankel engine was a reliability nightmare. If you got it with the manual, the two-rotor engine displaced 1.3 liters and produced as much as 232 horsepower and 159 lb-ft. It had a limited-slip differential and a playful chassis.

Early model years (2004-2008) got an extended engine warranty due to the issues it faced. Still, later versions improved reliability somewhat, and with a few years under the belt, the aftermarket has a good idea of how to make these cars more reliable.

What couldn't be faulted was the rest of the RX-8's package. It shared a platform with the NC Mazda Miata but had the engine mounted aft of the front axle. Drive was sent to the rear via a six-speed manual gearbox through a carbon fiber driveshaft - which took BMW more than a decade to install on the M3. It had 2+2 seating, so it was semi-practical, a slick design, and it had suicide doors.

Often considered a retort to the Mazda MX-5, the MR2 predates Mazda's sports car by a few years. The third generation is the car we recommend here, as early models have become pricey collector's items. As an affordable sports car, you seldom expect to find the engine behind the driver, but the MR2 was mid-engined and had more power than other small Japanese sports cars like the Honda Beat (Kei sports cars are an entirely different discussion we need to have).

Toyota debuted the MR2 Spyder in the early 2000s, boasting a soft-top convertible design, excellent fuel efficiency, and a rewarding drive. Whereas previous iterations were offered with a multitude of engines, this last model solely received a 1.8-liter four-pot producing only 138 hp - a huge downgrade when considering older models were hitting the 200 hp mark.

Fortunately, engine swaps have become pretty common, with the 2ZZ engine of choice (from the Celica above) kicking out 189 hp.