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Maybe the reason that Toyota ended the production of the "Mark II Blit" is that "blit" is in fact a swear-word... If you are in doubt look up the video "Inventing Swear Words 1" by Oxhorn Media 🤣
The Mark Ii was exported as the Cressida. The Corona switched to fwd and was smaller. In the end the Corona would change names to (Corona) Premio or something and become the JDM version of the car sold as a Corolla sedan overseas (the JDM Corolla being cheaper than a Yaris on the same subcompact platform). The Verona and Chaser were models sold in different sales channels with mostly cosmetic differences.
I had a IRS 2wd 5 speed up until 6 months ago. Great fuel consumption, decent handling.practical. I believe the reason the JDM cars are well maintained is their MOT system. It is rigorous to say the least. My Blit is now in Colchester, so you may see it.
Got to love these Japanese models. I reckon you should be called Jay D Emm 😂. I’m a sucker for JDM cars too, as they are quite different to the European offerings and are RHD.
I had a IR-V (GTE) version of this early this year. They never came with manual from factory. People just convert to manual as Toyota still sell the R154 manual gearbox new. It's basically a half price Chaser wagon.
Thanks for the entertainment you brought me last year JayEmm! I wish you all the best for 2024 and looking forward to all your new videos. I'd love to see a video on the Mitsubishi Sigma. That car always intrigued me, for a reason I don't know...
Here in Vancouver, British Columbia we have several dealers that specialize in bringing in JDM and Japanese market vehicles as they enter their 15th year of age since build. Thanks to our quite lenient import rules, we can register, insure and drive pretty much any car which was street legal when new in their home market. This gives us Canadian car lovers a 10 year advantage over our American neighbours. And not just RHD cars as the Japanese automobile enthusiasts imported many LHD cars from Europe. But it's mainly the performance cars that enthusiasts here in Canada go for. Lots of Evo's, WRX STi, RX7, RX8, 300zx twin turbos, and many others. Most wanted cars are of course the Supras and especially the GTRs...there has to be several hundred running around Vancouver. Even Kei cars and vans are everywhere. I like the Honda Beats and Suzuki Cappuccinos - really affordable and fun cars. A neighbour has a JDM Subaru Legacy GT with a tuned 400 hp engine, Rays forged wheels, coilovers, sticky rubber, brake upgrades and killer sound system. He imported it, already built, with about 65,000 kms... and it is fast without being too wild. There is a lot to be said for the Japanese Domestic Market. They also build some really stunning motorcycles, not sold outside of Japan. Are modded cars allowed in the UK? How old do they have to be in order to import?
You are allowed modified cars in the UK but there's a few regulations on that. For example neon lights with visible tubing and anywhere other than the bottom of the vehicle are illegal, headlight and taillight tints are illegal, blue, red, and green headlights or neons are illegal and headlights should only be white or yellow and taillights only red. Exhausts louder than 74db are illegal and any emissions devices (catalytic converter dpf egr opf ppf etc) must be retained and finally exposed sharp edges are illegal. Other than that you have free reign as long as it is reported to your insurance and will pass an MOT (yearly inspection). Oh and any engine swaps must be reported to DVLA (UK DMV) and they will update the information and your insurance will become higher due to the engine swap. Naturally though people will just remove their catalytic converters and the like and still pass an mot😂(friendly tester) and will engine swap without informing DVLA to keep their insurance lower. In terms of importing cars there's no limit on age you can import a brand new car BUT it must meet emissions and safety standards so the DVLA will conduct a IVA which is a approval scheme if it meets that then it's fine if not then you must modify it slightly to meet the standards. Other than that there's just VAT(tax) and registration. For cars older than 10 years old there's no IVA and they pay less VAT so it's a lot easier and cheaper to import them.
I love that you appreciate the storage box, Doug daddy demuro would have been making fun of it rather than ogling how such a estate/wagon has truck capable storage
Well done JM, have you got a link for Brad's site please? Looking good & I rather like the add-on look of the rear.... Great work, as ever. Happy New Year & may '24 find you peace and good health. Cheers. Bz UK
Never heard of the blit but i have always wanted a nissan stagea which is a similar thing, far too many are auto's but thats just a japanese preferance. Suzuki kizashi's are cool too but they never did a manual in rhd.
Bought an e36 coupe from japan years ago with low miles . Could have got one in the Uk but never in the same condition. It's now 29 years old and still taxed and tested as I've just checked on the DVLA website.
I do like those gearboxes, my 2jz tt aristo has the same one and it's very smooth compared to even some of the new autos I've driven, stick it in snow mode on the motorway and the mpg for long cruises is much better 👌
Loving these JDM vids👍💯👏 I've had 7 JDM cars, still miss my original Silvia Q and still got my Toyota Alphard campervan. However gone the electric route now as you can tell by my channel. JDM cars where all about value performance....now....not so much 🙈
Fascinating!!! Importing Japanese Home Production is Hard in the USA, since the Japanese, Like The British, Still Drive on the Wrong Side of the Road!!!!!
Lets hope you could find your way to try the successor to this Mark II, known as Mark X (estate version is named Mark X ZiO). Anyway, can we compare this to other estate cars of similar times sold in the UK? Volvo 850 or Ford Mondeo. Or the later Volvo V70. A6 avant perhaps?.
Sounds like a good candidate to rip the 4 speed slush box out and get a newer version installed from a different Toyota model...... or go the whole hog and make a three pedal.
Okay, so, while we're on the subject, I'd be interested to hear what you'd have to say about a Honda Odyssey Mk.3 please. I had a Shuttle many years ago which would be the Mk1 and loved it. 🙂
For reference in Japan the: Crown Majesta = Lower end 7 Series and S-Class Competitor Crown = 5 Series and E-Class Competitor Mark II = 3 Series and C-Class Competitor Mark X = The next generation of Mark II. The Mark line was never actually discontinued until 2019. These vehicles share the same code and are the next generation in the Mark II line X100, X110, X120, X130 etc Crown Comfort and Crown Super Deluxe were their own lines and had little to do with the Crown other than the name, they were built on an updated X80 Mark II/Cressida platform from the 80s so due to dimensions were in a lower tax bracket. These were primarily fleet vehicles with very few luxury features and amenities. The Blit is a weird one though as it sits on the full size Crown platform which was shortened and made lighter for the sedan Mark II. Makes it extremely heavy and long as far as a wagon goes but sitting in the price and equipment bracket of a 3 Series.
@@wurun5611 no it’s not. I have owned all of the above at some point. It’s way too small to be a 5 series competitor and is most definitely the closer in size as a 3 Series. Not to mention price wise too
Crown Comforts were used almost solely as taxis in Japan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia and driver education in Japan, all comes with the quirky driver-operated rear passenger door mechanism as one would expect in a Japanese taxi. And TRD put a supercharged 3S-FE revving 160PS into crown comforts naming it the Comfort GT-Z. Toyota eventually replaced it with the LPG-Hybrid JPN Taxi which provides wheelchair accessibility in 2017. PS there's also the mighty Century which is their answer to Rolls-Royce/Maybach/Bentley.
@@MrJustapersn idk man even toyota compared x70 to 525 in brochures. they are not that small compared to 5 series for example x100 has similar length to e39
If only they didn’t cost as much as a used E55 AMG wagon 😅 I *love* Toyota/Lexus but the used market for them is fucking insane. I’ve seen 30 year old suvs with 270k miles priced at $19,000 usd and that’s just unacceptable
@@Stinger430 a long, long time ago! Probably almost 20 years, maybe more. Stayed at the Hilton I think, and I recall next door was a restaurant owned by "the white man", apparently he brought an elephant to the Island a long time before? He did however set fire to our dinner table when he cocked up our flambéed bananas
I've got a 1jz Blit, that I had an accident in, I'm currently looking to import another and will be making a capable yet comfortable cruiser with the parts off my old one. Loved how it's so easy to live with even with the mods I had.
@@chrisbarnes9084 The last IRV I saw sold for £14k and they are mega rare. Mine is the one in the video its pristine with only 47k and wanted £6k for it so an absolute bargain I think for a daily.
Please imagine how surprised I was when I heard familiar beeps and that voice at the very beginning of the film!! It’s saying “ETC card (Electric Toll Correction, a card of credit card size which of courses is used when you use highways and linked to your credit card accounts) isn’t inserted”. It comes every time when ignition comes on without the card inserted to the ETC device. Funny thing is though, if you insert a card and turn off the ignition leaving the card in, it says “ETC card is being left”!! To avoid her warning you every time, you have to insert the card before you start the engine and have to pull it out before you turn off regardless of you have plan to use highway on the day. It’s really annoying but very Japanese indeed, like foldable box shown in the film. Writing a bit about what I know about mark II, it’s basically the same car underneath as Chaser and Cresta. Once Toyota had multiple dealer brands (channels) to encourage competition between Toyota dealers and to allow them to secure dedicated product to each dealer brand (if you want to buy Chaser, it’s available only at dealer under brand A and Mark II is only at brand B, etc. This means there are basic incomes for dealers ) , Toyota did this kind of different- name - car strategy until around the end of the last century. This is not the only case with Mark II segment but with current Yaris class, and some other. Lastly, your recognition about position of the car in Toyota hierarchy is 100% accurate. Mark II and its brothers (sisters) have been a step board for future Crown users for decades. Its my first comment to your channel and I’m enjoying every single episode you make. They help me a lot in brushing up my English and getting me prepared for purchase of my future dream car, most likely to be Aston DBS 2008. It seems that we’re in the same generation and when you get any chance to come to Japan please do contact me. I’ll be happy to do whatever I can (may not be much) to make your stay enjoyable. Please take good care of yourself and keep making good RU-vid videos. I’ll be looking forward to it. From a Japanese mid 30s man.
Respect to Brad. Enjoyed the video. I hasten to add that I’m the owner of a 2006 Hawkeye Impreza Sport Wagon but it really isn’t a looker! You gotta love them for making it though and the rear seems very Volvo. Happy new year everyone
Japans economy collapsed in 1989, not after the noughties/late 90s…although I suppose 2009 global recession did hit car mfgs and aftermarket tuners pretty hard
From probably the best age for Japanese cars. Interesting, reliable and ugly as a hat full of arseholes. But if you bought it it would easily last 250.000 kilometres no problem
iirc There was a trim of these called the Blit Fortuna Yamaha Power iR-V which offered the VVT-i 1JZ-GTE in a slightly sportier guise(Yamaha-spec turbo and tuning by Fortuna through Modellista), bumpers, grill and interior carbon trim by Fortuna and some suspension options. (there could be more)
