The Legend - AE86

3 piece longcamps?
 
Never heard of it before, looks pretty generic.
 
Even in ID more or less everyone made fun of the 86 and drove an S chassis.... There is nothing inherently better about that car compared to the S-chassis, or Miatas. It's a funky car for sure but legendary....

Yes Legendary... The AE86 dominated a number of Japanese racing series while it was in production and stayed competative untill well after production ceased. It is infact still competitive today in some events. The AE86 also has a storied career

So do Civics but we all make fun of them...

speak for yourself


I have trouble believing that :)

I think you should read Chris Harris's review in the March 2010 EVO magazine

To reiterate, I do like this particular example but it seems to be somewhat like the Civic in my mind, people like it because of a certain association with it, not necessarily the quality/performance.

You don't become a dominant circuit racer, rally car and drifter by sucking.
But why have one over, let?s say a BMW E30.

In the spring I saw an ae86 for sale her in Denmark for almost three times of what I paid for my E30. :?

It's a cult car with a very loyal and devoted following. You have to understand the AE86 Dominated it's class in Japanese circuit racing when it was new and stayed competitive well after it went out of production not to mention Rally and Drifting two places it is still very popular to this day. It's like japans Mk1 Escort or Mustang. As for the price in Denmark i can only assume it has to do with rarity i find that AE86s go for about 1-3K in mostly stock form here in the states (depending on rust and miles) which is in the same general ball park as a E30 325i

This is basically my issue with it as well. If this car was actually made right now and was the cheap, light, tuneable RWD then I would say yes its worth it. There are plenty of cars around from the same era that are also cheap, light and tuneable but people single this one out.

See above.


This is obviously one of those arguments where we can go back and forth ad nauseum and we will never see eye to eye but i have to say having driven both stock and tuned versions of the AE86 it is an incredibly fun car to drive. The combination of a really well balanced chassis and the rev happy 4AGE makes for i think some of the finest "driving a slow car fast" driving experiences you can have. If you are ever given the opportunity to take one for a spirited drive i cannot suggest it enough.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TC
I'd love to drive one, love the old-school style. Unfortunately the prices are highly inflated due to the cult status (and extreme rarity over here), so you'd have to be a dedicated fan not just a casual admirer to have one. Which I suppose is a good thing for someone looking to buy a well looked after one.
 
Even in ID more or less everyone made fun of the 86 and drove an S chassis....

To be fair, the characters of Initial D made fun of it for being old more than anything else. I don't see why there's got to be so much hate for the car. It was a decent performer for some time, had a good amount of racing success, and was immortalized in popular culture. Should we hate the mustang because it was in a bunch of movies, too?
 
Should we hate the mustang because it was in a bunch of movies, too?

It is an image thing. When you say "I drive a Mustang," people (girls included) might express interest - what kind? what engine? is it a convertible?

Imagine the same conversation, but this time - "I drive a Toyota Corolla..." The response more than likely would be, "Cool, my mom drives one too." And then you start to explain that it is a special model and you end boring everyone to death.

Something is not cool if you have to explain why.
 
I don't think most people who know jack about cars are going to be impressed by anything less than a Ferrari or a brand new Beemer.

I remember driving with a friend and a Porsche 911T drove by and she said that it was a cool car, so I mentioned that they cost well over $100k and she said, "what kind of retard spends that much on a car?!" I didn't even bother bringing up the new Veyron.
 
Oh, my apologies for sharing a near original, well kept Toyota. I figured some would appreciate the well preserved state its in.

And honestly, loose the fanboy ID bull. These cars did rather well in motor sports. Well before Avex put the anime bit on the market. To this day they stand out impressively well on the circuit. And your occasional drift appearance.

And I gotta ask. Have you ever run a well sorted 86? Well meaning with the 4A motor pushing 210 at the motor in Na config. Highly doubt you have. Really.
Somebody's butt-hurt...
I never said its a bad car, I just don't see what's so special about it; there are other lightweight rwd cars out there, you know. Also, they are ridiculously overpriced, at least in the US.
Oh, and I love how mentioning ID once automatically makes me a fanboy :rofl:
 
Imagine the same conversation, but this time - "I drive a Toyota Corolla..." The response more than likely would be, "Cool, my mom drives one too." And then you start to explain that it is a special model and you end boring everyone to death.

No no. You have to say "I drive an AE86". So either they get it or they don't. If its the latter, just pretend that its a super cool sports car! :p
 
No no. You have to say "I drive an AE86". So either they get it or they don't. If its the latter, just pretend that its a super cool sports car! :p

Kinda like how the Neon SRT-4 owners like to pretend they aren't Neon's.
 
I guess it just matters on who you're trying so desperately to impress. Personally, I find these older, rarer, obscure cars infinitely "cooler" than the dime-a-dozen BMW's that are rolling around everywhere I look. Besides, when was the last time a non-car-person asked you about what sort of car you drive? Never for me. Only people who are into cars ever seem to ask that question and in my experience, they're far more bored with answers like a BMW 3series or an Audi A4, than something obscure like an AE86.

Kinda like how the Neon SRT-4 owners like to pretend they aren't Neon's.
It may not mean much, but I don't believe the SRT-4 ever carried the Neon badge. I could be wrong though...
 
Last edited:
retardedly long winded rant

Cool story bro...

Other cars from that era (top of my head)
RX7, E30 BMW, Ur Quattro, 190E, Sierra, Supra, 180/200/240SX/Silvia, MR2... Sure some of them were more expensive some about same price but they were good and more interesting than a Corolla....
To be fair, the characters of Initial D made fun of it for being old more than anything else. I don't see why there's got to be so much hate for the car.
Actually the characters in ID made fun of it cuz it was slow. There are a million times in that anime where you see "but it's just an 86 how is it keeping up with me?"

It was a decent performer for some time, had a good amount of racing success, and was immortalized in popular culture. Should we hate the mustang because it was in a bunch of movies, too?
Doesn't make it a legend.
This is a legend
Acura%20Legend.jpg
:p

In all seriousness though, nothing against the car but it's not a legend. GT-R, Supra, RX-7, 911, Ferraris, STi, Evo, M3, 190E, M5, Ur Quattro these are legends. 86 is an interesting car and was good for its time but hardly legendary.
 
Last edited:
Somebody's butt-hurt...
I never said its a bad car, I just don't see what's so special about it; there are other lightweight rwd cars out there, you know. Also, they are ridiculously overpriced, at least in the US.
Oh, and I love how mentioning ID once automatically makes me a fanboy :rofl:

No not hurt brother.

And yes, I know about the value in the states for your basic SR5. Even more in Japan for one in good shape. That white one I shared initially had cost of nearly 600,000 YEN before the basic shipping method is added. Add the crap exchange its a pricey car to get into.
 
I could never justify owning one with a power output that low, with a price that high, and a Toyota badge on the front. Even Miata's are alot more affordable. I guess different people are into different things.
 
Ok fellows.....all valuable arguments, all nicely conveyed, some light flaming here and there, business as usual.

Hate to break it to you all, The Legend is alot of things, but he certainly aint a Japanese hatch , Ladies and Gentlemen, The Legend :

33.smokey.bandit.340.jpg

:p
 
So many people only know of the AE86 through the anime series Initial D. That is an awesome show, but the car is alot more than just a drifter.
 
It is an image thing. When you say "I drive a Mustang," people (girls included) might express interest - what kind? what engine? is it a convertible?

Imagine the same conversation, but this time - "I drive a Toyota Corolla..." The response more than likely would be, "Cool, my mom drives one too." And then you start to explain that it is a special model and you end boring everyone to death.

No that's exactly why it's cool. Because car guys will get it. They'll know what it is. Everyone else won't even notice it. Like an old M5. If you see someone taking a second look, you know they know their cars, and they know that you don't care about impressing people that don't know about cars.
 
Top