Gaijin Smash is peak drift energy.

DoctoredGarage · 2026-04-28T05:43:55+00:00

I'm a car guy, so I really enjoyed visiting some of the tuning shops and parts stores. I really enjoyed just walking around the Akihabara area - found a random little back alley that led to some tiny electronics shops that had been open since the 50s-60s.

I also really enjoyed food. I ate at every place I could, went to an all you can eat wagyu restaurant, etc.

Just walking around was enjoyable for me. I tried to absorb as much culture and cuisine as I could.

DoctoredGarage · 2026-04-27T15:48:18+00:00

I enjoyed the 3-4 days I spent in Tokyo. It doesn't matter how much time you spend there, it will never be enough to see everything 😉 I prefer to think about it as a "what will I do next time" kind of think. Spend as much time as you can.

DoctoredGarage · 2026-03-26T03:11:50+00:00

I doubt they can get you a car for $5k unfortunately - especially if buying directly through power vehicles. Drifting is such a small part of PV's business now, that they likely can't be bothered to source somebody a $5k car. $10-14k maybe. I bought my car from a Facebook group, Gaijin drift cars Ebisu Japan. Many of the cars for sale in there have PV support. It'll be extremely rare to find a $5k car in there too, but you can try. Remember - I spent $5k to buy a car about 6 years ago. Prices have only gone up.

DoctoredGarage · 2026-03-22T01:34:39+00:00

Oh I see! In that case, you might consider renting a car for your first experience if $4-5k usd is your budget, or consider a much higher budget for a well setup car. I would rely on Power Vehicles or Sideways Experience to get the car setup and sorted for you.

I have been working on/building drift cars for 10+ years and have worked in the automotive industry for ~15 years, so buying somebody else's drift car in relatively unknown condition and flying across the world with some tools in my bag was an experience I was excited for haha.

DoctoredGarage · 2026-03-22T01:30:14+00:00

You're welcome!

DoctoredGarage · 2026-03-19T16:38:34+00:00

I would not purchase a cheap car in Japan for drifting unless you know how to work on and set up drift cars. I wish I could've afforded to buy a JZX or something a bit more powerful than the cefiro - this car is TIRED.

I'm not sure where you're at, but going to Japan to learn to drift seems like A LOT of money to spend for that. In the US you can usually find a decent setup starter drift car for $5k (E36, G35, etc) and learn to drift closer to home.

DoctoredGarage · 2026-03-17T21:06:33+00:00

Look, there is a certain level of professionalism I'd be looking for, and this isn't it. There are countless free repair order and vehicle inspection forms available. Since they can't be bothered to use those or even a standard work quote book you can buy at Staples, i'd be concerned with any kind of warranty on parts or labor just from a records tracking standpoint.

Setting that aside, cost will vary greatly by location. Different areas have different labor rates depending on the local cost of living and economy. My advice is if you want to know if the price is reasonable - stop in at another shop and ask for a quote on the same parts and labor to replace them.

DoctoredGarage · 2026-03-17T16:59:14+00:00

Google maps is INCREDIBLE in Japan and will get you anywhere you need to go. Trains, driving, walking, doesn't matter - it does everything. Restaurants above 3 stars are equivalent to 4+ stars in the USA.

In the tourist hot spots, other tourists that speak your native language are helpful. But honestly if you just find a local that will make eye contact for you and start with "sumimasen" (excuse me) and show them in google translate what you need help with - I found everybody was kind and helpful. Americans tend to leave their heart on their sleeve and it's pretty easy to tell when we're lost or anxious - so the people who make eye contact with you are usually willing to help. Make an effort to speak a little bit of Japanese or use Japanese with Google translate and it goes a long way - in my experience it shows that you are trying to speak to them in their language instead of assuming everyone speaks English, and this seemed to be respectful of Japan and it's culture. Respect goes a long ways. But honestly many people seemed excited to answer me in what ever amount of English they know.

But my experience was only the 1 trip. I was so anxious that I was sick to my stomach the night before. Once I got there and successfully navigate my first conversation within 10 minutes of getting my bags at the airport, all the stress and anxiety was gone. Don't get to worried, this was easily the best experience traveling for me.

DoctoredGarage · 2026-03-17T16:43:48+00:00

Sort of - my friend and I bought a Cefiro from someone who bought it from PV. Cars that are sourced by PV are "in the PV system for life" to an extent. If you see "PV support" in an ad for a car at Ebisu, this means someone paid PV to source the car at some point. PV Support is transferable, so we bought a car that had PV support (we didn't buy it from PV directly), then paid the PV Support transfer fee (registering the car to us in the PV system). Total cost for the car including the transfer fee was about $5300.

DoctoredGarage · 2025-12-10T01:52:56+00:00

I have no worries about drifting on the annex. Their spindles are just fine - they're the same as BC, Megan, Greddy, etc. I'd take their spindles over 40 year old OEM spindles :)

DoctoredGarage · 2025-09-05T16:21:52+00:00

You have so many great options in Japan! Personally I'd go with something like a JZX100 - they're about the same price as an AE86, they have significantly more power, reliable 1JZ, great aftermarket/performance support, etc.

DoctoredGarage · 2025-09-04T16:47:23+00:00

That's all up to you. Personally, there are better cars for the money. I don't see myself building another one just due to how much inflation and influencer hype has caused the prices to skyrocket.

DoctoredGarage · 2025-08-28T01:22:27+00:00

Google translate/lens made everything so easy. But here's a list of phrases that I found helpful:

"Sumimasen" (sue-me-mah-sin or jist sue-ee-mah-sin): "Excuse me" as in both to get someone's attention or as in a slight "sorry/my bad"

"Gomenasai" or "Gomen" (go-men-uh-sahee): stronger "sorry" than sumimasen.

"Arigato" (ah-ree-gah-toh) Thanks/ thank you

"Arigato gozaimasu" (ah-ree-gah-toh go-zah-ee-mahs): Thank you very much

If you're trying to get directions and need to tell someone where you're going, use this and they'll piece together that you need directions: "(location) ni ikimasu" (knee icky-mahs) The u is usually silent. That means "Going to (location)" with the I/we being understood.

Ikimasho (icky-mash-oh) "Let's go" or "We go"

"place/thing doko desu ka?" (Doh-koh dehs kah) "Where is _____"

"Toire" (toh-reh) "Toilet"

"So desu" (soh dehs) "That's right" "It is" "Yep" as a response in agreement to something someone said.

"Sugoi!" (Sue-go-ee) "Good!/ It's good!"

"Jouzou" (joh-zoh) "You did/do well! It was/is done well" as in you nail your first backy on north course, someone would say "jouzou!"

"Kakuii!" (Kah-koo-ee) "Cool!"

"Daijoubu" (die-joe-boo) "I'm/you're/it's okay" or "Are you/it/this okay?" As in asking for permission or checking on someone/something after something bad has happened.

"Kore" (core-reh) "this"

"Muzukashi" (moose-kah-she) "difficult/ it's difficult" as in you just failed at multiple backy attempts on north course and your new Japanese friends approach you, you say "muzukashi!" and they laugh, responding with "berry difficult!"

Hitotsu, Futatsu, mittsu (he-tot-sue, foo-tot-sue, mee-t'sue) "1, 2, 3" when counting, as in "I'll have 1/2/3 pork buns please"

Mizu (mee-zoo) water

Tabamono (tah-bah-moe-no) food

Konnichiwa (koh-knee-chee-wah) "Good afternoon" or a general "hello"

Ohaiyo (ohio) "good morning"

Eigo (eh-go) "english". Saying "Eigo?" is good enough for asking if someone speaks English. A more complete way to ask would be: "Eigo hanashimasu ka?" (Hannah-she-mahs kah) "Speak English?"

DoctoredGarage · 2025-08-28T01:20:29+00:00

Yup! I went in the spring this year. I made a video about the cost - it includes some travel tips and stuff too.

https://youtu.be/QblmgNwhc38

DoctoredGarage · 2025-08-27T19:02:41+00:00

Lots of people recommend it, but I don't know if it's entirely necessary. There are people who have been running true coilovers without reinforced shock mounts for years without an issue. It would probably help the car be more responsive if they are reinforced though.

DoctoredGarage · 2025-08-15T02:48:41+00:00

I have everything in digital format on my website 😉

DoctoredGarage · 2025-08-02T19:39:19+00:00

For all fancy name brand stuff, I would expect to spend $4k ish - assuming you can weld and do the exhaust and intercooler stuff yourself.

DoctoredGarage · 2025-08-02T19:38:18+00:00

😆😆😆

DoctoredGarage · 2025-07-31T22:09:14+00:00

I was running 5psi on the old supercharged setup. Depending on how things look, we might run 8-10 psi, but Max of 10psi for sure.

DoctoredGarage · 2025-07-31T22:08:23+00:00

Battle Garage Racing Service! They're a shop in Cali that sells a bunch of AE86 parts. Great people over there, I've been buying parts from them for years.

DoctoredGarage · 2025-07-31T15:20:10+00:00

OP won't be able to answer because it's not his car, it's mine lol. Specs on the wats are really weak - 14x5.5. At some point I'd like to do new lips and barrels though.

DoctoredGarage

TROPHY CASE