Japan notes increase in Skyline, NSX prices due to overseas interest

A couple of countries including the U.S. have import restrictions on cars deemed unsafe or unfit for the environment. The 90s churned up some Japanese muscles which were restricted for imports. And for other reasons Americans consider a taboo- protectionism. However, classic vehicles over 25 years from the manufacture date were allowed in. Canada is slightly better off here- a 15 year import rule instead of 25. In the last couple of months Japan witnessed a price hike of cars joining the 25 Year Club, making them eligible for import in places like the US. A particular model of our interest, the Nissan Skyline GTR R34's price almost jumped a million yen.

The prices of R32 Skyline GT-Rs have jumped from ¥1.90 million in November of 2015 to to ¥2.07 million today (the equivalent $16,900 to $18,400 USD, an increase of $1,500). That's a notable jump. The Honda NSX has also seen a healthy rise in value. Since November Japanese prices have grown from ¥4.33 to ¥4.85 million (the equivalent of $38,600 to $43,200 USD, an increase of $4,600).

There were alarms going off when the Skyline GTR R34's price went up. Back in November, it had an average price of ¥5.01 million. Now it's ¥5.92 million (the equivalent of $44,600 to $52,700 USD, an increase of $8,100).

Owners of GTRs and NSXs are considering their cars to be of the same league of Toyota GT2000, where auctions fetch millions of dollars against a pristine vehicle. In the old days Japanese would chop their cars off and sell separately. Now, they're considering petting them until they hunt down the most 'worthy' buyer. They reckon a lot of foreign buyers are collectors who would keep their cars in better shapes.