I was thinking about this a few minutes before I got home tonight, and then I open up HT and there is a thread about JDM fronts and DOT approval...so I figured I'd say this. Disregarding all the crap I've talked about JDM stuff, the front end in particular, this one thought sprang to my head. I once thought about doing it, but this was the main deterrent for me.

The Ferrari 365 Daytona (the black Ferrari convertible from Miami Vice) is considered one of the purest Ferraris ever made. The convertible is way more desirable than the hardtop, and a lot more rare. Thinking that Ferrari intended the car to be topless, a lot of hardtop owners did convertible conversions, to gain the added status of a droptop, and stand out from the crowd of hardtops. Much the way many R owners buy the JDM front. However, when they tried to sell their cars, they were met with a rude surprise. The "droptop conversions" were worth poo poo compared to the real deal, and also worth less than the regular hardtops to boot. And not only that...any true Ferrari aficionado looks down their nose at the fake convertibles.

So, for people who don't give a DoEs AnYoNe KnOw WheRe I CaN GeT SoMe StRObE LiTEZ AnD LiGhT uP WiNdShiElD NoZzLeS?? about the resale value of their car and just like the way the JDM front looks (Mike, Sakai, Marc, Victor, etc), this story has no relevance. But, for people who are going to sell their car when something hotter comes out, and just want to have the tightest car on the block, you might be in for a surprise when: A) you try to sell the car; or B) no one thinks your car looks cool anymore.

 

I doubt people doing JDM front ends really care about resale value. I mean if some1 really cared than Y would you ever even touch your car with any kind of aftermarket parts.

 

Damn Ross...you were just asking to get FLAMED for this one.

I understand what you're getting at...and I personally wouldn't go JDM front unless:

A) I had LOTS of $$ and wanted a different look
or
B) Wrecked the front of my R bad enough to justify the conversion

Ross, I think you have to take into consideration that *most* of us ITR owners are a niche group of people anyway. We race our cars nearly stock, we modify our cars. I'm guessing that a large number of us didn't buy our ITR as a *collector car*. I know I didn't. I bought mine because it was the best performing car I could get for my $$. Just my opinion.

 

well i know im not ever selling the R and i dont care what the laws are about the front bumper so i cant wait till mines is installed


[Modified by FusionITR, 12:05 AM 1/30/2002]

 

not ever selling the R? never say never bro...

Todd, a lot of people buy their Rs as garage queens/investments. they just don't post here.

 

where did u take it to get it installed from? In the Sac Area or ???? btw, i live near elk grove

 

But in the case of the 365 Daytona the actual roof of the car was cut off.

The "JDM" nose is just sheetmetal and a radiator support. It's not as permanent, and besides, they're all genuine honda parts. And people go gaga over the front end. Would a US ITR would be worth less than a stock one because it has red "JDM" Recaros and an SRS Momo steering wheel? I doubt it.

I think a OEM "JDM" nose will add $2000 to the value to any Integra, even though it costs upwards of $4000 to put on. If I was in the market for a ITR, I'd spend the extra $2,000 for one that had a 96R nose. Maybe an extra $500-700 or so for 98R lenses with OEM HIDs. If I had a 96R nose on my car and was to sell it, I'd expect it the car to be worth $2000.00 more.

And as for the DOT and legality's of the conversion - I suspect using non-HID lenses would reduce the chances of getting pulled over.





[Modified by dc24me, 3:38 AM 1/30/2002]

 

As for the JDM front being worth more - no way. A dealer offered "True Soprano" on HT like 12,000 for his JDM-front, show-award-winning ITR. If you pay a $2000 premium over a regular price for a used ITR, you're paying way too much. If anything you should be paying $2000 less. Like any other mod, it detracts from the value. In the eyes of guys like us, it should add value, but stupid dealers and stupid people rule the world and drive the prices down.

 

hey ross-i know our cars are destined to be collectables. not many cars reach this status unless its an exotic. this dc2R is a future 65 mustang, 57 chevy, jaguar xke...and the numbers for this very limited ed. car keep dropping every month with thefts and crashes. oem parts and jdm parts will be worth gold one day...esp nos stock. i'm familiar with all of this because i especially love old cars...i owned a 65 stang convertible in cherry condition once-until i sold it to buy my R. i'm going through the same decisions as you as far as a jdm conversion, and i'm a hardcore oem fan. however, unlike the ferrari you mentioned above, a jdm front conv. is not irreversible... nor is a lot of aftermarket upgrades-granted a totally virgin R will be worth a little more one day compared to another one *upgraded* even with the finest parts BUT-we all live only once and we should enjoy what we have now and not worry so much about the future value of our cars. heck, my car is a garage queen most of the time, but i'm not afraid of changing anything-as long as it can be changed back. we as r owners who will sell one day just need to make responsible choices that will affect the future, if not, its no one elses fault-i love this DoEs AnYoNe KnOw WheRe I CaN GeT SoMe StRObE LiTEZ AnD LiGhT uP WiNdShiElD NoZzLeS??in car

 

As badass as the JDM Front looks, I still like the USDM Front better. Sorry...I think its just one of those JDM goody things...cool, badass, and JDM, but if given the choice, i'd do USDM over JDM Frontend anyday.

 

Everybody owns their car for their own reason, JDM front or not. Let it go Ross

 

Ross,
I will contradict your story by saying that the Ferrari drop top you speak about was offered in the states unlike the JDM front end Integra Type R. Not only that but the JDM front end doesn't mettle with the structural integrity of the vehicle and can easily be swapped back out with just a few weld points, unlike the convertible conversion. That is why I am keeping all original parts for the Type R.

 

Ask anybody who IS a dealer, they will agree 100% with Ross. When i bought my R i wanted it stock, but you can always find a fool who wants a car someone else has already modded. I guess its kinda like woman, you want to marry a virgin ie(stock), not something someone else has already "beat up"

 

so your saying my modded R is like a "beat up" pusssy...???!

 

Here is an example for you:
IMO: If i was a potential buyer in the market for a ITR i would choose a stock ITR rather than one that had had extra stress on the motor and tons of mods. If you don't believe me take your boosted/modded ITR down to your local dealer and see how much you get for it

 

KBB values my car at under 9K!! LOL
No way i can AFFORD to sell my car
I'd end up paying to have it taken from me
hahaha

Oh, and if the JDM front end was installed CORRECTLY, then it IS permanent.

 

All of you with JDM front ends are going to burn in hell; haha DoEs AnYoNe KnOw WheRe I CaN GeT SoMe StRObE LiTEZ AnD LiGhT uP WiNdShiElD NoZzLeS??ers

 

it really depends on who your selling to for instance on ebay just by stating you have a jdm front end or anything jdm raises the value by millions of dollars. I have seen clock covers go for 70 dollars

 

Actually I have seen many R's with JDM front's sell for hella money.
Remeber Mark Jhanke? He sold his JDM front R for like $30-55g's! And it was sold.
Another guy around here has a tight JDM front R and he sold it for 20+ and its a 97 with over 75k miles.
Also one guy around here has probally the world nicest show type R ever and he's been offered $40-60g for it!

Yeah if you just go to a car sales place and try to sell it, they will most likely rape you, however if they are smart like the 99% of the dealerships around here, they will just slap on a special edition (custom) package name to it and sell it for HELLA $$$$$ A dealership around here acutally sold a GSR "type S" for 3g over stocker price because they gave it the "type S" name! What did they do for the "type S" name? They went to Nissan and took a S badge off a car and slapped it on the GSR. Voila! GSR type S!! hahahahah Around here most anything will be sold in time.

As for me, like you said I never plan to sell my R to anyone. I did all my work the right way and probally spent the most on the work and labor to do it perfect. If I were to buy an R with a JDM front, I would pay more for the front on it, however I would check to make sure it was done right, to see if it was in a accident first, etc... Its all about cleaness, function, safety, and above all quality.

 

it may be nice-looking, but it's still a modification...publications like Consumer Reports, Edmund's, etc. tell buyers to stay away from modified cars. When I was first looking at Rs I even stayed away from cars that had basic bolt-ons, and eventually decided to just get a new one.

And think about what Sakai said...if it's done right, it is permanent.

Plus, I'd estimate about half the guys on here who have JDM front got it because they were in a front-end collision. If I were in the market for an R right now, there's no way you'd get me to buy a JDM-front R unless I knew the seller (for example, I'd buy Victor's or Hank Fang's car).

Really this is not a post bashing the JDM front, but a word of advice to people who might be undecided. There is a member on here, a 17-yr-old kid from CA who crashed his R and then decided to go JDM front. However, he did so without knowing any of the potential downsides, as in the JDM front technically being illegal in the USA.

And for anyone who jocks the JDM front as being "the way Honda intended the car to be"...I guess it's worth mentioning that our USDM front was the original JDM front...but the Japanese didnt like it so Honda designed a more traditional front-end for the JDM.

and to jet-01...you and I aren't struggling with the same issues...I'm never going to buy that damn kit

 

Maybe the dealer wasn't interested and discouraged "True Soprano" by offering a ridiculously low offer. And I believe his car has a fibreglass conversion... which I thing WOULD decrease the value of the car... because it's not an OEM or authorized part. So did you decrease the value of your car when you put on the
Mugen wing? It all depends on the buyer and if they appreciate the mod, it will increase value. That's the way I see it.

 

You bet I did. That's why I'm in the process of tracking down an OEM wing.

Sure, an informed buyer will pay more for a car than a dealer would. But, if I was buying a heavily modded car, I'd use the dealer's reaction as a bargaining point..."the dealer will only give you $10,000 for this JDM front, turbocharged 1998 ITR...so why the hell should I pay the $27,000 you are asking for it?"

 

I agree with this 100% - I bought my R for the performance AND appearance!

 

i prefer the JDM front end look to the USDM front end. it's simply a matter of taste and appearance. however i wont do the conversion for a long time, since i prefer go over show.

 

Because a dealer Knows crap about cars, aftermarket mods, and OEM Mods. I went to the dealer once they asked If I had a prelude And these are the people who you would take their judgement as a good one?

MostSalespeople and service people at Dealerships are ABSOLUTE MORONS, They know nothing more about a car than what they read in a pamphlet, and of course they will lowball someone on price they always do, You could bring them a Mint M3 they still will lowball you...