1986 Toyota Sprinter GT APEX 3 Door coupe

This 1986 Toyota Sprinter GT APEX AE86 3 door coupe was inspected for a client at USS Tokyo auction on 20 October 2016.

This model became famous in Japan and then the rest of the world thanks to being featured in the Initial D series of Japanese manga and anime, then in Gran Turismo and other car racing video games. See Toyota AE86 Wiki for more details.

This has led to increasing demand for the cleanest and most genuine examples, and therefore increasing prices which are discussed more here:

AE86 Prices on the Rise

Sometimes poor condition vehicles can be put through auction with a high start price, hoping a buyer may bid sight unseen and pay much more than they should.

Unfortunately this example was one of those in very poor condition with significant rust issues, body filler and poor paintwork. It was so bad we did not complete a full inspection but stopped once we had taken pictures of some of the obvious faults as shown:

Left side of the underfloor, chassis rail damaged
Lower front wheel arches, tailgate and rear panel rusted out and patched up with body filler
Roof both sides repaired with body filler and obviously different heights
Front doors rusted
Rust around the sunroof

Aside from the poor finish of the paint itself, sanding marks and many imperfections from poor preparation were still visible.

This AE86 was technically eligible for import to Australia under the 1988 and older rule, however the condition was much too poor for our client to bid and we strongly recommended against it.

It sold for 1,120,000 Yen FOB which would have been approx. $20,200 landed in Australia at the time (at 79.5 Yen to the dollar).

View other Japanese Classic Collector Car Auction Inspection Examples

We only source the best vehicles with clean and tidy interiors, and only vehicles we would be pleased to own ourselves. This is why we are constantly told by clients that the vehicles we source are well above the condition of most others on the local market.

Whether you’re looking for a classic 1986 Toyota Sprinter GT APEX AE86 coupe, or any other type of vehicle we can find it for you in nice condition.

The pictures are typical of the information we provide prior to auction for each vehicle of interest, with any faults shown so you can clearly see the condition before we discuss whether to bid, and your budget.

It is vital when sourcing your vehicle to use an agent that takes the time to physically check each vehicle and looks beyond the auction pictures and report to confirm condition. Some vehicles may have an unpleasant smoke or other odour, rust underneath, or other faults which are impossible to know without inspection.

View Auctions to search for available vehicles and research 3 months of past auction sale prices for any make or model.

See What We Do to fully understand our car import service.

Our Import Cost Calculator sets out all the costs of importing a car from Japan.