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2025 Car Mileage with the Best Gas MileageCritics’ Choice: Classic Imports
Some of the coolest cars built in Europe and Japan never came to America. Tiring of being told no, our writers search out their favorite classic import.
The Greener Grass
Envy is one of the seven deadly sins. Deadly, one presumes, because envy can devour and destroy us; the pining and longing mixed up and churned over by a tiny, roiling ball of rage and resentment knocking about like one of those spherical springs in a protein shaker bottle. As a car enthusiast, to look too long too closely at the curiosities and wonders that never came to the US is to be led by a siren’s song upon the rocky shores of disappointment. That is, unless the object of your desire is over 25 years old and therefore qualifies for importation. Hunting down classic imports was already a pastime for our writers, and so armed with browser folders full of bookmarked listings they’ve eagerly set about winnowing down their lists of the coolest, rarest, and oddest of imports for this Critics’ Choice.
Jesse McGraw
1995 Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear L400
Short List
1995 Nissan Skyline GTR V-Spec R33
1995 Peugeot 306 S16 Rally
1992 Mazda RX7
My favorite classic import car on Carsforsale.com? The keyword there is “classic,” meaning that the car must be at least 20 years old, which happens to coincide nicely with the 25-year waiting period to import these overseas rarities. So, I mostly kept my import search to models from the ‘90s, but I did try to find something from different parts of the globe. I took a look at some Holdens from Australia, found a European rally car from Peugeot, and I even came across a Lada from Russia. In the end, I came back to my JDM favorites.
I found imported Mazda RX7s, Honda NSXs, Nissan Skylines, and even some quirky kei trucks all for sale on Carsforsale.com. I almost went with your typical JDM tuner until I stumbled upon a strange kei van for sale. This 1995 Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear. The Delica Space Gear was already a fun little adventure vehicle straight from Mitsubishi with its 4×4 drivetrain and a 2.8L intercooled 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine, but this one has been taken to another level. It’s been given an aftermarket bull bar with additional exterior lighting, roof rack, rear ladder, Heartland International 8-inch lift kit, 35-inch General Grabber tires, 16-inch Pro Comp Extreme aluminum wheels, and fender flares.
All those aftermarket goodies make this kei van even more awesome for adventuring out into the mountains, yet the inside only makes it better. This van may be small, but its modular seat makes use of the space very efficiently. The second row is comprised of swiveling captain’s chairs while the third-row bench seating can be split and stowed to the sides of the cabin. These seats can also all be laid flat to make an impromptu bed that’s perfect for vehicle camping while out on the trails. The rest of the interior is nice too with wood-styled trimming, rows of sky lighting, a front passenger sunroof, rows of interior roof lighting, and plenty of cup holders.
Is this everyone’s first choice for an import vehicle? Probably not. Will it be the most unique thing on the road wherever you go? Most definitely! You’ll be the envy of Jeep owners and JDM fans alike.
Jesse Batson
1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal
Short List
1993 Suzuki Cappuccino
1995 Mitsubishi Pajero Mini
I wasn’t looking for this 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal when I started this search. Instead, I was leaning towards a Nissan Skyline GTR, an Alfa Romeo Spider, or a Mitsubishi Pajero. I found a 1995 Mitsubishi Pajero Mini with 86,500 miles selling for $12,990. That one made my shortlist. Then I stumbled upon a cool little 1993 Suzuki Cappuccino. Move over, Pajero. You’ve been replaced. But then I found the Montreal. That’s it! No more searching required. This is my number one choice. This is the car I’m choosing.
I wasn’t familiar with the Montreal. In fact, I’d never heard of it, but the 2-seater coupe stood out in every way. The red body paint, the shape of the car, the side cabin vents (which I learned are only cosmetic) located behind the door, and the duct that’s on the hood. All of it really impressed me! Oh yeah, the four, round headlights up front and the large glass pane on the tailgate. It’s safe to say that I like the looks of the Montreal, but how does it perform? What’s under that beautifully sculpted hood?
The ‘73 Montreal has a 200-horsepower 2.6-liter fuel-injected DOHC V8. It works with a five-speed manual gearbox. It’s got an independent front suspension, a rear-axle suspension, coil springs and dampers in the front of the vehicle, and disc brakes on all four wheels. Designers used the chassis of an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT when originally sketching out this car almost six decades ago.
Now, let me give you a little history of the Alfa Romeo Montreal. Some of you may be familiar with it, but if you’re more focused on the American classics, you may not be. It’s a gorgeous car with an interesting backstory. The Montreal was initially designed by Marcello Gandini, the same man who worked on the Lamborghini Diablo, Lamborghini Countach, and Lamborghini Miura.
The car was built as a concept for display at the Expo 67 World’s Fair in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A production version underwent a few engine changes from the concept and ended up debuting at a March 1970 Geneva show. People were impressed with the style elements, just like I was when I was scrolling through cars on Carsforsale.com. These days, it’s been consistently named as one of the best-looking Alfa Romeo coupes ever.
It is used. It was driven after being sold new in Italy in September 1973. Only 29,657 miles, though? That’s not bad. I wouldn’t be buying this car to put it in a garage somewhere either. I’d be driving it and enjoying the experience of it. Thankfully, I could drive it without much worry because after being purchased by a collector in December 2016, this ‘73 Montreal underwent a 2017 cosmetic and mechanical restoration. Carrozzeria Rizza, a shop in Rome, did the work. That’s why the car still looks so stellar today.
This red, exotic Montreal is one of only 3,925 models that ever ended up being produced between 1970 and 1977. Most of those models were sold in Europe, so there are even fewer of them available in America. If I had the funds to pick this up at its $129,000 price tag, I absolutely would. The Alfa Romeo Montreal may have been new to me when researching this article and looking through a variety of imports, but I’m a converted fan already! It’s my new favorite classic import.
Chris Kaiser
1991 Honda Beat
Short List
1994 BMW 3 Series 316i Touring Wagon
1994 Daihatsu Hijet Deck Van
1997 Mazda Bongo Friendee Camper Van
Finding the ultimate imports was indeed a tall order given how many potential candidates there are. Old and rare classics like the Ferrari 512 BB felt a little too “exotic” while not actually being all that exotic. My first inclination was to search out a German wagon in the spirit of the Mercedes E-class. Sadly, we did not have an Audi RS2 Avant on our site given its rarity. We did, however, have both E30 and E46 gen BMW 3 Series Touring wagons, both European exclusives. The weird tailgate cut out and ‘90s upholstery was certainly tempting on the RWD manual-equipped 316i I found.
If not a German wagon, the next best thing in imports is surely a Japanese van … right? The Mazda Bongo Friendee was almost worth my pick based on the name alone (JDM cars have the best names in the industry, hands down). This eight-seater comes with a pop-up camping tent and all three rows fold flat to allow the Bongo Friendee to sleep up to four.
My affinity for kei cars forced me to move on from the normally proportioned Bongo Friendee to the travel-size dimensions of a Daihatsu Hijet, and not just any Hijet. While you’ll commonly see Hijets in its two primary body styles, van or pickup, this Hijet Deck Van splits the difference and gives you both sliding rear doors and a tiny truck bed!
As much as we all love Japanese vans, the reason so many of us have fallen in love with Japanese kei cars are the miniaturized sport coupes and roadsters like 1990s trio of the Mazda Cappuccino, Autozam AZ-1, and the Honda Beat. Of those three, I chose the Honda Beat for my pick for its combination of weirdness and cuteness.
Though it may look a good bit like an S2000 that got left in the dryer too long, the Beat is actually mechanically quite unique, starting with its powertrain. The Beat is powered by a naturally-aspirated 656-cc inline three-cylinder engine. This rev happy motor produces peak power, a whole 63 horsepower, way up at 8,100 rpm and peak torque at around 7,000 rpm.
Compelling indeed, but wait, there’s so much more. The Beat’s devotion to spirited driving goes another step, placing the three-cylinder midship, behind the driver and in front of the rear axle. Power runs to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. Yes, the Beat is a “slow” car, but as you row through its gears it growls and purrs with more character than most Lamborghini. There’s a reason Honda marketed the Beat as “unreasonably fun.”
The fun continues inside the Beat. No, those are garish ’90-esque aftermarket white and black tiger print seat covers, those are garish ‘90s-era factory seats with matching tiger print floor mats. Honda’s engineers were kind enough to design the tiny Beat with an extra inch of lateral space on the driver’s side to make it just a bit more livable for anyone over 5’5”. And as a roadster, you can enjoy the Beat best by driving with the top down. The Beat was produced for the Japanese market from 1991 through 1996.
Finding a fantastic and conversation-stoking import is one of the most rewarding car-buying adventures an enthusiast can embark on, whether you’re seeking speed, elegance, street cred, or sheer weirdness.
