After Years On the Rise, These Japanese Favorites Just Got Cheaper

It's not exactly breaking news that fun cars are a lot more expensive than they were, say, a decade ago. Nor is it a revelation that Japanese classics from around the 1990s to early 2000s have, in percentage terms, appreciated more than just about any other era or genre. Here's a surprise, though: After several soaring years of price guide numbers and sales results, several darlings of the '90s and '00s Japanese market took a step back in the first half of 2024.

Specifically, the R32-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R, 1991-96 Acura NSX, FD-generation Mazda RX-7, Mk IV Toyota Supra, Acura Integra Type R and AP1-generation Honda S2000 are all worth less now than they were last December. That said, they're all still worth more-way more-than they were in the pre-pandemic days of 2019. The Supra in particular is worth over twice (109 percent more) what it was five years ago. These movements reflect a wider trend in the market that sees some cooling and increased pickiness but few major drops.

Of course, we can't talk about money at all in the 2020s without touching on inflation, and the devaluation of the dollar does give a bit more perspective into these cars' trajectories. Adjusting for inflation narrows the gap between 2019 and now, but all six cars have still made real gains.

The Integra Type R (37.1 percent more valuable than 2019) and S2000 (52.4 percent) are the closest to their values from five years ago, and adjusting for inflation brings them even closer. The Integra Type R's condition #2 ("excellent") value five years ago was $44,400. With inflation that translates to about $54,300, just a few grand shy of the car's #2 value of $57,600 today. As for the S2000, its #2 value five years ago was $25,100, and with inflation that's roughly $30,700 in 2024 dollars-not that far off the S2000's current value of $38,100.

Regardless, all of these Japanese classics appear to have hit what's at least a temporary peak. That's not necessarily a bad thing-as far as enthusiasts who are looking to enter the market are concerned, a pause in this segment means there's still a chance.