My 86 Experience at Tokyo Dealership. Full TRD trim 86 on display
 

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So I visited a Toyota dealership in Japan for the first time today. Thought I'd share some thoughts with you on the car, dealership differences, parts, the whole enchilada..

Sadly, I'm moving back to the US from Tokyo in about two weeks. I guess the timing could be worse, though, since I'll need a new car, and hey look... that car I've been fantasizing over since hearing about it back in 2008? Yeah, it just came out. Lucky! Anyway, figured I'd head over, get a close up look at the car, and see if there were any TRD parts that'd fit in my suitcase for the flight back (so no, no less expensive coilovers, body-kits, or wheels for me).

At certain Japanese dealerships, they have sections of the showroom floor devoted solely to the 86. It's a place where you can check out the TRD parts first-hand, get info on track days and racing events, and talk to (supposedly) knowledgeable service guys about the upgrading the car and what not. The closest dealership to me that had an Area 86 was over in Shibuya, a relatively upscale and fashionable part of Tokyo, but not too far from where I live.

First of all... holy hell that place was nice! I mean, I've seen Bentley dealerships that were less upscale and clean than this place. Honestly, it was very intimidating. The atmosphere combined with the fact that I speak Japanese at the level of a two year old child made me feel like a hobo walking into the Ritz Carlton; had to keep reminding myself, "It's only a Toyota dealership... you're allowed to be here... they sell iQs here, for chrissake."

The staff treated me as anything BUT a hobo, though! The second I walked i the door, everyone who wasn't with a client greeted and stood up, ready to be of help (god I love Japanese service!) I apologized in advance to the man who greeted me first for my horrible Japanese, and explained to him that I wanted to buy TRD parts. He excused himself, and came back with a wonderful young saleswoman named Kaori who spoke excellent English. Win! She then sent someone off to find one of the Area 86 parts specialist for me to talk with, and then proceeded to translate for me the whole time.

I feel I should emphasize at this point that I told them right away I was simply looking for a door stabilizer, and maybe a shift knob. These are not high-dollar items (total, I'd be spending maybe $350, which is less than some routine service visits), and yet I was already getting more attention and service than I have at ANY American dealership I've been to, and trust me when I say I've been to a lot of them.

About that door stabilizer, though. The parts guy informed me they had a test model there on the floor that had the door stabilizer installed on it, and offered to let me inspect it. To be honest, it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I figured it would give a more solid closing-feel to the door, almost like what you would find on more high-end cars. But it didn't seem to be any different than any other new-model Japanese car I've driven, so I really don't know how much of an effect it will have. Still, it's a unique enough part that's not very expensive, I'm going to pick one up to play with. After I've had the car long enough to get a feel for it in the turns, I'll install it and see if it makes any difference. If not, oh well... souvenir from Japan.

This is where the story turns tragic, however. I had told Kaori earlier that I had a deposit on one back in America, even though I'd never gotten a very good look at the car, and certainly hadn't driven it. So after we finished inspecting the door stabilizer, she asked if I wanted to take it for a spin (so cute, because those were her exact words! And her English was decent, but you could tell she was uncertain if she was using that line correctly... kawaii!) I was crushed, because I never got around to getting my car driver's license in Japan, so I had to tell her, "No... no Japanese license." She then says, "Ahh... but you have international license. That's fine!" Argh... again, I have to respond with, "No, sorry... no license at all for driving in Tokyo." She then gave me a look like, "Are you stupid? I wasn't asking about licenses, I was asking if you want to drive this car or not!" Instead, she just said, "Ah... that's too bad."

So despite there being no possibility of a sale, she was willing to let me test drive one of the hottest new sports cars in Japan (possibly even without a license). How many dealerships in America would allow this, ESPECIALLY if you're an obvious foreigner who doesn't speak English well? +Million points for Toyota, Japan. These people made me WANT to give them my money, not feel exploited and dirty like I do at an American style dealership.

Consolation prize though was getting to sit in one for the first time. Thoughts? "Mmmmmm....", then it gets a little NC-17 after that. The phrase "fits like a glove" gets thrown around a lot, but in this case it's very apt. I now get the reviews where journalists say everything falls immediately to hand; I mean, the car felt like you were sitting in a arcade game seat. The shifter, steering wheel, and handbrake all had that too-perfect feel to them, and the seats? My god, the seats!!! I've owned Recarros and Sparcos that were nowhere NEAR that comfortable or grippy. It was like the car was just... wrapping around you. If they've changed those seats for the American market because our fat asses don't know when to say when at McDonald's, I'm going to be one seriously pissed off car buyer (who will then become a somewhat more broke car-buyer, because I WILL import these seats from Japan!) All in all, the interior is much more upscale than I was expecting. So much so that I'm reconsidering that TRD shift knob and my plans for reupholstering in leather.

This dealership had three 86's on the lot, and there was not a single one I'd turn down if it was the only color available: a red on on the floor, an orange one outside, and a white one in FULL TRD trim. Brakes, wheels, body kit... everything! And they even had that one designated as a test-drive car! I was in shock. Not only had I turned down a test-drive opportunity, but I'd turned down a chance to test drive a TRD version. Sadly I didn't take many photos of the dealership, because I felt enough like a tourist in there as it was. However, I did snap a few of that #2 test drive car before leaving.

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So what was the point of all this rambling, the TL;DR? Toyota 86 = shiny, and gives you hugs. TRD 86 = more shiny. Scion of America sucks compared to Toyota of Japan. No perceivable benefit of TRD door stabilizer while the car is parked, so inconclusive opinions there. And if you're buying an 86 in Tokyo, please buy from Kaori in Shibuya, because she was a freakin' awesome saleslady! :thumbsup:

you should have taken those brakes off the car

LOL... the people at the dealership were so freakin' accommodating and friendly, I think they would have done it for me if I had asked them to. Both Kaori and the parts guy seemed genuinely distraught when I told them we hadn't gotten any TRD parts in America yet, and our cars only came with one interior color choice. I kid you not, my saleslady just kept coming back to that point, like she thought Scion was being deliberately mean to us. "But... picking out colors inside and outside to match, is the most fun of buying a new car!" :cry:

LOL... she was adorable.

I'm 5'10 8% body fat 170 lbs and the seats feel like a glove on me, dont know if you can relate but im not a "fat" guy so-to-say im pretty fit and they fit really well, better than my current seats and i love my current seats in my car

I just recently sat in a BRZ at a local dealer for the first time and my impressions were pretty much the same as yours. Everything just feel RIGHT and is exactly where it is supposed to be. I could close my eyes and reach out and find naturally. Seats feel wonderful!

Did you buy the TRD shift knob? Id so how much? I want one but the price here is the US is $137 which is a bit much for something so simple.

That is so cool, man! I'd kill to go there and check it out. What are you doing in Japan: business, military, other, care not to say?

Nice, nice.

A little off topic. I'm planning on taking a trip to Tokyo in the near future. I know learning English is a big part of Japanese schooling, so can you get around ok with 2nd grade Japanese?

I'm going to be hitting Rosetta Stone hard, but it would be nice to not have to worry too much about it.

Fun story - felt like I was really there! Too bad you didn't get more pictures - I'd like to have more visuals in my brain when dreaming of the non-American car buying experience.

That's fantastic news! Thanks for posting that! Me? Well... let's just say the cheeseburgers haven't been kind over the years, LOL... That's okay, though; can still force myself to fit in Bride buckets when I want to.

They're supposed to call tomorrow to let me know about the door stabilizer kit, and if they have it I'm going to consider picking up the knob at the same time. Honestly, though, $137 is a good price for the U.S. I think it was 11,900 yen here, which is pretty close as makes no difference a direct dollar-to-yen exchange. LOL, I can tell you that my suitcase space is at such a premium right now, my prices would be much, much higher! :D

I had been going to college here, and was planning on finding a job in Japan when I graduated, but I'm having to return to America for the time being for personal reasons. Still, hope to be back here again in a few year's time (and maybe living somewhere in Japan where owning a car isn't an exercise in self-hatred, like it is in Tokyo).

Honestly? Learn how to say "sorry" (sumimasen), "thank you" (arigatou), and "please" (onegaishimasu), and so long as you're not too proud to pantomime or point at things you want, you'll be fine. A lot of Japanese people understand *some* basic English, they just hesitate on using it because they don't feel they're very good (as if though my Japanese was perfect... HA!) Also, the tourist heavy industries like hotels and what not have a lot of English-speaking staff around. Just don't act like you expect them to know English, and show that you're willing to try speaking Japanese, and they'll treat you fine.

Yeah, sorry! I can't emphasize enough how out-of-place I felt there! I really did feel like a 16-year-old kid walking into a Ferrari dealership. And the whole staff was just so helpful, it was slightly off-putting. I mean, I had my own little entourage of staff following me around just in case I needed anything, so I was self-concious as hell as it was without being Captain Tourist-Guy on top of that, LOL...

If they can get that door stabilizer kit in before I have to leave the country, I'll take more pictures when I go back. Might have to put on my suit and get a hair-cut to get the confidence to do it, but hey... anything for this community! LOL... :thumbsup:

This thread just reminded me that I need to get off my ass and send in my international driver's permit for my trip to Japan in August (JDM girlfriend ftw). We already have plans to visit Mega Web's "Ride One" test course to try out both the 86 as well as RHD. I would never forgive myself if I didn't get around to obtaining the permit.

Yes! If you tell them their dealership is more fun and interesting than your US dealership, they will better understand and probably pose for photos with you. :thumbsup:

Dear Toyota NA/ Scion.
How do I put this. I WANT THIS CAR exactly how it is in this photo. I am willing to pay you money to have this car. Its a real easy equation, I pay you money, you make profit, I get the car I want. It really pisses me off seeing the rest of the world getting MORE options for this car, than the supposed "totally customizable" Scion version. This is why Scion does not sell well in this country, because for some reason Toyota NA thinks the American market is only interested in Pep Boys shift knobs and carbon fiber appliques. Sorry for the rant, but I needed to get that off my chest. I have been waiting for this car since they discontinued the Celica back in 2005. Then I get all hyped up for the TRD version, and all these options, that I will probably never see. So listen up Scion/Toyota NA. It's cool to have a mono-spec mantra and all, but how about giving your consumer the option to buy "OPTIONS". And by options I'm not talking about pioneer head units, shift knobs, etc, I can buy that on my own from Pep Boys (not a fan of them either by the way). I want what everyone else around the world appears to be getting. If a customer want no options, that's fine. But what about the rest of us who would actually like all, if not most, of the factory options offered to us. I mean look at MINI. They have the same one spec mantra and EVERYTHING they offer is an option. The damn things can get well into the 40k range. And I am 100% sure they don't have trouble selling cars (and they're rated dead last in reliability by the way). So in closing...
Offer me this car and you have my business.

Sincerely,
A loyal Toyota Owner

There is nothing in what you just said that I don't agree with. The parts guy actually busted up laughing when I told him in my horrible Japanese, "Honto, America no Toyota kaisha wa zenbu baka desu!" ("Really, Toyota of America are all a bunch of idiots!", give or take a bit on the translating.) He didn't seem to understand why we had a Scion brand at all.

It's a real shame. Toyota might think they're going to get more youth business by marketing it as a Scion, but I feel that a lot more people won't take this car seriously as a result. Look at the Toyota.jp page for the 86 sometime, or their catalogues; they're as classy and upscale as you could ever want. Now look at any of Scion's marketing. <sigh> Try as I want, I just can't bring myself to hate on people who won't own this car because they don't want to be seen in a Scion. :(

Oh well... armchair CEO strategizing over. I'm an enthusiast, and I'll drive this car whether it says Subaru, Scion, Chevy, or Yugo; and I've yet to see an option on the Japanese car that's beyond the reach of a dedicated modder! :happy0180: