Disenfranchised Citizen
7 months ago
I have always wanted an authentic right hand drive J78 70 series diesel powered Land Cruiser Prado from japan. I always liked the boxy look. The ones I always found were already overly modified and clapped out by the previous owners. I also wanted a manual transmission. I recently retired as after 28 years as a police officer and now was the time. I searched all of the sites and was about to pull the trigger on one that had an automatic transmission, and then I found the one that JDM Sport Classics listed, a 1994 KZJ78 with the 1KZ-TE engine and only 94,000 miles. The best part was that it was all bare bones stock with no rust. This was clearly driven by someone that cared about their vehicle as it was clean inside and out. I made contact with JDM Sport Classics via their contact page that night and the next morning I received a text from Ethan Clock the Sales Manager. I asked for and quickly received additional photos and information on the Prado. I made arrangements to drive 4 hours to their dealership on Saturday September 27th, 2025 to inspect and test drive it. Ethan was very accommodating and advised prior to scheduling the test drive that the vehicle had already been earmarked for identified issues to be repaired or replaced but it could be test driven.(New timing belt, water pump with housing, transfer case seal, power steering seal, etc). Once I showed up and test drove it, it was exactly what I was looking for. He said that the parts were already ordered and it would be 1-2 weeks prior to being able to sell it but a deposit would hold it. I left $1,500 cash to hold it and left. I gave them a week to get the parts in before bugging them and after texting for an update, promptly received a reply that the parts had arrived and that they were actively working on it. The following Tuesday morning October 8th, I received word that it was ready. I drove the four hours back to Michigan and completed the purchase. There is a stigma about small non orthodox car dealers and getting scammed, and dealing with scammers as a cop for the past 28 years also puts me on guard. I can assure you that if you are looking to purchase a JDM, this is the place. They also have a pretty impressive service shop and committed technicians to work on these vehicles. They had about 80 vehicles of different models. Ethan stated that they don't just import these vehicles to turn them out. They go through them all replacing and or fixing what needs to be fixed to make sure that their customers can drive them off the lot without worrying about them breaking down. They also communicate which is the most reassuring and important aspect of that type of business. You can call any major brand dealership across the country and expect a similar experience. Calling a small specialty dealership and expecting the same results just isn't a reality. You will definitely get you mixed results. But if you're looking for a personal experience and up front honesty, Call Ethan Clock at JDM Sport Classics to get that JDM vehicle that you always wanted.