Toyota Stalking, er...um, SPOTTING with Charlie™ (Cars, vans, SUVs, Lexus, Scion, and brochures)!

Sticker-bombed 2009 Corolla LE, with an inspection sticker that expired in April 2020; New Jersey does inspections every two years, so this car hasn't been inspected since 2018!


April 27th, 2024:

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

 

1997 RAV4


April 29th, 2024:

Warrington, Pennsylvania

 

There were THREE (3) V12 Toyota Centuries at the Import Nats!


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

More interior pics from the same car, taken later in the day...

 

At least two of the Centuries that I saw at Carlisle last Saturday were 1997 models, including this blue one, but I think that one of the black ones was a 1998; 1999 Centuries are now legal in the United States under the 25-year loophole, and 2000 models will be legal next year. This generation of Century was manufactured from 1997 model year (so late 1996), until either 2016 or 2017. The 1997-2017 models are virtually identical when parked side-by-side, though newer models came standard with backup cameras (no idea when this started). The current generation of Century stays faithful to the boxy styling, but uses a Hybrid V8 not unlike what some US-market Lexus models use...

This blue Century and one of the black Centuries were both registered in New York. The first black one (See above) was registered in Maryland. Look closely at the blue car's license plate; rather fitting since some refer to this generation of Century as the "Japanese Rolls-Royce)! When I was maybe three years old, my dad bought me a red Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit (a Matchbox car, not the real thing); I did not know how to pronounce the name, so I called that miniature British luxury sedan a "Rolls-Rice" just like license plate on the blue Century!


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

All generations of Century prior to 1997, as well as the current generation (2017-present), have a V8 engine; I talked to the owner of 1997 Toyota Chaser almost years ago. He had absolutely no problem getting it registered here in PA, but couldn't get an emissions test for the simple (and rather stupid) fact that JDM vehicle use a different diagnostic system than our country's OBDII that has been in use 1995-1996. For this reason, as stupid as it is, a V-12 Century will probably not pass emissions in PA. Luckily, it is eligible for both Antique (25 years or older; no inspection at all) and Classic (15 years old; safety inspection only). California is the only state in the country that mandates emissions test (the dreaded, draconian smog test) for ALL gas powered vehicles newer than 1976, so California is probably the only state where one might run into trouble getting one of these registered. Most states don't required emissions testing, a few of the ones that do only require them in select areas), and states other than California that have strict emissions laws allow you to put antique tags on ANYTHING 25 years or older!

Anyway, this is what makes the previous generation of Century so special! This is the first and only V-12 engine that Toyota ever produced. Compared to V8s and even some V6s of today, it doesn't have an insane amount of power, but it is not a slouch by any means and I'm told that it is just as reliable as you'd expect a 1990s Toyota engine to be! This is the blue 1997 Century's engine...

 

May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

1991 Camry DX


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

Same car!


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania


Same car!


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

2018 Subaru BRZ Premium


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

Same car, but now with different wheels and an Initial D paintjob (and still no A/C)!


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

This owner of this 1988 Toyota Van drove all the way from Missouri for the show, and it presently has 255K miles! I used to see these vans fairly often well into the 1990s, and a staff member at my middle school in Oak Harbor, Washington (where I attended 6th and 7th grade, from 2000 to 2002) had a passenger version that was absolutely mint for being over a decade old at the time. They don't salt the roads in Washington state (at least not the area where we lived), so vehicles that would be disintegrating after ten years here are near-mint in the PNW. I have seen more JDM HiAces here in the Northeast than I have seen pre-1990 Toyota Vans. I photographed a 1980s Toyota cargo van at a car show here in Bucks County on Halloween in 2020, my dad spotted that same van on the road a couple years later and took a picture for me, and I took pictures of a JDM diesel/5-speed Toyota Van at Carlisle last year which was also here this year; I see these for sale online fairly often, but they are from places like California and Texas, and the scourge of salted roads has claimed most of the ones from anywhere North of the Mason-Dixon Line. Like the brown one I documented at the car show almost four years ago, this one has front and rear A/C despite being a cargo van. It also has an automatic transmission...



Luckily, it's a newer one, so it has a slightly larger engine and isn't as slow. Regardless, seeing one of these in person that looks showroom new is pretty awesome!


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

I believe that this 1995 Supra may have originally been naturally aspirated; I ran the license plate through Carfax and it simply says "1995 Toyota Supra" whereas some license plates on Mk. 4 Supras that I've run come up as "Supra Turbo". I've had a few other Mk. 4 Supras come up as simply "Toyota Supra" when I run the license plate. This is definitely the case with US-spec 1991-1995 Turbo MR2s versus naturally aspirated MR2s; I have the VIN if anybody's interested...


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

The Mk. 4 Supra was not only sold in North America, but it is still widely available. Unfortunately, a lot of these beautiful cars have been modified at best and totally ruined at worst since The Fast and the Furious came out. This has driven the price of totally stock Supras through the roof, so the only reason I could see for buying an RHD (JDM and UK markets) Supra is if it is totally stock and considerably cheaper than buying one stateside. I met a guy at a big JDM car show in New Jersey who had a UK-market Supra that was originally automatic, but which he converted to stick shift, and I know of a JDM automatic Supra owned by a woman in the Pottstown area; I seriously see no point in importing an RHD Supra unless it is totally stock and an absolute gem...


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

1994 Celica GT


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

2021 GR Supra A91 Edition


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

2000 Celica GT-S


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

2023 GR Corolla Core


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

Just realized that I forgot to post the pics of all three Centuries together...




May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

Yet another 2023 GR Corolla Core, but in black and from West Virginia...


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

2021 GR Supra 3.0 Premium


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

1982 Cressida with 141K original miles!


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

2013 Subaru BRZ Limited


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

Daily driven 2019 Camry SE with 105K miles!


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

 

1999 Camry LE


May 11th, 2024:

Carlisle, Pennsylvania