About a year ago I walked by this Starcraft Ford E150 conversion van in our local suburban Tokyo neighborhood that had obviously been abandoned – I took a trip by this same area last weekend and it was still there – and had acquired a couple of companions…
The Van still looks in pretty good shape, and the Crown and Avensis look like they could be found on any neighborhood used car lot. It reinforces something I realized when I first arrived in Japan almost 40 years ago – Japanese still view cars as disposable items. In addition, though its decreased somewhat, there is still a stigma here with driving an older car, i.e., “you’re poor.” As a result, the collector car hobby is smaller than in the West – just as devoted, but smaller.
Let’s take a look at these new additions; on the left is an eleventh generation S-170 Crown Athlete Estate, made from 1999-2003. This one has the mesh grille so it must be a 2002 or 03. During its tenure, you couldn’t get a more top-tier wagon in Japan. It was also the last in a long line of Crown Estates – subsequent models did not offer one – but this S-170 wagon was kept in production for several years even after the new S-180 model came out in 2004.
They came with a variety of straight six engines from a base 2.0 1G-FE SOHC unit, to the 2.5 turbocharged DOHC 1JZ-GTE, to the big 3.0 DOHC 2JZ-GE. I had a 1988 GX-71 Cresta with the 1G-FE and a later 1993 S-140 Crown with the 2JZ-GE – both were superb engines; turbine smooth, powerful, and unbreakable.
These Wagons seem to be popular with the current custom inclined wheel crowd…
The Avensis also has an interesting history – it was styled by the Toyota design team in France, and was built with the European market in mind. Avensis is a derivative of “Avancer” or Advance in French. It was sold pretty much all over the world, with the exception of North America which already had the Corolla (which it shared a platform, though the Avensis was a touch larger) and Camry. European models were built at Toyota’s Burnaston plant in Derbyshire, England.
The one above is a second generation T-250 built from 2003-09 – and looks like a 2003-06 model, again based on the grille. Engines were a 2.0 1AZ-FSE and 2.4 2AZ-FSE gas four cylinders, and a 2.2 D-4D diesel. I always thought these were tidy looking little sedans, with a bit of European flair. I liked the wagon more than the sedan.
There were a couple more cars parked to the right of the Avensis, but they looked as if they were being driven. As the Van has been here immobile for a good two years now, I don’t have much hope these other two will get back on the road – shame, they no doubt have lots of miles left on them.
I’ve been told the increased cost of Japanese MOT inspections as a car ages is why Japan is such a reliable source for used cars in other East Asian RHD markets. Wonder why these didn’t get exported. We often make our used cars (works with major appliances too) into yard ornaments in Arkansas, but this is not something I’d expect to see in Japan.
Indeed, I was thinking the same thing and at least from having lived in the UK from 2002-10 I can attest that the Japanese used export market is alive and well, especially for vans and SUV’s. (OK, perhaps not a legit “Yank Tank” like a Ford Econoline, but still…) Being such a densely populated nation, land is surely a premium commodity. So who has the space to let cars sit and rot in Tokyo, for years on end? And, at some point wouldn’t the local authorities be interested and/or remove?
Jim, please enlighten us further. I’m intrigued…
I see all three vehicles appear to have some kind of citation or notice tucked under their wipers. Perhaps at some point they will get towed/removed. Though if the van has been there two years perhaps things kind of move slow over there.
Tons of used Japanese cars end up in the Philippines. Also tons of their large trucks end up there too no doubt after failing safety inspections in Japan as there are none in the Philippines.
Adam, yes, you’re correct – land is at a premium here. But this area is on the far outskirts of Tokyo and a little more rural. The reason I think these cars have remained here so long is that they are on private property – if they were on public land or a street, they’d be towed within 24 hours.
Again, a guess that the van, Crown and Avensis are all owned by the same individual or family – and either own that small strip of land or are renting those three spots.
Those tags on the windshield are abandoned notices, but the local police probably won’t tow them unless someone makes a complaint.
They would certainly be good candidates for exporting and there is a fairly lucrative market sending these to Russia and the Middle East, but the owners would have to sell them to a wholesaler and then to an auction – for some folks, that’s too much hassle.
I’ll wander by in 12 months or so and see if they’re still there…JIm
Thanks- Sincerely appreciate the feedback. Makes sense now.
These would be like candy at the US military bases. They’re exempt for a lot of the regular taxes and such, and they don’t care how old a car is, just that they have one.
… also, during said tenure in the UK, had the pleasure to own a 1995 Lexus GS300 (Toyota Aristo). RWD, 2JZ-GE, what a car, what an engine! Sadly no twin turbos like they kept for the home market. Woof!
I was in Ireland this summer and the Avensis seemed to be one of the more popular cars there. Cabbies, private owners…all manual diesels.
Fairly popular as cabs in the UK too along with Fords, Vauxhalls and Peugeots, but vastly outnumbered by Skodas.
Toyota reliability you know…
Only the Verso people mover van version of the Avensis came to Australia, but the Crowns are relatively popular as far as gray imports go. I actually saw two of these wagons in the last week or so.
Avensis may be popular, but according to the British magazine CAR they are VERY much like our similar Camry and Corolla as in they are unexciting, unexceptional, uninteresting appliances….the magazine has never published a road test on them. They claim Toyota sent them a test car but it got lost in the parking lot
That the pictures here are grey and silver pretty encapsulates these cars.
BTW, when I was stationed in Japan in the late 80s guys that bought cars for a few hundred dollars couldn’t give them away when we were going to leave…not worth it to buy no matter how badly you wanted wheels.
That generation of Avensis in the UK always seemed to be that “dirty dishwater” colour, as did the Corolla Verso.
Wow, I generally dislike newer cars and have no love for the Japanese stuff but that Crown Estate looks pretty decent. Too bad CA won’t let something like that be registered for the road.
What I found most intriguing about this photo is that, given the price of land in Tokyo, I’m surprised that a property owner would have a weedy, vacant parcel, much less one filled with abandoned vehicles.
It seems odd that cars that are built to last and be durable are discarded after a few years in the land where they are built, but appears regulations and culture are different in Japan.
Vehicle ownership rates are much lower in Japan. Marginal users (poor/minimal use) are much less likely to have an old beater in lieu of public transport, so there’s minimal market. Meanwhile, people who want new cars want new cars, same as anywhere else. The fact that there’s no significant market for the old car is just a financial issue. It doesn’t matter that the old car is a well made serviceable vehicle. Almost everyone everywhere who is buying a nice new car is walking away from a perfectly good car (China currently is an exception.). From the new car buyer’s perspective, it doesn’t matter whether the old car goes to a junkyard or the janitor–it’s just a question of money.
These cars could be Shaken test failures, and not worth fixing, The Japanese took to the American disposable car mindset really well and with compulsory inspections coupled with compulsory parts replacement at set intervals setting the disposable idea in stone, thousands of these car make their way to our shores, most are good useable cars some dont last very long at all, maintenance in Japan is optional and if you plan to ditch the car early why would you bother.
It’s worth mentioning too, that the cost of insurance rises as the car ages. The Shaken test is notoriously exacting, things that would fly in a lot of other place will flunk a Shaken. It’s also entirely possible that these cars were abandoned due to owners not being able to afford keeping them on the road. It’s not unusual at all to come across abandoned cars in Japan, you see them in city/suburban side lots, alleyways, along remote country lanes, deep in forests
Two interesting cars!
We didn’t get the Avensis in Australia, just the Avensis Verso – but it seems to have been the answer to a question almost nobody asked, as there are very few around. It’s hard to figure out why Toyota went to the trouble of designing a new model in this size just for Europe – surely there was something existing in the Japanese product range in that size? Still, when you’re as successful as Toyota I guess you can afford that sort of exercise.
The Crown. Still fondly remembered in Australia if only by us older guys and car geeks, even though they last sold here in the mid 80s. For a while in the sixties-early seventies they were a very viable alternative to the local Big Three. However time moved on; the locals grew in size and power and the Crown didn’t (except in price) and slipped into irrelevance. But used Japanese imports are a big thing here nowadays, and there are a lot of JDM car fans in Australia who’d love to get their hands on this one.
I saw one of these Crown Athletes over here on Vancouver Island a while ago. Great looking big wagon.
Especially with that treatment!
Beautiful wagons!
Long live the longroof big Toyotas!! 😎😎
… well, all longroofs actually, but that’s a good one!
I’ve always loved the T25 Avensis, it hurts to see one abandoned. Btw, engines in Europe also included a 2.0 D-4D Diesel.
I keep swearing to myself I will have a 2.2 D-CAT diesel estate one day
That would be a sweet ride. By ‘Swedishbrick’ are you pushing a lovely Volvo you haven’t been sharing?? There’s a family just around the corner that has a beautiful old 740 Turbo, alloys and all.
Sadly I don’t have e brick (But want one!), but I’m a die-hard Volvo fan. My brother has an early Diesel S80, with 587.000 miles, still running like a top!
Love the 740 Turbo!
Hey brother. Love by proxy is love nonetheless. 😉🙌
Most likely it’ll end up somewhere else in the world as a “foreign used car,” though we tend to source most of ours from Singapore these days. That color is common on the Avensis, and I didn’t know Crown estates were in production that recently. Surprised this one doesn’t have two windshield wipers on the back, which to me was always a unique feature on those big Japanese wagons.
Yep. Always thought that was super cool.