At $15,450, Is This 1992 Isuzu Gemini Irmscher Coupe A Gem Of A Deal?

Today's Nice Price aliases No Dice Isuzu Gemini is being sold by a institution that specializes successful importing absorbing JDM cars and unleashing them (at a cost) connected unsuspecting Americans. Let's spot if nan astonishment is worthy nan wallet-lightening.

For astir people, nan astir basal shape of proscription is their feet. Stepping up a spot successful position of velocity and, to immoderate degree, comfort, location are wheeled options—scooters, bicycles, and nan like. A short rung up from those successful nan milieu of getting from constituent A to constituent B is nan 1981 HM-Vehicles FreeWay, which we looked astatine past Friday. It offered nan use of immoderate upwind protection, but would different beryllium astir arsenic crude a thrust arsenic a formation bike. Lacking a reverse gear, it besides mislaid retired to feet successful position of wide practicality. 

Well, to beryllium fair, wearing flip-flops negates nan expertise to safely reverse connected foot, truthful possibly we should telephone it a draw. Generally, feet are free, and astatine $6,000, Friday's FreeWay proved acold from that. Most of you agreed that was excessively overmuch for a toy, resulting successful nan lawnmower engine-powered erstwhile commuter car falling successful a monolithic 90% No Dice loss.

Japan successful nan 1990s went crazy for coupes. Heavy hitters were coming retired of almost each car maker, from Toyota's Supra and nan Nissan 300ZX, to Mazda's FD RX-7 and Mitsubishi's 3000GT. Beneath those were a supporting formed of much reasonably priced coupes, including nan Toyota Paseo, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Nissan NX, and Isuzu Gemini. Many of these coupes could beryllium had pinch muscular turbocharged engines, AWD, and nan benignant of expressive styling that made them look for illustration they could spell accelerated moreover if they weren't rather arsenic tin arsenic their bigger, brawnier siblings.

Here successful nan U.S., astatine nan aforesaid time, user trends were shifting from 2 doors to SUVs, meaning that this tsunami of cool small cars from Japan crested and past ebbed backmost by nan move of nan millennium. Isuzu was astatine nan forefront of this marketplace shift, not only offering a wide action of SUV models but besides allowing different companies to rebadge them and waste them nether their ain brands. For immoderate reason, that didn't cookware retired for nan marque, and Isuzu packed up shop successful 2009, truthful acold ne'er to return again.

Isuzu sold a bid of cars successful nan States on pinch its SUVs, but those proved little celebrated and exited shape near agelong earlier nan institution closed its doors here. The Gemini bid of compact cars originated successful nan 1970s arsenic a badge-engineered type of nan Opel Kadett, made imaginable by General Motors' partial liking successful nan Japanese marque and its outright ownership of Opel. Succeeding generations of Gemini were overmuch much an Isuzu jam, though GM continued to person a opportunity successful definite aspects of nan models arsenic it was trading them done its brands—notably Chevy and GEO present successful nan States—alongside Isuzu's ain attempts to summation marketplace share.

This 1992 Isuzu Gemini Coupe is 1 exemplary that was saved for nan location market, though nan aforesaid basal car was sold present as, respectively, nan Geo Storm and Isuzu Impulse, albeit pinch different chemoreceptor styling. Based connected nan aforesaid level arsenic those cars, this Coupe has a 180-horsepower DOHC 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder motor nether nan hood. That's paired pinch a five-speed manual gearbox and torque-sensing AWD, on pinch an Irmscher-massaged suspension, making this a secure-handling sports car. It's besides pretty-darn good-looking pinch a shooting brake liftback booty and an Oldsmobile Aurora-aping nose.

This is also, it should beryllium noted, a privately-imported JDM car, which intends it is right-hand thrust and has a number of labels written successful Japanese. The institution offering nan car specializes successful specified imports, a truth made clear successful its name—JDM Car and Motorcycle LLC. That's astir apt a bully point since specified a institution should beryllium well-versed successful each nan hoops done which 1 must jump to make a car's import instrumentality successful nan eyes of nan Feds and State governments.

There's been plentifulness of clip for that, too, arsenic nan existent advertisement isn't this Gemini's first rodeo. A spot of Internet detective activity shows that nan trader has put this car up for grabs a number of times complete nan past 3 years, and either has been buying it backmost aliases has had nary luck successful moving it that full time.

It can't beryllium nan car's responsibility because it seems beautiful solid. As nan pictures show, location are a mates of insignificant boogers successful nan overgarment connected nan beforehand bumper, and nan upholstery connected nan rider broadside Recaro spot is splitting. Aside from that, however, it each looks good. Mileage is claimed to beryllium a specified 86K, and nan car is said to person precocious received a caller timing loop and tires, on pinch different insignificant attraction work.

When Isuzu first started trading cars nether its ain sanction successful nan U.S., its advertisement agency created a fictional spokesperson, Joe Isuzu–played by character David Leisure–to beforehand nan marque. In a bid of comedic ads, Joe Isuzu made outlandish claims astir nan cars, which were qualified by on-screen corrections. Isuzu yet dumped nan Joe Isuzu characteristic arsenic he had go amended known than nan cars he was trying to shill.

Maybe this trader needs a Joe Isuzu-like characteristic to waste this car? Or possibly nan car needs a much approachable price? The existent asking is $15,450, and we now request to determine whether nan car is worthy that overmuch arsenic it presently sits. What do you think? Is $15,450 a adjacent value to spell 'coupe crazy?' Or is that excessively overmuch U.S. rate for this JDM car?

You decide!

Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.

H/T to Don R. for nan hookup!

Help maine retired pinch NPOND. Contact maine astatine robemslie@gmail.com and nonstop a fixed-price tip. Remember to see your commenter handle.