A New Soldier to the Scene....Reporting

[A_Yella12B_VIP]

:)Wassup Wassup to everyone of this forum. I first want to start by saying this is an OUTSTANDING site and Im loving each and every thread. As you can see ( well maybe not) Im a soldier in the US army and while here in the middle east for the 4th time I ran across some links relating to VIP cars of Japan. And I must say it quickly caught my attention. Now Im a little older now than I was 10yrs ago only wanting a "box chevy" or a cutlass ---Im from the south... GA, and older than I was about 5yrs ago when after I had took the sport compact and crotchrocket scene by storm. I feel like I need to start driving something that mirrors my personality. Something that says...Mature...Sucessful...Classy...and Extreem all in the same breath. And man does this VIP scene do it. Now yes I still own my fully restored 1975 2dr Chevy Caprice w/ the candy paint, get-down in the trunk, screens falling, and 24s but I think its time for me to change my game up a bit. The VIP scene has been associated to the japanese mob from what I've read though I dont want to be viewed as a criminal but I do love how they believe in being a success and looking like it too. I also love the idea of using a full size car and enhancing its features rather than the smaller the better views of the sport compact...great for the family.

Now Im stationed in Arizona and I really havent seen any VIP or VIPstyled cars there. Now when I say VIP I mean customized ones, yes people drive Lexus and Infinites and all but are not putting money into them the VIP way. With that said I am looking to find a nice VIP platform car to work on. Notice I said VIP platform, I dont want to build a VIPstyle car though there is nothing wrong w/ them..Just not what I want.

Again Im looking towards something from the 91 to 98 year range so I wont be kicking out alot of money just to start an expensive hobby/project/interest. I see many lean more toward the Inf/nissan and the lex/toy rather than the benz and bmw which have always been viewed as the more lux style cars but again guess not in this scene due to there german origin.

I know this question is asked all the time but this time its for me......Could anyone give me a descent list of some stateside platforms and years that I could look for to start my introduction into VIP.

Im a soldier so I dont have the Yak (abbr. no disrespect intended) money flow so I have to pick well cant just go out and buy another car b/c this project didnt work.

Thanks for any help and I hope Im welcomed to the board.......Looking forward also to learning alot and making some new friends

;)

[shoez]

Welcome to the forums. Heres a small list of possible VIP platforms:

Lexus
94-'00 Lexus LS400 (JDM Toyota Celsior)
98-'00 GS300/400 (Aristo)
92-'01 ES300 (Windom)

More to come. Ive gotta go to school :crazy2:

[A_Yella12B_VIP]

Preciate it....It will get me started and I look forward to the add ons

[mdenoga]

welcome to the boards soldier. :)

94-'00 Lexus LS400 (JDM Toyota Celsior)

[BrianStyles]

Come on guys.* Why is everyone starting off with a 94 LS 400?* The 90-94 LS 400's have very discreet and minor differences that set each year apart from eachother (tires, brakes, side skirts), nonetheless, 90-94 LS 400's are all in the same family (1st Gens) and look the same.

If you want to start off with a VIPcar based on the chassis here is a small list:

Lexus LS (Toyota Celsior)
Lexus GS (Toyota Aristo)
Infinity Q45 (Nissan Cima)
Mercedes S/E Class

There are a few other cars out there that are considered VIPcars (Toyota Majesta / Crown, Nissan President / Cederic / Gloria etc.); however, they are only sold in Japan and were never imported into the US.* Other than purchasing a car that was originally classified as a VIPcar there are a number of other makes/models that you can VIPstyle.

If you purchase a Lexus LS model keep these in mind 8):

If you are a conservative driver, this is your car. Smooth, quiet and comfortable in all driving conditions with effortless, silent acceleration. Since this is not a front wheel drive car, make sure that you find one with traction control.* This car is near bulletpoof in reliability if you find a clean one that was properly cared for.*

The sporty driver will like the near-silent silky acceleration that this car provides but this is a pure luxury car and you may be disappointed with the road feel and the throttle response. For the same price, you may be happier with a one year newer Acura Legend LS or the more performance orientated Legend GS.* They are just as reliable and have more of a sports sedan feel. If you still want the Lexus, get a ‘93 or’94. They have larger brakes and wider tires better suited for sporty driving.

The fast driver can get into trouble with this car because the only thrill this car will provide is through its silent speed and thrust. Since there is no visceral feedback you will often find yourself going faster than you thought. As with the sporty driver, stay away from models before ’93. Tire grip with the larger tires found on the '93 and '94 is exceptional right to the limit. These are definitely performance tires. It is amazing how smooth and quiet they are during normal driving. Braking is strong and powerful as well.

BTW, welcome to the boards A_Yella12B_VIP...my father is a retired Sargeant Major from the U.S. Army.

[Pagong]

"At ease soldier"...

Welcome, I was in the Army a few years back... Alpha troop 4th Platoon Old Ironsides from Fort Knox Kentucky.

Anyways, glad that you found this site and modding and styling is something our member's hold in high regards here.
Like what others have said above we have a few choices when it comes to the platforms.

The 1s gen. LS (90-94) can be had for a reasonable price.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y177/caoboy/FABULOUS.jpg

The 2nd gen. LS (95-97) are in the low to mid teens...
http://img175.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/users/5/3/0/5/ucar_biz-img600x450-1130473551vcel1.jpg

The 1st gen. Q45 (dont know much about when it cuts off so infiniti experts?) can be had at a very reasonable price, sometimes more reasonable than the 1st gen. LS.
http://www.onetongarage.com/cars/corey/q_new_01.jpg


If you want a newer Luxury car...the 2002 Q45 are now booking at around $25,000! Remember this is the newer style Q45.
http://vipstylecars.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2531.0;id=2116;ima ge

Good Luck and hope to see you in here more often.

[Gao Jian]

yeah ditto what all these guys already said about the cars, I just wanted to say welcome.

[OnTop]

welcome aboard! Jax. FL here.

personally i would go with a first gen q45 in your price range and do a president front conversion. if you really wanted a project theres a guy here selling a q45 for $800 in jersey area i believe. DONT buy a HONDA like me unless you want to save gas $$$

[{-.-}]

Welcome to the Forum........

I would say drop the Windom ES and the Benz off the list get any of the other cars listed......... There is a nice Q45 in Arizona you just havent seen it yet.

Get the 2nd gen LS and i will send you the whole front end of a Majesta for it ;)

[RobSoVip]

2003 M45's go in the $25,000-28,000 range. They make a great VIPcar too!
http://img197.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/users/0/5/3/6/used_station-img600x450-1147121837auctemp_z.jpg

[Pagong]

Get the 2nd gen LS and i will send you the whole front end of a Majesta for it* ;)


What what....this is blasphemous...you shouldve told me... ;D

[137]

The 1st gen. Q45 (dont know much about when it cuts off so infiniti experts?) can be had at a very reasonable price, sometimes more reasonable than the 1st gen. LS.


90-96 ;)

and welcome.

[Pagong]

U need to finnish one project before you can start another...... ;D



I know...please dont remind me :-[

[CharismaY33]

so robert is there any way to see where its going to end up someone wil take it for sure. :crazy2:

[Judged]

Weclome to the Boards from a NAVY Dude.

As you can see there is lots of help in here and I hope you enjoy your stay. Lok forward to seeing what you are going to pick up as a Ride.
Keep us posted.

Cheers
Judged :coolsmiley:

[A_Yella12B_VIP]

Well Im back from the desert now and still havent gotten my VIP or VIPstyled project

And thank you guys for the warm welcome and info

Sorry to inform you all that eventhough I did get my VIP project on the way I did have to get another ride besides my caprice that would be reliable and good on gas.......drum Rollllll....

I got the 06 civic. Now again I know its not VIP at all but I thought about add a bit of VIP influence to it....I think it would be something different for the scene

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/4/web/2476000-2476999/2476303_2_full.jpg

So think I can pull it off???? Any input is appreciated

And Im still searching for my true VIP platform as well

[jstyle]

Welcome back.
Are you station at Luke AFB?

[RASRX7]

I got the 06 civic.* Now again I know its not VIP at all but I thought about add a bit of VIP influence to it....I think it would be something different for the scene

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/4/web/2476000-2476999/2476303_2_full.jpg

So think I can pull it off???? Any input is appreciated

And Im still searching for my true VIP platform as well
welcome ;)...as far as the civic..better save up for the vip platform...itll be well worth it..a civic slammed on some decent wheels is more then enough, just to keep it stylish.

[A_Yella12B_VIP]

Nah Im stationed at Ft. Huachuca in AZ...Army

Well I've been asking for input throughout this forum and pretty much no one likes my idea of working w/ my civic so I think Im going to just relax until I get something that's VIP approved or just let go all together