Posted: 9/24/2026 9:52:36 PM EDT
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Seen driving around in Northern Virginia. I’m stumped. Attached File |
Something something of the something
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Originally Posted By homebaker: 1999 Toyota WILL V Answer on 1st page  The car in the photo is a 2000 Toyota WiLL Vi, a rare Japanese-market compact car known for its unique reverse-slanted rear window. • Toyota WiLL Vi • Production Years: 2000 to 2001 • Design Feature: It has a distinct "cliff-cut" rear window and exposed trunk hinges that give it a carriage-like look. • Platform: It shares its mechanical base with the Toyota Yaris (known as the Vitz in Japan). • Import Status: This is a right-hand-drive Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) vehicle that was privately imported to the United States. |
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An honest media would lead to bounty on democrats
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Originally Posted By Eponymous: Answer on 1st page The car in the photo is a 2000 Toyota WiLL Vi, a rare Japanese-market compact car known for its unique reverse-slanted rear window. • Toyota WiLL Vi • Production Years: 2000 to 2001 • Design Feature: It has a distinct "cliff-cut" rear window and exposed trunk hinges that give it a carriage-like look. • Platform: It shares its mechanical base with the Toyota Yaris (known as the Vitz in Japan). • Import Status: This is a right-hand-drive Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) vehicle that was privately imported to the United States. Yep, eligible for import now that it's 25+ years old. Exempt from FMVSS. |
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Originally Posted By LoBrau: Weren't very many millennials in a position to buy a new car in 2000. Originally Posted By LoBrau: Originally Posted By osprey21: It's a Japan-only collaboration project developed to appeal to fashion-conscious young millennials. Weren't very many millennials in a position to buy a new car in 2000. If they weren't constantly drinking Starbucks and eating avocado toast they would have been. |
Originally Posted By triburst1:
I just assumed it was an FBI or ATF surveillance op. Now I'm worried that it might be site staff.
I just assumed it was an FBI or ATF surveillance op. Now I'm worried that it might be site staff.
| Looks like a VW bug with a tumor! |
So... I find comfort in the fact that if Trump has to work so hard to go to Heaven, then there is a shit load of Democrats that have no f-cking chance to go anywhere but HELL. Sometimes it is entirely appropriate to kill a fly with a sledge-hammer.
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Originally Posted By osprey21: It's a Japan-only collaboration project developed to appeal to fashion-conscious young millennials. Toyota WiLL stuff. Nissan had the Pao, Be-1, S-Cargo. Subie did the Bistra - that's kinda like those Bugs with Rolls grilles. Attached File Attached File NMP Daihatsu Midget 2 is quirkytime from the period. https://www.toyota-global.com/company/history_of_toyota/75years/vehicle_lineage/car/id60000306/ WiLL was a weird brand. Tho that WiLL Vi was one of the most incongruous designs. Just a overstyled Yaris/Vitz Attached File NMP Nissan Rasheed was prolly the best quirk of the era. Fulltime ATTESSA AWD (tho no low). Distinct and kinda useful. |
Tertium non datur
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Originally Posted By noob5000000: If they weren't constantly drinking Starbucks and eating avocado toast they would have been. Originally Posted By noob5000000: Originally Posted By LoBrau: Originally Posted By osprey21: It's a Japan-only collaboration project developed to appeal to fashion-conscious young millennials. Weren't very many millennials in a position to buy a new car in 2000. If they weren't constantly drinking Starbucks and eating avocado toast they would have been. 
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Originally Posted By FerrousDueler: inspiration from Citroen and Ford--- https://www.lrm-collection.fr/Photo_big_Citroen_Ami-6-berline_1964_5141_2.jpg https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/gallery/FORD-Anglia-105E-2521_8.jpg Attached File |
Tertium non datur
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Originally Posted By maslin02: Yeah, that's terrible. Pre-Scion branching out to the "kids"? Originally Posted By maslin02: Originally Posted By homebaker: 1999 Toyota WILL V Yeah, that's terrible. Pre-Scion branching out to the "kids"? first i have ever heard of that abomination. that damn thing is hiddeous. |
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Originally Posted By -Obsessed-: What would convince a person that importing such a vehicle was both worthwhile and intelligent? Bit to explain. Long way to get there but hang in. Until 2000s, when it pretty much collapsed with the fall of Nissan, the car biz in Japan was a THiNG. Weird, but unsure how to get this across. Japan automotive has retail sales channel differences. Most outlets aren't owned by Toyota or Nissan Corp, but they can be. Mostly urban, flagship superstores to flaunt brand. Some failure takeovers but in a Japanese way - repaired, revitalized then move to more solid ownership. But not the control bulwark against mfg involvement you see with the franchise law empowered dealership outlets in the States. See Hyundai vs Dealers with regard to Genesis stand alone (esp Louisiana) or SC - Tesla can't do direct sales. In Japan mfgs directly did own stakes in large regional groups. There much cross-ownership in Japan Corp biz. So mfgs had a hand in crafting the retail landscape where in the States, consumer facing is much more driven by franchise ownership/dealer power. If Lexus want such a sweet deal, doubt Toyota levers dealers into the requirements (large investment, preeminent Lexus standalones, based on Toyota facility design) for franchising at the time. Not sure thagpt gets done the same way today. This consumer demand became a phenomenon and direct ownership let the mfgs craft channels the States didn't really see tho GM was kinda an analogue. Mfgs ended up with distinct showroom networks. Let's use Nissan since is always talk about Toyota. Thy had 5 kinda in ascending order. Each had a vibe to appeal to differemt segments of Japanese society.
The design ethos was quirky, fresh and opposed to staid, old school veins. Why distinct style was chosen and it was marketed in channels to set aside and divorce from the traditional. So you got weird retro cues since that had developed attached to the "movement". It was a corporate response to Japans sub-30 year old rejection of old ways. So it's less appeal than "let's be NOTICEABLY different so I'm not like my parents". All this arrived as the bubble inertia cratered. It went on a decade after the real crash in 90. Before shit really hit, and the wheels set in motion stopped. It kept going like it was for that decade, but the finances quit before the ideas did. By 2000 Nissan had collapsed its channels above down to two. Red and Blue. (Toyota stores streamlined two decades later) Renault and Ghosn came in. Massive plant shutterings in Japan. (Like half). Everyone then looked overseas for growth and salvation. So mfgs had those weird ass design models to appeal to this segment in thr 90s Using the "Hip" sales channels. To capitalize on their existence, create interest that was going stake, and revitalize the network by welding new buyers to the overall mfg brand in the auto side. Then the music stopped - but there were no chairs for anyone. WiLL was kinda a last gasp of the old affluence trying to jumpstart itself. When market optimism was still present, and Japan's consumers still felt empowered. Youth always has kinda an arrogant bent. We know better, and it's not what was before. WiLL tried to co-opt that. Didn't work. So some phish was nostalgic or someone buys into the same going on in Japan then. Most likely they came across at one of the Japanese importer specialist in the States, it was cheap and was different enough to appeal. Like the Citroen 2CV trend that happened in the East Coast. https://www.japaneseclassics.com/ Attached File Maybe just a fan of JDM, which is why this made the trip. |
Tertium non datur
Honestly, for a city car - intended for urban drivers in Japan or Europe - I don't think it's that bad. Looks like a lot of interior room for the footprint, and I kind of like the "old school" trunk design. For a car design that 20 years old, it still looks kinda newish/modern, even if not everyone will like the style (obviously  ).Visually, it's more interesting than a lot of other small car offerings by Euro/Japanese manufacturers (many of which look really generic), and it looks like it had quite a bit of headroom in the back seats. I don't think it's awesome or anything, but I don't hate it either. |
“A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death. By doing this, you will awaken from your dreams.” -- Tsunetomo Yamamoto
An honest media would lead to bounty on democrats
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Originally Posted By nfakrazy: HOLY SHIT THE SPECS SAY IT HAS 87 HP AND YES THIS WARRANTS ALL CAPS WITH A RUN ON SENTENCE. EIGHTY SEVEN HORSE POWER  Not saying 87hp is awesome, but I drove an oval window Beetle that I upgraded from 36 to 40 horsepower. Every time it started I was happy, or at least relieved. |
No matter how much you hate the media, it's never enough.
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Knowing the brand and imports.. Not really that far fetched. Embrace the weird... man. https://www.helloroad.tv/heres-why-i-love-the-weirdest-toyota-ever-built-will-vi/ |
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