IJZ Family Wagon: 1995 Toyota Crown Royal Saloon – SOLD!

November 22, 2022, Update – We confirmed the seller of this “Classifind” deleted their listing, so we’re now able to call this one “SOLD!” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

For a few years now, I’ve had a friend in the importing business specializing in hard-to-find Japanese cars and trucks. Every now and again, he’ll tell me about another interesting vehicle he just brought home. While I resist the temptation for him to find me a car of my own, there’s one model that always tempts me and it’s this one: a Toyota Crown Royal Saloon. These luxurious cruisers feature rear-wheel drive, the naturally-aspirated inline-six from a Supra, and a rear-facing third-row seat.  It’s a legitimate family cruiser that is way more interesting than any mass-produced SUV. You’ll find this long-roof Toyota originally listed in November 2022 on Craigslist in Wareham, Massachusetts for $10,000 with roughly 67,000 miles on the clock. Comparing that price against the Classic.com model guide isn’t a perfect science since these cars were never sold stateside, so the average sale price of $7,884 reflects total sales of Crown models made between 1955 and 2021.

This country has had a longtime love affair (until recently) with the classic station wagon. Americans practically invented the concept of the “family truckster” (well, Americans who like National Lampoon) with estate wagons wearing acres of fake woodgrain trim running down both sides. It’s easy to see why we loved wagons so much, as the same motivating factors are what’s pushing so many families into SUVs: space for our people and all their stuff. The unibody crossovers currently dominating mall parking lots everywhere are basically a wagon with a mildly jacked suspension and a roof bump-out but don’t tell CUV shoppers that. The Japanese, as they often do, studied the wagon concept and made it better than what we got, and thus was born the Crown Royal Saloon – a four-door station wagon with the heart of a Supra.

The Men & Motors YouTube Channel features this test drive of the 2000 BMW Z3 to see improvements had been made over the launch model:

The Shooting Cars YouTube Channel provides a modern-day test drive of the JDM Toyota Crown Royal Saloon Estate:

The Crown Royal Saloon is one of the more popular models for import by the plethora of JDM-only dealers that litter the landscape. While there are numerous other models, like the Delica and the Pajero, that also pop up statewide with a fairly steady cadence, the Crown Royal Saloon is one that actually makes sense to me. We have plenty of SUV options, which is why I scratch my head when someone imports a gasoline-powered 80-series Land Cruiser – there are very few differences between the domestic model. But a Crown Royal Saloon is legitimately forbidden fruit. The Camry wagon sold stateside has nothing on a gorgeous long roof like this with a naturally-aspirated six-cylinder under the hood and rear-wheel-drive. It doesn’t get any better than that! The seller’s wagon is in good shape with no major cosmetic flaws and comes with a clear Massachusetts title.

Here’s the seller’s description:

“Very cool Toyota wagon imported from Japan in 2020. Clean Massachusetts title. Very clean all around and runs excellent with no issues . 9,000 kilometers on the dash I believe rolled over at 100,000 kilometers which would translate to about 67,000 miles . Looks like new underneath no rust at all. 1jz 6 cylinder engine rear wheel drive . Beautiful car that I’m sure is very hard to find another one . And it’s right hand drive ! Everything is original besides the steering wheel and wheels. I’m accepting cash offers and trade offers . Thank you.“

Supra long roof: have you ever driven one of these classic JDM wagons?