Guys, What do you think and why?

Personnally, I think That this is gonna be a phase like the vans of the 70's. Unfortunately, they do have a huge aftermarket... hard to say...

Im not sure if they are going to die out anytime soon. As emmissions laws get harder and harder, we will find more and more small engined/lightweight cars out there. More cars mean more people looking to "hot rod" thier econobox. What I find amazing is that people are going out and buying these cars with performance in mind. Oh man, I cant wait till the F&F sequal comes out. Even more slow cars with drivers that think they are fast.

I guess in their mind, if it has a 8" exhaust tip and a 4' tall spoiler its fast.

-Doug

I personally think that as said before with emmissions laws becoming stricter and stricter people will just op to buying slow econoboxes and thinking modding the hell out of them will make them fast. When they've really just sank $5000 into an econobox to make it run 14's maybe 13's if they're lucky. But I invite more and more ricers. It just gives me more people to embarass the hell out of.

Sadly i think the import phase or the sport compact if u will is gonna stay and get stronger. U already see examples of GM dropping the fbody (those bastards) for the Vibe, and Ford has their Steeda focus, now u hear of the Matrix and even suzuki introduced their sport compact the Alero. Sadly my friends i think the muscle car era is gonna be a dying breed, we are theoretically owning a piece of muscle car history and heritage. I remember last month in Washington DC they held their annual auto show which they have every year, when i went their the majority of cars were riced out imports and sport compacts, their was only a max of 12-15 muscle cars out of 60 cars, it was pretty sad.

just for kicks

I don't think it will be staying, but it will at least for a while.

I think it will stay around, think about it. I mean how many of us have had hlep from our parents with our cars. I'm not saying i got my car cause of my dad, but my dad incouraged this instead of a v6. he said they were more fun, well with all the ricers around if they start doing that with there kids and etc. I think it'll be around for a long time

yeah i definitely think the import trend is gonna stay even though it saddens me that GM has these econo boxes in the making. I saw some concept car by pontiac in motortrend like a 4 cyl turbocharged something and i wuz like o man this really does make me sad. I'll always be a fan of american muscle especially GM muscle. I like to be different and drive a real muscle car. Muscle cars have a huge history in every americans heart no matter how old you are. I dont see any antique hondas around. LONG LIVE AMERICAN MUSCLE!!!

Do you mean the import cars themselves or do you mean 'sport compact performance' scene?? Import cars will be around as long as Import manufacturers dont go out of business. I dont think Imports will ever die out. Import manufacturers will continue to produce low displacement lightweight econoboxes as long as America buys them.

If you're refering to the sport compact scene (small displacement performance), then I think it will be sticking around for a long long time. Todays newer generation has embraced the sport compact scene. You don't see many 15-18 y/o kids turning wrenches on big displacement engines these days ... most of them are waiting in line to refill their NOS bottles for their 4 cyl 'speed demons'. People like the Sport Compact Performance scene because of the style ... while most ppl thinks its a '***** Style' its actually modeled after European Rally Racing. Lots of people like the Rally look and Import manufacturers picked up on that and now there are millions of appearance mods for imports to look like European Rally racers. Another thing to think about is the type of street racing people like to do today ... most of these guys with sport compacts race on the freeway and such .... no stoplight to stoplight racing ... they want freeway racing where low weight cars can take turns above 100. The conventional muscle car wouldn't be able to handle that well in a freeway race ... so people dont use em. The style thing aside (cuz I know everyone likes to diss the exhaust and wings, ext) you have to admit, the guys who really race in the import series are not that slow. There are lots of (highly modified) 10 second all motor Imports running in the Import Series. There are lots of (highly modified) sub 10 second forced induction imports running around as well. While that may not compare to the speed of highly modified big blocks (funny cars, ect) its still pretty damn fast for the displacement they use. To me, nothing compares to the sound and power of a v8 .... but sometimes its fun to have a somewhat fast different sounding engine. When I'm done I want the best of both worlds ... turbocharged 4 cyl and a turbocharged 8 cyl. I just really wish modding imports didn't become a 'fad' and now there are a bunch of jackasses that dont know jack about modding cars doing just like you guys say ... big exhaust ... big wing ... think they're fast .... makes me sad but its there ... I think those ppl are mostly in it to 'look cool' or whatever (maybe to get chicks??) but the Real Import Racers (gutted interior, hybrid motor, forced induction) are very cool people. FLAME ME NOW!!!!

IMPORTS
Fast and the what???
WHAT???

I'm the youth of today and I HOPE the import craze dies out. I have never seen one go quicker than a high 13 and there are too many at my high school. Althought the owners know nothing about cars, they still won't mess with mine!!!

I'm 18 and turn wrenches on V8's, 4 cylinders are a waste of time. As far as the movie goes the proper title is " The Slow and in Denial" As much as I hate it I doubt the sport compact seen will die.

I agree with ya on that. TRACK imports can be fast, but compare one to a TRACK muscle car and there isn't a chance. and same with the street scence. I mean for a 4cyl they can run hard, but a fart can a wing doesn't make a 16sec stock car run 11's like most say they do. they just don't have any clue of what "speed" is. I'm just 16 and I'm THE ONLY ONE of everybody I know under 25 that has a v8. most kids aren' willing to work the hours/time to afford a v8 either. this generation of kids is lazy as hell except for a few. thats just what I think

Unless insurance prices come down, id say these kids dont have any other choice than imports or 4, 6 cly's. They cant get insurance on the f-body around here without breaking them up.

I guess the import thing is there only resort. It wouldnt be so bad if it wasnt for them being cocky and reving the motor everytime a f-body pulls up to a light.


Let them have their fun. as long as they stay out of our way!

I'd have to say you're right but affording a v8 is much easier than making a 4 cyl econobox fast. Aside from gas everything you buy for your american v8 will be cheaper than what they pay for their 4 cyl cars. I'll never waste my time trying to make a econobox fast. V8's and turbo6's and in some cases a turbo 4 cyl(mainly a DSM car) would be all i'd ever consider working with.

I thought your car was sold for $6,000??

ya the deal was supposedly done..the kid got the loan then the bank wouldn't let the check clear until he could insure the car. He doesn't have his license for another month and a half so he can't insure it. I've still got it at a dealer for sale. I'm hoping to sell it real soon. I'll probably pick up a 305 thirdgen as a daily driver eventually once my lincoln is sold also. I keep getting more and more discouraged with the car. I've probably had 3 deals like this already go bad for me. It sucks having a car that appeals to 15-16 year old kids with no license. Not that i'm an old man(18) but It just gets discouraging..

I'm 16, and i agree with 87transam. If kids today took time to learn about cars, they wouldn't go buy these econoboxes, they'd realize their mistake and buy a V8. I only have one friend who likes V8's. I tried to get another into them, but it seems like he is slowly going to the dark side.

They will realize thats their cars stink and are slow and that they should've went with a V8 when they get beat constantly on the streets and at the track. Especially when they realize they just spent $$$$$$$$$ to almost keep up with a stock V8.

think the import thing is going to stay

just wish the rice trend would leave

I think the insurance has a lot to do with it. Like some of yall said, it will cost you an arm and a leg to get anyone under 25 into a V-8 sports car. These parents who buy their kids their first car , are concerned with $$$, so they get something that is cheap on gas and insurance; in turn, this is what all the kids are exposed to so this is what they know. It's simply a natural progression of events. Now, since "Billy" and all of Billy's friends drive these, along with all the girls that Billy hangs out with, a 17 second car is the norm. If they can get that car into a high 15 second timeslip then they ARE GOING FAST, as compared to what the norm is.
This is where the conflict arrises between us and them. A 15 second car is normal for us, but not in their world. What's fast to them and what's fast to us are not the same thing. The only thing they see is a late 80's domestic car, with a few mods, not very loud and appears "normal."
With most kids today, as a result of modern liberalized America, APPEARENCE is everything! If you appear to be cool with your blond highlights, then you must "be cool." If you appear to have a wardrobe made of up Ambercrombie and Fitch, then you must "have money." If you appear to look fast, you must "be fast." If you sound fast, then you must "be fast." It doesn't matter to them that it cost $20K to get a 4-banger into the low 14's. It doesn't matter that if you were to drop $10K into a 350 Chevy, you would be capable of space travel.
In today's America, it's ALL FORM, NO SUBSTANCE.

Sorry to go off like that. My fingers just kept typing. I'll be sure to email all of yall my disertation on this when I'm done.

Oh NO!!! Say it aint so, no more F&F! Ya know whats weird about the movie is that the plot sucked, and there wasn't enough races for my taste, and they're ricers for G0ds sake... yet for some reason I like watching the movie. But I certainly don't wanna go out and buy a civic and supe it up. Besides I'm smarter than that, I know I clearly don't have enough money to make a civic as fast as they portray. But I guess we got a lot of kids who like to live in fantasies.

...But I personally don't think its a fad, maybe some of it will die off, but it will always be there. I mean what makes things grow in terms of popularity? Well of course.. COMPETITION. Since honda has these ricing autos roamin around, theres gonna be someone who wants a piece of it. Like GM, with the sunfire and the cavalier. They are gonna rip those hondas apart, I believe I'll even buy the cavalier, that thing is nice, 260 horse on that small car is sick. Be good for winter too. I think it was good GM dropped the F-bodies for now, so they can A) dedicate their time to tearing the ricers apart, and showing them domestic turbos are where its at, and B) be able to work on the F-bodies behind the scenes.
..Just one last thing I hope theres more than just ricers in the next F&F, I mean cmon everybody in the world doesn't have a *****. It should be more diverse cars. Speaking of diverse I hate all you "diverse people", you people are idiots and you get into good colleges, and we don't, fvck you all. Have a nice day.

For my first car my parents bought me my 92 Camaro RS when I was still 15. They told me they would buy the car but I had to pay for the insurance and gas. It was worth it and I work my *** off for this car. It's my pride and joy. Im almost 17 now and I still love this car, just wish I had been smart enough to get a 350 because now I have to work a lot harder to make it fast. Hardly anyone in my class understands why I like my car when I could get an import but I don't understand why they would want an import and not a domestic car with some real power.

Andrew

The imports are here to stay, simply 'cause the Big Three in Detroit screwed up in the late 60's early 70's. They kept making the cars bigger and bigger, and less and less gas-efficient, and then the oil embargo hit. That is when Toyota, Datsun(Nissan) jumped into the market. At that time, they were UGLY cars!! (I should know, my first car was an old beat up '76 Corolla) The only thing that they had going for them was the fact that they got MUCH better gas milage than anything Detroit was offering. By the time the Big Three re-tooled and started downsizing the cars, the Import companys had taken the bucketloads of money that they were making and poured it into quality control and R&D, and were able to stay competitive. All of the companies learned, in the mid-eightes, that americans were getting tired of the same-basic-body-style-no-matter-what-make-of-car-it-is, and now we have the diverse selections that we have today. Perhaps if the imports had not improved on quality and looks, they would eventually fade away. But, they are very popular cars! (Toyota Camry, for instance) It is not surprising that the Camaro/Firebird was discontinued. IMO, mostly due to lack of advertising. I can remember ONE commercial for the Firebird in the last 5 years. Ditto for the Camaro. By comparison, look at all the ads for Chevy Trucks, Ford Trucks, Mustangs, and the imports. The ratio is something like 20-1. Hopefully, given the recient trend by the Big Three to bring back some of the greats of automotive history (Thunderbird, Bel-Air, SSR, Prowler, PT Cruiser (yeah, yeah, i know, it only LOOKS retro )) perhaps we will see a new Camaro/Firebird, based on some of the really popular F-bodies. I for one will not give up hope for the return of the V-8 RWD American Muscle Car that we all know and love. After all, the Camaro was origionally developed to counter the Mustang, and the Mustang is still going strong!

I think that the Import Racers are here to stay, but I HOPE that RICERS will go away.

I think imports are here to stay, although hopefully not rice. True performance imports such as DSM's, Supras, RX7's, 3000GT's and WRX's are something to be respected. With nothing but homemade boost controls and an air filter both my friend and I ran low 14's. I know a guy with a Laser AWD Turbo with nothing but a cut air can and boost running at 16 pounds ran a 13.6. Those guys with first gen DSM's that are running in the 12's with nothing but full exhaust, air filter, boost control and race gas. I used to own a '71 Cuda 340 4 speed (Hemi Orange) so I know my muscle cars too, I grew up with them and alot of my friends are still into them. A guy I grew up with all my life has got a '69 Z28. He's owned this thing since 1980 and this thing is the cleanest car I have ever seen. It's truly a thing of beauty. That 302 is a sweet sounding engine. Unlike alot of the import guys, I don't dismiss the domestic muscle and I can appreciate it just as I would hope the domestic guys would be able to appreciate my car. When I'm talking imports I don't mean some dummy in a Honda Civic with 17 inch wheels, a big loud fart pipe and 102 horsepower with stickers and a wing that should be on a Cesna Airplane. When I see guys like that where you can barely see their head above the window it makes me cringe, because I think people will think every import driver looks like this and it ruins it for guys like my friends and I that are strictly into performance. If it doesn't make the car faster or improve performance, we don't bother doing it. Finally, if I had a dream muscle car it would be '71 Challenger 426 Hemi shaker scoop, Hurst pistol grip 4 speed and the colour would be "Plum Crazy" so don't judge the import guys that are into performance by the idiots with the stickers, wings, etc. we hate these guys even more than you and just wish they go away.

95 TSI AWD (Dark Green)

LOL. I'm glad to see alot of you guys feel that way.

I think insurance and stuff does have something to do with it too.

FYI: My insurance for the IROC is lees than my '95 neon.

<drooling> HEMI Challanger......

im part of this next generation (18) but i would never ditch my 305tbi camaro for some ***** honda no matter if my camaro isn't the most powerful. whats kinda funny in our school is that most of the kids that bought souped up civics and such ended selling it cause they didn't expect to throw so much money in a car that will run 14's. the way i look at it is in our area that most of the kids with souped up imports are getting there money from mommy and daddy and the kids with rustangs and camaro work hard to earn there next mod. just my $0.02

You said it best brother!... a lil blink 182 hehe.
Just to reference some of my friends.

Friend 1: 99 Mustang, payed part, parents payed rest, he pays for everything else like mods insurance etc, doesn't have a single mod on it.
Friend 2: 00 Camaro Z28, parents payed all, he pays for everything else etc, has one mod on it exhaust, payed by him.
Friend 3: 93 Camaro Z28, he payed all, he pays for everything etc, bought modded, hasnt modded it at all.
Friend 4: 00 Audi A4, he payed part, parents payed rest, parents pay for everything, has every ***** mod you can think of besides stickers and wing all payed by parents, with a rarity of him throwing in some cash.
Friend 5: 00 Civic, parents payed for, he pays for everything else etc, modded it with exhaust and tint, and altezzas.
Me: 89 IROC-Z, payed half, parents payed other half and a lil more, I'm still paying them back the lil more they payed, I pay for everything else, I haven't modded it, bought modded.

...Sux that out of these cars, I actually have to throw in the Audi and the Civic, as if they come close to our cars, ah the world today. I say the key is, if you're 17, and your car looks modded insanely, mos def the money came from your parents. That or you sell drugs. The only kids who I think are cool in my respect would be Friend 3, and Friend 5. Friend 3 payed for it all himself, and slowly gains cash to mod it if he pleases, but hasnt, doesn't go the easy to ask parents. And Friend 5, cause even though parents payed for it, he works like 30hrs a week just paying it off, and trying to supe it up. Its not rice just yet, but its close. But the thing is hes workin his *** off to display his rice, why I don't know, but he does. I say if the ***** doesn't have rims yet, hes not gettin money from his parents.
..But I think the best one was... ME! hehe, not too arrogant. Cuz I took 6 months to find my car, constantly searching, I was dedicated. I had minimal money, my parents helped me out a lil, and they payed a lil more to help me, which I'm paying off now. And I have to pay for insurance, and gas. So I'm on big time budget, thank g0d I bought it modded, just to get me a lil ahead. And oh yeah btw, I actually know how an engine works and stuff, unlike my other friends, I always have to keep takin them to school about car stuff.
..And I think the worst kid is Friend 4, he partly payed for a very slow and expensive audi. They are ugly, and total girl cars, his car is really hooked up, in the appearance sense. So it doesn't look as bad as stock. He's got rims, clear corners, xenons, front and back bumper, grill, tint, and other little ****s. Oh yeah and Remus exhaust, which you still can't harldy hear. BTW that exhaust, just the exhaust costed 600 dollars! And he has that Active Black head unit, which is like 350 dollars, and speakers, no subs tho. All this stuff on it, ask him where he gets the money, and whats he say? "Dont worry bout it".
..Theres many kids in this world, just which ones will ever become men?!

One word: Pokemon. Ricers are Pokemon for teenagers.

To be honest tho, people will hot rod *anything*. Ever see the chainsaws they use in "lumbersports"? What about the tractors in tractor pulls? Personally, I'd be afraid to drive a Top Fuel boat. The import trend will continue as long as Hondas are cheap enough for teenagers (or their parents) to purchase, and the aftermarket is also cheap. How many high school/college students do you know that can afford an LS1 Camaro? If then can get an old Honda for considerably less and put a little money in it to make it their own, it'll happen. Exactly the reason I put a monster engine in my VW Bug... it's what I had, I couldn't afford an Iroc. (Until now. )

I agree with all of you, i hate rice, but i think supra's, rx7's and all those high performance imports are great. I drove my freinds mazda once, it was stock, but boy that thing flew.(not as fast as my GTA.) And also, american companies are coming out with some cool competitive stuff. You guys seen the Pontiac Solstice concept? I want to get one of those when they finally go on sale. With some tuning that sucker could easily be an 11sec car. It just sucks that American car companies have to make the're cars mor like Imports.

rice is just getting started, its really the next big wave, first it was the street rods of the 50's, then when the 60's muslce cars came in the old timers thought they sucked, then came along the GN's and 5 litres of the 80,s and the 90's ls1 and lt1 cars, now with all american muscle dead but the stang the ricers completly own the market. and they got it LOCKED, for a few main reasons, 1 there a new thing out there, they look like nothing from before and are "cool" for the new generation, not many are left that dig threw the mud in yards to build 20-30 year old machines. also, when JR askes "mom can i have a mustang" first reaction will be "hell no!" but try agian with "mom can i have a honda" "why sure! hondas are great cars! we used to have one" also the cost of a ***** brand new off the showroom floor is 15K or less and insureance is very affordable, not like say a new T/A which is 30,000$ or more, plus getting it up the *** BIG time with insureance, and noone under 25 can pull 30K out of there *** also the sports car market is basically men from the ages of 16-25, and they dont have alot of money, a new T/A is not realistic, yet a 12,000 ***** is completly realistic. so really it all comes down to the new looks, new designs and most importantly CHEAP!

I think Import racing is here to stay mostly because of two things:

1) Detroit has their bureaucratic heads up their butts

2) Peer pressure to have what everyone else has (to drive)


For the first one, its obvious and as others have said, Detroit owned the market 30 years ago, lost it, and kept thinking it was #1. That is why only people over 70 drive Buicks and Cadillac has the nerve to charge $50k+ for an Eldorado and sales keep going down every year. The only company that had a chance was Chrysler until that POS Daimler took it over and ran it straight into the ground (and Mercedes is buried now too). Ford can't stay out of the negative spotlight from the Pinto gas tank problem to the Explorer rollover issues. Its a shame. BTW, I work for a Ford subsidiary.

The peer pressure thing is more like a demographic trend: for those of you who got licenses in the late 80's (like me), the Camaro or Firebird was the only choice for a fast car, the imports were all sleds at the time and everything European was overpriced and were still sleds. Today, nobody wants a Camaro, they all want a Lexus or BMW. But not the big "old man" car, they want the sports cars: IS300, M3, S2000... So if they can afford it they buy the big guns, if not they buy a Civic or Altima and rice the hell out of the poor things. The aftermarket loves it and comes out with new things all the time: the newest thing on every rice rotbox is the two blue lights in the washer nozzles on the hood. All show and no go, plus every car is almost exactly the same, no imagination.

But there is an upside, the Japs did make a few fast cars with potential: Supra, RX7, 300ZX, and 3000GT. Except for the RX&, they all have 3L 6 cylinders with 4 valves/cylinder and turbos, so they move well stock and respond to mods very well. You can have a streetable 600hp 3L if you get the right parts. You cannot get a 2L four cylinder to do the same thing without a lot more work, so ricers typically go for "attitude", not speed. Oh yeah, did anyone ever notice that the really fast imports never look anything like ricers: they look mostly stock - why not spend the $ on the parts that make power?

Makes me wonder what the next car trend will be; big hood emblems? pimpmobiles (back from the 70's)? Custom vans?

The first time I went to the track, that's exactly what I noticed while sitting in the staging lanes. All the imports that had no decals and no LEDS were running decent 13-15's. The two (two out of many imports) I saw that were totally riced out ran 17's, much to the amusement of the people standing around 70's-era earth rumbling monster machines.

LOL. I still don't think its here to stay. Especially with the cars that will be coming out in the next few years. They already get beat by musclecars from previous Gens and years but the domestic car companies are going to be going for V8, RWD, and lots of muscle/power. We are getting the GTO, F**d is S/Cing their car, the Z06 runs 12's and will only get faster, Chrysler has been interested in the Hemi/Charger, and a 5th Gen Camaro will be around sometime, and a few others too. They will be the cars to get and performance will be what to get more than now probably, something like it was at least.

I hate to say it, but I believe the import racing is here to stay, too. It sickens me to death and for the life of me I can't understand why it has caught on, but it's a pretty big thing now. Where I live it used to be nothing but American muscle and performance cars, but now when I got look at the rags at the grocery there is no longer a single American mag. Replaced with low riders and rice mags like I never would have believed. There are plenty of ricers around here now, too...but not a one that has been made fast enough to take on a stock Z28 or 5.0 yet.

hey guys....i just thought i would add my opinion. Imports are here to stay. THere is nothing wrong with that, we need some variety. I hate rice more than anyone. HATE IT. WE all know that you can pick up a 2 or 3 year old F-body for about 17K, and with 5k make it a 11 second car. We know there is no import made today that has that capability, not to mention the earth shaking sound and menacing stance. Also, keep in mind, the import market is probably biggest in SoCal, but that market hasn't even come close to reaching the domestic muscle market. Its just the truth. Im not sayijng it cant happen, but as of now, thats the truth. As for the imports handling on the highway thing....take this into consideration....

Friend 1: 2000 Acura Integra Type R - cold air kit, Greddy Catback, rear frame brace..price $27 new + the mods
fastest ET...15.02@89(i know, not that fast for this car!)

Friend 2: 1998 Pontiac Trans Am (non-ram air)- cutouts after stock manifolds, spacer for airbox...price $17,000 total.
Fastest ET...13.2@108

While both these cars are pretty damn cool, i like the presence of the TA better. It sounds better, IMO looks better, is way faster and reminds us of when cars were cars. I have been in the Type R when we will be going around a corner on a highway (76 west) at about 140, ready to top out, and friend 2 will walk by him going about 170. It is true, i don't condone it at all, but it happened. Of course the Type R will out handle it on tight tracks, but the power difference is just to much. Awsome car....later

I dont like the slow pokey rice but love this RICE!

I think there are a number of reasons that the 'sport compact' is here to stay:
The first is image. Third Gen cars are percieved as old (because they are old; 10-20 years) but not old enough to be classics. They are also notoriously underpowered due to '80's smog regulations and GM's aversion to high performance anything. The 4th Gen has a better motor (LT1-LS1) but the styling sucks. They are also saddled with the unfortunate association with ******-wearing rednecks and gold chain wearing 'Guido' types. In defence, I could go out on my street and count the number of 'ghetto' Civics, which is a big number in my neighborhood.

There are also a lot more Hondas in circulation than F-bodies. Most of these cars were bought as basic transport and then handed down to the kids, who naturally wanted to start souping them up. When I was 16, I really didn't have the money to buy any car, so I took the hand-me-down, a 1979 Pontiac Lemans Safari Wagon (With a 4bbl 350 ) That's how I got my taste for Rear wheel drive V8's. Most of these kids grew up with front drive 4cyl cars, so that's what they know. I'm not really fond of the driving dynamics of front wheelers, so I'll stick with stern drive for now.

Insurance: I read some where (HotRod or CarCraft, maybe) that in the '60s what guys did was buy a Pontiac Tempest with all the GTO go-fast parts, but just not the GTO trim, because a Tempest wouldn't ring alarm bells at the insurance company like a GTO would. With the insurance rates for the under 30 males the way they are, a four-door 4-banger is much, much cheaper to insure than a V8 coupe. (although my registration says my car is a compact hatchback) Go figure

One of the things that we lose sight of is that our cars are old, and a product of a less advanced auto industry. We grouse about how there are 2.0L cars that make as much Horsepower as our 5.0L machines, but you wouldn't compare an '86 Civic to an '86 T/A, would you? Same for an '02 Civic vs an '02 SS Camaro. My old Safari Wagon could have won the first Indy 500, but I don't go around looking to street race 1910's Indy cars, do I? Back in Don Garlits' early days, a 14 second car was really hot ****, and those were rails or roadsters. A '69 GTO Judge was a high 13 second car, but a BMW 745 or Merceces S500 will do the deed in just a half a second more (mid 14's)

I bought my car for what it represents, not just for it's capabilites. It has a presence that few cars can match. It also has character, or if you will, a soul that I haven't seen in many other cars. Like a horse, it has personatlity and behaviors all its own. Passengers can feel it when they get in. My Safari Wagon had it, my '68 IH LodeStar had it. I'm told Ferraris have it' but I can't get close enough to one to find out. Old cars seem to have more of it than new cars.
It's a car that people look at when they walk past. The little kids in my old neigborhood used to come out and sit on the curb while I washed it or worked on it. They always wanted me to rev the engine when I drove down the street.
I would rather grouse about having to fix my car than drive a soulless Honda that never broke down.
I like the fact that people will say to me: 'hey I saw a car that looked just like yours the other day' You never hear that if you're driving an Integra, there's so many of them that people don't notice them.

I love my car.....

first i got into cars mainliy cause of the fast and the furious so that automatically led me towards imports so hey i thought they were fast but then the more and more i learned i slowing inched away cause right now al they have is looks goin on . Im glad theres competition going around that just adds for improvements in all cars.

I'm glad you learned too, and got away from that idiotic BS. But, if you are going to get a Camaro, just don't make it look like an import.

Thats what i was wanting to do but there is no good kits to accomplish this lol so i guess ill go all domestic

Irocs don't need kits. They look awesome stock.

I may be a little biased tho..

:hail: IROC-Z

Yup nothing is needed, they all have GFX.

I may be showing my age here, but:

Did you ever notice that "The Fast and The Furious" was just like "Point Break," but with cars instead of surfboards?

In the words of Johnny Utah: 'Dude..'

I've actually talked to some of the kids at my school with rice rockets. They know that they are slow, and they see how it doesn't make sense to put a 5" chrome tip on 1 3/4" piping when I show them, but they still think it's cool. Face it, it's popular. As stupid as it is, it is growing.

I have actually been seeing less of it around here and more and more musclecars. But the 1s I do see are usually "all out."

DP.

DP again.