F
FastDriver
Guest
Just checked back for the first time since I wrote the NOS comment. About HKS and TRD, no you say their letters, that's the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym. How many of you say N...A....S.....A instead of NASA or N.O.R.A.D instead of NORAD.
Anyway, I agree with the idea that people who follow trends and movies are trying to fit in with what their perception of cool is instead of just being themselves. Those people are shallow. Ricers, therefore, are shallow. But, owning an import alone does not a ricer make. It's all about the attitude of trying to be cool instead of modifying your car for your own interest or teh intrisic value that you get.
BTW, I really enjoyed reading this and I think it has a lot of merit:
Your own interest in cars originally came from an interest in modifying them. That's pretty cool; my father did that a long time ago, but all the cars he had while I was around were stock. They were all fast cars too: 1 mustang and 3 vettes. I think, though, that the majority of people are like me in that their interests came from knowing nothing of modification and only interested in sports cars. Plus, as much bull**** as is spread nowadays about the potential of imports it would be easy for a beginner to be ignorant of the sports car he chooses.
Also, I think your analysis of teenager's choices in cars due to financial reasons is dead on, and would like to add one thought: Parents also play a large part in the decision making of a teenager's first car. It seems reasonable that a parent would want a kid to have an economy car with good reliability, safety, and decent handling and little HP.
Thanks for the good reading,
Chris
Anyway, I agree with the idea that people who follow trends and movies are trying to fit in with what their perception of cool is instead of just being themselves. Those people are shallow. Ricers, therefore, are shallow. But, owning an import alone does not a ricer make. It's all about the attitude of trying to be cool instead of modifying your car for your own interest or teh intrisic value that you get.
BTW, I really enjoyed reading this and I think it has a lot of merit:
Originally posted by turbojimmy
My interests were roused in cars because my dad has always had a couple of Vettes around to tinker with. Fast cars, and tweaked them to make them faster. I've never had any desire to own anything that didn't start out at least a little fast - even for commuting purposes (hence the Typhoon as a daily driver). That rule of thumb eliminates every import from my list of suitable transportation given a budget, though the DSMs have piqued my interest. My first car was a '67 LeMans with a 326/2-speed. Not fast - but the platform easily accepted a 400 and 400 trans, which I quickly dropped in it.
I think it's great that kids have an interest in cars - any cars. If you think about it, they don't really have a lot to work with nowadays. On a high-school kid's budget, I think you'd be hard pressed to find an older (5-10 yrs old) domestic with a decent aftermarket. Exceptions are Mustangs and F-bodies, but lots of kids get their parents' hand-me-downs, which unfortunately is often an import. I really think that's what started this whole thing - kids with mom & dad's old Civic looking for ways to take an otherwise mundane car and make it unique.
Regardless of what we think about them, they're here to stay. At least it keeps 'em busy. My neighbor's kid is always under his bookshelf-winged, fart-mufflered Jetta. I think that's cool...
Your own interest in cars originally came from an interest in modifying them. That's pretty cool; my father did that a long time ago, but all the cars he had while I was around were stock. They were all fast cars too: 1 mustang and 3 vettes. I think, though, that the majority of people are like me in that their interests came from knowing nothing of modification and only interested in sports cars. Plus, as much bull**** as is spread nowadays about the potential of imports it would be easy for a beginner to be ignorant of the sports car he chooses.
Also, I think your analysis of teenager's choices in cars due to financial reasons is dead on, and would like to add one thought: Parents also play a large part in the decision making of a teenager's first car. It seems reasonable that a parent would want a kid to have an economy car with good reliability, safety, and decent handling and little HP.
Thanks for the good reading,
Chris