Import or american?? what do you profer?
43 Answers
While ricing out Civics, Integras and all other sorts of imports is definitely more popular and way easier, I have to say that there's a place for American cars in the tuning scene as well. If you read Super Street, Modified, Project Car or any others there is an epidemic of new tuned-out American Cars, like the Pontiac Solstice and the Neon to name only two. They last just fine up here in upstate NY, and our winter are almost as bad as yours my friend. As for styling, well, thats a matter of taste. I love the way the 80s-90s American Cars look. Boxy, sure, but who wants to blend in? You cant get the body kits and wings you can on Imports, but you can put all that money into the engine and win off the line every time. Which would you prefer? Personally, I have to go American. Plus, if you want an Import, its just to easy. Just buy a stock STI or EVO and you're 95% tuned already. You have to appretiate the challenge too, or at least, i think you do.
Import - they are better made, go harder and look better than the pieces of shit we get over here! To be honest though, the modifying scene over here is very diverse. You have your rice boys with their Lancers (not evo's), Hyundai Excels, Civics etc, you have your import group (skylines, supras, silvias, evo's, wrx's), you have your local car modders (commodores, falcons) and your old skool modifiers (everything from Datsuns, to chevs, to porsches).
Thats all well an good, but you're talking straight Spo-Com. not everyone's into 4 cylinders screaming out of a blow off valve. Theres somthing to be said for modding an American made V6 which unqestionably produces more power. Its true, the imports and the "rice boys" ^^^ have their place here, but Americans can race with the best of them. In recent years yeah, a lot of foreign cars are better made, but there are some American cars that would smoke any Import Tuner you can throw at them. Wouldnt say they're pieces of shit, I'd say they're different. Oh, and also, half the price of any of those Asian models.
So you're gonna compare a 4 cylinder honda to a V6 american engine. Why not make it the same. V6 against V6... Perfect example. Nissans new V6 in their new GTR. Wouldnt be a walkover for the american engine then would it? Dont get me wrong. SOME American cars are good. They look good, go fast...... Just don't ask them to turn corners with the worlds best.
Good comparison I would like to see a show off between the v6 GTR and the new Chevy ZR-1 Corvette that has the V6. And to your comments, the Japs learned from us how to build cars. Therefor they will always be last in any American's eye.
American hands down. European close second. I bought one jap import and that was the biggest mistake I ever made.
they maybe learned from americans but they perfected it. haha how the hell do you think toyota one year more for profit them GM was worth haha pathetic. The ZR-1 is a cry to make money chevy is a horrible brand. and who ever said way up there about soltice and neon being modded out can keep up is dumb obviously they can its just they are 1. womens cars 2. horribly half assed made 3. They are horrible to drive. There is a reason they dont make the neon anymore. And what did you but for a japanese car by the way? was it used and abused when you bought it?
haha if that was the case then why are all the american car companies focus on balls to the wall not fuel economy at all. And why are they all pretty much going bankrupt???hmmm???
It was a nissan that I bought in 2001. It was 3 yrs old with just under 30k miles on it. So no it was not used and abused. At 39k the battery went bad. Replaced. The alt starter went out. Replaced. Then the Alternator quit charging killing the 2nd battery. All within a years time. One thing I have learned through many years and many cars, is that you get what you pay for. Many people bad mouth Chevy yet I put over 200k on a 1993 V6 Cavalier that I bought in 1997 and never had to fix on thing. Traded it for the Nissan. Bad mistake. Traded the Nissan for a 2000 Ford Taurus that I put over a 150k and only had to replace the idler pulley. Traded it for a 2003 GTP new that I put 78k on and it performed flawlessly without any repairs. I currently own a 2003 Beetle GLS Turbo that I bought with only 4500 miles on it; and 47k miles later it has performed without any problems. This is not to mention my 1995 chevy travel van that I bought back in 1999. I have never had to do anything to it other then simple maintenance. Everyone is entitled to there opinions, but to openly criticize others on an opinion poll you started is something that a virgin teenager would do to compensate for his lack of inexperience. I take it you like imports. Good for you. I will never buy another!
You are very ignorant. Do your research! I had a 2003 GTP that got 20/28 mpg before everyone really started worring about this gas crisis that has been a crisis since the 70's. Last I checked the accord that year was getting 18/25.
ok if you actually notice my responce its for a company as a whole there market stradgy is fuel economy not focusing on put huge motors in there cars.
Don't worry about this bloke Fred. He's got a tiny penis and is trying to make it larger by causing an argument on the internet. He sits there and craps on about how great American cars are, then comes out with the "I own a beetle" statement. lol. If they were so great, OWN one. Support the dying American car industry. They need all the help they can get. Life isnt about 1 big straight line drag race. Most manufacturers know that and build their cars to go round corners well as well as go fairly hard in a straight line. Chevy (the perfect example) put a big V8 in a car, then equip it with suspension that was designed back in (for you Americans) the wild west days and wonder why any Euro or Japanese car eats it for breaky on say... uuuh the Nurburgring. I'm not saying you're wrong mate, but I do disagree with you. It's called having an opinion. Something I'm entitled to, and something you're not gonna change. Accept that alot of people (ALOT) believe that Japanese cars are better in everyway to American cars, just like some people believe that Euro's are the best... It's personal opinion. Get over it.
hey guys, I've owned american cars('03 mustang gt, jeep G. cherokee), euro cars(audi tt,180 and 225) and japanese cars(impreza L, se-r spec-v) and i have to say, I loved them all, why hate. if it is fast, and well modded and looks good, then i like it, plain and simple, i like most cars, no matter the make. Thats my two cents. Peace.
Amen to that... I personally will go for about anything. I just hate the people who half ass it... You know 90% of the sideways hat wearing retards driving civics around with coffee cans welded to the exhaust, 4 inch wide K&N intakes, and with improperly mounted body kits that haven't been painted... YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!! No offense to Civic tuners... unfortunately the Fast and the Furious resulted in every idiot on the planet going " I'm gonna git a civic wif a spoon engine"... So for every decent project is several idiots.
haha true to that i bet half the people on this forum dont even know what a spoon engine is hahaha
Exactly... hence why I'm sure somewhere some 'tuner' is in a speed shop saying 'I'll take one of those, one of those, and do you have any engine spoons?"
Well Glen, in life experiences I have learned to merely state the facts. as I have done. I have also learned that the only men that talk about the size of other mens' penises are either gay or extremely small. As to your statement. I do own a chevy travel van that I did mention. The sad thing about this entire argument is that it is between the americans vs imports, and if we are getting on this handling kit; then I am pretty sure the Europeans produce majority of the worlds supercars, followed by America, and I think Japan is trying to produce one again. Oh yeah, the GTR. Isn't that a joke. A supposed supercar designed on an island that can be walked in a couple of hours, or driven in half a day. Now that is funny. Nonetheless, I hope you and Fred have something better to do then whine and cry on here as you are bottle feeding you rugrats.
wow it probably took you an hour to write that haha i like how you make fun of the most technologicly advanced country in the world cause of the size of the country. They are obviously doing something right if the american general public only wants imports and not american cars. And you know that is the fact to so dont try to be all gung ho american is the best. And america doesnt produce super cars ooooh viper and corvette and gt40 oooo big deal they are all horrible except maybe gt40 but thats still border line. and i wasnt even talking about supercars who cars about 500hp and getting 4 miles to the gallon im talking about have the complete package of styling,mpg,decent power,handling and price. and american is obviously not smart enough to figure that fomula out.
Ok Fred, apparently you have way too much time on your hands. Do need to clarify a couple of problems with your remarks. First, the GT40, Z06, and SRT-10 are classified as supercars; not to mention some you forgot like the Aero TT or the S7. FYI, the Z06 gets 16/24 mpg; not bad for a super car in my definition. Hell, my Trans Am got 21 mpg city, handles great, and looked better than any import of that time. You have been hyping on reliability of Japanese cars, yet the Accord has had the worst repair record of any car for the last 3 yrs. Also, Ford has had the #1 selling vehicle for the last 10 yrs, so American’s have spoken. I am fully aware that your opinion is strictly based on stirring an argument; after reading your comments on your Mitsubishi Lancer base model, I know you are not happy with your import. Total Writing Time >1min
"any Euro or Japanese car eats it for breaky on say... uuuh the Nurburgring" FYI the two fastest production car laps on the Nordschleife are by American cars... 7:22.1 by the Viper and 7:26.4 by the Vette... The only Jap. import within close range is the new GTR and it was timed with type-R rubber instead of factory... at 7:29 Next closest is a Honda NSX-R that was lightened at 7:56 Hell the cobalt SS timed at 8:22 faster than a Porsche Cayman S... I don't know what the hell you think you're talking about but you made yourself look foolish.... They all have pros and cons and are remarkably comparable in almost every way if you look within price ranges, and if you're tuning it you should be able to match and deficit if you have the slightest clue what you're doing. 9/10 Honda I've race in Solo 2 can't turn for shit and I eat 'em for breakfast but the ones who have figured out how to make a brick turn are remarkably faster than me... Maybe I should put some type-R on and get all four corners down before I finish my rebuild :-\
what so called "car" is it ? the F150 and why are they pretty much going bankrupt like the other american companies? and you didnt even answer my statment about the profit toyota had.... Trans ams are probably one of the ugliest cars ever made next to the stingray corvette. they dont mass produce the aero tt if you didnt know that. I hate all base model vehicles since you are ragging on my car. You get what you pay for thats why they make base model vehicles...there cheap but my car will last a hell of a lot longer then a cavavlier or neon. My wife has a neon and its the biggest piece of shit. i hate people that think there the man when they own a srt4 horrible car. For the most part its not my opinion im going by facts when i say stuff like this. And i like to rile up people like you that love american cars....its hilarious.
type r is the kind of rubber... context... "type r rubber instead of factory" doesn't make sense to have been mistaken the way you did. type r is a dot approved rubber compound which is only a step down from a full out track slick... Generally rated HR and up they have unparalleled lateral grip for a streetable tire and are much more resilient to hardening due to repeated heat cycles as compared to their racing brethren...
and also i dont even glorify the cars ive owned because im not a moron like you ooooh you used to own a cavalier and now you own a beetle that is awesome what are you going to buy when you are retired a cobalt ss or a pontiac soltice oh maybe even a mini cooper s since you like gay little cars.
i already knew that about the tires they used on the ring. but i wasnt sure if you meant that or the model they used. i was just seeing if you knew what you were talkn about unlike that other moron.
Michael. My name is Glenn. Learn to spell if right before you use it. Personally i'd prefer if you didnt use it at all really, but yeh anyway. You're an idiot. You're argument has been based on calling myself and Fred dickheads cos we've stated the obvious and you can't come to realise that. Whatever. This is over. Finished. You lost. So did the American car industry. Good bye.
Glenny, I am sure that you are aware that you are a joke, and must be getting your stories reversed. I never used such language, that has been you sir when I stated the facts.
lol You amuse me cos you're a fuckhead. Keep talking, I'll have a few cans and laugh at your futile attempts to prove yourself right. Go on. Keep talking my friend.
Actually mate you may want to look up what they've defined as 'non-stock' on whatever source you're looking at. The Corvette is stock, as it rolls off the line. The only addition is safety equipment...(Ohh dear added weight might have helped their time?) SRT-10 ACR is same story but it was adjusted to the track... (Suspensions are adjustable you know and so is the aero package on the ACR models :-\) These are facts posted on numerous sources if you feel the urge to, look them up.. Additionally the Zonda F C.S. is not street legal here in the US couple that with the fact that some only consider it a production car if 200 are produced and it kind of gets take off the list of production vehicles anyway. Also a Carrera GT isn't a 911, and if memory serves it was a modified Carrera GT anyway... Although a GT2 is up there somewhere... And either way you are dodging the point that your touted imports aren't as dominant as you claim they are.... Instead of conceding a point you rashly make uneducated statements and make personal attacks against the people on this site. Smooth mate real smooth...
that was the first thing i thought when i read this question
wow you are an idiot you are the reason american muscle crowd is labled retarded and hard headed and is anti imports. Just the things that come out of your mouth are embarrassing and ignorant. And since you have those comments it seems that i have riled you up and that i have made you mad ahahah and all of this coming from someone that drives a beetle to his mcdonalds job. At least i work with cars all day where do you work????
I like you. Poor Fred is dreaming of an M3 while he drives the Base model Lancer his parents bought for him. That is why he is bitter.Not sure what Glenny's problem is. I agree with you. No matter what track they want to meet on, guaranteed they will get schooled. I love the people on here that think they know a lot about theory and yet exhibit no skills.
ok personally, as far as fuel effiency goes im up there with a the new C6 Vette. My last trip from Kansas City, KS, to Knoxville, TN, Landed me right on 31 miles to a gallon of gas with a LT1 Trans Am. So take fuel effiency out of the Equation. I recently raced a 90 something or another, Nissan Sentra Spec-V or something. Gave him 2 cars and beat him by 2 cars at the end of a 8th mile at a 10mph roll. So with Power out of the equation, I have owned my car for a year and only have had 2 problems 1 is a prone to the engine which is the Opti-Spark (which with the LS1 is no longer an issue), the other being i grenaded a clutch racing a honda Civic down the highway, which btw i won, by about 3 cars going into 5th gear. Oh and my car has over 115k miles on it. So with reliabilty out of the equation what are we left with. Really nothing. I like american cars cus that what i grew up around, in particular 1st gen 350's carbed, and 427 big blocks. As for the nurburgring the ZR1 beat the GTR only having to use one forced induction part, the supercharger, which isnt exactly american, but a very accepted american means of a power adder. Japan has always been a big fan of Turbo Lag. Which there's nothing wrong with turbo's they dont need any power to spool, its the perfect power adder by definition. But they fit well on any OHC style engine, because the engines have great high end torque so why not make the high end torque better. while any pushrod engine is great downlow. I dont have a problem with people that actually do a good job with import cars but thats it a good job. I hate these teenagers pulling up becide me in there 93 Civic's thinking that, "oh my civic is ungodly fast because i have muffler i can fit my shoe in, and my NOS Sticker gives me the power of having NOS." which is typically what i see anymore. but if they do the job right then that 5" exhaust will be used in everyway possible because of the amount of displacement they are pushing out of the engine. That's just me though, i found alot more things to tweek on my LT1 then i found on my old D15Z6, or was it a D16, whatever comes in the 94 del sol Si. like the other day, i found out that if i lower the amount of coolant just to get my low coolant light to light up but still properly cool the engine, i added about 4 to 5 horse in my car because i sprayed just a hair more fuel. theres always something i can do to that engine to make it faster.
great ?. both of em. i love jap cars as u guys have seen one of my creations on here., and i like some American not all well really i only like the camaro. oh well im really likeing the smart cars. now call me gay but their so koool lookin, no i wont trade my beast ass type r for one or my da integra, u culd park a smart car any where. but as far as tuning goes jap. technology is the future and the future is today. and most american cars dont reall have that, and as far as wat ever dudes name is thats dissing hondas.ill race u heads up and blow ur doors off in a honda , and ill drive to where ever it is the rock u live under is located.
whats the differance most american cars are half jap and most jap cars are made in US But jap cars are better built
well there you go theres your difference you just answered your own question
Import - Obviously the better pick. American cars now are not able to be modified as much as imports. How many american cars are in drifting? a little? import? tons!
no you have that totally wrong most american cars are 99% foreign and Japenese cars are made in japan and assembled in that US theirs a big difference
lol talk to any good drifter, sam hubinett, rhys millen, or tanner foust about which makes for a better drift car. They will all agree an american V8, they all have driven them allong with 4 cyl turbo's. Rhys's interview with streetfire he admitted it was easier to drive his old v8 because of the immediate torque available on tap. the reason the use of imports is so big is because they can easily obtain car sponsorships through the maker. Because they arent economically struggling. now how many imports do u see drag racing almost none in the professional circuit. Domestic V8's almost al of them. The statement of american cars cant be modded as much is complete bull shit. i can modify everything on my LT1 heads, pistons, connecting rods, intake, valve's, spring's, even to the point they make different bearings and mains for different types of racing, shit the one thing thats is easier and more plentiful to do with American car is called the Stroker engines, lets see small blocks there is the 327, 383, 396, i think 406 can possibly be done. Theres a ton u can do turbo, super, procharge, and even oil pans.
I will have to agree with Josh. Fitz you are a dumba$$. It is far easier and cheaper to modify a domestic then an import.
In the end, my old man came up with this tidbit of wisdom... He's driven just about everything, belongs to numerous car clubs, and commutes Barrie-Toronto in all sorts of our wonderful Canadian weather... He's learned this... All Makes are shit... they all have thier issues and every one of them will give you a headache somewhere along the line. Thinking on that, alot of stuff made sense... Working around the manufacturing sector rather than the mechanic sector, I know that alot of the parts on a Toyota are interchangeable with a GM, and alot of Toyota's roll off the GM assembly lines... sure there can be a difference in how they're put together... but in alot of cases these days it's just dependant on which badge they threw on the car... I grew up around large American muscle, Fat Fenders, coupes, Big old Lincolns, and I've got all the friends who've rushed out to buy honda's and little shitboxes in the gas crunch... I've hung around the Tuner crowd, they have exactly the same arguments, anf they all insult eachother's penises as well. I refuse to talk terms of racing, becuase that's all a money game, whoever has the biggest wallet has the biggest penis, that's all it comes down too these days. I'm still driving an '85 Crown vic. it's reliable, it's got a 351 windsor engine, and it gets decent gas milage (Often BETTER milage than a 4 banger on the highway since it doesn't have to work as hard) I like North Amercian cars, I've never found the comfort of confident feel of quality in an import that I get from a good solid Ford. (Yes, I know, but that is another argument all on it's own, and I'd like to point out that divisions of Ford are still turning profit, so leave that argument for another thread...) I don't Generally like Chevs, however I have a buddy with a '92 z24 Cavalier, Drop top 5-speed... and it's a nice car... (Too bad some punk sliced his roof though... wish I could get my hands on him...) I owned an '83 buick Skyhawk, which is similar platform... Hated the car. I've got a buddy who owns an '84 Mercedes 300D Turbo, and the only modern Toyota in production that beats him for fuel milage is a hybrid ( And his car has half a million kilometers on it...) I've gotten chances to drive Various Hondas... Ridgeline...CR-V... Numerous Civics, and the odyessy... Hated them all (Especially the damned Van). That said, I got to drive TL acura... it was alright, the leather smelled like a Barnyard, and I hated the way the Mirror's pointed to the curbs when backing up. but it was a nice car as far as comfort went... and the TL the body style later looks really sharp. in the end it's all up to preference as has been stated... What are my qualifications? I'm not a mechanic, I'm not a service technician... I don't spend all my money on tuner parts and R-type rubber... I'm a driver, I love driving, and I love what I drive. If I don't.... I get rid of it (even if I thrash what I don't like on the internet some times...) And Christ lads.... Stop talking about eachother's cocks... Dreadfully bad form...