How did you fall in love with imports?

[HilfigerCelica]

Here's my story. I was about 14 yrs old and my parents and I used to cut grass around this apartment complex. There was a black Honda Accord 2dr. It had dark tinted windows and a few stickers on it. The guy always kept it clean and we all know how hard it is to keep black clean. Well anyways, I knew something was different about the car. Back then I didn't know what a piston was, so I really didn't know what was different about it. But every time we would go cut grass I always looked forward to seeing it. It was so pretty to me. Then one day there was a Burgundy Accord near it and I finally knew what was different about it. It had clearcorners and clear bumper lights. Plus it was lowered about an inch. I was like wow, that's why the whole front of the car is white and black. So a while later, I picked up a copy of SuperStreet and I was hooked from then on.

If you're about to flame me, just go ask your mom what's the difference between a GS400 and a GS430.

[yakkosmurf]

Not really in love with imports. Yes, most of the cars I like are imports, but it just works out that way. I have no problem with domestics, I just don't like what is currently out from most of the domestic makers.

[larryd]

i just like being on the underdog side of the 4cyl vs 8cyl thing :).. hehe WOOSH..

[GTS LAID]

By driving a domestic first !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MarkyMark]

funny thing is that I didnt know crap about cars until I was in college. I used to think that civics were race cars and stuff, b/c the ones in my area had bodykits and stickers.

Then I got into all the early/mid 90s japanese cars which were both powerful and looked f-ing hot: MR2, 3000GT, GST/GSX, Supra, RX-7...

[2kgtx]

After the steering wheel broke on my 95 neon and I hit a tree and flipped severel times I decided that domestic cars suck at least in the compact/economy class.

[S.Menchavez]

I have always loved Toyotas, but was never into the import /mod scene until my beautiful Celi opened my eyes!

I had this cute little 97 Tercel Blackhawk, but there's really no aftermarket for it, so I had dreamed about maybe rims on it, but I was too young then to afford it. Also, that was the car I had in high school, and no one then was into imports. Just some jocks and their Mustangs. So I was kinda oblivious until I got my Celica. NewCelica had helped me learn a lot about my car since I was one of the first people in my city to get one.

[boxologist]

How about the mismarketing and misengineering of the Toyota Celica to drive u back to American and European cars...

[oldster]

I still love muscle cars. I like imports for performance/price/reliability. When commuting those are critical factors.

[Blk00SS]

I'm with Old... I love and will always love Muscle cars. That wicked exhaust note everytime you touch the gas and gobs of torque could never make me drive a 4cyl everyday...........
BUT... I like all Fast cars... Even if they are 4Cyl/6Cyl's.. Plus the Imports i've owned have been built better then all my Domestics.
Best car i have probably owned would have to had been my VR4.. ****er was a pig but it was so well built and stable at high speeds. Makes my Camaro's look like ****.

[TRD StreetRacing]

Originally posted by larryd
i just like being on the underdog side of the 4cyl vs 8cyl thing :).. hehe WOOSH..

second that :D ;) :D ;)

[hashiriya13]

Iwas all for muscle cars(pre 82 Camaro's) then I spent 6 years in Japan and had a all motor 240hp at the wheels Si Vtec Prelude. Cant beet the all around performance of a import.

You can try this link to see my old setup.(if it still works)

http://www.hondaprelude.com/setups/setupsdsply.asp?id=2528

[CeliRacer]

The first time was when I was 15 and picked up an Issue of Sport Compact Car. I saw this 92 Acura Integra in the front cover and was just sweet. Since then, i've been in love with imports. (And I still have that issue)

[HilfigerCelica]

Hey hashiriya13, that's a clean a$$ Prelude you got there. I'd rather have a clean car than a car with a wild bodykit and aluminum wing any day of the week.

I do agree with you guys on the domestics. They offer more bang for the buck than imports. I don't know too many imports that can run 13s straight from the factory and cost $22K. Many of you may argue that domestics suck in reliability, but I know a man that has a Chevy truck that's 23yrs old and is still running. I think most of the reliability issues depends on how well the owner has kept it. But the domestics do seem to have more reliabilty issues than us. That being said, I'm going with the imports. I just love the way imports look. Since I usually don't go fast anyways, I value how well the car is made, reliability, performance, and other "commuting factors." The imports seem to have just what I'm looking for.

[girlRacerTRD]

i dont just like imports.. i love all cars... but uhh.. i was a bored 12 year old.. living in the middle of nowhere.. and so i started surfing the web and ran into some nice cars...


...now im just a bored girl at work with nothing to do but post in 20 different forums :rolleyes: :( :p

[ZZT 231]

i'm azn and d@mn proud of it
need i say more?

Difting my old AE just made me fall in love with toyota

for me.. i love the diversity and uniqeness in the import car scene. People get creative with import cars like the body kits, crazy paint jobs, and all that other stuff. Plus its more of a challenge to fix up an import car.. anyone can do some stuff to a domestic V8 and have it be fast.. its just no fun. And the handling is superb in import cars...after driving my dad 00' V6 stang and his friends 99' GT stang'... i love my celica. The mustangs were just too sloppy for some serious handling and they were rough. I love the smoothness of my celica!! Besides its always fun to show up some kid in a domestic car that thinks they are hot ****.

I have respect for domestic cars for i am a classic car fan...i used to want a 65' mustang fastback... but i just didn't have the time to really fix one up the way i wanted... i wanted to buy one that was kinda run down so that i could fully restore it... but its a high maintenance job and i don't have the time in my life to do that.

I had a recently bad experience with some high school guys in a previous model mustang GT... the guys figured since i was a girl that it was ok for them to talk **** to me... so they said "lets all laugh, hahahahahahaha" (we were stopped in traffic behind some cars next to each other). So i just ignored them then one of them says "What does that thing do 65mph? hahahahaha".. so i flipped them off and they said "ohhh nooo she's flipping us off.. hahahaha"... so i looked over all pissed off and the kid in the back seat leans over to his friend "What do stickers add again? 10 hp? hahahahaha" so i said "why don't you shut the **** up, that mustang ain't ****!".. and the driver turned red in the face and rolled up the windows.. but the little ass in the back seat kept on laughing and saying ****. IF they only knew what they were actually talking about.

Anyway thats besides the point... i just like the style of the import cars... people aren't afraid to be unique.

[Blk00SS]

People get creative with import cars like the body kits, crazy paint jobs, and all that other stuff

A.K.A.... Ricers


And the handling is superb in import cars

Umm.. Since when? I'm taking it that You don't drive V8 RWD cars much. Your Celica Understeer's and the Mustang Oversteer's. If i remember correctly the GT pulls the same skidpad numbers as a GTS does so how does it handle better?
Do you wanna know the true reason why most import people say Domestic's can't handle? It's because they can't handle oversteer compared to Understeer. Understeering won't get you killed if you screw up like oversteering will. Don't even make me go into the Z06
:D

actually i've driven my dads friends GT mustang on several occasions.. before i had my celica he used to let me take it out everytime he'd come over. I never liked the feel of it.. it felt big and sloppy and not smooth. Its not the fact that i can't handle the car because i can very well handle it. A bunch of us celica owners were just at Thunderhill raceway this past sunday.. there was a new V6 mustang stock... he was in the same group as us.. two drivers (Guy and girl). Bother weren't the best drivers.. but even our first time at the track celica owners were lapping them. Kinda tells you something there doesn't it?

As i said i have respect for domestic cars.. but you have to admit they are more aimed for straight line racing at the drag strip. And the Celica has been rated very high and complimented on its handling and breaking. I find it a much more suitable track car then a Mustang or Camaro.

And the Ricer comment.. so what... at least they aren't afraid to be themselves. Sure some of it is repulsive stuff, but the import scene is about being different. I'm more for the subtle stuff.. my car isn't exactly a wild show car.. i think its tasteful and clean and thats what i like. I hate how uptight some domestic owners are... and i'm not saying all and i'm not saying all import cars are perfect.. there is a mix of both in both categories. I see ricey domestics and uptight import drivers.

My preference is import cars... besides i like reliability :p

[Maelfyn]

Play nice Ron. :D

I used to be all about imports for aesthetic reasons and reliability records I had read in publications like Consumer Reports. To this day I still don't like how most domestic cars look. I gotta say I like that new SVT Focus (flame away) and the newest gen Mustangs look pretty good too.

Though, I have recently become more interested in the performance aspect so domestics are much more appealing to me these days. I'd love to get an opportunity to rip down the strip in an SS, Mustang GT, or a lightning. My Celica is probably the first and last FF car I will buy. The MR2 and WRX look awfully nice these days. I really hate when I can't swing my ass around coming around a corner. Gotta love some oversteer :D

i agree.. i'm not too fond of the look of domestic cars.. some are nice looking.. i'll hand it to the couple rouche mustang's i've seen... but other then that i'm really not fond of the looks. When i bought my celica i got a lot of comments like "with that kind of money you should have bought a camaro or firebird or mustang".. and i just replied "sure IF i actually like all those cars".. but really i don't like the styling.. i've never liked camaro's.. except the classics i give a thumbs up cause those were nice but i still wouldn't buy one, the mustang's i've only like the 60's styling, and firebirds i've never liked. Trucks are alright.. but i still have a hard time finding ones that catch my eye.. i almost bought my friends 79' F250 ranger with a 460.. but it was gonna cost about $400 in repairs just for it to pass smog, and i like Toyota trucks much better.. i'd take a new Tundra or my bf's 79' toy 4x4 over a Ford or Chevy truck any day.

[Kry]

:( :( :( :(

but only the front bumper is gone, so i switch a new front bumper, then my car is still brand new...

[XtremeRacer]

....How did i fall in love with an import....i drive a V6 Auto Mustang :mad: :mad: :mad:

[VZV21]

The good ol' AE Corollas. Ford aren't that bad, we had a 78 Pinto wagon all the way up to 1994 (as my dad's commuter car, approx 100 miles a day). I'd never buy a Chrysler (again), engineering is top notch, but manufacturing is on the other extreme.

[Blk00SS]

A bunch of us celica owners were just at Thunderhill raceway this past sunday.. there was a new V6 mustang stock... he was in the same group as us.. two drivers (Guy and girl). Bother weren't the best drivers.. but even our first time at the track celica owners were lapping them. Kinda tells you something there doesn't it?

Yeah it tells me they couldn't drive worth ****. It doesn't mean the car can't corner worth ****.
Ok.. Let's put it this way.. If i had my choice between a Mustang GT and a Celica GTS for Roadracing.. Sorry... Not into that Parking Lot cone bull****.. I'll pick the GT and i'd pull much better times then i would if i drove the celica.. Why? Because over the years i have never raced with a FF car.. All RWD cars.... Could i do good in a FF car? Probably but what for... It just puts me at a disadvantage.

but you have to admit they are more aimed for straight line racing at the drag strip

Agreed but when a Camaro SS pulls .90 in the Twisties.. It's a Threat anywhere.. On the Track or in the Twisties. Put a driver that can drive that car to it's limit's and watch out. Most of these fools who take these cars out have no Training or experience so they do ****ty.

And the Celica has been rated very high and complimented on its handling and breaking. I find it a much more suitable track car then a Mustang or Camaro

I almost agreed with you but No way. No FF car is a better suitable track car then a FR car. If you use a FF car on a track your putting yourself at a disadvantage. FF is HORRIBLE for weight transfer.. It shouldn't even be on a track

besides i like reliability

Do i even have to go into how many times my VR4 broke compared to my SS? The VR4 was HORRIBLE and the parts were expensive. The SS had less repair's over the same span.. Now what does that say :p

[GTS LAID]

wow Jami you haven't been around in a long time girl...

welcome back

[VZV21]

Originally posted by Blk00SS


Do i even have to go into how many times my VR4 broke compared to my SS? The VR4 was HORRIBLE and the parts were expensive. The SS had less repair's over the same span.. Now what does that say :p

Wait thought your current baby is Shadow Turbo.

Though I do agree and diagree with some of your statements.

The .90 g's is based on doing like 300 foot doghnuts. That is one things, but you know and I know, PA roads aren't terribly great. In the twisties, there are some draw backs to the live axle rear, especially when driving in PA roads. Though nothing beats powering out of a curve. I would prefer still, a FR car with a IRS. Depends on how you look at it.

Tracks, well, it depends on the course. If it was made for a Miata, I'd take the Celica GTS (lots of sharp turns and transitions, little straights). If there were more straighter secions, Camaro all the way.

So for me....it just depends on the conditions

[Blk00SS]

Originally posted by VZV21


Wait thought your current baby is Shadow Turbo.

Though I do agree and diagree with some of your statements.

The .90 g's is based on doing like 300 foot doghnuts. That is one things, but you know and I know, PA roads aren't terribly great. In the twisties, there are some draw backs to the live axle rear, especially when driving in PA roads. Though nothing beats powering out of a curve. I would prefer still, a FR car with a IRS. Depends on how you look at it.

Tracks, well, it depends on the course. If it was made for a Miata, I'd take the Celica GTS (lots of sharp turns and transitions, little straights). If there were more straighter secions, Camaro all the way.

So for me....it just depends on the conditions

VZ,

Current Project is the Shadow but i had a VR4 untill i sold it :)

If i had to build a Track/Strip car with a FR car... I Would probably go with a C5 Vette or a 99+ Cobra.. Would both be very well with Suspension Goodies and IRS.

[DigableGTS]

S U P R A

[racinjason]

I love all types of cars and anything performance. I prefer an all round performance car like an ITR or GT-S, RSX, etc. Big Horsepower is cool but not what get's me excited. The car has to look good too.

I never said the Mustang couldn't corner worth a ****... but just by watching it, the thing had more body roll then the stock celica's out there. As for the FF cars being at a disadvantage... a year ago i went to thunderhill raceway for their High Performance street school..there were 3 groups, beginning, intermediate, and advanced. I was in the beginning group (duh it was my first time) and there were cars like the corvette's and porsches in the groups above that had more experience. Anyway i drove hard all day long with my instructor in the car, he even told me i had potential to be a race car driver if that means anything.... i was running on good tires that day and the only mod i had was exhaust. Anyway at the end of the day our last 20 min. run on the 3 mile course was with the intermediate group. Thunderhill for the most part is mostly turns and it has some pretty tight turns... and 2 straight aways... i got passed by a newer corvette and porsche on one of the straight aways because they had more power then me... BUT as soon as we hit the turns i caught right up with them. That didn't mean they couldn't drive worth a crap, they were experienced drivers and thats why they were in the intermediate group.. they knew more of what they were doing then i did.. yet i was still able to hang with them on the turns.

So many people underestimate the ability's of the Celica.. and its only proved to be better then what everyone thought it to be.

Its my own personal opinion that i like the feel of my celica's handling over the feel of a mustang (i've never driven a camaro, and really have no desire to). My dad will even admit that my car will out run and out handle his 00' V6 mustang. We have driven each others cars and raced a couple times.

I'm sure the mustang would do great on the track with an expert driver... but put an expert driver in the GTS and i can gaurantee its gonna make it tough for the Mustang. Sure the V8 is faster... but last time i raced one on the freeway i only lost by about a car length to half a car length. Also remember how light the Celica is.. thats a great advantage on the track... mustang and camaro's are beafy, heavy cars.

About the reliability thing.. sure great your VR4 was falling apart but that doesn't mean anything.. thats one car... its a thing called lemons.. plus your also talking about mitsu and i haven't always heard the best things about mitsu reliability... Toyota and Honda are both well known company's for reliable cars... Ford and Chevy can't exactly say the same... my dad has always had Fords for his company vehicle.. and he's had more small problems with a lot less miles then my celica is having at 40k miles... he's whole dash light blew out and he had no lights... and he's already got something squeeling under the hood.. and he's well under 20k miles on his mustang.

[ZeroGTS]

i like american cars, but what they have out now sucks. i mean...engines are not too bad, but the aesthetics of the cars just make me sick. i can't afford the american or euro car i want.

(corvette C5 or BMW M-Coupe)
so the celica works for me.
parents decided they wouldnt help withanyhting but a compact...my first one (a domestic) fell apart.
I will never ever buy another domestic compact car.
EVER.

my celica has been nothing but fun.
Its nice and I can wait for a truly fast car for when im mature enough to handle it and not feel like handing out an ass kicking whenevera civic throws a rev. (i dont do it...but god if i don't FEEL like doing it).

im lucky to have a car...and thats that.

Originally posted by ZeroGTS

im lucky to have a car...and thats that.

AMEN!:D

[ZeroGTS]

really tho, isnt everyone else sick of kids bitching about how they dont like their type R or GTS and they wish momy had bought them a camaro SS or an S2000 when they in fact didnt even pitch in a DIME towards their own car.
If you want that camaro so badly get a job.
im personally happy with my GTS, gas money is cheap, its fast
it looks fast :)
and think about how many kids out there dont even have cars that they can drive.

And then theres those who have nice cars but abuse the **** outa them.
its a sad world :(


but we "look fast" :p

[plush]

There is absolutely nothing on the domestic market (with the exception of the Viper and Vette) that appeals to me. Y'know how I fell in love with imports? I grew up in Japan. The only domestic car I will ever consider buying is a classic American Muscle Car.

Trust me, I drive cars all day long - import and domestic. I'm a lot attendant at a used car dealership (no, we don't sell crap cars) and I will tell you first hand that domestic cars don't even compare to imports. Even the salesman, some of whom drive domestic cars, will tell you the same thing. I'm not talking about horsepower figures here because that s**t is trivial and only concerns people with a superiority complex. I'm talking about reliability, driveability, comfort, convenience - the imports win hands down. There's no arguement here. It's a proven fact. I'm not dogging on domestic cars here so don't get all P.O.'d on me. I have no reason to hate domestic cars. In fact, there are some really good ones. I mean with brands like BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Infinity, Porsche, Ferrari, etc., why would enyone consider domestic brands? I've driven countless numbers of domestic cars and the only ones that impressed me were Cadillacs. Even then, if I had the money, I'd buy BMW 5 series instead.

[01gts]

first of all i was raised on gasoline, my father was always working on cars when i was a kid, i hated it. then one day i saw an import at one of the car shows he dragged me to. then my cousin got a really old civic and lowered it and put an apexi muffler on it. i immediately fell in love and have never looked back. thats my story.

[RACERGTS2000]

When my friend wup my 92 trans am with his celica !

[yakkosmurf]

Originally posted by J2KGTS6
I never said the Mustang couldn't corner worth a ****... but just by watching it, the thing had more body roll then the stock celica's out there.
Ok, then I'll say it. Mustangs hanle terribly. They are only slightly better than a Camaro SS.

[ZeroGTS]

mustangs an camaros have more body roll than a fat man falling down a flight of stairs.


all the race car mustangs and camaros you see have entirely replaced suspensions.

Type R's are some of my favorite handling cars.... (i had to say it...sorry guys)

but i can't drive one around here. The woodlands blows. If yakko lived here he'd understand. I have friends whove gotten their cars jacked more times than they can count (the SAME car).
Its like honda engines are some sort of hot commodity...and nobody wants to work for their stuff.

its sad.

my friend Will is selling his R...

too many haters here.
I took off my GTS emblem just so i wouldnt get jacked with. everyone thinks i have a GT (even all the kdis at my school)

Its fine...my car hasnt been jacked with much....yet

no respect for hard earned property. :(

yeah here in the bay area i always here about honda's getting broken into... if you go over the clubsi.com there are tons of people who have gotten stuff stolen or the whole car stolen.. makes me glad i never thought of buying one.

Hell my dad and i live in a ritzy area.. lots of middle-high class people (not to say we are rich, because we aren't).. but we live on a main street where there are always cars that drive by and the cops sit there cause its a 40mph zone and people speed like crazy.. but anyway we have our 86' accord dx sitting out there and someone punk tried to break into it... they didn't actually get in though... and numerous times they've opened the doors on our Wrangler to look for stuff to steal but we have never kept anything of value in it and the stereo is a cheap one with a faceplate thats removable. Someone even dented the hood of our honda by jumping on it... and its been keyed and scratched a couple times.

Just the other night i went to the movies and came out and some punk had purposely put a shopping cart on its side in front of my car as if they had thrown it at my car... we were parked quite a distance fromthe grocery store in this huge shopping center... and when i hit the button to turn my alarm off it made the signal that my alarm had been set off... along with that my car has been keyed from the gas lid all the way down the driver side door!! and not to mention the numerous door dings.

No one has respect for other peoples property. Because of all this crap i have an annoying ass alarm on my car.. you walk by it and it makes this annoying sound at you.. if you tap the car it beeps once.. and if you set the alarm off which isn't hard to do the horn honks and the siren sounds... so its loud and obnoxious!! Some guy in a porsche even started swearing at my car and calling it a "stupid piece of ****" because when he parked next to it and got out the proximity sounded and it made him angry. hahahaha

Stupid Haters.

OH and i just remembered about all that honda's being jacked with.. just the other night someones early 90's honda civic was stolen by some kids... they took it, stole all the stuff out of and then dumped it right around the corner from my bf's house.. the cops came here asking if we saw it.

[HilfigerCelica]

I agree with you guys, it's so messed up when you work for something and someone goes and takes it. If anyone ever damages my car, I'd want to whoop the living sh!t out of them.

I think the Type R guys have it the worst.

[yakkosmurf]

Originally posted by ZeroGTS

but i can't drive one around here. The woodlands blows. If yakko lived here he'd understand. I have friends whove gotten their cars jacked more times than they can count (the SAME car).
Its like honda engines are some sort of hot commodity...and nobody wants to work for their stuff.


I won't park my car anywhere in Sugar Land either. Same problem. There are a number of import car theft rings in Fort Bend County. My R is either in my garage or in the parking lot at work. You can get into my area at work (even on foot) without going through security. The barbed wire fences are a nice touch too. The R does stay covered at work though.

[yakkosmurf]

Originally posted by HilfigerCelica

I think the Type R guys have it the worst.
I think we do too. :(

[kuno]

When someone says that japanese imports are more reliable than domestics, a single domestic owner always say's they've had their 80's domestic for 15+ years or whatever and 100k + miles. That doesn't really prove anything-it just means that you got lucky with that domestic. What people are talking about when they say japanese imports are more reliable than domestics are that the overall reliability is better, not just one case out of a thousands of domestic cars. And plus, older domestics are more reliable than current domestics. It's just recently that domestics are getting better in reliability.

And before anyone flame me as a domestic hater, I am not, just pointing out the big picture.

On a side note, theres a black '98 dodge neon R/T for 8k with 80k miles! lots of miles.. but I'm actually considering it since I really do not want to pay the expensive finance on my celica. (college soon). I'd keep my celica, but its a friggin auto so no chance of that.

[yakkosmurf]

Point taken. My mother did get 270k miles out of her 1990 Cadillac. My father was gotten the same number of miles out of his 1990 Lexus. The Cadillac had far fewer and less expensive repairs over that time than the Lexus. However, about the only regular maintenance my dad does to his car is having me change the oil every 3k miles. My mom takes much better care of her cars. Either way, they are both going to get more miles out of their cars than I will out of my MR2. (Hoping to hit 250k before it dies). You just have to take care of the car. But yes, looking at the design aspects, I think you'll get more reliability out of most Japanese cars. The engineering and build quality are overall better than any domestic I've seen yet.