A question that has been bothering me.

[Octane_350]

If everyone in the U.S.A. is obsessed with suping up Imports does that mean that everyone else in the world is into suping up american cars?:silly2:

[Veyron]

I think it comes down to cars you like, not where they are made. This should hold true around the globe. If you asked someone to pick ten cars they like, they prolly wouldn't all be one make or origin.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

I find it humorous when people talk about "American" cars as only being built in the United States...when Canada, Mexico, Central and South America also make cars. They are no less American than any made in the US. And many "imports" are built in the US. Revell's upcoming Civic Si...that's a car that was made by Americans for Americans! Same with the Mitsubishi Eclipse.

I also find it odd that someone from a continent halfway around the world considers "imports" to be junk, and "domestics" to be superior...and he's talking about American cars! I never knew that American cars were known as domestics anywhere else!! I've owned both imports and domestics, and have had good and bad experiences w/both, though I prefer vintage American cars for modeling subjects while most modern cars that I like to build are imports.

I think it boils down to people building what they like, and what they can afford. Imports are plentiful and cheap on the used car market in the US, with the key words being "cheap" and the basic cars are usually quite reliable. Years ago muscle cars and anything w/a V8 fit that description. Since imports are so plentiful and easy to work with, a whole industry exists to support their need for speed. I doubt American cars have the same following in other parts of the world, since they aren't going to be nearly as plentiful or cheap.

[TougeMonkey]

Well, America doesn't make good cars...short of the Dodge Viper and Corvette Z06.

OK, let's look at the Ford Focus. We get crap, Europe gets a turbo-charged version of the ZX3. European cars are great (Renault, Peugeot), so why buy a Chevy Cavalier? Japanese cars are equally as great.

[freakray]

Being as I have lived in various other parts of the world, I can tell you that the imports that are getting tuned here in America are the same ones that are getting tuned in other countries.
You seldom see anything 'American' in the rest of the world really(at least not from my experience).

Ray

[fullbloodchop01]

:flash: well, it is true that imports are all over the globe but lets see why they are very popular in the US:smoka:
now as all of you know the smog polution regulations in Japan are very very strict, you cant have a car for over 4 years and if the cars engine has over 30,000 miles on it it then becomes illegal there, i have tried to show this to my dad a crap load of times but he just doent get it, well this is why most of the engines that we get here in the US have ver little miles on them, 30,000 mile here is considered like brand new, well all the people in japan do is sell them to the Americans
theres a reason why:frog:

(damn that was a long post:frog: )

[Hawk312]

Well, America doesn't make good cars...short of the Dodge Viper and Corvette Z06.

Big bull poop! Mine has quarter mile acceleration the likes of a Ferrari 550 Maranello or Lamborghini Diablo VT, the agility through the slalom of an Eclipse GT, better gas mileage than an S2000, leather seats, removeable top, 10 disc CD, and if I wouldn`t have had the rare Firehawk option, could be bought at a hair over $25,000, even less with a formula.

[fullbloodchop01]

not to burst your bubble but i dont think it has the acceleration of a maranello or a diablo

[Hawk312]

not to burst your bubble but i dont think it has the acceleration of a maranello or a diablo

Actually, I was careful which Lambo and which Ferrari I picked for the comparison. According to my January 2002 Road and Track, the 550 does the quarter in 13.1, and the Diablo did it in 13.0. My Firehawk did 13.1 at Cecil County Raceway on a Friday grudge night in hot and humid conditions, and this is with yours truly at the wheel!! The LS1 in the F-bodies are notoriusly underated HP-wise, and have an efficient driveline with little parasitic power loss for some unknown reason.

[tonioseven]

To each, their own!!! I'm perfectly happy with my '91 Grand Prix! I also like "imports" as well!

[TheSyndicate]

I see no reason to put down any cars. You can like them or not, but putting them down is steeping to a riceboy(term used loosely) mindset.

Although, Yugo was a wasted effort.

[TougeMonkey]

Big bull poop! Mine has quarter mile acceleration the likes of a Ferrari 550 Maranello or Lamborghini Diablo VT, the agility through the slalom of an Eclipse GT, better gas mileage than an S2000, leather seats, removeable top, 10 disc CD, and if I wouldn`t have had the rare Firehawk option, could be bought at a hair over $25,000, even less with a formula.

But how many new Firebird racecars have you seen? (drag cars don't count). And if you go to any other country besides the US, the only American cars you might see are Corvettes or Vipers.

[Lownslow]

Yugo was a wasted effort

doubt it this was such a cool car i never got around to ever owning one but my friend still has his with over 155,000 miles and runnin like new

if you want wasted efforts look at what GM has given us lately thats a wasted effort

yes i was a former GM(still lovin the classics) fanatic. when they get their head out their asses i might rethink of coming back

[magicmanjk808]

in regards to the question, i know that a lot of the cars that are souped up in the u.s. are also souped up other places in the world. the ways they do it are different though. for example, the IS300. people in the u.s. buy all these jdm items like front grills, emblems, etc., but there are just as much people in japan buying the u.s. version front grill, emblems, etc.

[Hawk312]

But how many new Firebird racecars have you seen?

That doesn`t negagte the statements I made about their performance. I mean, we have Taurus`s and Intrepids being used as race cars in this country. Plus, likely the reason you don`t see many Firebirds or Camaros as race cars is because they aren`t true sports cars; they are 2+2 passenger cars. They do share the same engine, and for a while the same tranny, as the vette anyway.
I was just responding to the guy who said

Well, America doesn't make good cars...

, not necessarily race cars. Considering my car can hang with the ones I mention, and I only paid a fraction of the others, and I can fit two more people in, I think it is a pretty decent car. Plus, the 350 is the most dependable engine in the world.