ARCTICWHITE98Z28

iTrader: (1)

It seems like every year more and more high performance enthusiasts are buying imports versus domestic cars. I am seeing more and more STIs, EVOs, etc. It doesn't help that GM decided to quit making the F bodies after 02. I really hope that the 5th Gen Camaro sells like crazy so that I can buy one in a few years. I see a lot of new Mustangs, but most of them seem to be 6 bangers. I myself prefer to have an LS1 because 1) it costs a lot less to buy 2) going sideways with tire smoke rolling out everywhere is tons of fun and smells awesome IMO 3) nothing sounds better than the rumble of a V8 (especially a supercharged Cobra V8) and I am sure I could think of a few more reasons if I wanted to.

So what do you guys think? Are domestic V8s on the way out? I know they use more gas than a regular 4 banger, but I don't think that 4 banger with a turbo is that much more of a gas saver. Any ideas on why this is happening? Or maybe it is just more common here in Michigan because of the snow factor and AWD can go through this crap. Or maybe the Fast n Furious movies have done wonders for marketing imports.

bjamick

iTrader: (31)

Ya ive noticed and some of those evos are actually pretty quick. I know that when the new camaro comes out that im buying im already starting to save so i can lay down a big down payment.
Although all these imports are starting to show up everywhere they still can't hang with our stock f-bodies . I believe the camaro are going to be a hit, IF they can keep the price reasonable for the average joe. Maybe highest grade with leather seats and all options be around 38gs. Im hoping they atleast have round 450hp with the highest option engine.

TransAminal

The people who buy those riced up Jap cars are just that, ricers. They don't care how stupid it looks (economy cars with wings?) or had shitty it sounds, they are all about being "import tuners yo", regardless of how dumb it may be.

People who like Muscle cars, like you and me, probably wouldn't ever consider buying a riceburner with a tuned out 4 banger. I know I wouldn't even keep one if I got it for free, I'd sell that **** and buy a real car.

Regardless of whats popular, there's no replacement for American Muscle, with a V8, RWD, and heavy duty everything. There will always be people who love these cars, so there will always be a market Mustangs, Camaros, and American, V8 performance vehicles

y2k_ta

iTrader: (80)

In 2 years, 3 months & 4 days they will drop the last V8 into an American vehicle. From that point on, all trucks will be 4 cylinders & all cars will be 2 cylinders. RV's and school buses will be rocket-powered, and there will no longer be any V8 diesel engines either.

Ok, if you believed all that then you're probably worried about the American V8 going away.......it's just not going to happen. Look at how many American vehicles are V8 powered, and many of them are once again RWD or heading in that direction in future redesigns.

Swang

iTrader: (3)

i think it has to do more with the money standpoint. insurance on our v8 rwd cars is higher, also, the cars (brand new, and used if its a vette) costs more to buy than the jap cars. yeah, there are a lot of morons out there who like to rice it out but cost of living has gone up a lot and many people dont have as much free cash as they did ten years ago. and lets think about young poeple, there parents came from the age of v8 muscle cars, or the days when late 60's muscle could be had cheap and they can remember getting in and causing a lot of trouble with those cars, so they dont want their kid to get it, and they think "its a 4 banger, what can it really do?" and they get or let their kid have that rather than the pony car. thats just my opinion though. it also depends where you are in the country. where i live there are NO ricers, its all domestic. The crew is 3 LT1's, my LS1, an 05 GT and an 04 mach 1. so i guess it depends where ya are in the country.

rk_2000_Z/28

iTrader: (3)

They will own the common market that's for sure. Didn't Ford just close a butt load of plants not to long ago? And I believe GM did the same thing. It's because the average american doesn't want 300+HP from the factory. They want 35MPG and don't want to pay a lot for it.

I think this is the reason why Auto makers like GM, Dodge, and Ford are reluctant to put a lot into V-8 muscle cars. The GTO is now gone. The T/A is gone. The Camaro is gone for now, but I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the plug on the Camaro after a few years. And don't be surprised if SVT is no longer in a few years.

I don't think that V-8's are going anywhere, but the market will get smaller and more expensive.

bjamick

iTrader: (31)

V-8's will always be needed no doubt about it. That lil 4 banger is not going to pull that pontoon boat up a slight incline LOL without something giving . I believe that muscle is defined as big motor up front and putting power to the rear wheels, and guys like us will keep this happening. V8's are here to stay and wont ever go anywhere, bc we love speed and dont give a **** if it gets 8mpg!!

logo_craig

Its so crazy to think that 10 years ago the word 'ricer' didnt mean anything to us, but now b/c all of the kids who love Fast and Furious are getting their licenses they are coming out with all these damn ricers from the factory! those damn Scion cars are a perfect example!!

Rawr256

Media influence... what is fast? We will tell you what is fast... the 198 hp Civic SI is Fast... what is a Corvette? It isn't as fast as a Carrera GT or Enzo... So by wording you would associate Civc on the same performance level as a Enzo or other cars. Ok that may be a little extreme... but that is basically what is happening. Today the minds of people can be swayed by what is seen, if there was a fast and furious movie made about the F-body, you can bet your *** that the F-body value would go up, why? Because every tard out there would think they are the fastest thing out there, even the late 80's ones they put the four cylinder engines in.

Look at the aftermarket for them, where was it pre 2k? You ever hear of a FAST Civic? Back in school they were the laughing stock if you thought the car was fast. Suddenly after F&F you have everyone wanting one, and the eclipse, Supra, Skyline, Del Sol, etc... I am sure the Skyline and Supra had some market to them prior to the movie and the AWD and Turbo versions of the eclipse had some stuff out there, but not much. Because of the way the cars have been played in the media people are out there looking for the fast look/sound, look at your average Civic driven by a late teen, young person in their twenties, I bet the coffee can muffler ratio out weighs the stock muffler for that age group. My neighbor down the street has a kid with a 90 Integra that has the taillights and the muffler, everytime I am out cleaning the GTP or TA and he sees me, suddenly I hear him go WOT to the stop sign.

If people are looking for good mileage, AWD isn't the cheapest... new STI and the Evo are rated at 19city 25 hwy, I might see that with my gas guzzeling V8 on a bad day, with more HP and four more cylinders to feed. So much for the turbo'd AWD four cylinder getting better mileage.

The American V8 will never go away, the way we see them now might, such as a DOHC/4 valve per cylinder like what Ford has done with the 4.6L, but from what I understand they are now going back to doing the 5.0L in 2010.

I would have to say the reason you see the cars you do out now, is partly because of the snow, I don't know how many times I have heard people go on about haveing a AWD Subby and how they will have no problems in the snow, suddenly snow falls, they are the one that wakes up in the morning, looks outside and says, "oh ****!" and are the ones slowing down everyone else.

Smoke Panther

iTrader: (10)

It's just a fad...no reason to jump on a soapbox about it. Things will become popular and then fade....the V8's did it, now the imports are on the rise. The important thing to remember is that popular or not, BOTH will still be around. There will always be imports, and there will always be domestics

9730thanvz28

iTrader: (1)

wow that is so true. I cant even start to explain how many times I have been late somewhere because I was stuck behind some little awd subaru or anything along those lines. Makes me glad i have my full size silverado. Hehehe cant beat the power of a V-8, and whats this about bad milage, most F-Body's pull high teens to mid 20's and stock, every now and then ya find someone gettin over 30mpg. I know its not often, but just goes to show that a V-8 can be "gas friendly" actually depends on how heavy your right foot is

NightWindDriftr

iTrader: (4)

Don't be concerned with what high school kids are driving. Just drive your car and spread the good word. You're fighting the good fight.

sweetness

Well there is only one way to solve this problem... you see 4 banger ricer grocery getters are at a alltime high, they are like insects if you will, you can't rid them forever, just contain them. So whenever you see a riced out car stomp on it and let them know exactly where they stand in the food chain, who knows maybe they will wise up and save for a new camaro.

thingthatgoes

iTrader: (2)

What nobody seems to understand is that people have been into the imports for a long time, not because of one movie. Street racing in the urban areas (NY/ LA) have involved imports for a very long time. The movie didn't introduce the ricer concept, the ricer concept led to the movie.
Anyway, the whole idea is that it is great bang for your buck at that $ level . In that sense, I can understand. You take a $1-2000 used car (civic) that has a rediculous amount of available mods/ engine combos. Beat the hell out of it, get decent times and if the engine goes you get another one for a couple grand. In that sense there will always be people that don't have alot of cash to throw into buying a car, that love to mod their own car, and like to make it fast. As far as those people that don't dilude themselves into thinking they have a porsche, I respect that, but if anyone thinks that its worth getting $10,000 into a ricer that does 14's they are a fool.

logo_craig

i dont think you understood what i said...there wasn't near as many ricers as there are now, and i Guarantee you it was all b/c of Fast and Furious, think about what kinda cars kids were driving around prior to Fast and Furious and then look whats driving around now....big difference

Y2K Z28

iTrader: (1)

I know alot of kids who are into real muscle also. As long as inports are as slow as they are kids will still own muscle cars. Bottom line is imports can be made to look pretty good and maybe even run decent but when it comes to cutting it for real they lack the dispacement and power to weight ratio to run with the big dogs. All the fast and the furious did was make it socially acceptable and maybe even cool for kids to hop imports and I think most kids do so because its alot cheaper to hook up a honda then an ls1 car. Given the money though most kids that want speed AND looks would go for an ls1 or equal. Just ask even the fastest ricer kid to race your ls1. They'll turn tail real fast. They are ussually rebuilding their turbo or busy replacing apex seals, yeah right. They know their cars suck they just wanna be cool and dont have the money to do so properly so they settle for second best. The imports will never take over as long as v-8's will outrun them with such ease. A slightly leaned on ls1 will destroy even a tricked out honda and as long as that is so we're in no danger of being ran out. Just try to build a 10 second normally aspirated import and make it run on pump gas. They can talk hp per liter to me all day, I'm talking hp to weight ratio and bottom end torque to pull them out of the hole.

logo_craig

I know there are a lot of kids who are into Muscle cars, Im 19 and i have been into muscle cars my whole life....and i really think that some ricers really believe that their cars are really fast....and for that they are idiots. lol

+1 for ricers never taking over!!! it just wont happen.

allblacksrt4

iTrader: (3)

wow you guys are pretty ignorant. A stock evo and sti are just has fast as a stock ls1. There is a big diffence between a ricer, and a import tuner. Honda's can be fast, any car can be fast. My buddy has a 350z with $2,000 in mods will destory probley half the ls1's on this site. Just because you have a domestic v8 doesn't mean your not a ricer. I have seen alot of riced out f-body's.

logo_craig

WHAT?!?!

did you really just say that a stock evo and sti are just as fast as a stock LS1??

bjamick

iTrader: (31)

Your lil buddies 350Z wouldn't come close to half the cars on this site bc one 2gs isnt enough to make that car hang with a half way modded ls1. Mayge with 2 gs he can hang with a stock LS1 but i still doubt it