[shotgun_chuck]

Not JDM cars so much as JDM fanboying in American car culture. We've had our backroad racers going back to at least the 70s in Tennessee and at least the early 60s in California, or the 40s in the East if you count the moonshine runners, but yet, thanks at least in part to a cartoon from Japan, we've got so many people who think mountain pass racing was invented in Japan and has to be closely associated with drifting and Keiichi Tsuchiya, call it "touge" and whatnot. People go to Japan to buy mufflers for their Civics and whatnot when they could easily get a Flowmaster or Cherry Bomb within easy driving distance of home, and will pay huge money for inconsequential parts to make their cars "more JDM" (the example I've heard is "a clock that lights up amber instead of orange"). "Young leaf" and "domo" stickers, that kind of thing. It feels like our car culture is getting overwritten by Japan's, it seems unpatriotic to me, and it hurts.

Am I the only one annoyed by this, or are there others?

 

[butch_n]

I must admit I know nothing about JDM. I don't even know what JDM stands for and didn't take the time to look it up.

I've always said 'to each their own'. But have to say I am annoyed by those silly mufflers a number of kids put on their cars (including American cars) that sound like a poorly tuned (overly rich) 2 stroke weed trimmer.

Cars from Japan came into being here in the US mainly in the 70's. They were smiled upon for only one reason, fuel economy. In a time when gas prices were climbing our US cars were requiring far too much of it. Imports from Germany (the VW Bug) was an answer to that and many people had one. Then Japan starting sending over their offerings with more creature comforts, better heaters and most importantly the VW's great mileage. People that didn't want a VW now had the option of a cheap to buy and operate car from Japan, thus making their old Grand Prix, Monte Carlo, etc. the Sunday driving car. The cheap import car became the daily car.

Soon the used car market was filled with these cheap cars from Japan, so naturally many of those cars ended up in the hands of kids with newly acquired drivers license in hand. And just as in my generation (and those before/after mine), the first thing these kids did was to find a way to make more power and noise. As the import trend grew, so did the after market parts for those cars.

As for the mountain pass racing, certainly this was going on in Europe and the US before it was in Japan, but I'm sure there were some in Japan getting their thrills way back when too. I mean, if there is a car and a twisty road,,, well, you know.

I've owned well over 100 cars in my life. Only 3 were imports. A Renault Fuego Turbo, a 1st gen Honda Civic, and of course a VW Bug. None of them had any damn fart can either, lol.

 

[wera]

Not a hater at all. But i have owned several hondas over the years, generally poor quality vehicles compared to cheap American counterparts. But then again, ford sucks to so...whatever i guess.

 

[butch_n]

But then again, ford sucks to so...whatever i guess.

LOL

I've done a lot bad things in my life,,, but I can honestly say, I've never owned a Ford. So that is one thing I won't have to answer for :lol:

 

[Brad91Z]

Im of the mindset that if you are into cars and not a total dousche, im okay with you. I can apprecieate the work and passion that goes into any "style" of car culture. What bothers me though are the people who think their car (or type of car) is the be-all end-all of cars and shuns anyone who may have another type of car.

Brad

 

[jokerswild_]

I totally agree, Brad! After all, we're J-BODY geeks! we love CAVALIERS. how could we POSSIBLY crap on someone else's passion? Passion for the cars is all that matters - it doesn't matter what car it is. Heck, there are Metro and Yugo fans out there! Some people love Pintos and Pacers. More power to 'em -- You Do You!!!!!

Except fords, of course. (*$&# those guys.

 

[butch_n]

But wait a minute Brad.
I thought the Pontiac Aztec was the true "be all, end all" vehicle? So what happened,,,, you mean it's not?

Seriously though, I have to agree. Every car has it's own personality. People have different and often changing taste, so nearly any car ever made had some followers. I've always went through spells of owning only one model of cars until I would get tired of them and then move on to another model. Currently I'm into the 2nd Gen Cavaliers. I don't see anything I'd want to replace them with, for the time being anyway.

I'm not at all into newer cars though. From mid 90's up, I just don't like much of anything. LOL, I may be stuck with the old Cavaliers for the rest of my life. Maybe for me, they are the "be all, end all" car.
<SIZE size="75">Yeah, I know,,, I've got lower standards than a lot of folks do.
</SIZE> :lol: