This isn't directed at anyone, more or less just a "thinking out loud" for a second -
I keep hearing and reading out the "Scene" is dead, or it's not what it used to be, and I'd like to elaborate on the way I see it, as well as get everyone's input on how they see it.
Back in the 1990's the Car Tuner scene was booming. For the first time, Imports where making as much or more power then domestics, Japanese companies where pumping out uber advanced, bad ass cars at pennies compared to their German counter parts. Kids were also inheriting Mom and Dads late 80's Hondas while baller guys where first in line to pick up a DC2 or DSM.
Two things happened -Gangsta-Wannabies and Fast and the Furious.
The GWs started showing up a meets, hoping to turn the thing into a street rave, blasting music, picking fights and steeling anything and everything. Even in BFE Indiana we had them damn "OC" (Osecola) kids showing up all pants sagging in their busted rides talking trash and the minute you turned around all your CDS where gone.
FNF - prior to FaceSpace, the only way to hang out was too… hang out. It wasn't uncommon for my friends and I just to get dropped off at the mall or Meijer and wander around forever (aged 12-14) cause there was nothing else to do. FNF happened when I was in HS and then suddenly everyone wanted to live that life-style. Not actually street race, but just be "cool". So the next day every Plymouth Breeze or Ford Probe in the school parking lot was hitting up Autozone for under lights, wings, chrome washer caps so forth so that Friday night the owner could hard park and look cool. These are the "true" ricers in my opinion. They don't care about cars let alone know anything about them, the car is just a fashion accessory so they can "be part of the scene". These guys are normally the big "Brand Trashers" as they are not real automotive enthusiasts, they just spit out stereotypical rhetoric. "Domestics suck, No replacement for displacement, ricer-burners, gas guzzlers, Front-Wheel-Fail"
Kevin Torres
These two groups ruined the scene. Now, the big car hangouts in my neck of the woods are dead. The only thing we see are either major league organized events (Import Alliance, HIN et al) or just 3-6 good friends hanging out and taking a few photos.
Today, most kids don't seem into cars, they'd rather Mybook it up, squabble on the interwebs so forth. I honestly don't see the "Autozone Ricers" anymore.
There was also major community backlash because of the "Autozone Ricers". Bodykits, underlights, decals, vinyles, wings.. hell anything that wasn't OEM+ was not only out of style, but also down right hated. The entire import scene became the 1998 Camaro scene - if it wasn't to make you faster, it didn't belong on the car.
However it does seem like recently that old-school 90's styling is coming back into vogue. S3 magazine is full of that, and people now thing yellow window tint, purple paint, gold vinyl's, oversized wheels and ill fitting body kits are cool again..
***pic def not related for any of these posts btw***
Anthony Torres
Chapter Two - New Breed
The internet has both saved and destroyed the scene. Now, I can go on Zilvia and troll about BSing with fellow 240 owners all across America. Get help, give help and have a more global scene feel. However I think it's also lead to a new culture that is more hostile. People expect everyone to rock a Magazine/Blogspot quality ride. If you don't, you're a poser, ricer so forth.
This is kind of like saying, "Well if you don't look like a Abercrombie model, your ruining humanity" or something. Those cars featured in Import Tuner, DSport or Speedhunters are the super models and pro-start athletes of the auto world. We need to keep that in perspective, because it really seems like everyone is expecting some 18 year old kid who just bought his first car to be rocking a ride as bad ass as BronzeCarmry's the next day.
Brody Rodriguez
I also think the greater exposure of the blogs and internets creates fads spreading way to fast and getting burned out to fast. Roof-Racks, Tow-hook toys, stickers, illest, fatlace, deepdish hellaflush so forth.. People quickly imitate this and in many cases either don't have the funds, patients or know-how to really pull it off as well. The result is a sea of "poser" mobiles, it's like every fat chick running out and getting lip injections to look like Angelia Jolie.
I also see a resurgence of the whole "life style" crowd. Once again, these hipster-skater ken block wannabies are not really into cars, they don't care about cars, they don't even care about their car.. they just want to be "be cool" and "be part of the scene". I think we see this all the time with the dumbass threads people post.. if they honestly cared, they could have searched and found the answer in minutes, but they are too busy updating their facestalker, searching for the latest set of shoes and hoodies from Journey's Online and downloading Kayne West's new album to give a crap.
Jack Sanchez
Chapter Three - Commercialization
I'm tired of hearing about it. I see it time and time again.. "knock offs ruined the scene". Seriously? I honestly don't recall HKS or Greddy ever once coming out and sponsoring a local get together and buying us Taco Bell or some shit.
People get way to uptight about this stuff. People build two types of cars -Performance and Show. This does not mean that the car is a trailer queen taken to HIN shows, nor does it mean that you're going to actually compete in SCCA/NASA events.. it just means the owner is either wanting to go-faster, handle better or wants it to look better or be more comfortable.
Carson Powell
>tfw been into cars since I was a kid but I'm 20 now and too poor to own a car and never could learn to drive
Brody Watson
All of this is well said, just letting you know people are reading.
Nicholas Lewis
This just makes the whole thing a big "my wallets bigger than yours". If the goal is to lower the car to a half-inch off the ground, who cares if the kid used cut-springs, Ksport or KWs. They got the job done. A blow off valve is nothing but an overpriced $12 pressure release valve.. it does not matter in the end if it's a HKS, Greddy or whatever, it if gets the job done.
I think the over-commercialization; the overly heavy emphasis on brand is what is killing the scene. I'm tired of seeing dorky ass "street ware", stupid shirts saying "flush" or "Ninja Status Slammed" with a picture of a coil over. I want to puke every time I see a Scion add telling me how cool and street Scion is, and then I see FD with their NASCAR Scions - like WHOA I buy a Scion I can drift like Tony Stuart or whatever. Talk about bending the rules. A TC shares a chassis with a AWD available wagon in Europe.. soooooo.. we can swap a NASCAR spec V8 in it!! Shame on FD for selling out to get Toyota Sponsor money. Shame on Scion for being so "trendy".
Look at drifting, the major league commercialization and corporate politics has really killed it for me. Even local events (around here) suck anymore. $50 to buy a NOS banner that you HAVE to sport so you can pay $120 to run.. and then the ever increasing rules and regulations. Race-Suits and cages for Tandem? *Sigh*
Lucas Richardson
>I'm tired of hearing about it. I see it time and time again.. "knock offs ruined the scene". Seriously? I honestly don't recall HKS or Greddy ever once coming out and sponsoring a local get together and buying us Taco Bell or some shit.
I agree with everything you've said in these posts except for this.
A couple of years ago Greddy themselves actually threw an event at their headquarters in irvine for all of SoCalEvo.net where they actually bought pizza's for everyone that showed up. As well as they discounted all of their Evo products and asked for suggestions for what other products we'd like to see made for the cars. Also they have their annual Greddy garage sale where all of their parts are discounted. It makes me understand that if you show a company they have the support of enthusiasts, they will continue to bring out newer and better products. If you don't support them you can't expect them to support you. There are actually quite a few companies that do the same thing, barbecues, dyno days, get togethers. But if nobody shows up or if everyone just goes for the free shit then it doesn't help either group. Oh well thats more of the entire import scene vs just drifting but figured I'd put that out there.
Xavier Perez
I believe in you user. You'll eventually get one user.
thanks.
Nathaniel Baker
>dad was a mechanic, raised me up to love cars, took me drifting on frozen lakes in his E30, etc >intrest starts to die down as i get into high school >dad goes to prison soon after for smuggling drugs across the baltic sea >intrest in cars dies off completely, deal with vidya for sometime >late high school, suddenly i'm looking at cars like i used to again >dive back deeper into the world of cars than i ever had, loving it >fast forward some years, knowledgeable but no drivers liscense, broke aswell >hitting 20 in december and dad still isnt back out to teach me how to hoon properly Likely getting into conscription before the year is out and i hear you can get your liscense done in the military, so i'll see about that. Best of luck to you user.
Isaiah Sullivan
the tuner scene now is better than it was back then at least where I live and domestics are still popular as fuck as it has been forever
still have Autozone ricers tho which theyre the minority back in the day that was just about all there were running around
now we got legit JDM cars and nice Hondas which is cool for a backwoods shithole
say what you will about stance but its got a lot of people around here into cars as well
Matthew Perez
Make sure you don’t race ur dad’s VW against Asian dude in s2000.
Easton Perez
bump
Dylan Wright
Every single TC was using an engine based off the stock 2AR found in the TC, not a V8. Only scion guys swapping V8s are the FRS dudes. Toyota marketing made sure Papadakis Racing used the stock engine so they could more easily sell them to impressionable teens.
Xavier Carter
also, fire suits and cages for tandem are an insurance thing. Tandem driving is inherently much more dangerous.
Nathan Martinez
Bikes also got popular in the meanwhile. They’re cheaper and easier to work on. If kids were going to get into something these days, it’s going to be bikes.
Cars are getting more expensive and sports cars are harder to get into than ever, since they are vanishing and all new sportscars are luxury brands only.
Yup, was a car guy at heart. Played all the games loved the fnf movies and I still plan on getting a sportscar to fix up. Right now though it is cheaper for me to run a motorcycle. There are still plenty of used, low mileage motorcycles on the market.
Oliver Myers
Where is >here ?
Landon Young
>motorbike true enough that this is the way to go and they might be cheaper to buy and do up but definitly not cheaper to own. your insurance will skyrocket and registration costs are off the charts. all for an impractical weekend warrior crotch rocket? its just not plausable anymore
Angel Jackson
My local scene is pretty much dead too. >90s >street races uphill and downhill on the mountain passes around here fairly often >every day at night you people were having fun on the streets, even on workdays >everything from nice cars to complete shitboxes >police didn't care because no houses and nobody ever complained >fast forward to 2010 >no one on the streets anymore >even during weekends nothing ever happens >only on three weekends a lot of #hellaflush Golfs with 45° camber and niggerbass stereos show up because >muh half finished VW Golf stone >they do nothing but sit around and Rev their 75 hp fartcan shitboxes all day >those that are still able to drive maybe go up and down on a small twisty at 30km/h because any faster and their leafscraper would explode >police everywhere due to them being absolutely obnoxious >video related youtu.be/F1QDTMFRXiY
Carter Moore
>that video Why are there so many people? Why the fuck do they want to watch VAG shit roll up and down a mountain? Why is there a stoney GTI there?
Nicholas Morales
>that video absolutely embarrassing
Xavier Nelson
When a normie drives past and the camera guy pans before realising it's just a normie trying to get from A to B.
But hey, at least you seem to have some nice roads around you. Just enjoy them by yourself if nobody is willing to tag along.
Cooper Thompson
Since the beginning the car scene where I lived is based entirely around violence, intimidation, vandalism and cronyism. The vast majority of these people are either gangsters, friends of gangsters or friends of friends of gangsters who know at least one person that they'll hire to kill someone else if they ever do so much as insult them. Death threats are made on Facebook and in real life constantly and people vandalize each other's cars quite often. People make fun of others who die and whether or not it will be agreed upon is entirely based on who said it because no one would dare speak it against the guy with the fastest car or the biggest business. They dedicate a lot of time to mischief and threatening police officers and wonder why they don't like them.
This attitude has to extend too all aspects of their life and their city/county as well. Massive campaigns trying to take down businesses and drive people to commit suicide are pretty common and everyone's ego and power grows by the minute. It's like fucking Sons of Anarchy but with cars. They control everything around here
Camden Walker
Forgot to mention that there's very little racing of any variety. Most of the higher ups who are also the most criminal are involved in organized events across America and Canada and many are associated with prominent youtubers and journalists, but they're the only people that really ever play hard. "Street racing" where I live is just hooning through crowded city streets which is the cause of many accidents. Most of these guys go to jail thinking they've been victimized by other motorists who "don't know how to drive" because they don't simply phase out of existence for them when they get witching 500 miles of an entitled fuck who thinks they should be allowed to do four times the speed limit on a city street. They constantly bitch about how everybody else is worse than Hitler yet never do anything to try and get the changes they want to happen despite all the money and connections they have.
Michael King
Jesus where the fuck do you live?
Nathan Carter
Where do you live?
Hunter Cook
Since he mentioned Canada I think I know where, and if I'm right some of those guys are frequent posters on here. I won't say since they'll so petty that and I will probably be found out and lynched for "shit talking". Though if I am right I don't remember it being THAT bad but I'd totally believe it's gotten to that point.
Noah Nelson
Mexico?
Zachary Martinez
*they're so petty that he and I
Don't know why I had a brain fart there. I used to live there and I remember when I used my phone data I kept getting banned here for cp and ban evasion since I used Koodo which I think shared networks with other people in the area or something (in computer illiterate so I'm sure that's wrong, some kind user can correct me.) The "ban evasion" posts were all some Veeky Forumsizen being angry at a guy named "Alex".
Jayden James
>dat video Absolutely pathetic.
Oliver Reed
interesting
Bentley Ross
The scenes still exist you just have to find them Sitting on Veeky Forums benchracing and complaining all day isn't the solution. The difference now from then is a change is cultural norms, the young kids are just as into cars as ever and if you talk to people you'll find out there is a huge scene. People keep to themselves now because street racing is dangerous and there are more people on the road, more cops, and more idiots. If you find a local area where you're going to race youll get a turn around of the hundreds. Remember that even in the old days most of the people attending didn't know shit about cars and its not like the amount of information went to shit. People are more informed, knowledgable and have more tools at their disposal to learn
Henry Torres
> People keep to themselves now because street racing is dangerous and there are more people on the road, more cops, and more idiots.
what is instagram
Austin Hall
>People keep to themselves now Yes and no, I'd say. In my opinion most car communities have moved from the meatspace to the internet. People are far more likely to go out there and show what they have due to social media, but also far less likely to actively meet up with their cars in public. 20 or so years ago hardly anyone had internet, online communities based around cars were almost nonexistent and people had to meet up in person to exchange knowledge. Nowadays everything you need to know can be found in model specific forums or YouTube videos so there is even less need to get out there.
Also police. At least where I live there are so many speed traps and cops in general. The fines for speeding and illegal modifications have also risen by a large amount.
its no longer encouraging growth and is now just a circle jerk (for most part) i dont like the terms but theres too many hardparkers and posers... still kinda easy to find people who care but not in the normal avenues
it was dead for me though when regulars started leaving the local spot and we got swarmed with shit heads in stolen cars coming up every saturday night
Oliver Cooper
10/10 that was amazing
Gabriel Gutierrez
>circle jerk
Hit the nail on the head user
Jayden Mitchell
Idk I think it depends on where you live, the car scene here in miami is pretty cool I've been to a few huge shut the highway down tier races. I know other major cities still have cool scenes.
Charles Bennett
What about police there? Won't that kind of thing get shut down within minutes?
John Torres
Montana? North Dakota? >Being this fucking afraid to say the state of this fucking shithole some asshats are from on an ANONYMOUS image board..
Nathaniel Robinson
Lithuania?
Colton Wood
>BULLSHIT ASSHOLE! NO ONE LIKES THE FUCKIN TUNA!
Almost every guy from the 60s-90s were into cars and racing and car culture in general
Every guy that wasn't playing sports or fucking their gf, studying, or working their part tiem job, or later on in the 80s/90s sk8boarding and early vidyas, was hanging out with their friends and gfs in their cars and racing and hooning around town and grabbing Burgers n Shakes with Kaitlyn, Stacy and her Bf in the parking lot talking about when the Drive In movie was playing that night/Blockbuster movie they'd rent or see or party they'd go to
And this wasn't just a couple of ppl in town that did this kinda stuff, every weekend/weekday every young guy did this or tried to, every 16yr old man wanted a cool fast car (or the closest thing they could get with their summer part time job could afford them)
And I find it hilariously ironic that the same fuckin Boomers that have had a very large part in ruining car/cruising culture are the very same idiots that spent their entire adolescents and young adult life participating in said car/cruising culture, and those same old ass boomers/gen X'ers that are in local government are the ones passing the laws that make it almost impossible to go have fun cruising or hooning around with your friends or that qt Stacy you've been eyeing
Goddman I remember hearing about an user that said his local car laws make it impossible to go driving down the same street more than 2/3x, in one/two hrs at a time which is fucking ridiculous
So yes in most places car/cruising culture is fucking dead, and sadly the only ones keeping it alive are the stance/slammed faggles, cause of they weren't there wouldn't be anything at all other than the very rare hoonigan rolling around town at 2am by himself..
Jaxson Robinson
>Almost every guy from the 60s-90s were into cars and racing and car culture in general I'd say this was basically one of the only things to do back then. You can hardly ever see people just "hanging out" anymore while in the 80s/90s they just got together and sat around like the miserable fucks they were. Once they got cars they just started hanging around in their cars instead of the mall, which led to them driving around more and maybe actually finding joy in it. Nowadays most people only get together when they want to actually do something.
Luke Brown
>Goddman I remember hearing about an user that said his local car laws make it impossible to go driving down the same street more than 2/3x, in one/two hrs at a time which is fucking ridiculous That's actually fairly common around the world. We also have this law here in Austria, but it's basically never ever enforced unless you're literally racing around full throttle with a fartcan for hours on end. And even then somebody has to actually complain for the police to do anything.
Jaxson Walker
I blame the internet and gaming desu. You don't actually need to go anywhere to get anything or even "hang out" with friends. You can see all of your friends online through social media. You can play with them via videogames. You can order basically everything you need through Amazon. The only reason to leave a house anymore is to go to work (if you don't work outside your home, thanks to the internet) or to go buy food.
Jonathan Cooper
>Tandem driving is inherently much more dangerous. Then get back on the fucking bus. This shit is so fucking weak. Hey you have to ruin your car and make it not streetable anymore just to tandem. Then fuck you and fuck your meet and your track and your bullshit rules, I'll just go back to street drifting faggot. And that's how the scene died.
Benjamin Gomez
>no one wondered why his reverse light was on
Sebastian Fisher
>searching for the latest set of shoes and hoodies from Journey's Online Except they're the easiest place to get NB 574s and Onitsuka Tigers.
Benjamin Hill
To start, I think the guy is full of shit, but if he's not, it wouldn't be North Dakota. The northern most "big" town is Bottitneau and I grew up close enough to there and had friends there and I never heard anything about that. To the west there's just small towns which are basically good ol' boys clubs that could get to criminal levels, but I grew up in one myself and nothing bad ever happened. Only other option is Grand Forks which I can't say much about, but I doubt any criminal hold could really take place there considering they would be outnumbered by basers with their mustangs/chargers who would PCS before any intimidation takes place.
Henry Wood
There is really no point in street racing when you can do virtual racing with your buddies in cars you don't have to maintain, in a computer program that's only purpose is to simulate a motor vehicle as realistically as possible.
...At least until Radical Larry vibrates the pace car through the track geometry.
Isaac Sanders
Maybe he's got a history with them. It could also be somewhere in Canada since he mentioned that
Juan Roberts
Estonia actually.
Nathan Ramirez
In some ways I kinda miss having limits, like for example; having to rent a movie on Friday night instead of downloading and streaming every movie and show in existence and watching all of it in a few days.
I recently had to move back with my mom because of a personal crisis, and since her and her bf have unlimited data on their phones they don't have Wi-Fi, which fucking sucks, so I ended up going to the local library and finding out they rent out movies/tv shows/ and recently ps4/xb1 games for free, which I've been doing the past few months and while the selection sometimes sucks in a weird way it feels more enjoyable/rewarding going out and driving to the library and spending 30mins looking for the best movies/shows you can find and picking up munchies and watching your haul for the week
Idk kinda felt nice, felt like a treat than a chore or "right", like you do with streaming
Adam Parker
I actually feel the same. I used to hang out with my friends doing fuckall every day, but nowadays I just sit at home on my lard ass staring at a computer screen. Well, maybe it's just my autism though.
Dylan Russell
That's just plain nostalgia you autistic fuck
Blake Walker
Im glad my thread has taken off
Daniel Baker
It's not the same and you know it.
Jaxon Hill
This was a great thread.
I would agree actually, all i know of the scene where i live (Dalarna Sweden) is alot of faggots in stanced Bmws essentially. Nothing fun
Lincoln Smith
Have you tried renting movies and getting munchies on a Friday night lately? It's nice because it makes you appreciate them alot more than movie #256 you've downloaded
It's the ritual as well as the limitation that make a you try and find something you'll really like or try something totally different Some of it is nostalgia, but Im also right..
Aiden Scott
>prior to FaceSpace anyone remember cardomain?
Logan Nelson
>the very rare hoonigan rolling around town at 2am by himself.. hell, he's probably streaming it on facebook live or something or posting about it after in a digital mettup
Michael Ortiz
It died because it got too popular and too expensive. Everyone needs 700+ whp these days at a minimum. The fast guys are hitting 1500+ whp. High HP cars constantly break They are insanely expensive to mod. They are insanely expensive to run. Street racing is dead so there's only the boring track. And those kids (me) have grown up and we have homes, new vehicles, retirement etc to pay for now. Kids went into MASSIVE debt to build the higher end cars.
Easton Butler
I just turned 20, I've had my license since 18 and I just recently bought my dream car, a '95 BMW E36 325is. I'm too poor still to afford any upgrades and stuff to get the car to my dream standards, but I'm definitely appreciative that I get to at least have my license and an E36. Hope you get yours soon, my boy. And also maybe you can ask a friend to teach you in their car?
Zachary Gomez
>Street racing is dead so there's only the boring track.
t. unskilled cuck with no motivation to actually to go out on a track and have
Tyler Adams
>cars are getting more expensive
This
Ian Perry
>Almost every guy from the 60s-90s were into cars and racing and car culture in general Citation please
Ayden Hall
In what fucking universe are you living in where everyone needs a 700HP car??
Jeezus most of us shitbox and bus riders here would be fucking giddy and excited to own any car that is 200+HP or handles extremely well like a gaiboii miata
I will agree that cars are much more expensive nowadays though, and I can never understand how a fucking 18-25yr old can afford a BRAND NEW mustang GT or GT86, or brand new STi etc etc. While I can barely afford a shitbox
Charles Turner
This is depressing as fuck..
Aaron White
>1320 video is all of my knowledge of street racing
William Wilson
I swear we're not all like that. The "responsible" hoon does seem to have died though, way too many idiots hotrodding during the day in crowded areas instead of late at night.
Robert Campbell
It's an extremely damn accurate representation
Jayden Sullivan
Maybe in America. In eastern Europe we still have a tougay scene that is very much alive.
Christopher Lee
not all of America is Florida or Texas. those are boring parts of America
Anthony Morgan
Wouldn't it just make more sense to hang out with people you like with your cars, regardless of the current fad? I don't really guve a fuck about whatever scene, it's like the high school clique bullshit. just b urself
Jace James
Why are you being silly on purpose? Find the tiremarks user.
Adam Hughes
Jokes on you, I don't have friends that are into cars. Or any friends for that matter
Aiden Diaz
Wtf does this even mean?
You mean like friends that are into a different car scenes? Or you mean hanging out with friends that are into different hobbies? cause you worded that fucking weirdly
>"Hanging out regardless of current fad" Wtf does that mean?? Car fad? Fashion fad? Toy fad (autism spinners)? Music fad?
What fad!?!
Noah Brown
i never wanted to be part of a scene. i like cars, engines and driving fast.
