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.
