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**shaun callaway** · October 30, 2008, 04:35 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

lock the account it doesnt bother me

hahahahahaha

**Blazerteam** · October 30, 2008, 04:35 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

There are some cars that impress me.One of them is a Opel kadett coupe with a 2,0 Opel Calibra engine with turbo.He has 380 rwh.and it cost him around 8000 dollars.But that includes the restored kadett he bought for 5000.

It gets driven hard and fast and rarely breaks.

This mazda 616 with a turbo wankel are a real sleeper too.Aroud 250 Rwh,and built for 4000 dollars.

But there have to be some american cars in between when its being raced.Its boring without them,and i fall asleep..

**shaun callaway** · October 30, 2008, 04:40 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

nice bro

cool pics

**bearphoto** · October 30, 2008, 05:19 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

While I can appreciate anybodys work on a car, even the lowrider style cars I do not like the imports.

They have and continue to cause the destruction of the american automotive industry. Yeah I know some of them or parts of them are made here, but where do you think the profits ultimately go to?

Nuf said, JMHO

**Brian Lohnes** · October 30, 2008, 05:49 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

Originally posted by bearphoto

While I can appreciate anybodys work on a car, even the lowrider style cars I do not like the imports.
They have and continue to cause the destruction of the american automotive industry. Yeah I know some of them or parts of them are made here, but where do you think the profits ultimately go to?

Bear, I respect your opinion on this, but I'm going to take issue with the destruction of the automotive industry comment.

Years of inferior products and inefficient management have put those guys in the spot they are in now. The domestic auto companies have hauled ass with their product development and quality and leveled the playing field, but they are now trying to ply their products to a generation of people who think they suck. I do not envy their position but pound for pound their cars now stack up.

Do some reading on William Deming. You can blame Toyota and the manufacturing prowess of the Japanese on him, a brilliant American. His theories, practices, and strategies, were embraced by the Japanese during their reconstruction after WWII and as a result they emerged as one of the biggest economic powers in the world. He is viewed in a near religious fashion in Japan. He was largely ignored in this country.

Ford brought him in during their crisis in the early 1980's. Within a couple years of imposing his strategies and philosphies they had surpassed GM in profitability.

There are LOTS of reasons for the current state of the US auto industry, but blaming imported cars as the sole reason for it's problems ignores a lot of self inflicted wounds those companies brought on themselves.

Brian

**tiresmoke!** · October 30, 2008, 06:02 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

Damn...that's profound, Brian.

Not huge-rack-on-a-midget profound, but at least thought-provoking(roll with me...it's my b-day and I'm in a good mood for a change).

Imports cover a lot of ground....plenty of them that I dig, some I can live without, some make for good entertainment value(waiting on that resto market for Yugos to kick in....lol....NOT)

The imports I despise are the typical "tuner" representatives....you know, the funky colors, the clown-wagon wheels, the gi-normous chromed exhaust tips that you just know say Taster's Choice on them somewhere..the 7-level wings that do more to make it unstable than not...the body kits that look more at home in an H.R. Geiger illustration(think Alien)....and the caricatures that drive them.

Much in the same vein that the vanners of the '70's and the "Pro Fairgrounds" cult-followers.....STAY AWAY FROM THE KOOL-AID!!!

If someone has exercised taste and vision in their creation, I can dig just about anything.

Oldsmobile is exalted in my home.

That is all.

**FEF100** · October 30, 2008, 06:09 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

I have played with Datsuns a bit. They are fun, but if you want decent power they get a bit high strung for daily driving. Not enough torque unless you are talking about the turbo motors. They get expensive if you want them to live. I can see what MIN301 was saying, that is why I am back to domestics & V8 torque.

Still, you have to respect the guys who can make big power with a small engine. If you have any doubts, just think about one of the most respected engine builders, also an engineer and a great technical writer, David Vizard. He cut his teeth on small engines, in the '70's he was making 130+HP from 1300 odd CC's (80 odd CI) of Mini engine with 2 intake ports & 3 exhaust ports, developed in the 50's from an engine originally designed in the '30's. That is how he learned to make big power from moderate sized engines. His tech articles are incredible, they get me thinking about all sorts of stuff.

**Brian Lohnes** · October 30, 2008, 06:18 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

Chris...happy b-day! (sorry to be a downer jerk)

Brian

**min301** · October 30, 2008, 06:25 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

And I hope I made it oibvious that I respect the tech,
the rpm capabilty, survivabilty, etc.

I know you can make incredible power with anything,
it just depends on how much you wanna spend.

I don't want to take anything away from them for that.
I prefer V8, GM, Ford, MoPar, or similar aftermarket.

Good luck to them.

**tiresmoke!** · October 30, 2008, 06:27 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

Thanks

Hey, the truth is the truth.....bette to piss someone off with the facts than BS about it.

My true automotive love is American-made Detroit iron....always has, always will.

But to ignore the foreign automotive contributions....come on. Ferrari? Lamborghini? Porsche?

Just to mention a few.....but yes, bent-8 noise is glorious.

**SpiderGearsMan** · October 30, 2008, 06:33 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

most of your vintage japanese stuff rotted out by 1992

our murdered domestic auto industry could use a break

**Woodward_Dreams** · October 30, 2008, 06:44 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

I love imports. Just not as much as domestic cars.

But here's the thing, since i live in the detroit area, im not sure i could bring myself to buying a foreign car. I see the effects on the big three all the time and it sucks. So many of my neighbors are unemployed. They guy across the street lost his second job this year and he has a degree and everything. I know the country's economy is bad, but it flat out sucks in michigan.

For this reason, im not sure if i could buy an import.

**tiresmoke!** · October 30, 2008, 06:52 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

I understand exactly what you're saying...hell, you could get your ass shot up that way over that!

**min301** · October 30, 2008, 06:57 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

It's gonna get bad here yet, they just dropped plants 2,3,Fisher Body, with the metal fab, and theSSR/Reatta plants
in the process now, in my back yard no less.
Like right on the other side of the fence.

**Woodward_Dreams** · October 30, 2008, 06:59 PM

Re: Anybody care about imports?

Originally posted by min301

It's gonna get bad here yet, they just dropped plants 2,3,Fisher Body, with the metal fab, and theSSR/Reatta plants
in the process now, in my back yard no less.
Like right on the other side of the fence.

Bill in some ways you see it more directly than i do, because there are so many plants in lansing now. Hang in there bro, it's gonna be a rough ride.

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