32-35K to spend on a car.

Mini Cooper S with the John Cooper Works tuning package. WIll be getting it January!


Paul
 
Congrats!! If don't have it already, better pick up a copy of "The Italian Job"...probably a must-have a Mini driver:cool:
 
Did anyone happen to catch the cable show last night (November 24) where a car show drag raced an STi against a Cobra? (It's the one where they placed bags of ice on the induction units to cool them.)

Both of the emcees were older, but they didn't look like boomers. They clearly were not as young as the demographic that likes ricers.

They did feel that the STi was worth the money, but they both admitted that the times and performance figures had been 'sweetened.'

Their final analysis was that cars like the STi are to todays young folks as muscle cars were to boomers. They are cars that represent that generation.

I believe that is true, and in that manner, I feel the ricer era is important. I'd still stay away from Cobras and Lightnings.
 
Originally posted by pcnorton
Mini Cooper S with the John Cooper Works tuning package. WIll be getting it January!


Paul
Click to expand...

Congrats :cool: :D

I love my DS/B MCS. The family and I are going to run the "Tail of the Dragon" tomorrow. Once you get her "broken in" go find some twisty roads, and you will see what the car was designed for...
:D :cool: :D :cool:

There are a few good MINI forums...check them out!
 
I'll offer a different idea.
Get yourself a nice Ford F250. You can go 4 wheel drive, 6 speed manual, 6.0 liter diesel (over 300HP and almost 600lb/ft of torque!) , 3.73 gears, XL trim package with AC for a little over $30K. Will get better mileage than any full size SUV with 3 times the power :D No worries about weather, no worries about cargo space.

And no one is going to block your view like they would in a mini. H2's don't even look big next to one :D
 
Nismo,

Sorry if I offended you. It is never my inention to overtly offend anyone in a debate. If you are Asian, or not, accept my apology for implying racist intent. It is perhaps regional slang.

In 1969, the Honda 750cc 4-cylinder went by the nickname 'rice grinder.' To be fair, the term 'hog' wasn't the loveable epithet that it is now.

Be that as it may, many people my age in my area refer to all of these little loud boxes (even the Focus) as 'ricers.' And truth be told, it is said to denigrate them because their performance is hyped.

I in no way EVER meant a racist parallel, but like it or not, those funny little purple screaming cars with the inappropriate chrome wheels and a metric ton of bass speakers get referred to in this manner.

My apology is sincere.
 
Originally posted by CUTIGER 3
Congrats :cool: :D

I love my DS/B MCS. The family and I are going to run the "Tail of the Dragon" tomorrow. Once you get her "broken in" go find some twisty roads, and you will see what the car was designed for...
:D :cool: :D :cool:

There are a few good MINI forums...check them out!
Click to expand...

WHat is DS/B? And could you provide some links? I got a feeling December is going to seem like an awfully long month.

Thanks,


Paul
 
Originally posted by The Tourist
Nismo,

Sorry if I offended you. It is never my inention to overtly offend anyone in a debate. If you are Asian, or not, accept my apology for implying racist intent. It is perhaps regional slang.

In 1969, the Honda 750cc 4-cylinder went by the nickname 'rice grinder.' To be fair, the term 'hog' wasn't the loveable epithet that it is now.

Be that as it may, many people my age in my area refer to all of these little loud boxes (even the Focus) as 'ricers.' And truth be told, it is said to denigrate them because their performance is hyped.

I in no way EVER meant a racist parallel, but like it or not, those funny little purple screaming cars with the inappropriate chrome wheels and a metric ton of bass speakers get referred to in this manner.

My apology is sincere.
Click to expand...

Its ok I wasnt offended at all.
I was just trying to clear something up. You said "I feel the ricer era is important" I know thats your own personal opinion but to me it sounded like you labeled all japanese made vehicles in the "ricer" catagory.
the ricer crowd should not be confused with import tuning crowd.
 
Nismo,

I think your point is obviuos to the hobbyists here. Most of the guys in BFC are the guys who really know their sports.

I doubt very severely if a knut read some threads in BFC, left the forum and saw an box-stock Acura and labeled it a 'ricer.'

But it brings up an issue. I've seen some very trick European Escorts with an Offenhauser engine swap and a turbo; they make +500 horsepower.

Obvious not American iron, clearly not Japanese. Here, about the best thing we say is 'tuned import,' or 'tuned compact.'

But if the same car got painted eggplant purple and blasted out 100 db's of gansta rap in my neighborhood, I wouldn't find fault with the observer next to me who mistook it for a ricer and said so.

Perhaps the real issue is that 'ricer' is taking on the defintion of an over-chromed kid's car. Don't feel too bad, the teenagers of the 1960's did some horrible things to cars, as well.
 
Hey Tourist,

If you call someones car a "ricer", in import tuning circles that means its a POS.

It means that it has large heavy chrome wheels, small drum brakes, a loud exhaust, a loud radio, loud paint, lots of stickers and no performance whatsoever.

So are you saying that the STi is a POS and not worth the $32-35K sticker?
 
Sundsvall,

We have very few professional customizers in my area. In fact, Regal Roadsters is the only one that comes to mind. You can get custom Harley parts anywhere. We're just behind the curve. If this fad continues, yes, you will see full-blown custom compacts in my area.

We do have lots of kids buying the more cosmetic parts. Big gauge mufflers, new tires and wheels, loud audio systems with too much bass.

There was a story in our paper a few months back about custom builders who are mixing their own fuel in their garages. Kind of like the old dragsters mixing nitro benzine in a wash-tub.

To answer both of your questions, yes, most ricers here are POS. They are loud, driven by unskilled teenagers and they really don't accelerate.

I've seen more than a few WRXs, mostly stock. I've seen maybe three STi's, also mostly stock. The reason I've even noticed is the burn out when they take off in an impromtu drag race.

To the contrary, there are skads of Mustangs and Comaros.

edit: Sundsvall, you do make this look like a black and white issue, and it isn't. I don't think any custom has only two spectrums, either a POS or a show winner. I will tell you this, and this is from research on the 'web, a TV review and emperical (sp?) observation. I think the WRX STi is over-hyped, and I don't know why. Why can't these marketing guys show it for what it is? It will go 0-60 in sightly over 7 seconds; that's good for a four-banger. But why advertise it at 5.6 seconds? It will never do that in the street, and the guy (probably younger) who leverages a big loan of +30 thousand is going to be heart-broken and mislead when both a Cobra and a truck beat him easily. Hill-climbing is not big in my area, so acceleration races are the ultimate test.
 
Actually it is cut and dry.

"Import tuners" strive to gain performance with some aesthetic enhancements.

"Ricers" strive to conform to a tasteless aesthetic with no regard to actual driving performance which often times severly reduces performance.

If you do not make this distinction, then it is obvious that all asian made cars are, to you at least, "ricers".

And furthermore, within that definition, you consider "ricers" to be inferior to F150 lightnings and cobras.

Discrimination, by definition, is the separation of a group because of race or creed.

Thus, you are a disciminating a car category because of its asian origin, labeling it a "ricer".

I don't think it can be any more clear than that.
 
Sundsvall,

You're missing the point. IN MY AREA these 'compact customs' are poorly made and they do get eaten alive by stock Cobras and Lightnings. This is the problem in discussing this issue.

If you like these Asian compacts, then it seems you get get flamed by pointing out that they just can't beat the big V-8s. Sorry. But somehow implying that I'm 'picking on' imports that don't preform is shooting the messenger.

You don't like the results, then open a compact tuning garage in Madison, Wisconsin.

Take the purple econo-boxes and make them competitive. Don't denigrate the guys who are winning.

And I'm not kidding. My wife has a box-stock Ford Explorer with the SOHC V-6, 200 HP with 16" wheels. One night we were returning to Sun Prairie on Hwy 151 when a 'purple import' came beside us in the other lane. Light turns green, we both accelerate, I didn't know we were racing. Next light, the guy pulls even and he's fuming; he's got his best 'race face' on, he's growling, hopping mad, and the four-banger is at redline, just screaming.

Light turns green, I slam it to the floor, he slams it to the floor, but I seem to be the only one moving.

My wife (who doesn't know cars) turns and says "Why does it make so much noise, but it won't go fast?"

And that, Sundsvall, is the $64K-question.
 
I understand that a lot of guys mutilate their car in the name of "tuning".

We, in the "import tuning" world call these guys/girls "ricers".

I understand that "ricers" don't go fast even though they sound like they should.

However, you extend the term "ricer" to all asian made cars.

Get it?
 
The answer to the $64K question is that these "kids" just put a loud can on the end of their exhaust and expect the car to run faster.

They also put lower springs and expect the car to corner better.

The answer is that these "purple imports" that you encounter, do not perform all that well "out of the box" and even worse once they are modified by inexperienced, unskilled and underfunded teenages.

That said. This does not ring true for the "import tuning" crowd that takes those same cars and turn them into road eating rockets.

You, on the other hand, impute the lousy performance of this purple import to the entire asian car industry.
 
Sundsvall,

I'm going to say this for about the third time.

Import racers here are usually POS.

You got a good one, terrific. Bring it here so we can all be impressed.

However, it sounds like you just want me to eat my words because this hobby has not caught on in my area.

Send me a telegram when you and your STi are coming to town. We'll find you a Lightning to scratch off against. Until then, don't tell what I see and what I don't see.
 
Originally posted by The Tourist
Sundsvall,

I'm going to say this for about the third time.

Import racers here are usually POS.

You got a good one, terrific. Bring it here so we can all be impressed.

However, it sounds like you just want me to eat my words because this hobby has not caught on in my area.

Send me a telegram when you and your STi are coming to town. We'll find you a Lightning to scratch off against. Until then, don't tell what I see and what I don't see.
Click to expand...

Tourist. I am not trying to get you to eat your words about what you see or don't see.

I am merely trying to get you to stop referring to all asian made cars as "ricers". This is the only thing you are not seeing.

Is a Lexus a ricer? Its made in Japan. By your usage of the term, it would seem to be.
 
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