I don't think that it is fair to call yourselves the new hotrodding generation. You are exactly what you say you are the sport compact/import tuner's. There is a completely differnt lifestyle between yours and ours. The heart of the muscle car beats on in the GTO and Corvette, not to mention the F-Body crowd is still going strong and will be reintroduced her sometime soon. You are import tuners, we are the muscle cars. There are no ifs and or buts about it. Don't get me wrong I like imports, but most of that crowd centers around looks first then performance, we however look at perfomance and then looks. It is not to say that one is better than the other, it's just classify something with what it is, hotrodding was about ripping of the line with whatever you had even if it looked like crap. The import scence looks like its wow them with looks even if it can't go fast.But between muscle and import, it doesnt matter to me it's whatever is fun to drive and outperforms all the rest.....stock.  

in the same note the muscle cars era and the true hot rod era(1920's throught 50's)when lookin cool was the same as goni fast.i just dont think u have seen the real side of the import culture most of us including myself drive stock cars that go fast. not to mention the fact that there is a huge technology difference from the 60s to now i gaurantee if body kits were avalible back then u would have had one like everyone else would have but u went with the trend and right now the trend is go fast look go later for most of us and there are many posers who think lookin good is all that counts but i would rather put a turbo on my car than a body kit or a set of rims that are actually conidered performance upgrades not for looks.so pleae we dont try to understand what u did even though ppl like me do cause thats how i was raised to love all cars that go fast. become informed and if u have to ask a local street racer what he thinks is more important speed or looks. i bet the fastest car out there is the uglyist just like the good old days and also if u get your opions from the fast and furious movies never post here  until u get a new one. THNX  

All that information I have learned from local car meets and racing. However the fastest car out there isn't very ugly unless you don't like C5's (427 supercharged with a 300 shot). Most of the imports out there are all about looks the few that are for racing are exactly as you said their either stock looking or just plain ugly, but their fast. Having a fast car either takes alot of cash (see C5) or alot of determanation(see the import example) however the people that are usually the coolest out there are the fastest, and the *** are the ones that think their fast. I know from experince, some guy with a Civic Si and a body kit started ragging on the Vette, not knowing what it had done to it(looks stock except for the magnacharger hood) he kept on saying that his civic could take the vete in the twisties.....so the guy with the Vette just told him all the specs on his car, and the civic went back to his car, after about 20 min he ressumed his usual big dog attitude acting like nothing happened. As for F&F I can't stand that movie it sucks and doesn't represent the racing scence well.  

I can tell you are a little on the import hating side and that’s okay because we live in America.  It’s okay to be ignorant and bias but just realize there are some American cars with “ricer” engines in them, and I can name a few if you would like me to.  You said, “Most of the imports out there are all about looks”.  So are you saying that a Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda 3, to name a few and many more Asian made automobiles are made for eye appeal only plus with economy and comfort purpose in mind so a person with a with a meager salary can afford one?  Doesn’t the three American automobile makers also do the same them?  Do I have to name two or three of their cars?  You can name a few on your own.  You also said, “As for F&F I can't stand that movie it sucks and doesn't represent the racing scence well.”  As it occurred to you that the Fast and Furious (part 1 &2) were made to entertain people and not to represent of sponsor one certain sport?  The movie was not a documentary.  Is that what you though it was?  

Can you specify what you mean by muscle car?  Some folks have different ideas about what is a muscle car.  With the rising cost of gas I would like to have any car that is reliable for performance, comfort, and gas.  I am an import guy so I would rather drive an import.  My daily driver right now is a 350z until my 89" S13 is rolling, but if I cold drive a Honda Civic or Ford Focus to work every day I wold rather drive on of those just because both cars would be good for gas.  So about the muscle car question...with my salary and the gas prices I will say hell no.  

I liked F&F...it was entertaining...  

The whole "Import vs. Domestic" topic is so played out, but I'll go into this a bit...

First off, what is a "muscle car"? Most "muscle cars" were built between 1964 through 1972, when the gas crisis hit. Usualy, a muscle car is a no-frills base model looking car (or somtimes obnoctious stripes and decals) with a giant motor bolted into the engine bay, and at the time sold at a low cost. By now, these cars are very expensive in good condition, and just because a car has a V8, dosn't mean it's a "muscle car". IE, a 1987 Camaro IROCZ with the TPI 350, though can be a cool car and has tons of potential to go fast, is NOT a muscle car. So I'll just referr to this as "import vs. domestic".

Well, you can't compare the two. First off, some "imports", like domestics, are crappier than others. Any Lancer Evolution will blow the doors off of any Honda Civic, any late model Z28 Camaro will blow the doors off of a Cavalier, ect. Lets keep the econo-boxes out of this...

I've been wrenching on my DSM for about a year now, and as much as I love the sound of a sick built cammed-out 4G63, I love the sound of a big NA V8. I love the simplicity of old-school cars, and how fun they are. I think if you can't get down with ALL types of cars, then you really aren't a "car guy", your just a bs "scene" [censored], who is infactuated by neon lights and body kits.  

this is a reply to everyone, but i didn't feel like doing it individually.  yes the import crowd are the new hot rodders.  i say this because, technology aside, the import crowd is doing what the rod crowd did back in the day.  custom engine work, custom body work.  chopped tops, mag wheels, suicide doors.  ring a bell?  that was years ago, and it is still going on, just with body kits.  narrowmindedness is always gonna permeat this hobby, i read a post somewhere where a guy said the eagle talon ripped off the eclipse.  they are the same car, but you can't tell him that, cause a domestic company could never have had a hand in building a import car.  oh no, and ford does not own mazda, can't tell them that either.  we are all car enthusiest, other wise would we spend countless hours drooling over them?  and then building them?  no.  i mean, how many of you have lost sleep, missed games on tv, neglected girlfriends, just to build a car?  i know i have.  hell, i was single more often than not in highschool cause iw as too busy under the hood of my car to keep a girl for long.  i don't think we should call it import vs domestic, but rather young vs old.  cause there are a lot of domestiocs out there that would be good tuner cars for kids to start on, and cheaper, but they refuse to look at it that way because of how the culture is defined.  if you don't have a damn civic or an integra, but rather, a cavi, or a neon, your just not cool.  and that is sad.  that is very sad that these kids could miss out on buiolding a car they may love, in order to fit in.  but back to the original question.  which would i drive?  how about both?  give me a 67 pontiac gto with a four speed blown, and a 90 crx si, cause i love that car, turbo with some spray.  

I feel the same way too but I know it was not a documentry and some folks treat it like that.  

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The whole "Import vs. Domestic" topic is so played out, but I'll go into this a bit...

First off, what is a "muscle car"? Most "muscle cars" were built between 1964 through 1972, when the gas crisis hit. Usualy, a muscle car is a no-frills base model looking car (or somtimes obnoctious stripes and decals) with a giant motor bolted into the engine bay, and at the time sold at a low cost. By now, these cars are very expensive in good condition, and just because a car has a V8, dosn't mean it's a "muscle car". IE, a 1987 Camaro IROCZ with the TPI 350, though can be a cool car and has tons of potential to go fast, is NOT a muscle car. So I'll just referr to this as "import vs. domestic".

Well, you can't compare the two. First off, some "imports", like domestics, are crappier than others. Any Lancer Evolution will blow the doors off of any Honda Civic, any late model Z28 Camaro will blow the doors off of a Cavalier, ect. Lets keep the econo-boxes out of this...

I've been wrenching on my DSM for about a year now, and as much as I love the sound of a sick built cammed-out 4G63, I love the sound of a big NA V8. I love the simplicity of old-school cars, and how fun they are. I think if you can't get down with ALL types of cars, then you really aren't a "car guy", your just a bs "scene" [censored], who is infactuated by neon lights and body kits.

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I guess for the def. of muscle car: An American made car(as in were the company is located not the factory), that is made for perfomance off the lot, even if that means sacrificing some of the creature comforts of the car. 2nd it has to have a V8 or higher, there has never been a muscle car that I know of that has had a V-6 or lower (other than the 53-54 vette and rs editions of the maro and the firebird). The car has to have the overall feal of a muscle car (you know as if the car is part of you), it has to have that look, the look that when someone pulls up next to you and they look at your car they know you mean buisness. I may be biasd but I'm not so much as where I say that everything that is not made in America sucks. As for the IROC not being a muscle car..... it is the Camaro and Firebird V8 versions will ALWAYS be muscle cars. Those cars are bread for performance and stick to their roots. The new GTO is a muscle car and is exactly what it's grandaddy was a performance based Pontiac that halls ass. The Mustang has lost touch with it's older couterparts tho, the new Mustangs are not even cutting it from the factory. after 92 it went down hill but it looks like its making a comeback with the GT500(that is a muscle car and if I had the money I would own one). As for me thinking F&F was a documentary... when did I ever say it was I just said that it doesn't show that type of racing for what it really is. And they always wreck the fastest cars in the movies...... lable me a import hater I don't care cause I know I'm not, I just can't stand what some people do to their imports its discusting. Anyways that's my rant on how I see the car world.  

while i aggree with most of your post, i have to poke a few holes in it.  corvettes were sports cars, never considered muscle, too expensive.  the camaro, firebird, trans am, and mustang were not muscle, but rather pony cars.  still great cars, but not muscle.  other than that, your post is 100% correct.  

very well said. i listin to my dad talk to his friends bout how back in the day-they would race light to light-a quater mile, is that not what us street races race, same thing,so ya out tech is better off then they had it but it all comes down to one thing and one thing only, our love for our cars and what we do to them to make them ours. it not about muscle or import its bout taking old school and making it new school-etc-engine work,shaving handles,lowering,and mainly looking good.    

Pardon me... but almost every forum I went, this issue of Muscle VS Import has been on and on and on...
Muscle cars = V8 motors with large cyclinder caps.
Imports = popularly defined as Japanese branded vehicles.

I have no say because every each of muscle or imports has it's pros and cons. Don't be such an idiot going cuckoo and ruin friendships some people have. Don't you think in the beginning there were two kids, good buddies, but when they grow up, one went for imports and the other went for a V8 muscle, and end up not talking to each other because what some of you guys made? Indifference in the automotive scene wholly? C'mon, you guys are smarter than to believe the difference. Just because some love imports / muscles so much they tend to be blind when seeing the other's potential? Cheer up!  

I like both. I love cars in general. before i got into the import seen I love going to the track to see muscle cars go at it in the quarter mile. i thought it was all about muscle until iwas introduce to the import scene. i fell in love instanly and have been a fan ever since. You got to appreciate the past to respect the future. As long as it looks good and is fast i'm a fan.