Why I like Rice Burners.

I like that so many of today's youth are buying rice burners. No, I don' t think the cars are cool and I do think they are a complete waste of money and can never be fast because of the front wheel drive. They are just ugly and annoying.

With all of that said, what is there to like about rice burners? Because so many people are buying rice burners, fewer are buying old muscle cars. This keeps the price of muscle cars down because there is less demand for them. So let the "tuners" waste their money on their fart 17 second econobox with its fart can exhaust and grounding kits. Right now I cannot afford a muscle car, even a free one, but I know it wont be long before I can because they are still cheap.

You have a valid point, but have you priced muscle cars lately. Last time I did some checking, I could not afford any. :CRY: You might be able to get an old Nova for a decent price, but there seems to be more of a demand for them than you give credit for. I wanted a SS 454 Chevelle. If there was one to be had in my region, it wasn't for a decent price. So I tried a 70 Cutlass. Again, no luck. My friends could afford them, but not so I. From the post I did earlier, I figure my best bet is to get a 1965 AMC Marlin and drop a big Javelin motor in it. Then you'd have a sports sedan with muscle, or something close to it. While there are A LOT of rice rocket owners out there, there are also A LOT of muscle car enthusiasts out there. And they like the big three. Good luck though, and start preparing for the second mortgage. Course you could find an old parts car to restore keep stock, but even those are going high.

Very good point! I had never thought anything good of them untill now!

Interesting perspective. While we've chewed this fat before, with the ebb and flow of members, it's good to revive it from time to time.

Part of the disagreement that could come out of this topic is that each person brings their own definition of what is a muscle car to the discussion. We've beat that one before too, and I won't do it here again. True muscle cars are still pretty pricey, near muscle cars are all over the board. With modest drive trains, and "normal" trim and options, these near muscle cars are "affordable" to most anyone who wants one. But the same things drive pricing as always ............................supply and demand. 76's comments focus on the demand part of that. I think it's still accurate to note that most people (emphasis on the most, not to be confused with all) start out with car ownership buying an "affordable" used car relative to their place in time. So it is quite natural for today's young folks to buy a used car, typically used "family" cars of their era. When I was a newly licensed driver I and my contemporaries were buying early to mid '50's cars. These were cars that were new when we were 5 to 10 years old. Sure, a few bought even older cars, but they were the exception. We then modified these cars as far as our budgets would allow to make them into whatever we thought was cool. To me, kids today are following a very similar pattern.

As time goes by we increase our earning power, and broaden our ability to humor our car dreams. For guys my age, that meant buying an older car, if we were more attracted to traditional rod material. By older I mean the ones that were the "used" cars of the generation ahead of us. Usually cars that were made anywhere from 20 years before we were born to the year of our hatching. Or, if our "dream car" was the true muscle car we couldn't afford when we were teens, we fulfilled that dream. Today, as we "geezers" have reached a point in life where we're in pretty good shape financially, we drive the market on rods and muscle cars. Since we're the "post war baby boom", there are a lot of us, and we are having a big impact on those markets. Until we reach an age where we start to "clean up" our lives and, due to health issues or death, start selling off all the "stuff" we've accumulated, the current market pricing will sustain. (barring some major financial crash).

So, for 76 and anyone else hoping for muscle car prices to drop, you're a bit ahead of your time. Remembering supply and demand, there's a good chance that in 10 to 15 years from now there could be the beginnings of a growth in supply. Be ready!!

Not fast?
You must not be paying attention.
(Sort of like the speed crowd when the flathead V8 came out <g>).
While I am more inclined to the muscle car/hot rod era... The newer kids are not so inclined, and have made a multi BILLION dollar industry out of their care of lil' engined cars.
I wouldn't tangle with some of them....
Now the neon only fart pipe crowd... That's another story..
That reminds me of the STP sticker and a pair of glasspacks crowd of a generation ago...
They thought they were cool, but the real speed builders knew better.....Just like now.
Some of the Rice burner stuff is pretty cool.
Jeff ( Us old dog's can still learn new tricks, but we can bite, too) Rice:toocool:

well deep, have you driven a mechanically done neon???i figured.
I'm in a rare position, i own a 1975 vette thats done to the nuts, and also a neon 2 door sport that is also done .
don't get me wrong, I love my vette more than the wife, but that little fart can can really move.I bought it as a cheap drive to work,but after a few mods this little bugger can move.
I would not hesitate to run against a neon with the vette, and i would win, but since playing with my winter beater in the summer I have a whole new appreciation for these little fart cans.
It wouldnt take a good drag race mechanic (If you can find one interested)long to make one of these mitsubishi/dodge combos, be a real contender.
sorry guys , but i had to swim in the cesspool of rice to see what it was all about.

Bob you make a very good point. And to the same extent some kids are doing what comes easiest. When the majority of your age group is "tuning", your resources and availability for reference, and info are more vast at yer disposal. Your in the loop just by age, why shouldn't they take advantage of it. And just like all other sports, hobbies, etc, there are going to be the ones who accel and move on to learn the real skills not just how to bolt on chome noisy parts. Those few will either learn the vallue of these cars as machines or take on herritage rides as their new found love of machines increases. The poser is in every auto trend and should not be the ideal to be judged by. I love the tech side of anything I get into and sitting down and learning some very interesting things about these powerplants is fascinating. I am going to make a generalization (like the one made about tuners) and say that the ones who scorn it have never picked up a book on the subject of these superflea's, or if they did they got mad cause they couln't understand it. I know I get lost in some of the highly scientific operating systems on these and even some on the high mod nostalgia rides. Streets has lost me a few times talking "drag" specs. Anyone see the Car & Driver Super Flea episode at california speedway. Good stuff, and a 360HP pocket car is pretty impressive when it only costs you as little as 30 G's after mods. (thats a car out of the box that DOESN'T need an interior, etc. :LOL: ) Anyway I'm rambling. You'd be surprised how much in common they have with you!

I am not impressed with the "fart pipe tuner" crowd at all. But they are not that far away from the early '80's and the pro street movement. Remember them.....big and littles, paint schemes from the 70's and little engines. They looked fast, and if you caught one NOT on a trailer, most sounded sick. All show and no go!!:CRY:
Now don't get me wrong! There were a few that had the HP to back up what they looked like they could do. And I am greatful for them. But most were show and no go. It wasn't just one brand either. So I am not picking on anybody. ;)

What it comes down to is this....the kids SEE these cars running around. They SEE them in the movies! They SEE the parts for them on the shelves at the parts stores.:eek:

How many of you DRIVE your ride to the store? Work? School?

Just what I thought...your saying " I got to much $$ wrapped up in it!"

"Only to rod runs!"

" Only on nice "perfect" days!"

And the best excuse ever..."Only on a trailer!!"

Well there is no sense complaining about them. They are doing MORE than any of us are!!!

They are DRIVING thier rides...for others to see, hear, touch and be able for others to see what THEY can get also!

p.s. I DO expect to get a few replies to this!!:3dSMILE:

My ride remains a daily driver, even while it gets painted.

I have a little four banger Saturn SC2. The thing looks good, looks like it oughta go fast. I have found some mods I can do to it for not a lot of $ down. I found a good blower for it for around $2000, specially designed for this engine. But I would rather keep the car stock and invest my money in my street rod. I have noticed something interesting, though. While there are many American equivilants to the rice rockets (neon, SC2, SC1, etc.), the parts available are much fewer than those for ricers. Just look for car mods on ebay. I have noticed there are MANY mods available for the Hondas and Mitsus, even quite a few for Toyotas. Still quite a few for rice inspired domestics, but not nearly as many. I used to know some of the ricers. The domestic cars just didn't hold any allure. I don't totally understand why they buy jap, but think it may have something to do with rebelling. Maybe it is not so much an inability to afford American as it is a lack of desire. I'm sure that from the money spent on some of the ricers, a fast, powerful American car could be afforded. The $30,000 quoted earlier could buy a Camero and several mods to it. The show and no go is very true, as well. Bolt on noisy chrome things is what most of the affordable mods are to the crowd. I took a look at some of the noisest ones. Most had just the exhaust changed and a buzz muffler installed. A few had cold air intakes and headers, and I think I only found one with any thing more complicated installed. That is not counting the body kits which serve no useful purpose as I can tell. Many had those. I asked several why they went to the trouble of doing the mods to gain a lack of aesthetics or maybe 50 HP, maybe a few more or less. Most said cuz they wanted to be different. How are they going to be different if they all look they same. Sure, maybe one has a stripe down the side that the other 20 don't, but if you want to stand out, spend your money better. As for that annoying BUZZZ sound that most emit, I have a personal theory as to the allure of it. That noise must vibrate the car. That vibrating must jiggle their cojones and make them feel pretty good. :LOL: Why else would you intentionally have your car vibrate or sound like that? It's all craziness if you ask me. I can see why people would want a jap car from the reliability standpoint, but as for tuning a ricer, that is putting whipped cream on sh*t, if you ask me. Just my $.02.

Matthew, one of the reasons you see more go-fast, and doll-up goodies for the Japanese based cars, as compared to the U.S. ones, is that there is a thriving market across the Pacific (meaning more than just Japan) for them. Tuner cars are BIG in Japan, and the more industrialized countries south of them. If I had to guess, I'd say that a big majority of the performance technology comes from there, and at least half of the glitzy stuff.

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Originally posted by Bob Parmenter
Matthew, one of the reasons you see more go-fast, and doll-up goodies for the Japanese based cars, as compared to the U.S. ones, is that there is a thriving market across the Pacific (meaning more than just Japan) for them. Tuner cars are BIG in Japan, and the more industrialized countries south of them. If I had to guess, I'd say that a big majority of the performance technology comes from there, and at least half of the glitzy stuff.

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I have looked up the manufacturers of some of the junk being sold. Even for the mods for an American car, most are from Japan. I can even see tuning a Jap car, if you are in Japan. What I don't understand is why the fad crossed the Pacific. I know why they got a foothold here years back, but is the cheap price tag all that drives this? I had an opportunity to buy a Jap car, a Toyota. I chose the Saturn instead. I have had more trouble out of my Saturn in the 11 months I've had it than my grandfather ever had out of his Toyotas, or my Aunt ever had out of her Hondas. They are still more reliable than American cars, but I don't like how all of our business is leaving. I will still buy American, with the exception of sports cars, which I may then go foreign, probably Porsche, or S2000. I just wonder if these Rice enthusiasts will ever decide to go American? I think the problem is bigger than just the folks who tune rice, its the existance of rice in this country at all. I hope I find some people sympathetic to my views here, as the rice lovers seem to be taking over.

We're dancing near the edge of hijacking 76's thread here, but I think your question still applies.

I'm going to guess you're under 30 years old, so a lot of what led to the market alignment as it is today happened before you were born. Up to the early '70's GM alone had something around a 50% market share. The Japanese cars combined were down near single digit share. Honda wasn't even in the market except for motorcycles. Then came the first oil embargo and the marketplace panicked. Demand for higher fuel economy vehicles exploded virtually over night. Though the "Detroit" auto makers took a flier at "economy" cars in the early '60's, the demand for higher fuel economy cars just wasn't that significant and the American cars gradually grew in size and power to keep pace with American tastes. Even though various European auto makers tried to break into this market during the late '50', early '60's, only VW enjoyed much success in a relatively small market segment. So the American manufacturers were "out of position" when the radical shift occurred. Not only were they out of the market on product size and fuel economy, but they had some serious management problems. At that time in history it was in vogue to have accountant minded managers progress to the top jobs. In my opinion, the most agregious of these CEO's was Lynn Townsend at Chrysler. The problem with the accountant mentality is that they don't understand marketing and sales. What they do understand is jockeying numbers. From their point of view, it made perfect sense to keep cutting costs in all areas of the vehicle design, production, marketing, and sales processes. The result was a process that was sometimes referred to as "de-contenting". As a result, they kept offering vehicles that had less and less. Cheap plastic parts, and lower quality became more and more the "norm". When there was less competition they were able to get away with it, but as always happens, the consumer reacts and seeks what's in their best interest as soon as it is available. The Japanese manufacturers were at the other end of the spectrum. They wanted to grow. Because of conditions in their own country, they were already making the smaller, more fuel efficient cars that the market place would soon demand. And they were smart marketers. Japanese products had an advantage (at that time) with lower production costs. And the auto makers were sensitive to the very real reputation for poor quality that immediate post WWII Japanese products had. As such, the management of those companies put a very high emphasis on build quality, and content, hoping that the market would recognize their efforts and shift it's position. And as market places usually do, the shift occurred, albeit gradually. They were prepared when the opportunity occurred (see my signature line) that propelled their products to a higher demand position. The arrogance of the American manufacturers, and the narrow minded business plans of their management, crippled them. Any that doubt the negative impact of the accountants approach only need look at how Chrysler's fortunes were corrected. Like him or not, Lee Iaccocca was an engineering/marketing minded manager. He understood that accountants had a place in the process, but that the "de-contenting" model wasn't going to work for long. Controlling costs was critical, that's why he built a business plan around utilizing the K platform for most of their production, but that the customer demands needed to be met as well. No accountant minded manager would have ever "invented" the mini-van. It took a marketing minded guy to recognize the underlying market demand.

So in the mid '70's the Japanese companies gained momentum. The American companies were slow to react. For a variety of reasons, some external (government meddleing in safety, economy, and polution demands), and many internal (resistance to change along with the poblems noted above) the "Detroit" auto makers fell behind. It took them years to reverse their bad habits, and of course, the competition wasn't standing still. So they played catch up for a long time. Some believe they're still playing catch up. Now we have Toyota getting into NASCAR, first trucks in 2004, and cars in 2005. This week Pontiac announces it's dropping out of NASCAR. :HMMM:

Of course the story is more complex than noted here, but this is a brief overvue. Regardless, all one need do is look around to recognize the market mix.

Mathew, that's pretty interpretive about the rebellion "buy rice". I have noticed the trend as well in a lot of fad arenas. It's sad that nothing is clear in this day and age and our own young citizens feel their very country is the enemy. I live in SF CA where right is judged wrong and wrong, right. It's disturbing how many people here feel the need to make it known their dislike of the US, confusing it's present policies with our founding ones. But you don't see them leaving for those "greener pastures" or doing anything possitive to make things here better. They will preach all day about the US being a bully super power, but they are the first ones cutting you off in traffic, cell phone in hand shrugging a cold shoulder at the Vet who fought for their right to be such a mules rear. It's never "what have you done for someone else", but rather "what has someone else done for me".

Yikes, gotten off the subject a bit. What if we started a campaign in the music, movie, etc industies to make the hotrod, muscle car, customs the coolest thing to hit this century. A new resurgance of American pride in automobiles. Pros and cons? Prices would skyrocket, but demand for parts would increase, increasing the kinds of parts you could get (aftermarket). Then if everybody was eggin' you on at the light in their old iron the complaint would be "every Joe and his sister thinks he's Richard Petty cause he's got a classic hotrod, muscle car he bought yesterday.........I been buildin mine fer 50+ years"

Is it the people who drive the tuners we dislike, the cars, the trend, or what the cars or the people who drive them represent?

This subject has really got me hooked cause it isn't just about the cars but a cultural landslide. Could it be the advent of foriegn cars is a precursor to the crumbling of our history as a country? (just being a little loose with exagerations of horror there, not meant to spark anger)

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Originally posted by Bob Parmenter
We're dancing near the edge of hijacking 76's thread here, but I think your question still applies.

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It's official now. The thread has been hijacked.

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Originally posted by Justin94117
Mathew, that's pretty interpretive about the rebellion "buy rice". I have noticed the trend as well in a lot of fad arenas. It's sad that nothing is clear in this day and age and our own young citizens feel their very country is the enemy. I live in SF CA where right is judged wrong and wrong, right. It's disturbing how many people here feel the need to make it known their dislike of the US, confusing it's present policies with our founding ones. But you don't see them leaving for those "greener pastures" or doing anything possitive to make things here better. They will preach all day about the US being a bully super power, but they are the first ones cutting you off in traffic, cell phone in hand shrugging a cold shoulder at the Vet who fought for their right to be such a mules rear. It's never "what have you done for someone else", but rather "what has someone else done for me".

Yikes, gotten off the subject a bit. What if we started a campaign in the music, movie, etc industies to make the hotrod, muscle car, customs the coolest thing to hit this century. A new resurgance of American pride in automobiles. Pros and cons? Prices would skyrocket, but demand for parts would increase, increasing the kinds of parts you could get (aftermarket). Then if everybody was eggin' you on at the light in their old iron the complaint would be "every Joe and his sister thinks he's Richard Petty cause he's got a classic hotrod, muscle car he bought yesterday.........I been buildin mine fer 50+ years"

Is it the people who drive the tuners we dislike, the cars, the trend, or what the cars or the people who drive them represent?

This subject has really got me hooked cause it isn't just about the cars but a cultural landslide. Could it be the advent of foriegn cars is a precursor to the crumbling of our history as a country? (just being a little loose with exagerations of horror there, not meant to spark anger)

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You give a valid point. If the trend of buying foreign products and farming the work out overseas continues, this country will cease to exist. It also has to do a lot with what my dad calls "the fickle American public." What Bob was saying about the car company's lack of ability to adapt is true and partially based on this concept. The aftermath of any major bad event is stupid legislation, and CA leads the way, do you agree? Hence the safety regulations, economy regulations, etc. And the public's desire to have the newest different thing is what puts car companies out of business. If enough changes in legislation occur and the desire to buy American products in general continues to wane, American products will be held as relics of a bygone era. Like my Nashes, people will forget they ever existed. Another interesting point that is related, do a google search of the great depression vs. the current recession. This one is starting out just like the depression, only steeper. Now I'm speaking in general terms, but America used to produce high quality products. Now it appears that the trend of the public and the gov't is to go with the cheapest alternative. "there's never time to do it right, but there's always time to do it over" It is this kind of thinking that almost got the military Oriental berets. The construction of the local community college I attend was farmed out to the lowest bid. After the school has been here for only 5 years, it is already falling apart. And I have it on good authority (a multiple jap car owner) that the quality of oriental cars is declining. He bought a Hundai new, and the thing fell apart in under 6 months. He now drives an old 70s toyota, as does another friend. The scariest people are those like you mentioned. Ones who never think about the good of where they live, and always berate it. Now I will say I don't care for the present leaders, as they lack a little thing called a brain. But I don't badmouth the whole country and all its veterans for the shortcomings of the leaders. I just hope they screw up just enough to get booted out of office, but not so much as to be irrepairable. The kind of people you mentioned are snobs, and I wish they would confine themselves from society. I'm not sure just what it is that we dislike the most. I think I don't like the trend. I can see where some of the ricers are coming from, but they are just the part of the problem you see the most. Just like the market crash was a symptom of the depression, the ricers are a symptom of a bigger problem. I don't think any one of us is going to be able to fix it. It would take a change of the American public's buying patterns and a change in the entire mentality of the public. Another bad offshoot of this is where all the money goes. The money pouring into these 3rd world countries and even japan, but especially China, is or can be going toward the military. Great. We are funding the military of a foreign country that already has ill will toward us, while we are removing our production capabilities. Can you say SITTING DUCKS? Just my $1.02.

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I think it's still accurate to note that most people (emphasis on the most, not to be confused with all) start out with car ownership buying an "affordable" used car relative to their place in time. So it is quite natural for today's young folks to buy a used car, typically used "family" cars of their era. When I was a newly licensed driver I and my contemporaries were buying early to mid '50's cars. These were cars that were new when we were 5 to 10 years old. Sure, a few bought even older cars, but they were the exception. We then modified these cars as far as our budgets would allow to make them into whatever we thought was cool. To me, kids today are following a very similar pattern.

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Yesssss, Once again I am weird, when I was 16 my first car was a 1963.5 Galaxie 500 NASCAR 427, Now I'm 24 and building a 68 Galaxie 500, (Dont think I'm only a Ford guy I have also built a 66 Nova, I built a cornet (For a friend) I rodded a maveric once just to say I did, 3 old VW Bugs with big ass tires then taken them in the mud and rolled them over for fun; "dude there round I bet I can land back on my wheels!!") I have built a lot of cars in 24 years (13 to be exact, 14 including the one I'm working on right now.) And none of them have been imports unless there sole purpose was to distroy it after I spent as little money as possible on the car. I do how ever have respect for some imports, not because there fast or I think the cars look good, Cause they dont sorry, but because the guy or gal who owns it loves it just like I love my camaro and galaxie my wife thinks I'm sick my camaro is named Samantha, and my galaxie Sara, some import guys feel the same way about that hunk of metal which at times can be the biggest pain in the butt, and most of the time is your way of excaping after a 20 hour day turning wrenches for uncle Sam. Just my 1/2 a penney

Otto

Hi people.

Just came across your web site by chance and a good thing to.
Very intersting reading here.
Anyway, on the subject of cheap Muscle Cars. What price range would you define the cheap end of the market and the high end?
If your looking for cheap Muscle then look no further. Over the last 20 years or so American Muscle cars have been exported to the UK in their droves. I think you would be surprised at the number of cars here in the UK. But the really interesting thing is the prices. Unlike in the US where prices seem to be sky high, here you can buy a quality car for a fraction of the price. For example, I would expect to pay between 4-10 grand for a Dodge Challenger, 10 grand being for the 440 model. Or another example, late sixties Buick Riviera GS, in mint condition top of the range sport model for only 3.5k.
Not that I would like to see all these great cars vanish from our roads but it seems one could pick up a super deal for very little cash.
Regards, Steve.

Steve,

Welcome to CHR! And since you brought up the subject, check your local publications there and let me know what a good clean 1968 or 1969 Camaro would cost in the good ole UK... maybe I'll bring one of those babies back home :)

Glad you're here with us at CHR.

Dan J

OK lets think about this here, Import car about $9000 being very modest, Domestic muscle depends on the car between $100-8000
Engine rebuild kit, machine work, and cam ect, Domestic around $2000, import $3000-5000 Once again being very modest.
N2O Domestic, unneeded if you biult her right, Import $300-800
HMMMM dont sound a lot cheeper to me.

In the long run I can see it though, Gas 1968 Galaxie 500 12 Gallons to the mile, 4 Banger 100000000000000000000 miles to the gallon.

Cost of owning somethig you built and are very proud of, Priceless, what difference does it make, just dont pull up next to my Galaxie in a 4 Banger or you WILL leave crying.

I was going to say sothig else but stress has taken my mind and I can only hope he brings it back by its curfew.


Otto

I dont see how car people can sit back and make fun of the new GEN of car nuts? The fad of the ricer comes down to money. There nothing more then what you where back in the day. Taking what they can afford along with whats out there and working on going fast. Very few of these BOYS are getting 9 grand base cars and going from there. Most are getting cars in the 2500 - 6000 range and donig what they can.
Just a year ago I was going to shows with my corvette about every weekend. The people that put the shows on would set space aside for a (ricer pit) and let kids bring there toys in. I found some thing that made me want to slap some people :mad:
Here are KIDS working there harts out to gain even alittle respect in the world of custom cars. IMO most of them working 100 times harder then most streetrod people for the money they need to spend to get there rides where they are. VS. The guy with the 32 coupe in his 50's with more then enough money in the bank to sit back and play with there trailer queens.
The Kids have NOTHING BUT RESPECT for the old school cars and the people that make them. It would mean SO much to these KIDS to get some of that respect back. YET most of the old school guys wont even look at there work none the less go up to them and ask about there rides or say " Hey good job keep it up kid"
I feel thats just about as rude as you could get :CRY: Give the next gen of hot rodders alittle respect. Most are broke or at least car poor like you where when you where young. So why not help atleast keep there harts in the sport. It would mean so much to a younger person to hear good job once in a while. ;)

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Originally posted by carguyinok
I dont see how car people can sit back and make fun of the new GEN of car nuts? The fad of the ricer comes down to money. There nothing more then what you where back in the day. Taking what they can afford along with whats out there and working on going fast. Very few of these BOYS are getting 9 grand base cars and going from there. Most are getting cars in the 2500 - 6000 range and donig what they can.
Just a year ago I was going to shows with my corvette about every weekend. The people that put the shows on would set space aside for a (ricer pit) and let kids bring there toys in. I found some thing that made me want to slap some people :mad:
Here are KIDS working there harts out to gain even alittle respect in the world of custom cars. IMO most of them working 100 times harder then most streetrod people for the money they need to spend to get there rides where they are. VS. The guy with the 32 coupe in his 50's with more then enough money in the bank to sit back and play with there trailer queens.
The Kids have NOTHING BUT RESPECT for the old school cars and the people that make them. It would mean SO much to these KIDS to get some of that respect back. YET most of the old school guys wont even look at there work none the less go up to them and ask about there rides or say " Hey good job keep it up kid"
I feel thats just about as rude as you could get :CRY: Give the next gen of hot rodders alittle respect. Most are broke or at least car poor like you where when you where young. So why not help atleast keep there harts in the sport. It would mean so much to a younger person to hear good job once in a while. ;)

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You must have met a different group of the "new hotrodders" than are around here. These have no respect whatsoever for american cars, let alone american rods. To these people it's only right if it's Jap. Sure, some of them pour their hearts into their cars. So do I. I don't own a Jap car. I pour most of my income into my cars. I don't own a single foreign car. All were built in Detroit, Kenosha, or Spring Hill. I have friends who work on ricers. There are a few who are like you say. However, most only spend a portion of their income on bolt on go fast noisy parts. These people feel that putting a fart pipe and a cold air intake and a different air filter on their Jap cars makes them rodders. No, nor does putting a fiberglass body kit on it. Maybe you think that a few bolt on parts and a shopping cart handle on a front wheel drive car classifies as a hot rod. I don't. To me, a hot rod is something more. Something that requires more than a two weeks salary and a weekend to put together. It should have true power. Yes, a Jap car can be made to generate power, and loads of it if you do the right things to the right one. I do hold respect for the Jap owners who can actually make their car into something more. To me a Jap car will never be a hot rod. It may be a tuner or a supertuner, but not a hot rod. And I will respect the power of the everyday Jap car as soon as they respect the power my cars have.

Why i hate ricers, lets see, the rice clubs around here have ratted us out to the cops id say about 10 times at least, for racing, smoking tires, speeding, you name it, they are all rats who drive like idiots themselves, i have seen many of those clubs cut off people at about 80 and almost make them wreck, then they will park, rev they farts up and turn on their strobes. They have no concept of real power or of the determination it takes to build it. Who cant put nitrous on something??? thats all they do around here and daily me and my friends will put them to shame, none of us using nitrous besides the ricers. If we pull in to talk, they will act very rude and tell me how "dog you should put some 20s on that and drop it" yeah thats what i want, that adds what 50 horse?????? They just have no concept of power. LIGHTS DONT EQUAL POWER.

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Maybe you think that a few bolt on parts and a shopping cart handle on a front wheel drive car classifies as a hot rod.

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:confused: Funny, I dont recall EVER saying that:confused:
Sure there are some real dumb people out there that do dumb things. But my point is...... As a car nut\ buff To group and judge someone for what the love to work on and fix up is just WRONG.
EVERY group has azzholes :whacked: Thats life. My point is dont hate a whole group for the bad seeds. I just dont get it :confused: We all have a love for CARS and should have some respect for each other. UNTILL that respect is broken between the two. If you roll by and mad dog someone for what there driving then whos the fool for prejudging?
I am not a ricer I am a hot rodder at hart. My past toys and projects are proof of this. Sure at this time I am going with a import body with my 240Z. But still dropping GM American power in her :D . Hell in the import market its one of the only true classics in the market. Yet here I go with a rust free one and rodding it. I dont know how many people know how much these little jap cars are worth now days. It took me eight years of hunting to find it with the GM swap in mind the WHOLE time. Now that I have it I am SO SO happy its not funny and thats what counts.
Call me what you please for doing this car but I assure you ricer is not a word that fits.
I do have the backs of the new age car nut tho. I feel as car people that have a true love for the car and doing custom work on them we should stick togather. You never know when you could learn some thing new or who you could learn it from. ;) If you dont know that much well.......

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They just have no concept of power. LIGHTS DONT EQUAL POWER.

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The main reason for this IMO is very few people take the time to be a nice person and show them. If you want to make the point to them SHOW UM. Take a young person thats trying and give them a ride in a real power car. Dont just spank um and drive away. How will they ever know if no one takes the time to prove the point :confused: Give them someone to look up to. If you take alittle time with the kids today our sport will live MUCH LONGER.

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Originally posted by carguyinok
The main reason for this IMO is very few people take the time to be a nice person and show them. If you want to make the point to them SHOW UM. Take a young person thats trying and give them a ride in a real power car. Dont just spank um and drive away. How will they ever know if no one takes the time to prove the point :confused: Give them someone to look up to. If you take alittle time with the kids today our sport will live MUCH LONGER.

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My saturn doesn't have true power. It is enough for a car of its size. I have taken a few rice lovers for a ride, and they are impressed. When I finish my Nash rod, or my Burb, or my C10, I'll give people a ride. All of them will be powered by american muscle. My rod already has a good 351C in it. When I get it finished, it will be a force to reckon with. The rest of my projects are on hold for lack of funding, but the Nash is still going. And when it comes the day I get it out on the road legally, I will give some of these ricers a ride, after handing them their @sses on a platter. One day I may finish the GTO powered 1960 Bonneville that has been 30 years in the making. That will be true muscle in a sleeper package. That would be a fun one to race and cruise. Yeah, the ricers are impressed by true muscle, but it has no lasting effects. I have friends who drive 60s & 70s Chevelles. When they give a ride to a ricer, the ricer doesn't change their deviant ways. The rice is too much of a temptation. Too easy to come by and too popular to be avoided. Maybe these ricers will see the light and get real cars powered by real engines.

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When they give a ride to a ricer, the ricer doesn't change their deviant ways. The rice is too much of a temptation. Too easy to come by and too popular to be avoided. Maybe these ricers will see the light and get real cars powered by real engines.

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The way I see it **) At least the seed was planted :3dSMILE: Now just pray it was not wasted . :whacked: Just give it a few they will remember the day they went fast rather then quick & what got them there :p

sorry folks , the rice may be great for some of the younger crowd, but personally I think they SUCK. Most likely because of all the a$$hole around here w/their fart cans & thump thump crappp they have playing,, Along w/they have NO MANNERS and think they own the road. I pitty the next fool who pulls out in front of me in a ricer when I'm driving either of my burbs, cause all they'll be is a speed bump when i run them over :LOL: :LOL: ..........joe

JHC....we've been Japslapped byJapcrap..!!....It's my turn to Japslap Japcrap..The hell with it...Japcrap never listens even after being Japslapped by a Japslapper anyhow..I could rap with Japcrap but all I hear is crap so Japcrap is just that=Crap....So.....go ahead Japcrap....post a mickey mouse crap response...I ain't got time for your crap...:whacked: :whacked: :whacked:

I understand what both Joe and Carguyinok are saying and IMO they both have valid points.

I see a lot similarities between this generation and when I grew up. I think we are again going through a time where part of the current generations fad is having a "neat car" as defined by their peers and driven by what they see both on the street and in the offerings that Hollywood has produced such as the" Fast and the Stupid".

When I got my liscence in 68 "fast" cars were a part of my generation. The big difference was they were more readily available. During my senior year the HS parking lot usually had a 68 GTX, 3 BB Chevells, a HIPO 289 Mustang, a 389 tri-power 4 spd Catalina (loved that car) and a 57 Chevy sitting in it.

Then there was the rest of the lot, generally filled with the kids who wanted a fast car, but could only afford to try to make it look the part (or whos parents said no to anything but dress up parts), 283 2 bbl Impallas, 318 powered Mopars, 289 2 BBL Galaxies etc with chrome reverse wheels and glasspack mufflers and usually jacked up in the rear with 3 foot long shackels.

Of that whole crowd thyere were only about 3 of us who the car bug had actually bitten and stayed with the hobby/sport through the years learing as we went along. To the rest of them the car thing was a passing fad (much like I expect it will be for this generation). Of course we were ALL lumped into the same catagory as young punks, either we were pretenders or mommy and daddy had bought the car and we were not real hot rodders (and in the majority of cases what they were saying was true).

The cars are different, but I think a lot of what happened when I was growing up is going on today. We have a LOT of young pretenders out there who think they are hot rodders that will move on when the next fad comes along, and a very few really promising kids who will be the core of the hobby in the coming years.

Well, with all the anti-rice here this will fit in.

Twas the night before Christmas and caught at the light,
Was a domestic V8, a big red Camaro, and no cops in sight.
I will try, I will try, I will try with this small motor,
To beat this damn Camaro, with its big-block power.
As the light goes green and I pull like no joke,
The Camaro erupts in a cloud of tire smoke.
Now Smasher, now Revver, now Stroker and Blitzen,
These are the names of my VTEC pistons.
Racing ahead I'm the star of the action,
But I know I'm in trouble when that V8 gets traction.
Grabbing second, the RPMs start to sing,
But my mirror is blocked by my big K-Mart wing.
I now hear the roar, of that 502 gaining,
All I can do is keep my 4 banger straining.
In a second it hits, the shockwave with a blast,
All my decals go flying, a thing of the past.
Don't bother with third, cause now its too late,
Just try to act cool, like you can relate.
Watching his taillights, as they got smaller,
The driver backed off, to give me a holler!
"You can't win them all." he says in a fling,
"Hell, you might not win any, in that silly thing."
I scowled and I revved, and let out a sigh,
And did my trademark, Ricer Fly-by.

And Streets.....Your comment on the ......ahem........poetry.?? please.....Tank You Very Much...:whacked: :whacked: :whacked:

Carguyinok, every year I see that Christmas poem and every year I print it and try not to lose it, I love it so much this year I'm going to print it ten times and see how many I lose.

When I was in HS 1993-1997 I drove a 63 galaxie totaled it went to a 69 Nova, sold it it got totaled, then I moved to a Chevett with a beefy Chevy BB I took her to the streets and draged, all Friday and saterday night at the end of every run and about 25 Ricers taken a hot rubber bath from tire spray we would pull into a gas station and open our hoods, I took more people for a ride than I will ever admit you see when I was in HS every one was into rice but me and A guy that drove a Chevell.

Otto

One more thing
On the Army post that I'm at there are 3 race teams I call them teams because club doesnt cover every thing we do, theres Mine a team about American Muscle, theres a team started by a close friend that runs trucks and Bikes, and then theres my rivel, "team evil" it seems theres only one member and he drives a Accord, one day I took my buddies TA for a quik drive to find out were a knock was coming from, and this accord comes up and starts talking Crapp, about how his 4 banger is faster and all he had to do was exhaust, my buddie was in the right seat and told me to show this dude somthing, I told him to follow me, He couldnt keep up through the parking lot, and all this guywanted to do was wave with a few less finger than I would like to see and start sending me nasty e-mail about how he doesnt care about anything American rice is the greatest, fastest thing out there and american cars suck, he didnt want help he wanted to be a jerk about the fact that his car is slower. And any time he see's me in my daliy driver he wants to shoot his mouth, but the minuet I'm in a car with a HGMYNTS sticker he runs and hides.

I'm most likly the yungest person on this message board and I joined so I could get help when I've ran out of other options, the true ricers dont want help they want to talk crapp and run when the getting is going to get hard.

Otto

Well said Mike!!

carguy, I had forgotten about that cute poem, shows you have a sense of humor about this stuff. I'm not sure you've read the whole thread though prior to your first entry. Yeah, we've got a few folks that are way anti-rice, and seems they're getting a little carried away with their remarks, but this thread talks about why one member likes those cars. And a fair number of the follow-up posts are either supportive, or at least neutral. Keep in mind, this forum is call Club HOT ROD, not Club Tuner, so what do you expect. Carping about the lack of interest for imports would be like criticizing a site dedicated to red wine for not extolling the virtues of chardonay (if there are any).

While there are good points about bad behavior on both sides of the street, the fact is, very few of today's young folks are going to grow nostalgic about our kind of cars. Just like we have little interest in much of what was historically important to our parents. A few ardent "antique collector" types perhaps, but not much more than that.

Yes I understand it's CLUB HOT ROD Thats why I am here. I have it in my blood for better or worse. Just ask my bank account :eek:

My first love is American thunder. Nothing makes me smile more then a BIG hp American car with a rad. cam and solid motor mounts sitting at idle shaking back n forth waiting to come to life. Once it happens well.......:HMMM: hey where did it go :eek:

Screw this...I'm gonna go talk to Streets....Even in a bad mood he makes more sense that all this crap.!!:whacked: :whacked: :whacked:

I like to play with the ricers. I'll hold about half a fender on them from one light to the next. It upsets them to be beaten by an old beater truck, but they don't know it's got a 472 under the hood.
the other night ,after playing with a kid for three or four lights I saw him purge his nitrous so I just made a right turn and let him go. He was REAL upset about that.

I'm a 23 year old from California. I've seen a lot of rice. And if you' like to read my 2 cents...I'd like to address a few issues.

My dad brought up a valid point. Remember when the flathead V8 first came out? I don't, but my grandfather does, and when it hit the market, the first words he heard from a critic's mouth was, "It'll never be a hotrod motor." Alas, it became a hotrod motor. The same was said of the small block Ford and Chevy's. And now, we're hearing that a Honda 1.8L that puts out 200hp naturally aspired isn't a hotrod motor. Give it another 25 years.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to racing. 1) It's gotta go fast in a straight line and 2) it's gotta go fast on the track. Personally I'm a huge road track fan. Drag racing is fun and my '63 Falcon is a blast to do it with, but I take my Civic Si with all 170hp to the track. The Falcon can't touch my Si on the track. It doesn't handle...that's what Japanese cars do, they handle. I know a guy with an '89 Civic Ex hatchback with 160hp that keeps up with Z06's and 911 turbos on the track. He only spent $800 on the car and $1,500 on getting it track ready. It still has A/C, a radio, and reclining bucket seats. Sure it doesn't look as good as the Z06, but looks don't get better lap times.

Been to NIRA drag races lately? I volunteered on a team once that was running a 1.8L naturally aspired Honda motor at 300hp and it was his daily driver with different tires on it. Big deal right? Well, it was only 1,800 pounds and ran a 12 flat.

Many hear the word VTEC and dont' know what it means...or what it does. Simply, it's the greatest technological advancement to hit internal combuston engines since the small block V8. It allows a factory motor to excede the 100hp per Liter mark, and still make it easily drivable and very fuel efficient. It allows for low-end torque and high RPM horsepower. My Si revs to 8k rpm, but I still drive it to work. If you look up how VTEC works, you'll be very impressed. I was. BTW, the new F-150 has a variation of it.

Rice is a derogatory term for a crappy looking import car. And lets face it, people have been building crappy cars for decades. You can't tell me the 60's only had good looking cars. Every generation has their stupidity.

So remember the next time you sit at a stop light and a little lowered blue Civic is sitting next to you. He could have a supercharger. And the last time I checked, they can put out upwards of 360hp and 320ft/lb torque on pump gas and still get 22mpg on the street. And if the driver is wearing a red Mossimo cap tell him Dan said, "What's up." Be forewarned the car only weighs 2,200 dry and he toasted my Falcon with a built 302.

I pick on ricers alot, but the fact of the matter is they love there ride just asw much as I love mine. I helped my cousin build an Accord one of the few things I loved about his car is it didnt have that sound, It sounds like Yoshi from Mario Kart.

Otto:3dSMILE:

Well anything supercharged can make horsepower, my point is that they are not muscle cars and i will be willing to be they never will be, i dont get it, thats like me going to clubgokartriceburner.com and telling them that muscle cars are the way to go, dont ricers got a website? Besides that if a little civic pulls up to me with his supercharger and beats me by some miracle, i guess ill have to lower the compression and bolt on my own supercharger then we can run em. Yeah ricers are people too, i know, i read everything, im not knocking them, im just saying they will never compare in any category to a muscle car. Lets see what comments come from this :D