Why do some many people hate imports? Or is there just hate for riced out imports? The way I lookat it its just another car, you can make it look good or make it look like crap, wether it be domestic or import. Cuz everyone is quick to make fun of imporrts but says nothing bout domestics. For ex. Mustang GT with a Nissan Skyline GT-R badge on it. Or domestics with Coffee can exhausts. Domestics with Type R badges or decals on it. The winsheild wiper led nozzles. I can go on, but I listed enoguh examples. So I was jsut curious to know if there is a hate for all imports or jsut riced out ones.

Personally they represent the movement away from v8 power and the era of cars that all looked the same. They are reliable but a threat to individuality and to some they represent spending money on foreign powers instead of American products. Now I know there are many more reasons and I am sure they will be shared, but there are also exceptions to these rules. As for "rice" well that will always be out of style. The sad part is many people don’t have class let alone taste. It’* also a backlash to the domestic haters who used the well built imports to beat down alot of Domestics. That does not make for friends. So the import Asian or European are well built but until very recently the Asian contraptions were bland and basically generic. I found the import to be one step up from riding public transit. Well the style is starting to come through on the import market there are still fools who insist adding a wing to everything they own. These fools will perpetuate the image of "Rice".

The power plants and relative capability of these "rice" cars is awesome though and has given Gm and others the push to merge and also to produce cars worthy of the Asian competitor and with the style that only the American or European market has been able to produce reliably.

Ty

I call something a "ricer" because it'* so over the top it'* dumb. The imports started it thus "rice" . It'* now just applyed to anything that remind you of them. I do like some imports like RX-7'*, ZX'* and any that can back up their bragging are ok. Alot of beem'ers are ok and some are euro-rice. For that matter I've seen Camaros and T/A'* that are "riced out" . Anyone that throws a CAI, 6' wing, 10oz fire bottle, and a 12" tack and fartcan on a 4-banger and think that automaticly makes them a 12 sec car is a ricer.
Never mind the moving sticker shows
For examples see www.ricecop.com

I try not to define people as rice anymore since it puts people down. But one thing I would like to add to this thought of rice. Everyone always targets the imports, but say for example the Mustang. Alot of people take the V6 Mustang and try to make them look like a Mustang GT. And most Mustang GT'* have Cobra R'* (until they made the Bullitt wheels standard on GT'*), so why doesn't anyone notice that many of them do the same thing. Same with Cobra'*, everyone would just slap on a Vortech blower, decide how crazy they were with the power/boost level, and call it a day. There are so many that they gave it a seperate name of "Vobra'*". So why doesn't anyone classify them as rice, or that they all do the same thing. And many of them don't know what they are doing to their cars, they just take it to a shop. Just my thoughts, you don't have to agree, just observation from going to import shows, ford shows at Knotts Berry Farm out here in Southern California, and other miscellaneous car shows. So let'* all just get along.

-Hector

Not only that hector but I have seen some very scary mustangs made into disasters. Stickers… the stock spoiler form the rear put on the hood. Then a new bigger spoiler on the rear and fake heat extractors all over the car. It was scary!!

That is true rice. I believe you are right though, and the term as raciest as its roots are is generalized as a representation of posers and basic hack jobs of cars. I still use try hard a derivative of poser.

Ty

I have to disagree with this one a lil bit. I understand that there are people that want to buy American made and so forth. But the thing is just because you buy an imporrt doesnt really mean that you arent supporting/buying American made products. Thats why they started putting how much of it was made/assembled in the States and how much is foreign. I know that with Acura & Honda those cars are 80% made in the America. The only thing really made in Japan are the motors and trannies. On my old Accord the gauges were from Ford and the alternator was GM alternator(Delphi). Same thing goes for T/A'* those are built in Canada, I cant remember exactly what percentage or what model line(its been awhile) but I know that its true. I even remember a political cartoon that I saw way back making fun of Domestic vehicles. But as far as turning away from V8'*, I totally agree with you. Id would rather drive a 4cyl and get 25+m.p.g. than drive a V8 that get 10-13m.p.g. that is just as fast.

I veiw anything made in country'* where rice is the staple of their diet as ricers. Why do I hate them Simple one almost killed me. Had a Accura Integra that my wife just thought was the coolest and sportiest car that we just had to have one. One evening going to the bank to make a night drop I was sideswiped and ran into the back end of a low-boy semi trailer [illegally park on a side street] . Well that car just folded up like an accordian. The air bag didn't deploy, seat belt retractor didn't retract and I was laying in the street sreaming for help, I got a ride to the hospital in an ambulance. After about six months of rehab, plastic surgery, a hip replacement, and a new wife [the only good thing to come out ofi it]and more than 10 years I'm back to being good as new. Oh I forgot to mention all this damage happened while I was traveling at the reckless speed of 25 MPH. So think about this the next time your running a 100 plus...........................25MPH

Yes sensibility and the turn to the ultra high revving engine was born and pushed gm to make a change. But I still feel the attitude regardless of the facts was I am buying into the Asian market. The American public has no problem with European imports relative to the Asian market because of the parent like relationship and the history the US has with Europe. Now back to what you said about the Canadian product, don’t even go to the free trade issues LOL . I know and you know that the majority of Asian cars are now more financially viable if built on the "mainland" so that happens in Canada and in the US. This does not change that the image is of paying a foreign power for our transportation. It was not the main reason the hatred came up but it definitely helped the older generation get on the bandwagon

Now Toyota a great "company" basically sends out requests for bids on products they need made. Once they are sure they have found the best quality they then focus on the cheapest of the top quality units. Then they apply the product to as many styles as possible. Actually that part usage is obviously decided before they request a bid to make the product. This sameness is actually very Asian and this showed in the "style" of their cars. It’* not a bad thing in itself but the American car is its soul, part of its good time identity. You cannot talk about the American image without talking about big and artistically styled cars. So back to Toyota....well built YES .. well at least now they are. I personally think the American public is gas conscious but the big movement to the SUV is a clear indicator what the American public really wants. They/we want big comfortable and they/we want Power!!! Not just a wine but real torque based power. You can have real power and torque and this will hurt the import market very badly.

Most recent Personal experience,
I am sorry but to this day I remember opening a 50000.00 Toyota land cruiser to get out and found in my hand the cheap little handle used on a Tercel. OUCH! That made me buy the styling ZR2 Chevy blazer. Great truck and very few down sides. The best part was everyday when I want to make my payment I was not opening a Tercel to get out of my truck. Who wants to be scammed and then have it rubbed in your face every day? I don’t

Ty

That'* exactly how I feel. For all the complaints about American reliability (and I know there are a LOT of them), for your American dollar (or Canadian, depending on your view) you have more of a selection of beautiful American cars, big and small. I have nothing personally against foreign cars - Japanese, German, etc. - and if I had more money I might even think about a Mercedes or a BMW, because these ARE beautiful vehicles. But most Jap cars are boxes compared to cars offered by the Big Three, and you pay big $$$ for a smaller car with less power. And NO one has guaranteed reliability, though you can say that foreign cars, Japs in particular, do excel in this category.
For my low income, if you can get past some of the workmanship issues, USA is the way to go, larger and more powerful for less. So many choices....

Response to BUCKMAN’* comment:

I also have a story that could have been much the same but I was driving a S10 ZR2 Chevy Blazer ( I know grown if you’ve heard the story too many times) and ate a traffic pool and drove away with minor damage. I mean minor damage. The very same day a Toyota land cruiser hit a pole and was totaled. I was going faster and the pole I took out was the same size. I have crashed 14 times in my life where I was in a domestic vehicle and I am Fine. Oh when I hit that pole my tire went over the curb sideways and there was no alignment needed and no problems whatsoever even 2 years later. In my ford windstar (200hp) I had to swerve to avoid being hit by a grandma in a old boxy corolla (she couldn’t see me her windows were fogged up) and took my ford windstar up on to a grassy medium and passed her on the grass and pulled back down. After that the van needed no alignment either. Then it proceeded to be used to take my ex back and forth between the west coast and Toronto (like California to new York) 4 times that’* 8 trips. Still was able to sell it for good money and it still run like a top. I also had that car/van so hard in a corner its rim edge was scraping the pavement and it still held on.

Oh here is a good one.
I remember my ex being rear ended by an Acura while driving my old bush buggy Suzuki and the Acura was totaled. I think it was the US made Smitty built bumper that saved the Suzuki. LOL


Don’t get me wrong the import is an ok car but it has been pushed up on a pedestal it can’t maintain. That is another reason people don’t like imports the initial attack on American car quality. That made Americans embarrassed and some Americans angry.

The only good thing about imports in my mind is they forced GM and Ford to be more responsible when it came to making cars. But there are horror stories about American cars too and it was the “we have no competition" attitude that hurt American automakers.

Oh just a side note recently the vette wont the super car contest. This also included streetability among other things. yes it was the twin turbo but it was a Gm car.

Ty