2_Liter_Turbo

What's your opinion on this? I personally think the Japanese have lost their way as well, which is why I stick with the 90's era cars.

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticl...Cars-Suck.aspx

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collegekid

There is a lot one can speculate about it but I highly doubt any new resurgence coming ever again. I think I am slowly coming to terms with it when I still hold it dear to my heart that I want people driving sporty cars vs those useless ass hatchbacks small suvs (I see a lot of youngsters buying them when they dont do anything that warrants all that "utility").

Just buy up all the older sporty cars that you can afford to have and hold your head high.

di-devol

This is exactly what my dad said when I got my first 240. Not necessarily about Japanese cars, just the evolution of cars in general.

My son turns 16 this July, he could give fuck all about getting a car, let alone getting his driver's license. Times change.

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2_Liter_Turbo

I think this is the other half of the problem honestly. Automotive/motorsports enthusiasm is dying off very quickly. Everything is becoming so "instant gratification" and "doing what's trendy to get social media followers" that the true enthusiasts number's are growing smaller and smaller every day (as well as getting older and older). Kids these days are too stuck in their virtual worlds that they don't have the desire to experience anything that's actually real.

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92 S13: Just for Fun Car
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spooled240

I don't think that has too much to do with it. American car companies are selling performance cars and kicking ass.

Japan just simply doesn't make anything exciting and halfway affordable anymore. They seemed to all hit a wall at around 300hp and kept making the cars bigger and heavier. Meanwhile Ford is making base models that come with 300+hp stock lol.

RalliartRsX

The first comment x1009092. There is NOTHING that ticks 90% of the boxes like a ATS-V or a GT350, or a Hell cat, or SRT Challenger, or a Focus RS or a Ecoboost Mustang, etc. If I want a mundane hatchback with some power, grab a used Focus ST. If I want something the wife can drive and haul our kids, grab a ATS-V. If I want more utility, grab a SRT8. If I want ground stomping power, grab a Hellcat or Viper. If I want gas mileage, grab a Cruz.

I hate to say it, and this is from a die hard Japan guy (grew up around the early Evolution Of Tommy Makinen and STIs of McRae for instance, Silvias, everything all the flat brim boys fawn at, etc), but America is just producing a better product, simple. And they are actually fairly reliable, comfortable, are lookers and perform remarkably well against the German counterparts. If consumables weren't so high, I would be in a CTS-V right meow.

Japan has always has (atleast up until recently) a gentleman's cap @ 300HP. This has been in place for decades.

Bnr32gtr

I think we here in the USA have always and will always get the short in on import cars. If in 89 my s13 could have came factory equip with sr20 how do u think sells would have went for the corvette? Ford bought Mazda so they could stop production of the rx7 in the USA so it would not compete with mustangs sells.there a ton of cars that we don't get or don't get the real/right drive line because they don't want it to hurt our sells here in the USA. I'm a gm guy but if I was to buy a new car today that's in the 30k range I hate to say it would be a ford

spooled240

I don't think that's in effect anymore..or even needed with the lack of testicles 99% of Japanese cars come with anyway.

Nissan2nr22

All new nissan cars look like shit, i mean look at the new altima and maxima lol.

I wouldnt mine a new diesel titan tho

FormulaDz92

I'm not so sure about kicking ass sales wise but the american car companies Ford and Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep/...Fiat in particular have been putting out a wide range of great vehicles at lower-than expected prices. The WRX and BRZ/FRS/86 are still great options from japan though. Options though aren't the problem.

The problem is current trends, marketing and instant gratification. I'm an early 20-something so a lot of my friends have been buying their first new car and it seems like everyone is gravitating towards these bland mini-crossovers such as that mini Honda CR-V thing. They buy these cars for no particular reason. They're rarely used for carrying hiking/athletic gear and aren't even out in the snow that much, hell a lot of them aren't even AWD. To sum up, it's very depressing to watch so many great cars be produced and see them neglected for tinny lifted econoboxes that offer no driving pleasure and an increased roll-over risk.

feito

you would be basically getting a good powerplant (cummins, right?) only, because Im sure the rest of the truck is pure shit like the rest of its family.
I too am seriously disappointed at the quality of most of japan's main manufacturers. Most domestics too.
If I was to look into getting a brand new car (which I never will), I would look into kia/hyundai.

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VROOOM

Trust me, the RX7 didnt take any sales away from the Mustang. the RX7 was twice as expensive as the Mustang.

1994 Mustang GT base price was $17,505
1994 RX7 base price was $36,500

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lunchmeat

I haven't wanted anything from Japan since the late 90's. Just can't get excited about anything they're putting out now. So when the time comes for a newer car, it'll probably be a s550 mustang.

Malik

Its also about how creative you are, stock 240's are pretty lame. wheel fitment rules over everything.

I'll leave this pic here; modern nissans are still dope.

2_Liter_Turbo

^^^ Personally that doesn't do a thing for me. Don't get me wrong, they are very capable cars. They are monsters for the most part. But after doing extensive testing on one, I prefer my R32 over the R35 hands down. Sure it's slower, doesn't handle as well, and is generally an old tired Nissan, but I enjoy driving it way more than I did the R35, and I think it looks better. Just personal opinion there.

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lunchmeat

Don't care for the r35. Yes, it's hatefully fast and all that, but it's a video game in car form. Now if Nissan cut half the computer crap out of it, gave it a 6 spd, and sold it for half what they want for it, then I might be interested in it.

As for that gtr, I don't care for scaffolding wings and over fenders look like ass.

spooled240

The 90's was the golden era of Japanese cars, but the early 00's were also great. IS300, s2k, ct9a, STi's, 350z's and miata's were very competitive, stylish and quality built.

I don't know what happened. Nissan has been making the same god damn Z for the past 8-9 years.

S14kouki805

Yeah Jap cars fell waaaaay off, I remember thinking I'd never buy a domestic but now I would definitely consider the new 5.0 if I were in the market for a new car.

The FR-S/BR-Z twins had so much potential but they screwed that all up with that weak ass engine. It didn't have to have an STi engine either, they could've gone with something along the lines of the WRX power levels and been golden. Then a higher HP variant (STi/TRD model). But nooooo, they say oh but so "balanced" yeah ok I get it but who the hell doesn't want more HP?

I worked for Toyota in the mid 2000's and the domestics were no competition at all. I remember thinking who in the hell would buy a Fusion/Malibu over a
Camry/Accord/Altima? Now they are about even or better.

The Japanese need to get their shit together fast. Infiniti and Acura are a fucking joke. Lexus is still nice even though they all look like a damn trout.

S14kouki805

Oh and the R35 GT-R, meh. Soulless computer, no manual (yeah, yeah, yeah but it shifts in .0000000001 milliseconds, IDGAF it's BORING!), and styling that says WTF were they thinking?!

And the ancient 370Z...don't get me started

lunchmeat

The gtr front looks like the last gen Celica.

dorkidori_s13

IS300 = 90s car (1998)
S2000 = 90s car (1999)
CT9A = developed in the late 90s, released in 01 (technically 2000 as the Lancer Cedia seeing as the Evo7 was developed on that chassis)
350z = developed in the late 90s, released in 02
Miata NA and NB = 90s cars, the NC was garbage and the ND isnt much better

just saying...

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Japanese cars from the past 10 years....

GTR - fat, bloated, ugly and no manual option... WAY too much technology, makes owners think they can drive when they really cant!
Mazdaspeed 3 - damn fun FWD car... will probably sell my Protege5 to a 1st gen (I drove the piss out of my ex's 2010 2nd gen, was a BLAST)
Civic SI - meh, torquey as all hell... but is all around soft
370z - the 370z looks like shit (and has done since the 350z), car is amazingly stiff but its a chassis thats been around for 14 years now... its a dead horse
RX8 - handled and drove amazingly! IMO looked awesome, ABSOLUTELY GUTLESS!!!
Evolution 10 - would give my left nut to own one... potential wasnt realized until a few years after is release. absolutely gorgeous car! a little soft, but can be easily fixed with coilovers
STI - god awful looking now. GR platform really came into its own toward the end of its lifespan.
FRS/BRZ - do not buy unless youre 22... also, GUTLESS!!!
NSX - way too much technology (again, like GTR), first of the new wave of hybrid based JDM super cars... also, auto only!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand last but not least, though not Japanese made...

Mustang Ecoboost - THE NEW SILVIA!!! GET OVER IT!!!

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hatch4life

This is depressing

dorkidori_s13

not really... cars go thru periods of shit and periods of awesome. right now the american manufacturers are kicking ass, but they havent been able to do squat for decades! im sure the japanese will come back in 10-20 years.

but then again, in 10-20 years everything will be hybrid, automatic and probably MOSTLY self driven... so wait, i retract that remark lol

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lunchmeat

Domestics were king in the 60s. And then went to utter shit in the 70s, and continued to be shit till the 90s, where they were slightly less shitty.

hatch4life

lmao right? even now I can only think of a few modern day sports cars I would like to own, foreign or domestic and none of them give me the feeling 90's jap cars do

Standard

What a great new topic that hasn't been discussed at all, I mean I guess there's that thread in off topic that has been around for almost a decade LOL

Honestly, it's just a bunch of opinions. I own a Chevy trailblazer, I love it, and It's about to roll over 300k. I do like GM, Ford and Chrysler, no! In my opinion, Toyota's are the most dependable and well engineered cars on the road. Don't get me wrong though I like Nissan's/Infiniti's as I've owned them primarily. And the R35 and Z34 are beautiful in my eyes

Malik

^ the voice of reason... and yes there's already a future rwd thread.

ixfxi

you're a bit on crack....

r35 is a fast car because its a fast car. looks nice too. would prefer a MT but thats obviously not an option

370z looks nice and is a complete improvement over the 350z in every way. tired design though, nissan needs to move forward with a successor already

rx8 is a turd. talk about ugly. never to be considered a successor to the FD. unacceptable.

evo 10. who would in their right mind would ever want to own a mitsubishi. 7-9 were the only cars of interest, the rest is all dog shit.

the 86 and ND miatas ARE the best budget sports cars to come out of japan recently. worth every dollar.

as for the NSX, the new design goes with the etymology behind its name: New Sportscar eXperimental. there is no reason why the car should be anything pure or light-weight. honda had the power to do whatever they felt would speak for the brand. i dont care for the new vehicle for the same reasons as you, but i wont knock them for doing what they did.

as for the new mustang, i dont get it. car looks nice from the exterior, but i cant manage to sit in the interior of a new mustang OR camaro without wanting to throw up. its a really shitty driving environment.

lunchmeat

What's with the mustang and camaro interiors? Haven't put my ass in a new stang yet, but sitting in a camaro feels like I'm stuck in a WWII era pillbox.

dizzariot

I really love it when dudes say the ZN6 has no power. My 1988 Silvia Q's has no power. The AE86 has no power. The ZN6 is fine the way it is. In the grand scheme of things, a manual, KA24DE 240SX has enough power. Everyone acts like they can drive a 300HP car with such adept skill. Slow your roll, Ryan Gosling from Drive.

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