Cars crushed in street racing crackdown

[sblake01]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070620/ap_on_re_us/crushed_hot_rods

[Zs-ondabrain]

I laughed my arse off when I saw that. That'll teach 'em. They put everyone and them selves in danger and they get what they deserve.

Do you think they'll learn??? Not likely!!! Where the hell do these kids get 10 grand to sink into a fricken Honda POS?

[Hrududu]

Where the hell do these kids get 10 grand to sink into a fricken Honda POS?

Excellent question. I pretty much worked my arse off thrugh high school and now and I still have a hard time finding $300 to do my rear struts. I really don't understand why they do it. Its just not logical by any means. Why do they spend 10k to make a 16 second car into a 14 second car, when they could just buy a Trans-Am or Z28 and turn a 13 second car into a 10 second car. Its funny how that kid with the 350hp Acura says he can beat a Corvette or Ferrari. Even if you could, at the end of the day you're driving home in an Acura and the other dude is driving home in a Ferrari. Which would you rather take home??

[Pennyman]

Excellent question. I pretty much worked my arse off thrugh high school and now and I still have a hard time finding $300 to do my rear struts. I really don't understand why they do it. Its just not logical by any means. Why do they spend 10k to make a 16 second car into a 14 second car, when they could just buy a Trans-Am or Z28 and turn a 13 second car into a 10 second car. Its funny how that kid with the 350hp Acura says he can beat a Corvette or Ferrari. Even if you could, at the end of the day you're driving home in an Acura and the other dude is driving home in a Ferrari. Which would you rather take home??

Yeah, and why bother sinking 10 grand into a old "POS" beater Datsun over the course of several years in an attempt to "restore" it or make it faster when you can just get a V8 detroit machine and beat the pants off of any of the rusty old Datsuns out of the box. Or if you like fixing old cars there's plenty of old american muscle classics that need TLC between trailerings to hot august nights. Why bother with a crusty slow Z when you can get something much better looking or faster for the same price? In the end we're all driving "jap-cans" like the rest of them. Ours just happen to be more rusty and fewer in number.

This thread reeks of hypocrisy already...

[TomoHawk]

Datsun Z cars aren't the "Japanese imports" that the Honda, Acuras, Toyatas are. The Datsun Zs aren't responsible for screwing up the Amkerican economy like those other Japanese cars do when they come over here in thousands or millions every year for the last 15 - 20 years.

Datsun Zs are real sports cars from Japan. Classics. That's why we buy them, fix them, keep them. Just like their Eropean cousins.

OTOH, if these kids can afford $10,000 for the car parts & whatever, they could also go a little further and get a license for racing in sanctioned race courses.

thx

[1 Bravo 6]

Come on now Pennyman,

I understand where you're coming from, but your choice of comparison is totally wrong mate.

How can you possibly compare Z cars that have been lovingly restored and driven by their owners just for the pure pleasure of owning a true classic that is recognised as one of the ten most important marques in the history of motoring, with a '92 & '93 Honda Civic and a '98 Acura that have been souped up by fools and idiots solely for the purpose of ILEGAL street racing that pose a definite threat to life and limb of other, innocent road users. I don't mention the idiots who own such vehicles as it would probably be better to get them out of the gene pool.

Rick.

[240Z-Fan]

Come on now Pennyman,

How can you possibly compare Z cars [...] with a '92 & '93 Honda Civic and a '98 Acura that have been souped up by fools and idiots solely for the purpose of ILEGAL street racing that pose a definite threat to life and limb of other, innocent road users. I don't mention the idiots who own such vehicles as it would probably be better to get them out of the gene pool.

Rick.

Huh? I have people ask me why a bother with an old Japanese car when for the same money I could have a 69 Camaro.

These kids are crazy about their cars. They are no different from us other than they exhibit poor judgement in racing their cars on the streets.

-Al

A fan of all cars, including 16 second Hondas.

This thread reeks of hypocrisy already...

[zguitar71]

Datsun Z cars aren't the "Japanese imports" that the Honda, Acuras, Toyatas are. The Datsun Zs aren't responsible for screwing up the Amkerican economy like those other Japanese cars do when they come over here in thousands or millions every year for the last 15 - 20 years.

thx

Z's are the car that took America by storm and started the Japanese invasion. Driving a vintage Z is a great advertisement for the Japanese car market, it builds nostalgia and brand recognition and reminds people of the Z lineage leading to the new 350z which they can go purchase right now. Many import cars are produced here in America creating jobs and economic growth. The big three have taken more jobs to other countries like Mexico than create new jobs here. The bottom line: American cars are not competitive with imported cars and the big three can only blame themselves. If they paid attention to the desires of the American public and built a decent car then they would not be in the state they are in now.

[sblake01]

Well, that's just Tomohawk's narrow mind. I remember some similar comments in a similar thread about a year ago. All Datsun branded automobiles that came to the US were built in Japan. In the last 15-20 years, as you state, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan built most of there cars here. A little more fact and a little less opinion, please.

[ta240]

Z's are the car that took America by storm and started the Japanese invasion.

One of the old 240Z reviews I read said something like "We may have won the war but it is beginning to be clear who will rule the roads"

I was happy they were punishing them for racing but they mention just for a second that all the cars being crushed had stolen engines and or transmissions in them. So they weren't being crushed just for racing. Shouldn't they have been watching them get crushed from behind bars if they had stolen engines in them?

-Trevor

www.Geocities.com/z-car

[AndysPlit]

Very well said. Z's are an exception and always will be. They garner more respect than any current import.

Datsun Z cars aren't the "Japanese imports" that the Honda, Acuras, Toyatas are. The Datsun Zs aren't responsible for screwing up the Amkerican economy like those other Japanese cars do when they come over here in thousands or millions every year for the last 15 - 20 years.

Datsun Zs are real sports cars from Japan. Classics. That's why we buy them, fix them, keep them. Just like their Eropean cousins.

OTOH, if these kids can afford $10,000 for the car parts & whatever, they could also go a little further and get a license for racing in sanctioned race courses.

thx

[Hrududu]

Yeah, and why bother sinking 10 grand into a old "POS" beater Datsun over the course of several years in an attempt to "restore" it or make it faster when you can just get a V8 detroit machine and beat the pants off of any of the rusty old Datsuns out of the box. Or if you like fixing old cars there's plenty of old american muscle classics that need TLC between trailerings to hot august nights. Why bother with a crusty slow Z when you can get something much better looking or faster for the same price? In the end we're all driving "jap-cans" like the rest of them. Ours just happen to be more rusty and fewer in number.

This thread reeks of hypocrisy already...

Hey, who says I wouldn't ditch my Z for a nice SS Chevelle or early Camaro? The point I am making is not that these cars are japanese beaters. What these kids are trying to do makes no logical sense to me. They are taking cars that were built as daily drviers for the purpose of being cheap to buy and good on gas, and trying to turn them into drag racing cars for summer nights on neighborhood streets. Restoring a Z into a show car makes sense because it is a 30 year old classic that started an era for Japanese cars in America. Making a Z into a race car makes sense because it was built as a performace car to start with. I'm not saying the Z makes much of a better drag car, because it really doesn't. What I'm saying is if you want a drag racing car, buy a drag car. If you want a handling car for autox or circut racing, buy a car that can do that (like our Z's or maybe a Porsche). and if you want a car to get you from A to B getting 30mpg and serves as a reliable and inexpensive daily driver, you buy an Acura or Honda. I can't think of many people who save up to buy a brand new Z06 so they can get the kids to soccer practice and pick up the groceries. Trying to make an econobox into a perfomance car makes just about as much sense to me. If I wanted to run low 1/4 mile times I would buy myself a 91 Camaro and swap in a supercharged 383 stroker. Costs less than what these Honda kids are making and does better times.