What happened to the import tuner scene?

treefrog

treefrog

Well-Known Member
20
7
Erie, PA
Vehicle Model
Civic Si
Body Style
Coupe
I was kind of pissed today when someone told me that the tuner scene is dead and that no one gives a s*** about my hooped up honda civic. I have a 12 si coupe. It's all stock save a k&n typhoon intake.

I know the ricer fad is dead with people putting stupid wings and fart cans on their family cars. The days of 50 body kits being available for the civic are gone. Shops that used to install almost anything won't anymore.

It's very discouraging. I'm 33 and have been into tuning cars since I got my license. I never did anything crazy or cosmetic. But I have fun at the local drag strip in the summer. I like having a daily driver that's quick and fun.

But it's hard now finding a place to install lowering springs even. And if they will the want $400. What has happened?

I see people down town at the old spot. But they are all 18-20. And I feel old age out of place. It seems like it's starting to come back a little bit.

What has happened to the import tuner scene? And is it coming back?
 
Based on the posts here, I would not say it is dead. I am 34 and I relate to what you said completely. I have 3 kids and my family vehicle is my "practical" car. My 13 Civic si coupe is my fun dd toy that I drive to work. :)
 
Not sure how this post makes any sense seeing as how the word "Stance" is plastered across the entire interweb..
 
The "Tuner" scene hasn't died, it's just evolved, eh, into something that's purely aesthetic.
 
somewhat similar thread with some opinions/chat on the scene
http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/whats-wrong-with-the-scene.8040/

There was another thread on this topic that was better, but I cannot remember who started it, or what it was titled.

As for springs, you should be able to find a general mechanic/shop who would be willing to swap springs out for cheaper than $400. Another option is posting a thread in the regional area. It's not uncommon for a local member who has the tools to help do the install for you. Just shoot them some money/beer/food or whatever for their time and whatnot. Doesn't hurt to ask.
 
its not dead its just different. there aren't a lot of tuner shops around because they cost money to run. now you can just sit at home and run a "speed shop" out of your living room online. just drop ship parts to people. It sucks..... but honestly the internet and bargain shoppers ruined that part of the scene. people would buy something online for $20 cheaper, rather than support a local store you can actually walk in to. now they complain when they're gone. im 31 and i too feel old at car shows. but thats part of growing up i guess. sometimes i want to get rid of my car and just get something more my age bracket. lol. Kids today care less about getting that rare part that only some will notice. nope, now they want 47 cans of bright orange and pink plastidip that scream 'hey look at my car!!!' God i remember ordering HKS parts for my Starion from some connection in Japan and waiting weeks for it. lol. now people want carbon look vinyl instead of actual carbon fiber. The scene has definitely become purely aesthetic, and FAKE aesthetic. plastidip, vinyl wraps, and cheap tires and wheels is the name of the game. people spend $1500 on vinyl wrapping, new rims and tires, and a few cans of plastidip. and they get pissed when a magazine won't feature their car. or when a company won't sponsor them. lol.
 
I can also relate to this, back in the day when I had my del sol there were tons of mods for all civics. I remember having the d16z6 and waiting for my holley airmass 4-2-1 header, then my jackson racing exhaust and the spintech muffler, the kyb agx 4ways and the tein coils, not to mention custon targa tops and endless amounts of everything else. I was in high school then, and it was all rice from a good 80% of my fellow honda owners in the area, with the exotic body kits and lambo doors. I wasn't really into that, I like having things custom, and I think those old days of attention whores are over because there are a lot more serious enthusiasts out there that like the customizations to be classy and more personal imo. Which is a lot better, and I'm very happy with the way the import scene has went the last ten years, I think it's become more about how your car makes you feel, not how it makes other people feel. You still have your little pockets of glitter with the tuners, I see it more in the drift scene than anything, but I don't think that will ever go away entirely.
 
I actually like how the scene has evolved. Back in the day it was full of gaudy body kits and fart cans that didn't do anything for power, just made the car louder. I think things are more mature now aside from the drift and stance stuff. A lot of people are setting their cars up with an eye for quality and making cars look good. Id rather see a civic lowered a couple of inches with some nice wheels, nice side skirts and front lip rather than one with an atrocious body kit and 10 foot tall wing. I have noticed its not as booming as it was though. Some of it could be the muscle cars coming back out too. I see more modded mustangs, camaros, chargers, and challengers than I do imports where I live.
 
I just want to lower it with H&R springs, hfp lip kit, intake and quite cat back and some tuning. I like the head lights from pro civic also. I like the clean look. No vinyl or plastic dip junk.
 
This new generation of "Tuners", and I use that term loosely, can't even change their own oil half the time. This is a direct result of the current cosmetic fad that's constantly backed by automotive blogs and amateur photographers. I almost only respect the drift guys because they're able to both repair and destroy their cars while forming a bond.
 
I remember some of the meets I used to go to back around '07-'09. Things started going downhill when a younger crowd started showing up with some terrible ebay lights, underglow, strobes, etc etc. I also started growing out of that kind of group. As you get older you usually start maturing even more...and sometimes you can't deal with some of the younger guys.
 
treefrog said:
Agreed I can't even hang out down town with the ricers anymore. They drive me nuts!
Click to expand...
Something similar is happening with the S2000 group. As the car has aged, prices (on some anyway) have come down and people who aren't qualified to own, much less drive Civics are able to buy S2000's. The first question most of them ask is "how can I get more power?" and they can't even take advantage of the power that's already there. I spend time at the Dragon trying to keep them from killing themselves or worse, someone else.
 
I just want to go drive around and not have stock Chevy Cruzes' rev at me at stoplights. Or get called "ricer". That would be nice.

Also, I was offered a job at the Taco Bell drive through from the manager who was working the window. Wanted to know if I was a lifeguard and if I would be interested in guarding the pool at her apt complex for the summer.

Uhhh, how old do I look? I'm about to be 33 and yea, I drive a civic, but seriously..... semi-insulting.... just cause I've got gold wheels im sure....


But yea, it's hard to find real enthusiasts anymore. I keep asking this Japanese guy im friends with at work to get me a legit tsurikawa cause I know he's going back to Japan for a couple weeks this summer. Used to be that was the only way to get one, now I can find them on ebay for $20. Is it the same as it used to be? Waiting weeks and hoping to meet someone with a connection... Definitely not. But the ease and instant gratification of instagram/facebook/ebay/internet shopping kinda ruined everyone I think.

People aren't connected to their hobby the way they used to be. There's no real value in stuff you can get, throw away, and repurchase so easily. For me, if this guy brings me back a "real" subway ring, whether from a legit shop, cuts one off an old train car himself, or brings me a knockoff he found at the airport, it's still going to mean a lot more to me than one I can just buy and have in a week.

Also, it's definitely not going on the civic.
 
I was wondering when you would chime in here @Nix lol I can't tell you how many times a kid will roll up next to me at a stop light and rev his engine at me..with my stockness monster...all I can do is laugh lol

I also think that a lot of today's cars that offer their own customization packages are changing the scene too. We have a few things here and there that are HFP, and Scion has their own thing. What do you guys think about all that??
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nix
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top