i agree...but with those v8's...yea they're hella fast factory..and you can make them a LOT faster...but can you drive them around???

IMO, and this is just me, i'd rather have a I6 import that you can drive around on 5psi and get decent gas mileage...but crank to 20+ when you wanna dog it.

its all in personal preference...but yea i agree the factory imports "supercars" are dieing..but then again, when have there really ever been any? i mean there's the select few i.e. supras skylines and what not...but for the most part...imports aint got shit.

i am sick, and i doubt any of that made sense to anybody but me.

 

My family is a die-hard Chevrolet family. I bought an import for one reason - Chevrolet makes NOTHING that interests me. Even the Corvette. Yes, they are nice, but I don't want to be grouped into the "Corvette owner = asshole" thing, and I needed 4 seats.

So, if I wanted a 4 seater, that leaves only a few options -

1. Cavalier - enough said
2. Malibu - see Cavalier
3. Impala - are we starting to see a trend here?
4. SUV - Uhh, SUV's have their place, but they are just not for me

So, I could have a boring 4 door car with absolutely no power, or I could look at an import. I ended up going with a WRX, and have never regretted it.

In fact, the only cars I considered were imports - MazdaSpeed Protege, Mazda Protege 5, Subaru Legacy, Honda Accord, VW Jetta 1.8t, VW Jetta VR6.

The Protege 5, Accord, and Legacy were eliminated early. No power. The MS Protege wasn't bad. Handled good, but not much more power than a regular Protege. Same with 1.8t Jetta. So it came down to the VR6 and the WRX. The AWD was the selling point. The VR6 had leather, but that didn't matter. Maybe because the one I drove was silver with grey leather, but it just looked too plain.

So, basically, I guess the point of my ramblings is that none of the domestic manufacturers made anything that I considered worth buying. That's why I bought an import. The SRT4 and EVO were not in production, or they would have received major consideration too.

 

I'm sorry but I'll argue this point with anybody....An S2000 is without a doubt a sports car, and actually it's one of the most hardcore sports cars ever built. And to the original point of this thread....I like the way of the Japanese cars. To me there's more to a car than HP and torque. It's about making a car that the driver can connect with. You don't connect with a Mustang Cobra. You push the pedal and hang on for the ride. It sounds corny, but unless you've ever driven a real sports car you wouldn't understand. Mustang, Camaro, SRT-4, Firebird, Magnum concept...NOT a sports car. S2000, Miata, Mr2 spyder, Solstice concept, Elise.....sports car.

 

Thats a nice thought, but boost to me is more of a compliment. If you think of it in your terms, you seem to be saying a smaller displacement engine with pressure beyond atmospheric will make power same as a larger displacement engine, BUT, throw some boost at a big V8.......... It just goes on and on. As far as imports dying off, we will see, but i personally am glad to see V8s going back for HP.

 

Are convertibles sports cars? Id say no cause they have to throw on the hard top. 2seater..okay, but still run that car in stock form without the hardtop, aerodynamics should prove the car slower with the drop top. If it was a true sports car, it wouldnt have been a convertible.

I would not call the srt-4 a sports car, maybe a sporty compact, but def not a sports car.

 

Most sports cars where convertibles to start with back in the post war years. It wasn't until safety became a real concern that the hartop started taking over. Looking at the cars from the 40-60's and you will see my point. At one time some people would have argued its not a sports car unless it was a convertible. To argue that a car is not a sports car because its a convertible is kinda silly. Miata, MR2, S2000 are very hardcore sports.

 

a sports car is a rear wheel drive, 2 seater, well powered car that is built around its suspenion.

like vtecnology said theres a big difference between driving a car that you slam the gas pedal and hold the wheel straight and a car that is track built.

go to any of the autocross events and ull see z06 corvettes get crushed by s2000's, miata's, mr2's even with a huge powere difference. even in a larger road course these small sports cars hold there own against cars that more then double there horsepower.

 

i wouldnt mind having a cobra or a fast camero

 

by saying "yea well just because its fast doesnt mean its a sports car" yet saying that a Miata is a sports car, you are contradicting yourself. just because it can take a corner doesnt mean its a sports car. a z06 is the perfect example of a sports car in my opinion. its a (supposed) 12 second car from the factory, has excellent looks, hardtop, 6 speed, and will outhandle 99.9% of factory cars the second it rolls off the lot. an S2000 is a dog. yea, it might handle but it lacks the low end torque (or any torque below what... like 7,000rpms?) and has nothing but top end.

and what is fun about driving a miata? a while back i talked to a kid who had one and he said he had to turn off the A/C to safely merge onto a highway because it had no acceleration. if youre biased to a type of car that will take a 90 degree corner (that you wont run into on any normal road) better than another car, thats cool i guess. but acceleration is where its at. its fun to mash on the gas and rip up other cars at stop lights.

 

i agree with what your saying. i guess its all a matter of what kind of racing that your doing. for autocross the perfect car is a miata, for road racing an s2000 or z06 is great and for drag racing youve got a cobra.