I saw a Subie ...

[rez333]

Checked out a Subaru's brakes (cos they were red), and noticed they were quite nice looking.

But it didn't make a lick of difference, because it wasn't a high performance car.

I thought about it for a minute, and realized that no matter what some people do to mod their cars, aesthetic or functional, it won't make a difference to most of us. We have already made our opinion on the car, or we just don't care. The owner maybe thinks: "heh - everyone's admiring my awesome red brakes", but most of us are thinking "so what - it's not a noteworthy car in the first place".

If we extend that thought, Lambo/Ferrari owners probably think the same about American muscle cars and Corvettes.

When I see a 15 year old muscle car that looks different, I can't get past the 15 year old aspect, despite whatever *real* mods the owner may have done. If a car is awesome stock to someone, that car will always be awesome. If a car was never awesome stock to someone, that car will never be awesome no matter what's done to it.

Don't believe me? Just think about the SEMA cars for a minute. They are clearly amazing looking cars. Clearly. But they still are what they are. They are still Camaros or Mustangs etc. no matter what's been done to them. They aren't widebody cars (for example) - that's just a kit that's been added. Extend that thought to a Kia Forte: imagine those same SEMA mods you liked on the Camaro on the Forte: do they make you want to get a Forte?

I guess what I'm saying is that, at least for me, the stock version of a car - the label that's printed on the pink slip, is the true identity of the car. Adding mods to them may make them perform or look better, but they don't affect our level of respect for the car.

From a poor man's perspective, a Camaro is awesome because it's a Camaro that he can't afford. For most of us middle-class folks, a Lambo/Ferrari is awesome because it's a Lambo/Ferrari that we can't afford. If the Lambo owner puts on "Lambo doors" on his Gallardo, it's not going to make us respect his car any more already, any more than Lambo doors on a Camaro will make a poor guy respect a Camaro more.

I am saying this because I am considering some performance mods, and some of which will make my car look "better" than the garden variety. But if I'm honest with myself - those conspicuous mods actually won't make any difference to people's respect for the car. That's why Camaro owners are often heard remarking "it's still a Civic" despite whatever the Civic car owner has done to his car.

Thoughts?

[9.8m/s/s]

I agree with everything, except it could have been a high performance car, with big enough turbo it could outrun a lot of other cars.
The driver might enjoy driving their car as much as you enjoy driving yours and isn't that what matters

[8cd03gro]

No offense, but it sounds like you care too much about what other people think. If you enjoy it who cares how much someone else respects it? I didnt buy my car or mod my car to impress some asshole judging my car and if i had i think i'd be driving a much slower, less enjoyable, less reliable car. I picked my mods because they're what i want. When you take a girl out to dinner, do you look around hoping every guy there thinks she's hot? If some guy came up and said, "hey you, my girl is hotter!" Are you going to get up and leave? I see plenty of awesome cars that i wouldnt like if they were stock. What does it matter how the car got, "awesome?"

[JamesNoBrakes]

OEM 4-pot WRX brakes in 2006 and 2007 were red I think. These were not the bigger brembos on the STI, but they were a very nice OEM 4-pot brake, compared to the earlier ones.

[rez333]

Originally Posted by 8cd03gro

No offense, but it sounds like you care too much about what other people think. I didnt buy my car or mod my car to impress some asshole judging my car. I picked my mods because they're what i want. When you take a girl out to dinner, do you look around hoping every guy there thinks she's hot?

yes, but you'd have to develop a thick skin driving a 4 banger that sounds like a fat guy farted in a bucket.



chill dude. I am assessing the general populace as a commentary on the human condition. Don't make things personal or it could get ugly.

[8cd03gro]

Originally Posted by rez333

yes, but you'd have to develop a thick skin driving a 4 banger that sounds like a fat guy farted in a bucket.



chill dude. I am assessing the general populace as a commentary on the human condition. Don't make things personal or it could get ugly.

How did i make it personal? My car doesn't have pretty red brakes, it has stock gold brembos. I was explaining to you that you shouldn't worry so much about some morons jdging your car, they don't pay the bills.

[rez333]

you made it personal by talking about me, instead of discussing my topic. Duh.

Thousands upon thousands of threads on camaro5 show that many people exhibit the behavior that I am describing: that we respect a car based on the stock version regardless of mods. Do you have a comment on that topic? Be my guest to comment on that.

[JamesNoBrakes]

Originally Posted by rez333

yes, but you'd have to develop a thick skin driving a 4 banger that sounds like a fat guy farted in a bucket.



chill dude. I am assessing the general populace as a commentary on the human condition. Don't make things personal or it could get ugly.

My subie sounded like a low-pitched earthquake, way deeper/lower rumble than my SS. Unequal length headers + less restriction=way deep sound. It wasn't as loud as some of the completely gutted STIs I've ran into, but what it lacked in all-out-loudness it made up for in being deeper and "rumbling". Put most V8s to shame.

[joey0480]

I respect a car for what it is but I do respect what an owner puts into a car. Granted, a civic bubble to me is butt ugly and still a civic bubble, but when you see them running 11's at the tracks....you say, "dang that nasty thing is fast" and have a bit more respect as to what the owner has done. Heck, if I see a mint 1992 civic (not that I have seen one) I have to think the owner cares for their car and respect that.
I differ on the subaru from you. Being a previous Evo VIII owner, I have respect for both the STI and Evo stock...those are serious rally cars as well as street cars.

[8cd03gro]

Originally Posted by rez333

you made it personal by talking about me, instead of discussing my topic. Duh.

Thousands upon thousands of threads on camaro5 show that many people exhibit the behavior that I am describing: that we respect a car based on the stock version regardless of mods. Do you have a comment on that topic? Be my guest to comment on that.

The last three paragraphs of your post are about you. Unless when you say, "i am considering...," and "at least for me..." you are referring to someone else. it doesn't seem lke you're making a commentary, but looking for input on your own dilemma. Read your last and third to last paragraph and try to honesty tell me they're not your own opinions. I didn't make this about you, your original post did.

Here, i'll reword as to not upset you. PEOPLE who worry that much about others respecting their car will end up unhappy. PEOPLE need to worry about what THEY like and enjoy. PEOPLE who are concerned with the opinions of others over their own will just end up unhappy with THEIR cars. There are too many varying opinions and fanboys to please everyone, so PEOPLE need to focus on pleasing themselves. Better? You're getting hung up on nothing. You stated your position and asked for thoughts. Is that not what i gave you? What are you looking for? Only coments tht take the same position? Mod your car the way you want. Does that comment not address your last paragraph exactly?

[rez333]

Originally Posted by joey0480

I respect a car for what it is but I do respect what an owner puts into a car. Granted, a civic bubble to me is butt ugly and still a civic bubble, but when you see them running 11's at the tracks....you say, "dang that nasty thing is fast" and have a bit more respect as to what the owner has done. Heck, if I see a mint 1992 civic (not that I have seen one) I have to think the owner cares for their car and respect that.
I differ on the subaru from you. Being a previous Evo VIII owner, I have respect for both the STI and Evo stock...those are serious rally cars as well as street cars.

I never said that the Subaru I saw was an STI. It wasn't.

[rez333]

Originally Posted by 8cd03gro

The last three paragraphs of your post are about you. Unless when you say, "i am considering...," and "at least for me..." you are referring to someone else. it doesn't seem lke you're making a commentary, but looking for input on your own dilemma. Read your last and third to last paragraph and try to honesty tell me they're not your own opinions. I didn't make this about you, your original post did.

No. What I'm doing is emphasizing the fact that I am stating an OPINION. I've refrained from the redundancy before which has often resulted in people getting upset because they can't differentiate between opinion and a statement of fact. Furthermore, by putting myself into the statement it softens an argument and reduces the chances of someone mistaking my discussion as a rebuke. It's not a rebuke, it's my perception of human behavior - inclusive of myself.

Think of your least favourite brand (eg. Lada or something). Imagine someone modded a car from that brand it to have the same specs and quality as a Camaro. Would you consider buying it? If you said no, you fit what I am describing.

Are we through talking about me yet?

[Muscle SS]

I basically disagree with everything you said, and think you might be over thinking some areas, while over simplifying others. Most wouldn't notice a Lamborghini with lambo doors because most assume they should come that way, but of I saw lambo doors on a Ferrari, I would think it was awesome. But with subarus, I dislike most, as most are just fart canned, but have much respect for the ones that stand out from the crowd and can hold their own, and of tastfully astecially done, I would admire that aspect as well. The same would even go for a civic IMO, to a certain extent

[rez333]

Originally Posted by Muscle SS

I basically disagree with everything you said, and think you might be over thinking some areas, while over simplifying others. Most wouldn't notice a Lamborghini with lambo doors because most assume they should come that way, but of I saw lambo doors on a Ferrari, I would think it was awesome. But with subarus, I dislike most, as most are just fart canned, but have much respect for the ones that stand out from the crowd and can hold their own, and of tastfully astecially done, I would admire that aspect as well. The same would even go for a civic IMO, to a certain extent

There's exceptions to every rule, but the ultimate test is whether you'd buy a car that you don't normally like, just because it was modded. There's a difference between respecting mods, and respecting the car with mods enough to buy it. Putting your money where your mouth is, is the ultimate test of your true feelings.

I can look at say a Civic, open the hood and admire the orange anodized blown engine that the owner installed. Would that make me want to buy that Civic? No. "It's still a Civic" - that's a statement heard in thousands of forums everywhere - camaro5 included, so I'm not the only one who thinks this way.

What I'm doing is extending that thought pattern to our own situation. I think those of us who are inclined to install, say yellow carbon fiber Brembos, do so thinking that it will probably attract admiration. What I'm saying is that if the guy on the street doesn't admire the Camaro in the first place, the yellow Brembos won't make the Camaro any more desirable to him.

Check out how many hits "It's still a Civic" gets:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22it...aq=f&aqi=&aql=