Car culture is booming in 2019, the car scene is a big deal to a lot of people in Japan and the United States. Domestic cars aren't enough for most people, some would go to extreme lengths to purchase one of the classic/iconic Japanese cars. The United States does have some iconic tuner cars like the Subaru WRX, the BMW Sport Series, and the SRT Line which are all great platforms. Japenese platforms triumph the American concepts because of the Japanese imported cars are like no other because these cars are what started the car scene in the first place. For example the Rx7, R32, R33, R34 Skyline, Silvia 13, 14, and 15 were all brought in the spotlight in the United States when the “Fast and the Furious” came out in 2001 giving the USA a sneak peek into what the car scene would evolve to.
These cars are irreplaceable making up around 70% of the drift cars in the USA, the reason so many people use “JDM” cars is because the Silvia parts are interchangeable and there are a whole array of different aftermarket parts. This makes imports a great base for drifting and street racing because putting 10 grand into an import can completely change the vehicles performance. Not all imports are just about making power, enthusiasts can spend $2,000 to upwards of $15,000 on the appearance of their cars as well. Some enthusiasts will spend 10 times the actual price of the car on modifications.
The reason why american cars are not as good as imported cars is because they are not getting more MPG than imported or foreign cars. Even though american cars are getting better each time the majority of foreign cars implemented gas saving technologies much earlier.
Finally, foreign or imported cars handle better than american cars because american cars do not know how to balance if they want more power. American cars are also made with cheap suspension systems which is one of their greatest weaknesses.
So when it comes to imports from Japan and cars made in America, which would you choose? Would you rather spend $45,000 on a American made car or $20,000, and still have extra cash to put out enough power to make any American Muscle look weak in an iconic car that you don’t see everyday?