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Before you can become a true O.G. import racer you'll have to experience the 10 stages, and before you think that we’re clowning on some people, you’ll have to know that regardless if its L.A., the S.F., Bay Area, or Colorado each one of us have personally been through these 10 stages at some time. You may have not been through these stages in the same order, but you’ve been there (don't lie to yourself).
STAGE 1: “Got stick’ezz!” It could start from the often seemingly harmless “K&N” sticker that you got when you first put in that replacement filter, but often times people don’t purchase any product or any product that comes with a sticker, so they choose to do the “Honda” or the “Toyota” sticker on the windshield (just be sure to spell Toyoda right).
Upside: is that the police officer writing you your speeding tickect doesn’t know what color your car is or the or make or model.
Downside: It looks as though your sponsored by 36 different company’s, so all your friends are hitting you up for free products.
STAGE 2: “Yellow” This is probably the official color of the import racing scene. Not everybody, but you know who you are at one point, paints some part of their car with yellow accents. If its not the painted trim moldings or the yellow accents in the cars interior than its the yellow stickers.
Upside: The highest honors, and the most sought after and epitomy of any racer is to paint the entire car yellow (even if you got it painted by Maaco for $199), but very few people make it this far. Props out to you who have!
Downside: I’ve heard some asian females say they don’t like yellow cars because it clash’s with their skin tone.
STAGE 3: “Not only do tampons have them but now your car also has WINGS!” Back in the 50’s you’d always see films about the future, and in several of these films you’ll see the flying car. Now, if some of these people could only see into the future they would think that we were actually able to build flying cars because you’ll always see the biggest airplane wing on the 98 hp car.
Upside: If you do get more h.p. you might be able to fly.
Downside: you’ll have to flip your wing upside down in order to fly.
STAGE 4: “Loud mufflers with big tips”. If your enthusiasm isn’t big enough than usually your muffler and exhaust tip makes up for it, and the dying cow sound your exhaust is making cruising down the street at 5 mph shouts out that "I'm an import racer".
Upside: is that its extremely fun to see how many car alarms you could set off in the parking garage. I think I’ve been up to at least 6 - Everybody seems to have a car alarm in California.
Downside: is having a prairie dog or small animal crawl into your 5” exhaust tip (no pun intended).
STAGE 5: “The stock rims on the front”. Regardless if you have a set of (4) 19” rims you decide to put on the 15”, all-season tire, mounted on a stock steel rim. Yes, you do have less rotational mass, but with 2.5-3 degree’s of negative camber you have about a 1.5” wide contact patch (bicycle tire). Thats why its so easy to get the car to “chirp” in second gear, and its not the 123 hp under the hood.
Upside: 19” tires are expensive, but you don’t have to worry because your car is actually rear-wheel-drive.
Downside: there goes your all-season tires.
STAGE 6: “Lowering”. Eventhough you still have your new car price tags and temporary plates on you still have to lower your car. Although lowering your car to the point that speed bumps are now detours and a potential place to high center your car you still drop your car 5”’s.
Upside: You have a skinny girl/boyfriend who doesn’t weigh down the passenger side.
Downside: You do have a big girl/boyfriend...j/p! Actually Alameda and Federal is one of the biggest hazards. Not to mention mother nature - Colorado snow storms!
STAGE 7: “Unpainted body kits”. It almost took 5 months to save up for that body kit. It took almost another month just to have the body kit put on, and now your straight out busted. So it’ll be another 4 months just to have the body kit painted.
Upside: No worry’s about scratching that paint.
Downside: Don’t get fired from your job!
STAGE 8: “Engine Modification”. Usuallly, bigger or more applies at this point. You’ll want to read every mag available and go in the stages that they suggest, or you just want to buy every single prouduct out there with the word “race” in it.
Upside: Your girlfriend or boyfriend likes fast cars.
Downside: You have no boyfriend or girlfriend because they like fast cars and your broke from the modifications.
STAGE 9: “More Engine Modification” Who said you were done at 378 hp!?!? That wasn’t enough so now your looking into turbo, nitrous, normally aspirated mods, and supercharging. Even better your also considering combining a dual stage nitrous system with your current normally aspirated mods, or even better “dually aspirated!!” - twin charging: turbo and supercharging! hmmmm? Well, remember “speed cost money”
Upside: I don’t have to explain this one.
Downside: What downside!?!
Stage 10: “Selling your car for half of what you put into it”. After spending a grand total of $32,436 on the Acura integra you originally purchased for $8k you finally realized that you could have just bought a brand new Nissan 350Z from the start but that wouldn’t have been nearly as fun!, yet you still consider buying the 350Z without thinking about how its going to cost you about $80K in the end....see you on the front cover of Import Insider: “650 h.p. 350Z!”
Upside: Your car finally made it on the front cover of a magazine eventhough its the front cover of Automart classifieds.
Downside: coming up with an additional $50K for future modifications.
INTERVENTION: If you know anybody suffering from these stages, its your responsibility to get them the help they need, or you might as well be one to instigate the problem. So be sure to send in any pics of the car and driver thats going through these stages - what are friends for? We do ask that you have permission from the prospective importaholic, but remember you can’t help them unless they ask for the help.
STAGE 1: “Got stick’ezz!” It could start from the often seemingly harmless “K&N” sticker that you got when you first put in that replacement filter, but often times people don’t purchase any product or any product that comes with a sticker, so they choose to do the “Honda” or the “Toyota” sticker on the windshield (just be sure to spell Toyoda right).
Upside: is that the police officer writing you your speeding tickect doesn’t know what color your car is or the or make or model.
Downside: It looks as though your sponsored by 36 different company’s, so all your friends are hitting you up for free products.
STAGE 2: “Yellow” This is probably the official color of the import racing scene. Not everybody, but you know who you are at one point, paints some part of their car with yellow accents. If its not the painted trim moldings or the yellow accents in the cars interior than its the yellow stickers.
Upside: The highest honors, and the most sought after and epitomy of any racer is to paint the entire car yellow (even if you got it painted by Maaco for $199), but very few people make it this far. Props out to you who have!
Downside: I’ve heard some asian females say they don’t like yellow cars because it clash’s with their skin tone.
STAGE 3: “Not only do tampons have them but now your car also has WINGS!” Back in the 50’s you’d always see films about the future, and in several of these films you’ll see the flying car. Now, if some of these people could only see into the future they would think that we were actually able to build flying cars because you’ll always see the biggest airplane wing on the 98 hp car.
Upside: If you do get more h.p. you might be able to fly.
Downside: you’ll have to flip your wing upside down in order to fly.
STAGE 4: “Loud mufflers with big tips”. If your enthusiasm isn’t big enough than usually your muffler and exhaust tip makes up for it, and the dying cow sound your exhaust is making cruising down the street at 5 mph shouts out that "I'm an import racer".
Upside: is that its extremely fun to see how many car alarms you could set off in the parking garage. I think I’ve been up to at least 6 - Everybody seems to have a car alarm in California.
Downside: is having a prairie dog or small animal crawl into your 5” exhaust tip (no pun intended).
STAGE 5: “The stock rims on the front”. Regardless if you have a set of (4) 19” rims you decide to put on the 15”, all-season tire, mounted on a stock steel rim. Yes, you do have less rotational mass, but with 2.5-3 degree’s of negative camber you have about a 1.5” wide contact patch (bicycle tire). Thats why its so easy to get the car to “chirp” in second gear, and its not the 123 hp under the hood.
Upside: 19” tires are expensive, but you don’t have to worry because your car is actually rear-wheel-drive.
Downside: there goes your all-season tires.
STAGE 6: “Lowering”. Eventhough you still have your new car price tags and temporary plates on you still have to lower your car. Although lowering your car to the point that speed bumps are now detours and a potential place to high center your car you still drop your car 5”’s.
Upside: You have a skinny girl/boyfriend who doesn’t weigh down the passenger side.
Downside: You do have a big girl/boyfriend...j/p! Actually Alameda and Federal is one of the biggest hazards. Not to mention mother nature - Colorado snow storms!
STAGE 7: “Unpainted body kits”. It almost took 5 months to save up for that body kit. It took almost another month just to have the body kit put on, and now your straight out busted. So it’ll be another 4 months just to have the body kit painted.
Upside: No worry’s about scratching that paint.
Downside: Don’t get fired from your job!
STAGE 8: “Engine Modification”. Usuallly, bigger or more applies at this point. You’ll want to read every mag available and go in the stages that they suggest, or you just want to buy every single prouduct out there with the word “race” in it.
Upside: Your girlfriend or boyfriend likes fast cars.
Downside: You have no boyfriend or girlfriend because they like fast cars and your broke from the modifications.
STAGE 9: “More Engine Modification” Who said you were done at 378 hp!?!? That wasn’t enough so now your looking into turbo, nitrous, normally aspirated mods, and supercharging. Even better your also considering combining a dual stage nitrous system with your current normally aspirated mods, or even better “dually aspirated!!” - twin charging: turbo and supercharging! hmmmm? Well, remember “speed cost money”
Upside: I don’t have to explain this one.
Downside: What downside!?!
Stage 10: “Selling your car for half of what you put into it”. After spending a grand total of $32,436 on the Acura integra you originally purchased for $8k you finally realized that you could have just bought a brand new Nissan 350Z from the start but that wouldn’t have been nearly as fun!, yet you still consider buying the 350Z without thinking about how its going to cost you about $80K in the end....see you on the front cover of Import Insider: “650 h.p. 350Z!”
Upside: Your car finally made it on the front cover of a magazine eventhough its the front cover of Automart classifieds.
Downside: coming up with an additional $50K for future modifications.
INTERVENTION: If you know anybody suffering from these stages, its your responsibility to get them the help they need, or you might as well be one to instigate the problem. So be sure to send in any pics of the car and driver thats going through these stages - what are friends for? We do ask that you have permission from the prospective importaholic, but remember you can’t help them unless they ask for the help.
