The Jap car craze

[gv1.3]

Is it over?

I was back in Ireland a few weeks ago and drove from Dublin to Donegal and did not pass any modified jap cars at all. I was around Dublin several times after that for two weeks and came across a handful of subarus etc but nothing that stood out - oh there was one Glanza on the m50 that said hello

It is very strange because if I think back to just a few years ago you couldnt go anywhere without meeting modified Japanese cars everywhere. They were in every carpark and on every road and car classifieds were full of them, what changed?

Is it-
lack of money?
harder to get insurance?
the scene has peaked?
annual nct?
speed vans catching people?
police crackdown?

Personally I think it is a real shame, I used to love driving along and seeing so many modified cars everywhere but now I see more modified Jap cars in the US than when am back in Ireland?! 4 years ago you would rarely see any here and now they are everywhere.

 

[pilgrim_fgau]

Personally I think the scene seems to be with the vag lot. To me its the cheaper modifying scene, ie a set of bbs, stretched tyres, decked and remap. No need for expensive forged engines, bigger blowers and the rest that comes with it. Let alone that usually the jap tuning parts are also a lot more expensive.

 

[AdamB]

Think the vag scene is more about looks than performance tbh. Don't see many, if any 1000bhp vag stuff.

 

[aidan]

i think most of it is down to fuel price and the clamp down by the law which is why the vag scene is flying

 

[shanegt]

back then everything was booming here,now its more of a struggle unfortunately, but while the craze has simmered out it will never end.

 

[Nick@TD.co.uk]

We're the busiest we've ever been, and getting busier!

Still plenty of folks modfying their Jap cars, especially EPs

Cheers

Mike Jones
Tuning Developments Ltd

 

[HYBRID]

it will never die as long as there are nutters like us floating about...

besides the less of them around the better... less chance of them getting tagged as blacklisted due to numpty's crashing them etc...

kon

 

[starletsy]

At the minute it's down to the lack of cars coming over from Japan cheap due to how stong the yen is against the pound or euro.
They are the "in thing'' for those that follow the trends but then there those of us that will be with jap acrs for a good while yet!

 

[buckets]

theres been more getting broke for parts in Ireland due to the down turn of work ,

 

[GT-TD04]

I was of the same opinion until today when I met all of these

2 DC5's
EG SIR
RX7
180SX
94 Levin Supercharged
Civic coupe VTI
Black 94 GT Turbo
99 GTI golf
07 R32 Golf
A 05ish (didnt catch the reg) gti golf

Couldn't believe it lol,don't see anything normally

 

[corofin12345]

nothing but modified cars around ennis, boy racers going nnnneeeeeoooowww around the place.... glad to say that theres 7 glanzas and 3 GT turbos knocking about too and even happier to say that im their mechanic

 

[Arnold]

Seen quite a few modified jap cars round our way recently so I wouldn't say it's dead. Higher insurance can't be helping and fuel costs but people know jap is reliable, so they'll always be around (I hope!)

 

[jayc-glanza17]

loads around my way too, i used to be only starlet well glanza around, now there spreading....
but we are seeing far less of the bigger engined cars, unless their german around my way tho...
think petrol and running costs are the main reason..

 

[gg205rob]

I see 3 modded jap cars everyday. On my drive. Lol. There seems to be quite alot around here at the moment, mainly hondas but a few nissans and the occasional toyota too.

 

[mark1991]

most people in my town cant understand spending ££££ on a l reg car. most people around here just get a new car or buy some1's pride and joy instead of building it. now you said that there r a few scoobys a few evos and a hand full on ep3 type r's that are all grey, black or white lol

 

[cameroon95]

Perhaps its due to the hot hatch craze for new cars thesedays. You have cars like VXR's,ST's,R26;s,S3's.

Young people seem to be more interested in newer cars thesedays on a whole, especially the newer hot hatchs. Especially since the power output of many of them thesedays are subaru/evo rivals.

 

[Franza1]

Alot of people too are not using the cars as their dailys as you can get a cheep decent car these days that'll take you around in comfort for 500 to 800 euro and it'll probably be better on petrol too.

 

[accent_97]

in malta i dont see to much gt starlets for daily use but last weekend was in gozo and was im pressed with the gt starlets there you can actuly see them in any colour, yellow, green st metalic, maroon etc

 

[gv1.3]

Interesting responses, thanks for your views.

All reasonable explanations above but its still weird when you are used to seeing modded jap cars EVERYWHERE in Ireland and now its a bit of a surprise to see one, or at least it was for me recently.

On a side note I did happen to notice that there were EP91 starlets all over Donegal! It seemed to be the car of choice for locals used to negotiating the narrow roads

 

[SupaStu]

I mostly see VAG mobiles all round the town here, slammed Audis, Boras, Seats, Golfs and a few BMW. At lot of the young lads are interested in is looks/bling, rather than power. Although Hondas EP3s are popular and the old shape Type R civic are being used with engine transplants.

Although I did pass two Glanzas coming home from Derry within about 1 mile of each other, 1 white one at the burger van, and another black one just being pulled by the undercover cops at Foreglen, unlucky dude :O Was like starlet rush hour lol