I don't get along with rice boys (girls)

John Ford,


I know you can not be talking about maverick owners getting a bad rep. We are perfect, are we not?

 

Thanks, John.

Bottom line...we don't have to like Hondas, Chevys, whatever. You will find many of 'them' who don't like Fords, etc. That's what makes this Country so great...we can all agree to disagree.

You all have at least some valid points. I don't like street racing. I've scraped up too many off our roads to condone anything that increases the numbers. That doesn't mean that I cannot have some grudging respect for someone who has the knowledge to take a Honda Civic and make it something more than it was. Ok, maybe you don't like the 'pimped up' rides that are more show than go. I'm not crazy about them, myself. They still have the right to have them any way they want. How would you like to be told "You shouldn't put those wheels on a...MAVERICK!!??". Put yourself in their place. I wrote an article 2 years ago for a magazine about intolerance among cruisers. I quoted a local Mav guy who said that he wouldn't go to cruises anymore because he was getting tired of being asked "When are you going to get a REAL car?". Like John said, we were the red-haired stepchildren before. You don't have to like 'ricers'...just remember that they are a part of the car community and the more they are shunned, the more they are going to be like we were.

 

Well Said 5496!!! I have to fully agree with you! (can you believe it? tsk tsk) I have spent the last ten years being made fun of for owning my Mav. and dont feel i should take jabs at other peoples taste in cars. Bottom line is....They still are interested in cars and that is all that really matters. They are car lovers just of a different sort is all.

Maverick 72,
How many cars did you wreck or rag the engines in when your were that age? i know i trashed quite a few myself. Those kids think those cars are cool with the huge wings and loud mufflers (you can thank Porsce for that) But you have to admit they have spirit! Jegs and Summit see the potential in the compacts or they wouldnt have started carrying so many parts for them. Alot of tracks are now starting thier own compact class (ours just did this year) which the kids are coming in droves to race. this is a good thing for two reasons, it keeps them off the streets racing and it brings revenue to the tracks. anything to keep the tracks from shutting thier doors so i can keep going there is fine with me. Just about any sat. night at our track you will see no more than 30 to 40 people sittng on the spectator side, now at 8 bucks a pop thats not very good revenue.

Now, granted they arent v-8's or american steel but let them join us in the fight to keep custom cars on the road, everyday the government trys passing bills to get custom cars and muscle off the road. With tougher and tougher emission laws being passed everyday we need all the help we can get.

 

T.L. although the mavs can be made to handle better, it would take so much to make them handle like some of the Nissans, WRX's, etc. The mavs were just not ment for road/rally racing at least not like these more modern cars are. We all have to appreciate the cars we have and realize that cars can not be judged across the board evenly because they are all different and have different purposes.

 

Gotta disagree with you on this one. Mavs can ve made to handle. Tubular a rams some coil overs in the frt. Like previously mentioned money and desire will get you there. There are many mustangs that can pull some serious Gs on the skid pad and the mav isn't much different.

 

I am thinking back to 1979, when kids my gae could afford some halfway decent used detroit iron, but couldn't afford mods that involved really building engines. I am remembering Pioneer Super Tuners with box speakers, jacked up cars with stock 2 barrell small blocks with 50 series bias plys on mismatched Crager SSs, furry pacjage trays, fog lights from K-Mart, hood scoops from whatever, primer, etc etc.

Can we say the "ricers" are any different?

I am also in the industry, and the Honda fart can/ wing market has really flattened out. We are trying to figure out why.

Some of these kids are growing up and getting married, like a bunch of us did. Some are getting new WRXs or Scions because they are far more capable than their Hondas, and we feel many are going to Mustang/Camaro platforms.

While it is possible to have rice run as fast as detroit cars, it's real hard to do it on a budget. A lot of guys are figuring out that you can go a lot faster for the same money in a fox body vs. a civic. And with youth, that is the name of the game.

 

T.L. I guess we have to agree to disagree. Our Skyline can run circles/drift circles around most of the Mustangs that we have come across at the road/rally races that we have gone to. We have only done minor mods to the suspension and all wheel drives (WRX's and such) are about the only things that can beat ours. Mav's are great cars but they are ment for crusing around town, going balls out at the track (in a straight line), and showing at shows to make the mustang/camaro owners jealous Personally the time and money that it would take to make a mav handle like some of the Japanese imports (not hondas) is just not worth it, to me. I will say however that I think that it is possible but not probable. Hope this doesn't get anyone too spun up. Just my opinion seeing as how I've been going over 70mph in both and gone into a skid and am certain that the Skyline felt better than the mav.

 

Ahhh but think at how much those cars cost from the start. I gaurantee you can build a Maverick for 25k that would run with any aforementioned cars. I have always wanted to build a Merkur xr4ti. With a rim and tire swap they will pull a 1.1 g on the skid pad. I am just getting started on the corner carver thing myself but it is fun.

 

That gets me too. My brother's 300z gets about 30 mpg. if I'm lucky I get about 15, usually more like 10.

 

Mad Mav I now get, after the valve body tranny upgrade, about 18mpg on the highway and maybe 12 in town if I'm lucky. Our next car will probably be another 240z or we may spring for the 350z. Although either will be stripped down as much as possible and built to our specs. But one thing is for sure there will only be one mav owner in my family, ME!

 

so would you guys consider me a ricer? i have the comet and i have a subaru impreza? just a question?

 

Depends on how many extra, non functional LEDs you've installed on it.

 

Comet Newbie, I wouldn't unless you believe that the gigantic subaru decals give you extra horsepower!

 

I don't care for cars built in the 40's and 50's does that make me bad. I prefer cars built in the 60's to present.

I would not worry about the ricers because they are building dispossable cars, this is a fad. I say that because who remembers the mini trucks of the 80's? Where have they gone? Those cars were dispossable too, now those guy's are building regular hot rods. This next generation will bring turbo's, EFI and shopping cart wings to our table.

 

I'm 22 and own a '70 Maverick, for the record. I love it. Saw a Toyota Supra (full tube chassis, twin intercooled turbo, giggle juice, carbon fiber/aluminum interior, drag chutes... the works) run a 9.84 and driven by a punk Asian (used for descriptive purposes only) kid who's dad runs a huge corporation. Of course, dad had the car built for the kid. Know a guy named Mike (about 45). Real quiet guy; dead serious racer. Mike has a black '74 Maverick (393, probably around 13:1, happy spray, roll cage, 6-inch cowl, no drag chute, stock chassis with frame connectors, ladder bars, more goodies that he probably wouldn't want people to know about) that runs 8.96. Supra guy started talking trash about everybody's car cause he thought his was the fastest (hadn't seen Mike run yet). Pointed to Mike's car and said "... and look at this piece of ****; bet it couldn't get out of it's own way! You don't need that kind of hood with a tiny motor... you know that, right?" Like I said, Mike's a quiet guy... until just then. Mike told him to shut the f*** up and mind his own damn business (exchange of words for about 5 minutes). Kid called Mike out for $5,000. Mike accepted. They raced. Heard Mike was just about ready to install his custom turbo setup soon.

Eric (silver70)

P.S.- I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed seeing it.