High School parking lot 'hot rods'

[Ranbat]

Picked my son up from school yesterday. While I was waiting I started looking around for the 'hot rods' in the parking lot. ALOT has changed since 1983. There was not one Camaro or Mustang that showed any signs of being modded at all. Instead, it was all imports. Yes, lots of Hondas, but there were some Nissans (240sx and 300sx), a Supra and a Subaru. These kids could have picked out later model American cars like  the Monte Carlo SS, Firebirds or Buicks to clone Grand National styling. They could have even chosen standbys like the Mustang or Camaro. Instead, they are building imports. Makes me wonder what their parents are building, or if it's all Fast and Furious.

[metalmonkey47]

Its just about what you can afford now.

 

Old American metal is EXPENSIVE now. And the New American cars are pretty much worthless. Good old Jap stuff is efficient, easy to work on, and cheap to mod. The only reason I got into Datsuns was that very reason, and now see what it's done to me? Addiction. 

 

I'm a huge fan of old American metal. Kids don't need as much power as those cars made though. They can't handle a 100HP Civic. Sure as hell don't want to see them in a 70's Camaro, or an '80's Buick. The death toll will rise.  I'm honestly very glad that my parents never bought me, (or helped me buy) anything like that. I know given my surroundings at the time and all the influences of being a teenager I probably would have killed myself or even worse, someone else. 

Edited May 22, 2013 by metalmonkey47

[dattoboy70]

it is not the 80's anymore ranbat. camaros are out of the price range for most kids. if you happen to find a muscle car at a high school parking lot it is more than likely that it belongs to the students dad. imports are cheaper to build and fun. why hate on them. i had a 1970 datsun 510 in high school. is that to fast and furious?

[MikeRL411]

I had a 1970 Buick Electra Limited.  I let my son drive it to his college classes.  One day he bragged about how the Porsche couldn't keep up with him.  I sold the Buick the next day!

[DaBlist]

In high school I drove a $250 65 Nova, $600 66 Lemans, $800 68 Chevelle (all 2drs) and when those weren't running I would drive the farm PU a 63 Chev. You could buy a beat but diving 68 Camaro for $1000. There was one guy that was into 510's and nobody was fixing up Honda's. You and your girl could sit on the hood of those cars and not hurt a thing.

[Kirden]

The only American metal we had at my highschool were a few i-rocs and dusters, and this comes from the land of rednecks. Personally I always liked dusters, but i-rocs and that whole hatchback look that most domestic companies went with was lost on me. Kinda like first gen 300zx and the same style rx-7s...

 

I agree with MM47 that most highschoolers just can't afford old metal now. Out of all of the hot rod kids, only one kept his car all four years, and that was probably because his father runs a resto/body shop that mostly works on old domestics. Imports are usually cheaper to keep on the road.

[SlottedMagz]

when i was in highschool at the tail end i drove a datsun 240 and while everyone else had lifted pick ups or cheap beaters, oh and one ricer that the kid ended up totaling it in the parking lot doing a burnout. One teacher had a 350z and then a 370 and he actualy offerd to trade me (for the 350) i obviously declined

[Ranbat]

it is not the 80's anymore ranbat. camaros are out of the price range for most kids. if you happen to find a muscle car at a high school parking lot it is more than likely that it belongs to the students dad. imports are cheaper to build and fun. why hate on them. i had a 1970 datsun 510 in high school. is that to fast and furious?

I'm not hating on them. I can buy 90s Camaros, Mustangs and 80s Monte Carlo Super Sports for alot less money than most of the Hondas they are buying. I didn't expect vintage muscle cars. I did expect to see some late 80s and early 90s cars though.

[red76datsun]

I'm a sophmore and I'm totally fine with the 620 I got. There are mostly Hondas and acuras. I love having no power. Keeps me out of trouble and in style too

[Son_of_a_Datsun_Guy]

I have a completely different problem at my high school. Nobody it really into modding cars at all. I can count the number of non stock cars at my entire high school on one hand. 

 

The mentality I'm seeing is that kids are far more into something new. If it's new and shiny it's cool, regardless of the fact it's a piece of shit chevy cruz or a base model beamer. 

They have no personality at all, and the couple of kids that have cars that aren't completely stock know nothing about them. One guy has a new G37S, some suspension mods and some ill fitting black wheels. It's automatic to boot. Then he crunches the front left fender on a concrete pole parking it the week he gets it. 

 

Some of my favorites are the kids that drive the beamers. They stick subs and shit like that in the trunks and roll around blasting music, but I took a guy up into the hills around here and he was the most pussy foot driver I have ever seen.

 

There is one Civic Si that was really cool, and then he sold it to buy a BMW 3 series, completely bland and uninteresting. I don't even understand....

[DatMo]

it is not the 80's anymore ranbat. camaros are out of the price range for most kids. if you happen to find a muscle car at a high school parking lot it is more than likely that it belongs to the students dad. imports are cheaper to build and fun. why hate on them. i had a 1970 datsun 510 in high school. is that to fast and furious?

kind of agree with this.

 

I think everyone has a reason for the liking of the car they choose whether i be because of financial issues or just enjoyment.

 

plus, if a guy builds a car and puts some good work in, who can't appreciate it.

It might not be to your taste but if he put effort in, give him credit.

 

btw, datto. message me. i cant message you about the body shop, you're inbox is too full. 

[bananahamuck]

I have a son less than a month from graduating and i have many many old muscle cars big lincolns and rat rod vehicles in the backyard he could have built after his bronco ii blew up..... He chose a datsun because:

a. the insurance on a 71 chevelle or 72 mustang fastback is considerably higher for a teenage driver..

b.  gas was $4.50 a fucking gallon and a car that gets ,,,maybe,, 10 miles to the gallon is just plain goofy.

 

The math is simple, drive a road monster and look cool as you go broke,,, or drive an import and drive all over..

[thatguy]

I live in SoCal. Orange County. South Orange County. The high school parking lots here are full of bmw's, Benz, escalades, lifted trucks, and all sorts of shit that my parents (and insurance) would not allow. My first motorcycle and car ('70 510) I paid for. I also paid for insurance. It's not like that anymore (said the 42 year old).

[datsunaholic]

It's been 21 years since I graduated, but even then there wasn't much American metal.  May have been more that I went to a private Catholic High School, but most of the kids had better cars than the teachers.  It wasn't uncommon for me to have one of the oldest cars in the lot, and it was only a '73 620.  Which was less than 20 years old be then.  My best friend had a '71 Cutlass, but he went to a different school.  I drove whatever was left in the household motor pool- there wasn't a single car we had when I was in Jr/Sr year that I didn't take to school at least twice, including my Dad's 8-passenger Dodge van (with a stick shift, very uncommon for a full size passenger van).  Mostly I had a '78 510 Wagon, the second of which I still have. .

 

Back then, the hot item car in the lot was a VW Scirocco or other similar vintage VW.  Some kids with rich parents had cars less than 5 years old. No modding done at all with the rich kids.  One kid had a Scirocco he'd dropped to the ground... added ground effects...  and he would have to wait for half the parking lot to clear so he could go around the speed bumps.  One day he got impatient (why he insisted on going that far in the lot so there were speed bumps to contend with I don't know) and tried going over one.  Bye Bye ground effects...  And worse, he was stuck hi-centered with the drive wheels spinning.  And I had my Dad's '77 Malibu Classic, parked at the end of that same speed bump.  Offered to push it off- sideways.  See, I was the one blocking the path around the speed bump, so I had to wait for him to get towed off so I could leave. 

[Ranman72]

all this talk and no pics   we want pics 

[angliagt]

              _{Back a few years,when I was in High School,I had a modified Toyota pickup (RN22).}

_{I was different,because I drove a Japanese vehicle.Nowadays,I would probably drive an Amer-}

_{ican vehicle,just to be different.}

 

                                           _{- Doug}

[datson4life]

my 1st car was a honda civic in high school :blush:

but i never modified it B)

[ArchetypeDatsun]

I was broke as hell so I never drove my highschool years my house was walking distance and my parents did not want to buy me anything cheap. I always had love for the Datsuns every once in awhile you would see a datsun on the parking lot. I had a friend that would drive his dads 280zx turbo 2+2 beater it was uglier than sin but it kicked the crap out of all the muscle cars at the school.

[moparvwfreak]

For me it was a 77 rabbit POS and when that does I picked up a 75 Corrola SR5. I was a broke kid working off a Mcdonalds check so nothing cool till I got my 72 Scamp. Going to school in kirkland thoughmade for some interesting rides in the lot. Everything from BMWs to Gremlins.

[JoeCool]

My daughter's high school has quite a few rich kids that have BMW or Mercedes or some other newer cars. A few ricers. But most of the kids seem to drive hand me downs. A lot of four door sedans, minivans, and SUVs. A couple of them them have some cool Camaro's or Mustangs, one kid has a 58 F100, one of my daughter's friends has a 66 Barracuda, not fancy though, unrestored diamond in the rough.

 

I think it's like someone else said earlier, the rich yuppie car collecting assholes have made it so us real car guys can't afford nice, old cars anymore.

 

My old school, a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (89-92), we all drove old cars from the 70's and early 80's. A few musclecars,  afew minitrucks, V8 swapped Mavericks and Monzas, Vegas.  A couple of the rich kids had nice cars, one had a fairly new Corvette.

[K_trip]

- removed -

[izzo]

I wanted a cool car in HS.  I got a 78 toyota longbed 5 speed :lol:  It was orange, and really was cool I guess. People dug it, I just drove it.  Next car after that... Hmmm...  77 accord, then a 81 510 wagon.  Aww hell I've had so many cars I can't even fucking remember. 

[yellowdatsun]

I graduated in 1992, and there was a good mix of both import and domestic then. The vehicles that were the most modified at that time were the mini-trucks, namely the Isuzu pickup. Seems all the kids around here drive new-ish cars now. Back then I don't remember nearly as many people driving newer cars, I remember most being older used rides. But then again, I had a 1981 280ZX turbo in 1992, and at that time it was only 11 years old. Now, 11 years old is nothing, that's practically new. But back then 11 years old seemed rather old. I had a 1986 Nissan 720 4x4 in 1995 or so, which would have made it only 9 years old at the time, but I remember it being an "old used pickup". Maybe it's a perception thing, I dunno.

[Ranbat]

I was just making an observation of how things have done a total swap since I was in High School. In my day, Hondas, Toyotas, Datsuns and Subarus were just cars some kids drove to school. Now, it seems that Imports are the 'hot rods' and all the American stuff is just something you drive. I see Camaros, Mustangs, Monte Carlos, Impalas and such, but they're just drivers. I just find it interesting how hot rodding has changed.

[Kirden]

Easier to afford headers for my geo yo!