With your indulgence, I'd like to step up on a soapbox here for a minute to discuss something that affects us all.

Let me first establish my credibility and give you some background on myself. I hope it's obvious to everyone that I am a true Maxima enthusiast. Just look at my sig, the title under my alias to the left of this post, or anyone who's met or spoken with me over the years. If there were another car that I liked more than the Maxima, that served the same purposes as the Maxima, I could (and would) own it. The reasons for that should be obvious since presumably you are also a Maxima owner (or would like to be one). So, I shouldn't have to extoll the virtues of the Maxima here since we're all Maxima enthusiasts, right?

What has repeatedly disappointed me is the continuous use of derogatory references to other cars and their enthusiasts. Terms like 'Rustang', 'Honduh', etc. says more about the people that use them then they do about the cars themselves. A mature enthusiast will speak highly of his or her car, not mock the cars of others. If you get ticked-off when someone refers to the Maxima as a 'grocery-getter' don't you think the enthusiasts of other car makes and models would be equally offended when you mock their cars or refer to them in a negative fashion? When you do this, you bring us down as a group (of Maxima enthusiasts), not build us up.

If someone with a custom Honda Civic approached you in a parking lot and complimented you on your wheels, stereo, body kit, or whatever, wouldn't that influence how you judged other Honda Civic owners? The same goes for us. As a Maxima enthusiast, you represent us all to other groups. Do you really want us all to be known as an immature group of delusionals who think their cars are the best ever?

A true enthusiast should appreciate all car makes and models. Many car clubs feature several types of cars, not one model from one manufacturer. I encourage you all to join these kinds of clubs so that you can show others how great the Maxima is and also learn more about other cars and find out why their owners like them so much.

Okay, I'll step down from my soapbox. Thanks for 'listening'.

Jim

 

[wipes tear from eye and claps]

That was beautiful, man... just beautiful.



But seriously, yeah... I agree... if you give respect, then you get respect.

[Edited by clee130 on 01-24-2001 at 11:41 AM]

 

The reason I use derogatory terms to describe other drivers is that MOST of the Honda drivers and people who drive Mustangs all too often think they're the **** and nothing can beat them. They are the ones with the closed minds. I get attitude from every modded out Civic owner I've met. Maybe I speak for most people on this board when I say that the derogatory terms are meant for those other car enthusiasts with no respect. Anyone that gives me respect, I will gladly return it. I operate on a person by person basis. You have to earn respect from me, i don't just give it away like penny candy.

 

I agree with you to a point.. MOST of the "other" owners I know feel very strongly about their car being "the best" and are usually jerks.. But then again I see just as many people like that in the max.org groups. Yes, I love my Maxima, but that wouldn't stop me from buying an Integra or prelude had the price been right (those were my three choices when I bought the Max. Insurance costs are what put me in my Max.)

<B>No that does NOT give me the right to hold every Honda owner in contempt just because they own a honda and lots of honda owners are stupid. </b>There are many that aren't a$$holes.. (slickismax can vouch for that one after we slaughtered his car on the road friday night..)

<B>Each and every person deserves a certain amount of respect until they do something to un-earn it.</b>
when they walk up to you and start dissing you or your car just because it's NOT a Honda, then you have the right to hate them. But not before.

Are you an ******* to every waiter that comes to serve you, or Mc Donald's employee, gas station attendant, etc? Let's hope not.. You give them respect until they do something to screw up your day. At least you should.

there's my $1.02. Don't hate until hated upon.

 

Can't the same thing be said about some Maxima owners though??

 

Look at the quote in his sig file, and I think we have our answer.

 

I think that part of the reason why you will see some of the people here hating ANY other car than a Maxima is because...for a lot of the people here...their Maxima is probably the only car they've owned...so they are just ignorant of the fact that there are MANY cars out there that are equal to or better in many aspects than the Nissan Maxima...

Personally, I've had experience with more cars than I'd like to admit...here are some that I've owned...to name a few....
Honda civic/accord/crx/prelude...Acura Integra...Nissan 280ZX turbo/240SX/Maxima...Ford Explorer/Escort/Stang... Saab 900...Chevy Blazer/Celebrity...VW golf..
and a few others stuck in my memory somewhere....
Regarding all the hondas that i've owned...its been FOUR CRX's, a couple preludes, 5 civics, and 1 Accord...

You can't really bash a car until you've owned one....
or two of them.


[Edited by My 4DSC on 01-24-2001 at 01:20 PM]

 

**** the pr speak
i think a 'mature' person wont withold their opinion for the sake of appearing to be 'mature'. i highly dislike mustangs and various other cars and will continue to use derogatory terms for them. it is your choice to take offense when someone insults your car. would a 'mature' person care what other people say about their car? i think not, it was your money to pay for what you wanted and if someone does not like the choice you made and mock your car
you should just pay no heed to what they say, you got what you wanted with what you had. likewise if i call a mustang a rustang someone who owns a mustang shouldnt give two ****s what i call it because its their car, not mine
its pretty annoying how people always try to 'act mature'

 

Maturity isn't an act. Either you are or you arent.
I don't claim to be the worlds most mature 23 year old...
but at least I dont have Ryu in my sig.

 

Get your s<I></i>hitbucket 5th gen out of here!

 

come on now
when it comes to video game, there is no age, gender, color...
i love street fighters, and i love ryu!

 

Regarding mature people not caring what people say about their cars...here's another angle:

Mature people don't make rude comments about other people's car to begin with. The fact that you choose to use derogatory terms for other cars (or the people who drive them) is your choice. But I don't think that it can be viewed as a mature attitude. Rude drivers exist. Sure they may cut you off on the road, but what does talking smack about them get you. Do you think they will know what you said and avoid you in the future? Nope, rude drivers will always drive dangerously and inconsiderately no matter what. Just because you think there are many more rude Honda and Mustang drivers than Maxima drivers doesn't justify talking smack about "Honduhs" and "Rustangs." It is one thing to be ticked off at a "stupid Rustang driver" but it is another to talk smack about their car. C'mon people, it's time to treat others like you want to be treated. You talk smack about other people, then don't get offended when someone talks smack about you.

So far in this post, I can see a certain level of maturity in the veteran posters such as Matt93GXE, JJW95SC, and several others. I've been part of the bbs since the beginning (way back even before Andi the guru!) Remember back in the day when we used to talk only about Maximas and stupid roadkills??

 

MOST honda drivers are mom and pop... so what's your point?

-Shing

 

Man davis449 U said penny candy lol...........that took me back to the 80's.......that reminds me, what happened to the ole skool pricing of stuff, these days u can't even get a piece of candy for a nickel.......in the words of Marvin Gaye, <OOOOO whats goin on, tell me what's goin>....Anyways cars are like women (men), some we will, some we wont, some we will if we could, some we just gaze at and wish, but all in all as long as your are happy with what u are with now it's cool, we all test the waters before we get married and we all feel strongly about our first love, but u can't forget, others do to...................

 

Why don't you like Mustangs? do you have a valid reason? Don't give me it's not reliable crap.. because I bet you've never owned one. If you have, fine yuo are right... if you haven't... you have no reason for hating. I will relate this to racism. Making a judgement before you know is plan ignorant.

Maturity is not an act. Maturity is knowing when to keep your mouth shut. Maturity is knowing the proper way to express yourself in a given situation. Any one can open their mouth and use their vocal cords. What comes out is a indication of maturity. Just because you speak your mind doesn't mean you are mature... the fact that you speak you mind in all situation indicates that you are infact not 'mature'. Why? Because there's a place for everything.

Anyways... time for work.

-Shing

 

I agree 100% Jim. The golden rule applys in full force here. True there are some punks out there, but the world would be a better place if people would just 'turn away'.

I could go on and on, but this cheezy quote says it all:

"Be excellent to each other"

 

It seems to me that there is no honor in simply treating others the way they treat you. What I was 'preaching' was the idea of treating others the way you wish to be treated. If they don't return the favor, then you really haven't lost anything. If they do, then so much the better.

I'd also like to point out the dangers of categorizing an entire group based on experience with a few of it's members. This is prejudice in it's purest form.

Jim

 

I will always tell a person great race or inquire about what mods they have done. It is always interesting to get a new idea from another enthusiast.

Here is a little story for you. My old tuner, specializing in imports, was actually one of the worst people to do business with. He would never call back, had a hard time doing any jobs regarding any amount of thinking, and was often times simply rude. Suffice it to say, I fired him.

My new tuner, is actually a mustang shop for all of you haters. They are the best at prototyping parts, working with me, and are always happy to do any job I give them. The key here is that he respects me. He looks at what we do to our maxima's as if we were doing it to a mustang. Ie. he looks at us(at least some of us) as true enthusiast. If you are a true enthusiast, you will be able to look through the brand of car or model, to see what work actually went into it.

I think a lot of the haters on the page have had bad experiences(were beaten in a race) by another car and will automatically hate. Whats funny is that most of the times these may be the least modded of cars on this page. I love mustangs for there raw power, I love other hondas/acuras/whatever for the aftermarket there for them. I love european cars for their beauty and feel. Hell, we should like all those who hold cars in such high esteem as us. It isn't the car, it's the driver that is at fault. SO don't hate all mustangs, hondas, or whatever. THat is just my 2 cents.

 

Ok, this is simply directed at all of you who judged me from what I said and maybe didn't understand it. I, too tell people or give them a "good race" sign if they beat me. Unless they talk **** to me first. If some guy revs his engine at you and smiles, fine, race him and try your hardest to win. If you lose tell him that it was a good race and find some common ground to start a coversation. If he/she talks a lot of crap and acts like a total jerk, then that's where they can and will not get MY respect. That's what I meant by dealing with people on a person by person basis. I actually happen to like the way my quote from that Young Bleed song flows, so if you don't like it, sorry. It does, however, have a little to do with the way I think and act sometimes. Now, for all of you talking about maturity, I challenge you to find another person that has the EXACT same view of maturity as you do, if you do then you are a lucky person. My point is that everyone has a different view of that subject. Me personally? I won't go near that subject because it just starts a whole mess. So I won't go there simply because I don't feel the need to press my view on maturity upon you guys. One more thing, anyone who says you have to OWN a car to pass judgement on it is DEAD wrong. There are plenty of people out there who have friends with these kinds of cars that have driven them frequently. These cars can range from new condition to poor, so if you have driven a number of different ones a number of different times in different conditions and come up with likes and dislikes about them all then you can pass all the judgement, for yourself, that you want to. Example: I personally, have driven many different Ford Mustangs and Ford cars in general. I have driven Mustangs ranging from 1992-1998 that have had anything ranging from a 4 banger to a V8 and in both good and bad condition. I have formed my opinion of that car for myself from those experiences. So you can NOT tell me that I have to have owned them to know what I'm talking about. Thank you. By the way, there was no disrespect intended in this post. Just clarifying and expressing my view of things in this thread.

 

Point taken. I'm glad you cleared that up, seriously. You might want to re-read your original post to see why you got the reaction you did. You speak about 'most Honda owners' and you think you speak for 'most of the guys on this BBS'.

IMO, you cannot use derogatory terms about a group and expect only certain members of that group to know if the term applies to them. I know I could be splitting hairs here, but it seems like that's what you were saying in your original post. Again, I'm glad you cleared it up.

Jim

 

...and BMW and Lexus owners as well.

 

(every Maxima's worst nightmare) just to spite y'all.

 

I agree with the mushroom on this one...(j/k). I find that most enthusiasts have a partial side, simply because they own the vehicle that they love. For someone to "hate" another person becuase of their personal preference in a car is idiotic.

I live in Houston, and I see hundreds of "Import Enthusiasts" each day (they can be identified by custom wheels, stickers, exhaust, etc). THere is nothing wrong with that. We look at people with cars that don't cost $25-30,000 and laugh, but why? I have run-ins with Suzuki Samarai, Honda Civics, Geo Metro's, etc, but I don't do burn outs and race them down the street just to show them my car is quicker than theirs.

A bunch can be taken from maturity. Half of this board has been driving for less than 5 years. Some of us have been driving (legally) for almost 20 years. The age of the internet has made "couch potatoes" of most of us, and cyber-racing, cyber-fights, etc have become second nature. The reality of it is that people seem to quick to talk smack within the safety of their home (or room in their parents house), and don't realize that these commments would (in the real world) get them laid out (sometimes without warning).

For someone to be a true enthusiast, you have to like and appreciate ALL cars. Yes, I laugh when I see a car with a bunch of stickers all over it, but he may be an enthusiast. I don't give him **** for it.

Last night I was in the Best Buy parking lot waiting on another BBS member, and before he got there, an older gentleman drove up in a BRAND NEW all black Porsche. Still had the read tag on it. I watched him carefully park his car next to a curb far away from the building, then walk away, look back and go back to the car, and double check that he locked the doors. He walked past my car (I was in the car listening to my new Everlast CD), and noticed my car. He walked over and motioned to me to roll down my window, and we talked a few minutes about our common interest....Cars. This guy got out of a car that costs 3 times what mine does (its BRAND NEW), and was still interested in my car...Thats an enthusiast!

For the younger guys (you know who you are), do be so quick to be a hater, life is too short. And for the record.....There are some wuick cars here...for Maximas and some imports/domestics. None of us have a "truly fast car" by todays standards. I had a Mustang that ran 11's 10 years ago, and it was brand new. I think reality has to come into play sometime. Go over to the MKIV board, they have some powerful cars.

[Edited by Don in Texas on 01-26-2001 at 10:58 AM]

 

Most of the time it's all in fun. Some people carry it too far on this board. This kind of behavior is seen on 99% of car enthusiast sites. I like to frequent http://www.vwwortex.com and they say similar things. It is true that there are people who do not know much about other brands on this board and say stupid things. I laugh when I read how a stock automatic Maxima takes out a Mustang Cobra 5 speed or similar stories. I don't get too upset about the negative labels; most of the time people are doing so in jest.

 

Of course.
The point is that it happens to part of the owners for all brands of cars.
So what's the sense of talking about it?

 

Don,

Um, who's 'the mushroom'?

Jim

 

me, i think

 

I dont think the altered reality of the Internet world is the place to become pedantic about maturity and political correctness. Leave that to the real world.
I dont think that "mature" is synonymous with "true enthusiast" I've seen some fairly mature as well as "true enthusiasts" do some pretty immature and risky things with their cars at times.
Face it, if we were "mature" and respectful in the real sense, we wouldnt be making every possible effort we can to burn up the world's ever diminishing oil supplies in self gratifying, self indulging ways.
Our obsession with "freedom of the open road" and car-linked identities is a reflection of cultural norms from an era long gone by..the 50's and the 60's, when bigger was better, and when there was no end in sight for our natural resources. The concept of cars as we now know them, fueled by fossil fuels, will only be explainable via a museum walk to your grand kids.
Thus, car obsessed folks like you and I are really deep down, clinging to our pasts. Old guys who keep model T's or whatever in their garages and take them out for a drive twice a year, are re-living their childhoods. It's quaint, but MATURE???? really now!
Respect for others is a good thing..it's essential, but not something i go to the internet looking for. I come here to retreat from the reality of my everyday life..to indulge in a little juvenile regression, and to be amused by WHATEVER the human mind is capable of concocting in forms comprehensible to me. In this case through the theme of cars. I find all the posts amusing..and take them with a grain of salt. i have a hard time understanding how some folks here get SOOOOO bent out of shape by comments of others at times.After all..the Internet is as unreal as our delusions that the oil supply will last forever.

 

This is very true Don, I couldn't have said it better myself.....my true love will always be the Maxima but there are other rides out there that really catch my eye and they are not always the exotic cars, I have seen some real nice Type-R's, Mustang Cobra's etc. A true enthusiast keeps an open mind.

 

honda civic si? killed many-a-si in my day....but for real i definitely agree on the whole respect thing. even though there are some real honest to goodness jerks out there who own hondas, toyotas, mustangs, and even lexus', and bmws, why dont we all just make a point to show respect to all and then the maxima owners can be known as the group that is not like the rest of the jerks. wouldnt that be nice??