pcar964

As a 951 lover, and having had experience with many 944/951/951S's, I have to make an obseration - why are so many people ricing out their Porsches?!?! Lately every 944 I've seen on the road is either partially or completely riced out, and it's a shame. They're beautiful cars as they came from the factory, and adding bits of fake carbon fibre might impress some kids with civics... but these aren't civics! Painted interior pieces, "type R" seat belt pads, "combat" shifters, 19" chrome wheels, coffee can exhausts, multi-colored LED lights blinking away, and and stuff like that.... it's pathetic. I know it's the car culture these days, but what it really is, is tasteless. It's over-the-top, in-your-face, bling-bling.

Does nobody appreciate subtlety anymore? Is it all about showing off? Don't get me wrong, this is not limited to 944s by any means... I've seen tasteless modifications on almost every model of Porsche out there - it's just that I've seen it A LOT with 944s lately.

Does everyone generally agree that the new car culture is silly? Or am I about to get flamed?

PS - On the highway the other day, I saw a pristine, beautiful '86 951... what an awesome machine! Even though I was driving my 993 at the time, seeing the 951 brought that familiar feeling of excitement, like when I was a kid dreaming of owning a Porsche one day. I think that kind of respect and appreciation for these cars is completely lost on kids these days. Anyone who modifies these cars like a ricer can't possibly appreciate these cars for what they are.

streckfu's

I believe that every modification should have a purpose that makes the car better than original.
A boost gauge that is more accurate than the dash unit because I am running higher boost.
A Tial WG because my original failed and could not perform as well.
I have a Momo shift **** that looks like the current Porsche item.
I did not like the original black plastic trim and painted them to look like brushed aluminum.

Modifications like the Type R seat belt pad and mods that serve no purpose are inexcusable. But at the same time, I'm a fan of personalizing cars.

75ohm

I'm with you. However, to each their own -- I will just point and laugh. Performance mods, great, knock yourself out. Making your car look like something being shot into space, find another hobby. Really now, a triple-deck spoiler on civic already. Has more blades that most guys' razors.

bleucamaro

Hey Yo! I just ordered these Reeeiims 4 my 9-Foh-Foh. Now who's the Icy-hot stuntah!
http://customwheel.com/custom_wheels...oducts_id/1687

pcar964

My rant wasn't directed at people who modify their car for performance, that's great. These are performance cars. They're not pimp cars.

pcutt

pcar964, I think you should be happy about the ricers because they are reinforcing the greatness of Porsche. They have discovered the excellent and historic Porsche marque and are moving up from the Jap cars.

GlenL

Whatever, pcar...

944s tend to be owned by younger guys because they are the cheapest Porsche. They will tend to do things a bit different than older guys or "collectors."

What is subtle about a Porsche anyways? Maybe the 356 is subtle because most people will think it's a VW Karmann Ghia. After that subtle is out the window.

SD Porsche Fan

Time to un-pimp ze auto!

I prefer a "sleeper" look myself. But I do think that some p-cars look nice with big fender flares or wide body kits. I think a NOS sticker on a Porsche would make me puke though.

ckathens

A large part of it is that, of course, the Car Culture you currently see seeping into other states comes from California. And the reason why (I believe) that particular car culture grew up in California over the past 10 years is that the cost of living is so high that people can't afford homes -- so instead they rent and put all their money into their cars. Think of how much homeowners generally put into their homes to "customize" them to how they want it. If your can't afford a home and your most valuable piece of property is your car -- you customize that then.

That's my take on where it ORIGINALLY came from. After that, everyone just saw it on TV and movies and copied California....

pcar964

Give me a break. They're buying the cars to show off the Porsche badge, and then destroy the car with their ricer mods. I'd love to know how you think turning a Porsche into a ricebox "reinforces the greatness" of Porsche. It just reinforces owners' childishness and lack of taste...

Jaay87S

I definitely agree with you there. Not only do these useless modifications look silly, but they're usually very expensive too. Being 19, a lot of kids my age admire my new car, but one of the first things a lot of the idiots say is "you should get some new rims man!!" Noooo way, I would never my trade phone dials-- or the fuchs either (if I had them). Then there's the 5" tin can exhausts, I don't understand how anyone can honestly think they sound cool. I'm sure that part of the reason that the 944 is the most "blinged out" porsche is due to its affordability, which is unfortunate. Then again, if it weren't so affordable I would still be driving my moms old toyota avalon.

pcar964

I don't think the owners' age is the determining factor - I was young when I owned my first Porsches (944s/951s) and I never put a Type R sticker on the back.

Little Porsche Boy

Popular or not, I really didn't see any rice on the Barret Jackson auction recently. The high priced cars were the all-original models.

IMHO, the 944 rice factor is a function of the ~$2500-$3000 price for the 20-yr-old-plus cars.

AndyK

I think everyone's taste is different. A black and yellow interior isn't my thing AT ALL, but someone on here spent many hours and $$ to get a yellow and black look going. Doesn't mean he's not an enthusiast...just that he has a definate color preference, and wants his car to look the way he wants it to look!

That said, I am totally for a stock appearance, give or take new rims or a better shifter!

pcar964

Well, you're part of a dying breed.