Minneapolis Street Sighting: Nissan 240SX

If there's any one car trend that possibly annoys me the most its the new trend of modifying import cars to "be cool". It started as the hellaflush trend, in which the tires are stretched, and the vehicle is sitting low enough that it needs to clear speed bumps and road imperfections at angles to avoid bottoming out. As the hellaflush trend has hit Minnesota, once decent-looking examples of sporty cars are being plastered with stickers, and finished in an odd mix of matte and bright colors. Not very pleasing to the eye, is it? Sadly, this Nissan 240SX is reminiscent of almost all the surviving specimen here in Minnesota. And this car deserves the term. "shitbox". While it probably is a "drift car" on the weekends, it has no excuse for looking like this.







This particular saddens me; I usually don't blog car I have a personal connection with, but this one is owned by a classmate. Every time I see him, I tease him relentlessly about his "sweet ride." I know he loves his little "driftmonster" as he calls it to death, but damn. The missing grille, cheap-ass aftermarket headlights (actually they're likely JDM Silvia units) , and iffy quality of matte paint are no excuse for modifications. The carbon hood was probably double what he paid for the car initially, and I hope the rest of the car gets the bodywork it desperately needs. Inside, the quality of his craftsmanship astounds me to say the least. No pictures of the interior, but.. stickerbombing everywhere, and the trim is all but gone. Oh, but there's a wood steering wheel. Gotta keep it classy somehow, right?
Usually, I don't openly frown on a friend's car, but honestly.. I know this car has seen better hands, and at this stage, it's probably only destiny is to be wheeled around an empty Home Depot parking lot at a 45* angle whilst churning up a mixture of tire smoke and broken exterior parts. From what I understand, the exhaust has been replaced twice in the last seven months, and the front clip has been replaced as well. Aside from my snide comments about the workmanship, the owner is a nice guy, and does accept that most Nissan fans detest his car. Not the car, really, but the modifications done to it. I can only hope he does actually spruce up the SR20 so it can outrun the massive ugliness. As it is, it's just another half-assed "stance" car on a budget that's just waiting to get eaten up by the rough, pothole-filled streets of Minneapolis. And that's how it should be when you stance something and don't do it right.