How has the starlet scene changed since you joined??

[fremyjay]

For me it seems are there less enthusiasts owning glanza's/gt's lately, a few years ago when i had my first glanza the forum was full of enthusiasts and was thriving and parts were always selling for good prices, now it seems there are a lot less people willing to help others, people ripping others off including a few long term members, stupid pointless questions asked, parts selling for peanuts or not selling at all and generally a quieter forum. Also the bad reputation on glanza's/gt's that are being brought up by undesirables, i know there are still a lot of guy's who have been on the scene for years and still are, so what do other people feel the scene is like compared to when they joined i.e better or worse and why they feel it has got worse???

( the opinions above are mine and not pointed too anyone personally, but if the shoe fits then well...get over it)

[funny onion]

I first took an interest in starlets after my friend from school bearfaceofdoom got his glanza- fresh import. I'd never seen one before and at that time it was uncommon to see a td04 starlet. People owned thier starlets for years and it was a much closer community. Local meets were busy etc.

Now it seems people buy starlets to abuse and then break/sell once they're bored/they've blown them up. Not many people seem to be starlet enthusiasts, just abusers. There's been a few in Hull over the past few years who've bought them because "they're well quick" then just abused the shit out of them and either blown them up or sold them on or broke them for parts. Sad really.

That lad on the facebook groups trying to sell a glow panel (without bootlid) for £150 plus fees & postage. I know they're rare but come on, he was purely trying to cash in.

I've been very skint at times over the years and i have 3 starlets- the GT advance which i bought without tax or test and got back on the road, the ep80 which i saved from scrap yard, and the glanza which i also saved from scrap yard. Even when i've been on the bones of my arse i didn't sell them- they're worth more to me than their cash value i suppose. Got to love the wee starlets!

[daniel_g]

Yeah the starlet scene has become a bit shit over the last year or 2 i feel

Theres still a heavy following and a busy forum and massive turnouts to shows so not all bad

Although, too many of these cars are falling into the wrong hands.

[Djaniero]

Pretty much agree with what's been said here. For me the scene has drastically changed over the years for the worse.

There used to be a sense of community in the older days (2006-2008 ish), I think mainly because these cars were mostly owned by enthusiasts. I used to love driving my old ep82 about, and guys with bigger and more expensive cars used to ask WTF my car was.....it was almost that niche element.

Now I feel I'm almost viewed as another boy racer with a quick whip lol.

I left the scene in 2008, and recently came back, hoping things would be the same if not better, but I was kinda disappointed.

These days, they seem to be getting in the wrong hands most of the times....chavs who end up wrapping them around trees, or blowing them up.

I think this in turn has let to a lot of dodgy sellers capitalising on the market....by either selling things which are overpriced, or in some cases advertising parts and not even sending them out to people. Mega shame really, as they rarely ever happened back in the day.

But I guess times are changing. Be interesting to see how the scene evolves in the next 5 years.

That said, there are still some genuine dudes on here, and TGT forum.....that are true enthusiast which are honest and always willing to help you out.

[5e colin]

its a mater of fact it will be only the older boys that will have a decant starlet left in 10 years

the gt is already a raar bread and slimming out very fast !!! same is already happening to the V but they are still in big nrs atm

i just cant wait another 5 years then my gt quad becomes an oldtimer

its the economy that fucked up our tuning scene and bought down the value of cars/parts

[Nanglebadger]

interesting discussion topic, i like it.

I'll start with a positive note: when I first came on board around 2004, parts were not particularly easy to come by, and there were very few easier options available for those on a restricted budget as I was myself at the time. Today however, thanks to the likes of Iddy, TD, Zisco etc etc, parts are much easier come by for all budgets, including the previously harder to find genuine items. I wished for years for a ZEP spoiler and black/blue Advans to come up for sale and they never did, now both genuine and budget are relatively easy to source - it seems counter intuitive that as these cars are ~ 2 decades old, parts are much more readily available than they were 10 years ago, and that the range of parts is still being developed and expanded even today.

That for me is pretty freaking cool that these wee cars are still supported.

I do agree with some of the earlier comments also though that there seems to be fewer people who remain attached to these cars and dont merely see them as a stepping stone to something else, however that being said, i reckon I could name 20+ people who are what I like to call "lifers", i.e. they'll always have one or be involved, so from that point of view, although some of the old guard may have moved on, some of the longer term owners today will be taking up those spots.

The strangest thing for me is that, there are a shit load more EPs here in NI than we could ever get to come out to one big meet. Which is frustrating. I know a good few of the EP lads here, but not compared to Jay or Secret Steve, the number of cars that pass under their noses must be ridiculous. So whilst at times here in NI it may seem very quiet in the scene, the fact is that lot of folk just dont give a shit about meets and forums, they only care about fettling with their cars for their own amusement, which although frustrating to the likes of me who's nosey and wants to look at ALL of the EPs, is a reassurance that these wee motors will continue to be loved here in NI.

Phil.

Edited June 19, 2014 by Nanglebadger

[Phil]

i reckon I could name 20+ people who are what I like to call "lifers", i.e. they'll always have one or be involved, so from that point of view, although some of the old guard may have moved on, some of the longer term owners today will be taking up those spots.

Phil.

I know you go on to address this in your next paragraph but of those 20 'lifers' its great to think of how many of them are in N.I and Ireland !

You mentioned the people who see them as stepping stones, i often think inwardly (and i trust not through jealously!) that when someone says 'oh im saving for an evo so gotta sell the gt to fund that'.................... oh i misjudged you, i thought you where a real starleteer or 'lifer'.

we could discuss what Jay and I (i include jay to increase credibility) call 'spec'

'spec' is what someone sees there car needing to be to suit them perfectly,

Northern Irish spec -

swaps turbos regularly,

changes ecus,

setup for b roads (bumpy lanes) not motorways,

project is rarely a series of uneventful improvements

most lifers dont have 'their EP' on the road ever, (they may have others)

big power isnt often the aim and td04 is still king of the backroad.

Southern Irish spec

two extremes lol

Total slag wagons, SAFC FCD and td06 usually

or

Minty mc mint, never dirty with ten billion optional extras

Uk mainland spec.

Balls out, i wanna overtake m5s on the motorway

Projects are a constant strive for betterment

rarely are sideways moves made

K24? no. TD04? whats that grandpa. Bring me the GT30 lads ill be on boost if its the last thing i ever do.

all different, and is my way of describing the starlet world/field/territory/province (i refuse to use the word scene anymore)

Now there is every version of ep in every place and no hard and fast rule obviously so dont take offence.

Phil

Edited June 19, 2014 by Philm

[ro55ifumi]

All

I can see many of the above having relevance and agree on some, i got in the scene with all intent and purpose of introducing my lads to a sound car with little issue and a model base starting at 1.0 to 1.3 Turbo, i bought the V and became hooked

Jack is now in his 1.3 EP80 after his first 1.0 EP80 and can't wait to get a Turbo!!

The scene is what you make of it, there will always be undesirables and as said if the cap fits etc

I sold my genuine Varis bonnet to a new owner in Holland, my Blitz ECU went to Aruba!! but all went at the going rate as i refused to be knocked down to just get rid, as with anything people will try to make a fast buck

From a club point of view this club is opening to all members no matter what they drive, all we ask is to drive sensibly as we did going to Japfest this year and behave, as everyone that attends shows with UKSO, we are one big family after all and need to look after each other.

The club has come a long way from having nothing struggling to pay the bills to having a good show set up, well run and managed forum on a quality server and offering a free barbecue at JAE this year

I have made what i would call friends for life on here having met the majority in person, there is now an older generation getting involved and long term owners are maturing along with our cars so hopefully things will get more settled

I am waiting on a response from Toyota about support this year as per the anniversary of the make, and have had a couple of good responses which has never happened before when i have approached them on behalf of the club.

The above is my perspective and i will be here for a few more years

John

Edited June 20, 2014 by ro55ifumi

[Gainzy]

I think there is alot of younger people driving these...maybe through the loophole of insurance, there seemed to be a big scene for the td04 and rota's..I felt as though starlets were becoming repeated builds in some ways and nobody seems to care for the genuine parts. Alot of mixed body kits came to my attention to aswell as repeated questions. I can't really decide if it's better or worse maybe just a different generation of people coming through on a plus side I have a good handful of people on here who I can have good chat on with and probably may not get the chance to meet in person. There is alot more people around my area buying glanza's within the last couple years which is good. A few company's have expanded and risin on here which means more parts to go about, it's still a good scene to be apart of, the story's of people getting ripped off are usually based up people not using paypal or covering themselves! Again none of this is aimed at anyone stay safe have fun and look after your starlets lol

[Rob H@RCH Engineering]

I have had ties with starlets since 2000 when my mate got his 1999 SR, then I got mine in 2001, I have seen a few changes since then and I have got much older like my car! but its still as much a part of me as its ever been or more now than its ever been!

I started off on the second TGTT board after been introduced to it by Rick (carbon goodies) I had not moved around much from there until UKSO came on the scene!

lots of things have changed as said above the main thing is the amount of parts now available off the shelf, ive never seen so much stuff for the little things!

Yes there is a lot more younger owners about too but is that just us old timers getting older? Theres is a lot more getting broken too but is that because there is more of them about now to get broken?

Theres been lots of changes but its still a good place to be for me!

[TrisK]

Uk mainland spec.

Balls out, i wanna overtake m5s on the motorway

Projects are a constant strive for betterment

rarely are sideways moves made

Wait for Guernsey Spec Phil ;)

I agree with John/Phil, but i think its invetiable. I got in the starlet scene quite late relitively, around 2009. But I think it will obviously go in cycles. You will have the elite at the begining, and nobody knowing what is, leading a cult like status.

Then they come down in price, and become more available. Which makes them more mainstream. It also reduces value, creates a lot of owners that arent as enthuasastic, and creates breakers etc. But once the dogs are all gone, what does that leave. Our cars, ethuasist owned, well looked after, tastefully modified examples. And the market becomes ours, the prices are what we dictacte as the resources and cars are so scarce.

Basic economics, just gotta ride out the middle stage, to get to where we want to be.

Its already started happening with KPs, and with 3 door, manual EP*5s.

[Ollieh17]

Surely people getting ripped off has nothing to do with using paypal or not. Most people expect to not get ripped off so many dont use paypal. If you buy something through paypal and dont recieve the item so get a refund, you are still getting ripped off in a way.

I havent been in the scene long. But for me, it almost seems the people with the most money get the most attention and acknowlwdgment.obviosuly this is going to happen in every car scene and is kind of understandable. With so many parts available now, if you dont have something new, expensive, big powered you dont really get noticed. I guess years ago when less parts were available individual cars were appreciated more.

[TrisK]

Surely people getting ripped off has nothing to do with using paypal or not. Most people expect to not get ripped off so many dont use paypal. If you buy something through paypal and dont recieve the item so get a refund, you are still getting ripped off in a way.

Compare this to real life, you meet a bloke on the street, youve never seen him before, but youve heard about him and sort of know somebody who knows him. Who says, yeah i have this sick, wicked cool starlet part. Give me a cash in full and ill get it you in 3 days.

Then your mates says, give me £2 more, and ill hold the money, until he gives it to me. If he doesnt then you get your money back.

The guy then doesnt bring the part, anyone you tell says "you mug you should have paid the middle man".

Its common sense, paypal is an independant middle man, and require payment for the service. Its common sense really, and secuirty for you as a buyer

I havent been in the scene long. But for me, it almost seems the people with the most money get the most attention and acknowlwdgment.obviosuly this is going to happen in every car scene and is kind of understandable. With so many parts available now, if you dont have something new, expensive, big powered you dont really get noticed. I guess years ago when less parts were available individual cars were appreciated more.

I think thats true everywhere. Bigger builds, more money more interesting read.

Unless your Phil, then you just comment on everything!

[Ollieh17]

I understand that everyone should use paypal!but my point is whether you get the money back or not you're still in a way being ripped off. Scammers should take most of the blame.

[ste91]

I haven't had a Starlet for a few years but still got friends and family with them and I've regularly kept coming back to the forum as it's always been a decent bunch of people on here, not going to mention any names but UKSC/UKSO has always had a much better attitude than some of the other forums I use.

The car scene as a whole has changed loads since I first joined, when I owned my first Starlet the "JDM" thing was still in full swing and genuine JDM parts were being imported and sold and everyone was really into what I'd consider a proper way to modify a car - make it go faster and generally improve how the car drives.

Now things have moved on from "JDM" loads of people are into this Euro/stance/slammed bullshit or they simply just want a brand new car on finance and don't care about how a car drives, it seems to me like cars aren't as popular as they once were and are seen more as a fashion thing rather than having fun.

One thing that I've always noticed on here though is people who get on the slippery slope of modding their car for more and more power and eventually get to the point where they've gone just a bit too far and the car is awful to drive as a day to day car so they strip it and sell the parts within a matter of weeks.

Edited June 19, 2014 by ste91

[Dale SR]

i worry this site Is getting more and more "Boy racers" just wanting to kick the shit out there starlet and modify them like corsas.

[Jamie5414]

It's all gone downhill since Nanglebadger got rid of his dual exhaust I remember my brother looking through his thread all that time ago!

[Ryan5793]

i feel its not anywhere near as helpful and friendly as it was 4 years ago when i joined probably because the cars have got cheaper so the amount of timewasters has increased massively. Dont get me wrong some here still are decent and geniune however i feel I've taken a step back from these fourms because of this. What hasnt really changed is the respect and love these little cars get from the owners and the general car sence which is the most important thing

[Nanglebadger]

It's all gone downhill since Nanglebadger got rid of his dual exhaust I remember my brother looking through his thread all that time ago!

totally agree.

my DTM quads held this community together, now they are gone and its all gone to hell in a handbasket!

:P

Phil.

[Gainzy]

I understand that everyone should use paypal!but my point is whether you get the money back or not you're still in a way being ripped off. Scammers should take most of the blame.

Your not getting ripped off though as you get your money back your just back to square one and alot of time wasted, everyone's responsible for their own money, if people don't use any precaution it's their own fault the way I see it, if you don't pay paypal fee's there's a high chance of getting ripped off

[5e colin]

totally agree.

my DTM quads held this community together, now they are gone and its all gone to hell in a handbasket!

:p

Phil.

dtm quads >> ??

[DevonGT]

In the scene off and on now for 7 years and would have to agree with what the OP as said.

[akyakapotter]

Wait for Guernsey Spec Phil ;)

Dont you mean French spec

I have to agree it has changed alot over the years I've been into starlets. Hopefully it goes back to how it was when I first joined

[shorty]

Been ino the starlets for sooo long now, i owned my first v for a good while before i found the forums. There was a much closer and tight nit group back then but id say the welcome and friendly atmosphere is still here. I dont currently own a starlet but will forever have a finger in the starlet pie, my bro has one, grant has 2, my mate rich has a v, my mate nick has a gt his brother luke has an ep91, anothe mate alex has a v lol and so on. I dare say ill own another at some point but either way i would never use another forum as much as this one tbh.

I do agree with the guys who are saying the way the car is veiwed has changed alot too. It did used to be a very exclusive car and next to no one had a clue what they where. Now 99% of people know about them, weather you veiw that as great or not is down to you. Personally i saw it as a negative as the price dropped the parts where all repped and now every man and his dog has a starlet import. And wants all the mods for a tenner lol

[bdohohh]

To be honest having come from the "yaris" scene, this is so good!
Maybe just because I'm fresh in the starlet world but all of you are so so so much more helpful than anyone ever was on YCUK (apart from a few great guys obviously). Parts are more available, and there's almost no starlets I've seen on here and gone "ugh that's horrible" whereas I only ever really liked one or two really impressive yaris's. The community for them is tiny and the fact so many people aren't all that nice is so off putting.
I always got so much patronising for being a girl whereas here I don't get that at all! Even though I'm not very mechanically minded (yet) I get the vibe people don't mind answering my stupid questions, whereas on YCUK there was blatant annoyance when I asked for help from certain members.
I've only owned my starlet for a week and already I feel like you lot have been more helpful than anyone was on YCUK to me! Also there's very few unconstructive wankers commenting really hateful things for no reason, whereas on YCUK that's every other bloody comment :L

So,I guess it has its problems but its not as bad as other scenes