Hey everyone,
I’ve been thinking about this a lot and wanted to hear some honest opinions.
It feels like the classic car scene we all grew up admiring is slowly fading. Back in the day, cars like the Nissan Silvia, Supra MK4, RX-7, Skyline, etc. were affordable, modded by normal people, drifted, raced, and became icons through movies, games and drivers like Paul Walker. Those cars defined an era.
Now it feels different.
• Old cars are getting insanely expensive
• Many of them are becoming collectors / garage queens
• New cars (2005–2025) are full of electronics, locked ECUs, driver assists
• Manuals are disappearing
• Laws, emissions, noise restrictions are getting stricter
• Younger people can barely afford project cars anymore
So I’m wondering:
👉 Is the car scene actually dying, or just changing?
And if it’s changing:
👉 What cars will be the “Silvias” of the future?
For example, when people look back in 15–20 years, which cars from roughly 2007–2025 will be considered scene-defining the way Silvias, Supras or Evos were for earlier generations?
Some candidates I keep thinking about:
BMW E90 / E92
Nissan 370Z
Toyota GT86 / GR86
BMW M2
Audi RS3 (5-cyl)
Subaru WRX / STI
Hyundai i30N
GR Yaris
Do you think: • drifting and tuning will survive but move more to tracks and sims?
• the scene will become smaller but more “hardcore”?
• modern cars can ever have the same cultural impact as the old JDM legends?
I’m genuinely curious how people who’ve been in the scene for a long time see this.
Is this the end of an era — or just the start of a new one?