# Were Cars Imported to the US actually trashed as a sport in the 1980's? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 15, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280 "2008-12-15T20:09:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/21 "2008-12-16T19:03:38Z")
British cars imported to the US were trashed by the simple means of driving them about, such seems to be their reputation across the water. ---
**Author:** ![Influential\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Influential\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Influential_Panda)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/22 "2008-12-16T19:12:21Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > To think that people would buy Japanese cars with their own money and smash it as a protest. As soon as any hard-to-get, mega-popular tech gadget like a playstation or iphone comes out, some dick manages to snag one on launch day and smash it in the parking lot of circuit city/bestbuy, just to post it on youtube and giggle. Morons. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/23 "2008-12-16T19:38:03Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > British cars imported to the US were trashed by the simple means of driving them about… French cars were destroyed by turning the ignition key. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/24 "2008-12-16T21:00:09Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I don’t remember if the Mazda I read about was at Woodhaven’s parking lot or not (the virtually-same wire story I read was longer), but if it was, and if it was UAW members, then, uh, the Mazda plant I mentioned, filled with Ford UAW workers? It’s five minutes from Woodhaven Stamping, in Flatrock. Oh, and Woodhaven supplies stampings to Flatrock. Oh, and Ford still owns part of Mazda. As of November 18th: > [@](#): > > By Chang-Ran Kim, Asia autos correspondent > > Ford , scrambling for cash as the U.S. Big Three automakers struggle to stay alive, will end 12 years of control of Mazda Motor Corp through the sale of a 20 percent stake in the Japanese carmaker for around $540 million (359 million pounds). > > Ford will remain Mazda’s top shareholder with a stake of just over 13 percent. > > Mazda, in which Ford first took a stake in 1979, said on Tuesday it would buy back 6.87 percent of its own shares from Ford for up to 17.9 billion yen (123 million pounds), keeping them as treasury stock. More than 20 undisclosed business partners will purchase the remaining 13 percent, Mazda said. Personally I’m a Ford fan but wasn’t happy with any of their models. I bought a Mazda because it was “sort of” a Ford. It’s got Ford parts in it, even though the sales manager at the Mazda dealer assured me they did not. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/25 "2008-12-16T21:01:27Z")
No kidding. They have probably the finest civilian nuclear program in the world and they can’t build a decent car? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/26 "2008-12-16T21:11:14Z")
> [@gravitycrash](#): > > No kidding. They have probably the finest civilian nuclear program in the world and they can’t build a decent car? Actually they can - but most of those decent cars were never sold here. We got the Le Car and the Alliance, which were failures to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/27 "2008-12-16T21:22:40Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > Actually they can - but most of those decent cars were never sold here. We got the Le Car and the Alliance, which were failures to say the least. Yep check out some of the rally racing footage of Citroens, Renaults, and Peugeots. I could go for some Yugo trashing though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/28 "2008-12-16T21:30:11Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > Actually they can - but most of those decent cars were never sold here. We got the Le Car and the Alliance, which were failures to say the least. Well, we got the Peugeot, too. Click and Clack on French cars: “The French don’t copy anybody and nobody copies the French, which ought to tell you something.”. Some of the French cars sold in the American market were not BAD, exactly, they just weren’t what most Americans wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/29 "2008-12-16T21:51:31Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Some of the French cars sold in the American market were not BAD, exactly, they just weren’t what most Americans wanted. The Dauphine was notoriously bad, and the Alliance had tremendous reliability problems. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/30 "2008-12-21T19:48:22Z")
Its happening again! [Chevy Dealer Crushes Honda](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_crushing_cars) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/31 "2008-12-21T20:10:46Z")
Deloreans were used to travel through time in the 1980’s. I don’t know if time travel is considered a sport or not. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/32 "2008-12-22T03:16:22Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I could go for some Yugo trashing though. Guy walks into a auto parts store and says “I’d like a rear-view mirror for my Yugo”. Guy behind the counter thinks for a second and says “OK, that sounds like a fair trade.” ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/33 "2008-12-22T07:09:56Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Its happening again! > > [Chevy Dealer Crushes Honda](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_crushing_cars) Didn’t work out quite as they hoped: > [@the Hawaii Tribune article article](#): > > HILO, Hawaii – A Hilo Chevrolet dealer who tried to crush his Asian auto competition found the stunt a little harder to pull off than expected. > > Island Chevrolet general sales manager James Severtson arranged for a Chevrolet Suburban SUV outfitted with massive tires costing $5,000 apiece to drive over a Honda Accord. > > On the first attempt Friday, the monster truck blew a hydraulic hose and leaked vital fluid while the Honda remained intact and ready for more. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280/34 "2008-12-22T08:35:44Z")
Has anyone here actually driven a Yugo? Oh, man. What a complete piece of shit. I valet parked for awhile and drove one to the parking lot. This car only had 1200 miles on it and I thought the shifter was going to come out into my hand and the transmission was going to fall off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-cars-imported-to-the-us-actually-trashed-as-a-sport-in-the-1980s/477280.md?page=1)