We all have our opinions on the Japanese import scene, but there have to be a few good cars in the whole mess.
While I generally think tuned Hondas are a joke, I think the S2000 is a car that has a lot of potential. It's front engined with rear wheel drive, pretty good weight distribution. The engines are built quite strong and can easily be made to accept forced induction with little or no changing of the internals, and it looks pretty sharp.

I prefer the AE86 (1983 Toyota Corolla GT-S), EG6 (1995 Honda Civic Hatchback), DC2 (early 90's Honda Accord), S15 (current gen Nissan Silvia)

I'm really not an import guy, but I have a lot of respect for the WRX STi.. that's a solid tuner. As far as something cheaper goes, I'd vouch for the RX8 or a used RX7 for rotary power

if you like the WRX, then you gotta like the Evo because they're basically similar, minus the body, engine, trans, etc. but they're both 4 door sedans, turbocharged 4 cyliner engines, AWD, and have plenty of aftermarket support...

The EVO is ok, it's just more annoying looking.

Well an Evo did manage keep up with a Murcielago on a British circuit track on Top Gear...

Yup, you can see it here. Although the Evo was a FQ-400 which is a special edition 400HP version not available in the US.

My new motor is coming out of a Galant VR4, which is essentially the Evo3 released for the international market. If pretty sure that the Evo generally has a higher power-to-weight ratio than the STi and usually has a more advanced AWD and locking diff system than the STi, however sans the new WRX joke of a car Subaru is pulling on the sports car market I think the WRX looks far better than the Evo. Plus the Evo has a really insane maintenance schedule, it needs service something near every 1500 miles or so if I remember right. I think the S15 is also a very gorgeous car, I'm really disappointed that Nissan had to stop importing them right when they were coming out with that one, it looks way better than the S13 or S14 that we got, though the Kouki S14 for 97 and 98 was pretty sharp. I'd probably swap out the SR20 for an RB25 though.

I think it's pretty obvious on what I'm partial to. I love Subaru's of any kind. But I really don't like Evo's. Reason being: I'd prefer ME to drive the car, not the computer. The Evo is basically a computer with wheels. It is fast, don't get me wrong. And I would take one for free any day. But I want a car that I'm comfortable in while running to the store really quick. I don't want to get into a track day car everyday. Plus, even though they are based of rally cars, you don't see a lot of Evo's getting dirty. I think a Subaru will hold it's own longer, and faster, on a rallyX course then an Evo.
That, and the sound of an inline four bugs be after a while. Flat four FTW.
We have torque. They don't

Aside from that, I like Supra's, RX-7's, and the R32 Skylines. And I do like the S2k, I really do, I would just like it soooooo much more if it had a six cylinder in it. I always questioned Honda and why they didn't put one in. Maybe for weight, maybe for fuel consumption. Who knows. But if they really wanted to make a true performance car, I think they would have put an I-6 in it. It's been proven they can make a killer sports car, look at the NSX. An I-6 with VTEC, and maybe put on a turbo after you bought one, you would kill ANYTHING on the street.

The problem with the NSX is that there is a limit to how much horsepower you can tune it to because it isn't a very performance oriented powerplant compared to the B16, B18, K20, and K24. As I mention earlier this year, I heard rumors of a Honda 3.0 V10 F1 motor in an NSX running around the San Francisco Bay Area, the rumor has yet to be debunked. The Supra is one of the greatest powerplants with the 2JZGTTE engine. I've seen them pull out about 1500 hp with 5 seconds on the 1/4. I have yet to see another Japanese vehicle with the same potential as the Mk.4 Supra. I do believe the R35 has a chance. The fastest Skyline I saw was pushing 1000 hp at crank. The only thing I like particularly about the WRX is that they're pavement pounders, literally...I was in my school's shop and a classmate brought one in that was modded and I was 30+ feet away and I could feel the engine vibrations as it was idleing. Another decent tuner is the 350Z but I think it's too heavy but the VQ35 is kinda cool. All in all the Supra is the master of the tuners.

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5 second quarter? I don't think any Supra has quite ran a 5 second quarter.

... but I do agree that the Supra is the ultimate tuner car. You can get more power, easier in a Supra than any other import.

To me, if something starts below 400hp factory and is tuned to 1000hp aftermarket... that's bordering on undriveable. The handling will be non-existent.

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2003 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra
4.6L DOHC V8 - 6 speed manual
520rwhp - 525rwtq at 16psi on stock blower
2002 Ford Mustang GT
4.6L V8 - 5 speed manual

@Apollo: Only if no suspension and chassis modifications are added. Add maybe a 4-link, 12 point rollcage, and other mods
@Johnny: There was a Supra at Dunn Tire Speedway (formerly Lancaster Speedway) that posted an 8 second quarter but it was during a test and tune session and wasn't an official time.

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Keep feeding me your denial and hate, from that I will create

3 seconds is a huge difference in racing.

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2003 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra
4.6L DOHC V8 - 6 speed manual
520rwhp - 525rwtq at 16psi on stock blower
2002 Ford Mustang GT
4.6L V8 - 5 speed manual

I meant to post 8 seconds in the first post, typographical error

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Keep feeding me your denial and hate, from that I will create