Forced to sell or de-modify cars because of police?

**JustinR32** · 03-16-2005, 10:13 PM

One thing: cops have been harrassing car guys since the beginning. It was a major theme element in American Grafitti, set in the early `60s. I used to get pulled over once a week in my `65 Bonneville Vert in the early `70s, one time twice in the same night by the same cop, with the same reason ("Someone reported a car like this one as stolen... <snork>"). It`s part of the ritual of letting you know that life`s not fair, and at this moment it`s not fair FOR YOU. I think it usually motivates people to get into a differnt hobby, but I don`t remember that far back. I got some great stories out of it though.

One time Carl had just finished an intake & header on his tricked out Vette. He was sitting at a red light and decided to just NAIL it, and took off sideways back & forth all over the place squealing & smoking rubber... with a cop right behind him. The office pulled him over and said, "You must not have seen me behind you, did you? Because I couldn`t imagine you being that stupid." He let him go, too.

Tom

**Scottwax** · 03-16-2005, 11:14 PM

Originally posted by Mosca

One time Carl had just finished an intake & header on his tricked out Vette. He was sitting at a red light and decided to just NAIL it, and took off sideways back & forth all over the place squealing & smoking rubber... with a cop right behind him. The office pulled him over and said, "You must not have seen me behind you, did you? Because I couldn`t imagine you being that stupid." He let him go, too.

Tom

I did that once after changing my torque converter in a 77 Cutlass I used to have. I brake torqued it a bit then flashed the converter and just roasted the right rear tire. As I am going through the intersection, I look to my right and a cop is sitting there, watching me with his eyes practically bulging out of his head. He had been 50 feet from me the whole time.

I didn`t even wait for him to turn on his lights, I just pulled over and had my license and insurance ready for him. He was actually laughing as he walked up to my car. He let me off with a warning and said I might want to look around next time and see if any cops are around.

**JaCkaL829** · 03-16-2005, 11:40 PM

Thats gotta be one of the whackest tickets i`ve ever heard of it. I would definately fight the ticket. As far as you buying a new car, its up to you. If you enjoy your modded car, i`d keep it. The fact that you had alternatives means you gave selling your car some though. Honestly, if you were considering selling it b4, than these tickets would make the decision to put it up for sale. If you truly like your car or are into modding it, I would get a good lawyer and fight all the tickets.

I don`t want to be pestimistic, but these cops really seem like a$$es with nothing better to do. To me the problem seems bigger than having a couple loud exhausts, it seems these cops are on a major alter ego pedistool. I think if you were in the same parking lot with completely stock, non-import cars, you`d have the same problems. Only this time they`d hit you with loittering fines instead of car mods.

**PerfectFinish1** · 03-17-2005, 12:18 PM

Few things happened yesterday that kind of make me want to get out of the whole import car scene even more. On the way to work, there was this mid-50`s guy in a brand new m3... beautiful car. We caught a light, and he kind of reved up at me... long story short I ended up spinning out at about 70 into oncomming traffic, then back on my side of the road head-on with the m3. Really kind of gave me a reality check lol.

Then, my friends were racing around yesterday night, and the same cop friend I mentioned above ended up getting pulled over. The cop that pulled him over was just like "holy sh*t what do you guys have done to your cars?!"... but if it were any of the rest of us that got pulled over, our license would have probalby been gone.

Just when I thought we had enough bad luck, another friend spun out on the highway and came inches away from the wall.. he ended up going into a ditch and probably did about $3000 worth of damage.

**ExplorerXLT95** · 03-17-2005, 12:40 PM

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1

Few things happened yesterday that kind of make me want to get out of the whole import car scene even more...

...long story short I ended up spinning out at about 70 into oncomming traffic, then back on my side of the road head-on with the m3. Really kind of gave me a reality check lol.

I`m starting to see why the LEOs in your area are doing what they`re doing. :nono

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1

Then, my friends were racing around yesterday night, and the same cop friend I mentioned above ended up getting pulled over. The cop that pulled him over was just like "holy sh*t what do you guys have done to your cars?!"... but if it were any of the rest of us that got pulled over, our license would have probalby been gone.

I`m shocked that your "cop friend" is still employed as an LEO, if he gets pulled over as frequently as you claim.

Originally posted by PerfectFinish1

Just when I thought we had enough bad luck, another friend spun out on the highway and came inches away from the wall.. he ended up going into a ditch and probably did about $3000 worth of damage.

I`ll use a quote from my first response to this thread:

Originally posted by ExplorerXLT95

Unfortunately, the age bracket that you fall into and the type of car you drive are under close scrutiny nation-wide at the moment because of numerous dangerous activities committed by many in that same category. Is it profiling? Perhaps. But I say as long as you`re a responsible driver and you know your rights, you have nothing to fear.

Just be responsible on the road...and I have a feeling that the LEO`s in your area will start treating you with respect.

**LouisanaJeeper** · 03-17-2005, 03:25 PM

bacically, most cops hate imports aka ricers and anything even close to it.

my past lifted trucks have had cut fenders, no exhaust, tires sticking out past fenders, sometimes tint, etc.... the only thing i had ever even bee asked about was he thought i should think about mud flaps sometime :xyxthumbs

my buddy had a highly modded SS. 3" straight pipes with headers, cammed, (LOUD as hell) 15% tinted

he got pulled over a few times but the cops mainly were asking what he had under the hood :woot: :nixweiss :nixweiss

basically what im saying, fair or not, most cops have a personal dislike of "ricers". whereas they often dont harass equally modified trucks/ v8`s

then again we did not "street race" (retarted) which plays a large factor

**pat00641** · 03-17-2005, 05:40 PM

I hear your pain man. I`m a muscle car guy and always have been/will be. We get together on weekends and hang out in parking lots of restaurants we eat in.

Ricers are always near. Cops get called because what they are doing. Rice leaves, cops hassle us.

You should have fought those tickets. The plate you would have lost on, but the exhaust is BS.

In the cops defense, ricers are becoming a real pain. And though you said your car isn`t particularly ricey, it`s still import.

I would advise selling it and going with the SLK or maybe a muscle car (Mustang, F-Body, GTO, Vette)

Much more respect from car guys (other than punk rice) and less cop hassles.

Just my $.03

**Okiewan** · 03-17-2005, 06:00 PM

You aren`t having to remove mods because of ricer hating cops, you are having to remove them because of the law. Pretty simple.

**TEGBOY** · 03-18-2005, 01:35 AM

Originally posted by Mad iX

That`s whack. Over here, the cops suspect anything they can issue you a defect notice, which means you have to bring it to the road authority office to have it tested. If it`s illegal they`ll ask you to remove it. You get 30 days or so to get it legal and certified. If you fail to do this then you get fined.

What most guys do is they get defected, no problemo, put the stock stuff back on, and once they`re certified, all the mods go back on.

No fines are issued just because the cops *think* it`s too loud.

There are other problems with the traffic system though, and the state government here makes way too much money on speeding and parking fines.

I hear you.. my Integra spends as much time on hoist putting the defectable items back on as it does having them removed. Gotta love Craigieburn Police

**chaotik** · 03-18-2005, 02:10 AM

Cops around here dont bother with the exhausts on cars that much.....used to be a pain in the a** riding motorcycles though.

My bike did seem to scream "GIVE ME A TICKET " though. I had a 88 Suzuki GSXR 100...custom paint, slammed to the ground , swingarm stretched 7" , all chromed and polished, with a Vance and Hines open pipe. I will admit it was loud.if you got on it.

One night...I got pulled over in front of a bar that alot of bikers (mostly Harley guys) hung out at. Well...as the cop was giving me the ticket and explaining it...a Harley went by with an open exhaust (and he was ON IT) ...couldnt hear a word the cop said....and the cop didnt even give the guy a single look!! I was like "excuse me...could you repeat what you just said, I couldnt hear you because of that loud bike".......funny.....he let me off after that!! Just had something against us "crotch rocket" guys.

I ride a V twin now...not a Harley though.........DUCATI!!!

**Kanchou** · 03-21-2005, 06:48 PM

i heard on a WRX board that he got pulled over and the cop wrote a `visual obstruction` ticket for the wing.

the stock wing....

**ntoddalbert** · 03-21-2005, 08:22 PM

No offence but I have always wanted to shoot the guys who drive around my area late at night with a ricer exhaust and the bass on idiot.

If I could deliver tickets to people with that set up I would.

Again nothing personal, thats why they have these laws.

**topnotchtouch** · 03-21-2005, 08:29 PM

I have to be more careful what I say around my kids. Every time they see an import with a coffee can exhaust they scream "Hey Dad, look at the fart pipe"

**PerfectFinish1** · 03-21-2005, 09:13 PM

Originally posted by FalconGuy

No offence but I have always wanted to shoot the guys who drive around my area late at night with a ricer exhaust and the bass on idiot.

If I could deliver tickets to people with that set up I would.

Again nothing personal, thats why they have these laws.

No offense taken, I would love to issue tickets to those people as well. That`s part of my point... even though my exhaust "looks big", it is very quiet... nothing like a ricer exhaust, and definately more quiet than any 5.0 or other muscle car. It is just big as it is a modified turbo car, and it needs to push a lot of air through.

**6']['9** · 03-21-2005, 09:55 PM

i run my car with headers and a y pipe and have never gotten a ticket (knock on wood) however most of those import guys ruin the reputation for all the other import guys acting stupid and all racing all the time. Ive grown up since ive had my ta and although i know its capable of running high 12s or very low 11`s i still dont race it on the street. If someone comes up revving @ me i usually blow them off. However in every crowd theres an A$$ that has to ruin the rep for everyone else. The Fbody guys have them and so do the Viper guys, and Vette guys... Its in every club. Id fight it and if you know your right then you should win your case and explain your opinion to the judge and see how it goes from there.

Once i got a ticket for racing a mustang> My friend was in the mustang and she raced another mustang, however the guy mistook a TA for a mustang :Confused: in the long run i ended up paying for the ticket just because it was too much hassle to keep getting off work just for the Prosecutor to tell me i had to go back. Those prosecutors try to get you to catch yourself in a lie. & everytime he asked me a ? i had him, cause i wasnt even in that area i was waiting by a bank a block away. He knew i wasnt guilty but didnt want to give up on it. A$$hole.

When i see people racing, it upsets me cause you never know whose going to loose control. I often wish for them to wreck just so they can learn theyre lesson ( i know thats rude but Its my opinion)