The import scene was at its peak from 1995-2001, with Super Street magazine as the import scenes universal guide, and Hot Import nights as the official import car show drawing in record attendance. The Mecca of the whole import scene was Southern California! Home to the highest concentration and population of Asians anywhere in the continental U.S. For once, Asian Americans had something to claim and call their own, and our subculture garnered a huge following of non-Asians. The scene has since burned out, but will there ever be a resurgence again?
I had a 97 Honda Civic EX coupe from 2001-2006. Okay so it was an automatic, but the outside was slamming! It had a body kit, with 16's and turned heads everywhere it went. I grew out of it, and eventually sold it in 2006. 1992-2000 Honda Civic EX's were so easy to modify and had a spacious engine bay with ample room, but Honda killed it with the 2001 Civic and thats where the scene went dead.
Maybe with the release of the 2012 Toyota FT-86, the import scene will resurrect? Hot Import Nights is still on tour, but isn't as HOT as it was and doesn't make as many pit stops as it did before, only to a few cities.