I guess I'll chime in as a Honda owner. I DID NOT buy a crx for the performance aspect of the car. I don't think any FWD owner(with any sense) will argue the fact that the other platforms are better. I like the crx because it suits me, and it's fun FOR ME to drive. I wouldn't look right in an f-body. My best friend owns a probably, 12 second LT1 firebird(if he'd ever get it tuned) that I drive on a pretty regular basis. I love the car, but it's definently not for me. The dash is too damn long for my little ass to see over and the car is just too large for my likings. Don't get me wrong, I love that m'fer, as do all my other honda and dsm buddies, but the car just isn't something I could see us driving. I bought the Honda because it's a small car, reliable, and have a huge amount of aftermarket support. Hondas are like legos, you can take parts from just about any of them, and put them on any other one. I think aftermarket support is the biggest reason why you see so many DSMs and Hondas on the street that are "modded". Try to find 5 suppliers for your turbo Mazda 323 and then try to find 5 people selling honda/dsm aftermarket parts. If I had the choice I'd have a third gen 7, MKIV supra, evo, etc.. but I don't have a 5 digit bank account to spend on an automobile. I'm in college, work two jobs, and don't have a mommy or daddy to buy me a new car. I think a lot of import enthusiasts buy their cars because they want a car they can afford to mod. If I spent my entire 10,000 budget buying a 98 LS1 where's the fun in owning the car? I can buy a 4th gen civic hatchback or crx for 1000 dollars and go ape shit. 5 grand on a motor buildup, 2500 in suspension amd braking, and another 1500 for misc...tuning...aethetics whatever, and have the satisfaction of knowing I modded my car. Yeah the LS1 still may be faster, but I now have an overall well balanced modded fwd car that's pretty quick. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the kids nowadays are buying their wrong wheel drive cars because they want something affordable that they afford to drop a little bit of money into a bit later. As opposed to spending their entire budget on a "sports/gt car" when the stylings of a domestic just aren't to their liking.