Talk:Boy racer

message: Is it just in the UK that "boy racer" refers to those young 'guns who like such "boy racer cars" described here? --Sam
Yes, please let us know WHERE this is used.  RickK 06:09, Jun 16, 2004 (UTC)
: As far as I've found out at least in the UK and New Zealand. // Liftarn
Boy racers are certainly known by that name in Ireland.
TRiG 11:44, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  UK only? 

message: I have never heard of the term "barry boy", so have altered the leading sentence to read "in some parts of the UK". I also added links to chav culture, as the two are linked.. Midwinter
try also Gary boy, after the typical essex boy racer
--
I concur in part with the amendment. I've heard of "Barry Boy" but I have never heard anyone use it except on one website. However, it could be disputed that chavs and boy racers are linked; I have never been a chav but I was something of a boy racer myself when I was younger. Driving a modified car like a racer and wearing a baseball cap backwards are only linked in stereotypes.
:Back in 2000-2002, around the Cambridge area, "Barry Boy" was used FAR more often than "Chav". It was also used to describe chavs that where not 'into' car modifying or may not even have owned cars, though obviously the majority of them did also own modified cars. "Chav" became more popular across Britian around 2004 when the Sun newspaper did a big 5-years-too-late "expose" on them, before that they had been known by different names in different areas, Barry Boys in Cambridgeshire, Scallies in Lincolnshire and Neds in southern Scotland are some i know of. An earlier derivative used in some areas was "Kev", after Harry Enfield's Kevin teenager character. For instance Vauxhall Novas etc being referred to as "Kev cars" Felneymike (talk) 18:04, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Ambiguity and Chavs!

message: Is it still disputed or can we remove the banner? // Liftarn
--
I made some amendments which I feel have value, though given the Hitler-like revisions made by mods to another article I once worked on, I doubt my comments will last the day! I just reworded the more offensive or poorly thought out comments which basically said "all boy racers are like this, all boy racers do that, all boy racers are chavs" etc. That's plain bullcrap. Boy racers are as varied as any other group of people.
I also added a few more cars to the list of UK boy-racer-mobiles. A full list might be something like this:
* Peugeot 106
* Peugeot 205
* Citroen Saxo
* Renault Clio
* Renault 5
* Subaru Impreza <-- Note: I know people will hate me for this but they do seem to be turning into the new boy racer mobile, having fallen into a price bracket almost anyone can afford (£3-£5k, which is what many popular mods and conversions would cost on a lesser car like a 106).
* Volkswagen Golf
* Vauxhall Nova
* Vauxhall Astra
* Vauxhall Vectra <-- Note: This one is a class above the other boy racer cars and I doubt people would accept it as such, but there are loads of them about being driven by people who seem to have no knowledge of the highway code.
I'm not sure if this adds any value to the debate so you can amend it if you've got a good reason.
:I think the Impreza is a bit more a boy racer mobile now, I regularly see them in convoys with modified Corsas and the like. Insurance doesn't seem to put people off much despite their age, I'm sure I've talked to someone that's stumped up a couple thousand so he could get his insured. Impreza's are such a risky second hand buy now because of the amount of thrashed, modified ones about.[Norman] 23/07
: I wouldn't really say a Vectra was a class above anything, they just cost a bit more than an Astra. In terms of the basic chassis most of the "boy racer" set start off with, it's usually smaller and more modestly powered cars. Insurance is the major stumbling block for a youngster of 17 to 25, most insurers will refuse to insure them for big-bore motors like imprezas (2.0 turbo, 200-300 bhp), high output Clios like the 172 series (2.0 vvt, 172bhp), 205 GTi (1.9 8v, 130bhp but no weight), etc etc. even Vectras attract higher premiums based on size and weight. Looking through the "readers' rides" bit in Maxpower or Revs you'll quite often see apparently heavily modified cars running completely standard engines. It's very often not about performance at all, because they just can't get insurance for hot cars - or if they can it's from a "specialist" insurer who will land them with an enormous excess and charge thousands of pounds a year for basic, bare-bones 3rd party only cover. Mr Dreadful 5th may '07.
:: Is it any wonder insurers won't touch young lads wanting Imprezas.  The thought of a 17 year old lad, whose only experience is a driving school Nissan Micra, getting behind the wheel of something like an Impreza RB320 with his mates in the back is quite terrifying.  You need maybe 150 metres of road to go from 30 to 80mph in this car.    —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.48.204.1 (talk) 11:38, 18 November 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  The neutrality of this article is disputed? 

message: i live in ireland and i think we must have more boy racers per head of population than  
anywhere else in the world you stand for half an hour any evening at a street corner 
anywhere in rural ireland and you will see dozens i know some of their habits are annoying  like revving at traffic lights and there definitley is a rowdy element in the scene but many 
of them are just young men and increasingly women who are intrested in cars or motor sport
they spend a lot of money on their cars doing them up a lot of them work hard to get the money working 2 to 3 jobs the police in ireland are now clamping down on them a lot using the smallprint of motor laws about such things as window tinting and exhaust sound or size but in many ways it is simply a style or fashion people want to personalise their cars thats why we put stickers on our car windows or even religous symbols i dont understand people playing golf it seems dull and boring to me but if thats what you like doing go ahead shouldnt a guy who likes doing up his car have the freedom to do it as long as he does not drive dangerously or after drink or drugs i am not a boy racer i drive a 10 year old opel corsa that any boy racer would laugh atBouse23 09:51, 26 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  isnt it just a fashion  

message: It should be noted that not all young drivers with modified cars fall into this bracket, with many driving their cars in a sensible manner. Car modifiers and cruisers who take a pride in their vehicles are generally well behaved and often have respect for other road users. There is often no distinction in the mainsteam media between the boy racer and modified car enthusiast which can lead to the latter being tarred with the same brush. In essence the boy racer is to the car scene what hooligans are to football; however, it seems that many young male drivers are regarded as boy racers regardless of circumstance.
My turn to have a bash.....
I was rather annoyed with this article until I read the above paragraph, just want to thank the author for having this section to clarify not every young male who loves cars is a chavtastic boy racer.  Yes, I own a 2004 renault clio, yes its black and only a 1.2  but no, I have not added ridiculous spoilers and scoops that me and my friends laugh at. However we do go to local 'meets' but only in the hope to see some modified cars (I'm talking engine wise, not looks) that are truley modified by real car enthusiasts, which we sometimes do see among the idiots that turn up.  Me and my friends love cars, but at the same time respect the law and other people on the road, it is just a shame that people DO tarnish us with the same brush, as soon as I mention I drive a clio people instantly think boy racer, until they actually see my car, which yes, has nice seat covers, mats and alloys, but all are sensible and not outlandishly stupid, as many that we see around town. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 195.188.21.101 (talk) 13:57, 16 February 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tarring with the same brush 

message: Uhm well here in NZ... all show and no go isn't correct. The majority or cars you will see at a drag meeting, would be turbo'd cars.. IE turbo model Nissan Skylines GTS-t's and GTR's 2ltr, 2.25ltr, 2.5ltr and 2.6ltr. Older style Mazda Familia's GTX's GTR's, 1800 DOCH turbo's.. Mitsubishi Evo's 2ltr DOHC Turbo's.. popular still the evo 1-3 generation, now the roads are flooded with evo 4-9's more recently imported. Subaru WRX's also 2ltr DOCH Turbo's.. . Of course honda's are popular, as they tend to not break as much especially since a person who races their car tends to give it a hard life. Its not unusual for gearbox's and clutches to blow in most turbo'd imports due to the engine modifications done without upgrading the clutch and gearbox. 
Of course there are your Rotaries that will turn up. The more recent model RX-7's... 1300 Twin Turbo's but more common are many back yard jobs of pulling the 12a and 13b non turbo's out from older rx7's and putting them in anything and I mean anything from old style 70's corolla's... 70's Ford Escorts... Mazda 323's... 626's... Mazda bongo vans (seriously overtaking someone up hill in a van is pretty funny) Most Rotaries will feature excessive than standard porting of the exhaust manifold, resulting in the sort after barp, barp, barp, barp, barp pulsing sound. 
Usual modifications start with upgrading air filter and exhaust and blow off valve (for turbo'd cars). Then will move onto lowering the car, either by purchasing lowering springs or by cutting the coil (illegally). Once lowered usually mags will be next on the list, bigger the better, then tinting the windows and installing a sound system. Installing a boost tap which makes your turbo force more air into the engine than standard. 
The government has put in place laws to try and stop 'boy racers'. Including on the spot fines for excessive acceleration, driving a car in a noisy manor. Impounding of the vehicle for 28 days if caught street racing, possible enforcement of the courts to sell the vehicle if you have heaps of fines already. Hamilton New Zealand actually has a specialized police team called the B.R.A.T Squad, which stands for Boy Racer Action Team. 
The point is anyone reading the current article that actually lives in NZ will disagree with it. "all show and no go" does not sufficiently describe the typical "boy racer", in short, the typical boy racer is someone that loves cars, doesn't waste their time doing up a low end of the scale model car, and will focus on the higher end performance model which can be easily modified to go a lot faster.
Peace
---------
I believe that serious drivers at drag meetings with high-end vehicles would consider themselves "car enthusiasts" rather than "boy racers".  
The ones across the road are clearly the latter in their rubbish 1980s era cars with stock, sub-1.5L engines large bore exhaust, alloy rims and no comprehension of how retarded they really look.
The trend isn't helped by the availability of hire purchase for rims and exhausts.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Slapboyracers (talk • contribs) 14:57, 11 February 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  all show and no go? 

message: I think it might be appropriate to add a section on the Boy Racer subculture in popular culture. 
The only examples that immediately springs to mind are Morrissey's "Boy Racer" single and the accompanying video from his "Southpaw Grammar" album.
Any opposition to this? Any ideas for other examples of the subculture in popular culture?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zengakuren (talk • contribs) 04:48, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Such a section would need to be based on reliable sources and written as prose, rather than a list of pop culture references. carl bunderson (talk) (contributions) 04:12, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

text: The bulleted lists are in fact discouraged; see WP:Trivia sections, "Trivia sections should be avoided. If they must exist, they should in most cases be considered temporary, until a better method of presentation can be determined." If it is really needful to  have it in the article, it should be something that can be presented in a non-list format. You wouldn't find a list-y section in a FA-status article. carl bunderson (talk) (contributions) 05:54, 14 March 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Boy Racer Subculture in Popular Culture 

message: I would like to clean up this article. NPoV is lost, more citations and references are needed too. Also moral panic may be worthy of mention in the article. Please, throw in suggestions otherwise I will steam ahead and try my best to honor the issues raised on this page.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 123.255.41.184 (talk) 00:31, 29 March 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: I second that, NPoV is almost non-existant. 86.131.223.114 (talk) 13:42, 20 September 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Clean up time 

message: :Feel free to state your position on the renaming proposal by beginning a new line in this section with *Support or *Oppose, then sign your comment with ~~~~. Since polling is not a substitute for discussion, please explain your reasons, taking into account Wikipedia's naming conventions.
* Support - Barfnz (talk) 01:59, 12 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Survey

message: The reference to neo-nazis in the introduction seems a little over the top for what seems to be an isolated incident in just one country, and is not (to my knowledge) reflective of the culture at large, which it should be if it's in the introduction. That reference can (and arguably should) go in the New Zealand sub-section but I don't think it belongs in the into (109.246.161.31 (talk) 18:36, 1 February 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: Neo-nazi

message: In this article the lead contains the sentence: 
Their behavior is frowned upon by members of the public irritated by the noise and the criminal behavior associated with boy racers, including violence by Neo-Nazi "boy racers"
Since this article seems focused on UK/Commonwealth countries, perhaps I don't understand, are "boy racers" members of the royal family, military, police or government agents as it is implies they are not "members of the public". Have all members of the public been polled and unanimously agreed that they are irritated by particular sound pollution created by these people. Unless being a "boy racer" legally equivalent of being a criminal in the UK/commonwealth, than it cannot be implied that all "boy racers" are guilty of criminal behavior. Perhaps the author meant that this group promotes an aesthetic style that is unpopular with the majority.
Also, just because a local police department in a commonwealth country linked "boy racers" to "National Socialism" (Nazis) does not merit inclusion in the lead. Shouldn't the Hippie article lead also state: Their behavior is frowned upon by members of the public irritated by the noise and the criminal behavior associated with hippies, including violence by Neo-Nazi "hippies" simply because of public antipathy and Charles Manson?
This article also seems biased against lower income young people, often emphasizing lack of economic resources as a defining trait of the "boy racer" subculture" 
I also wonder, can until 2013 only males participate? No working class commonwealth female has ever garishly customized a used front drive subcompact car in all of the UK, Australia, South Africa, Canada or New Zealand?
And why no mention of the Morrissey song?
70.174.84.232 (talk) 14:58, 28 February 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Surely the defining characteristic of a "boy racer" is driving excessively fast/aggressively on public roads, rather than having a modified vehicle.  (Oxford Dictionary of English: "Boy Racer (n): Brit informal: a youth or young man fond of driving very fast and aggressively in high-powered cars" 109.149.70.145 (talk) 20:42, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Very biased content. 

message: First, I will say that this article is NOT neutral in the slightest, and is insulting and slanted against a certain demographic. I have no love for the type of people described in this article, but such bias has no place on Wikipedia, and it offends me. I could almost have sworn this was written for some satire site like "Uncyclopedia". In any case, it clearly seems to be written by people who hold people they consider "boy racers" in derision, and come very close to outright laughing and deriding them. In any case, they portray them in a very negative light. Wikipedia is NOT a place for editorials. Just because you dislike their lifestyle gives you no right to laugh at them and poke fun and write them off as a pathetic joke...not in an encyclopedia it doesn't. Next, I don't think the American definition of "boy racer" matches this article. It's closer to the definition given in another comment on the talk page, from an encyclopedia, "a young man who drives fast on public roads", although the "powerful car" part is not really accurate...they might like to have a powerful car, and may like to modify them to look faster, but neither is the defining characteristic. In any case, I would really like to ditch the semi-snide comments about "ridiculous modifications" (I paraphrase). It is not Wikipedias place to cast ANY judgement on the lifestyle choices or aesthetic preferences of any subculture. I could think of plenty of nasty things to say about liberal, tree-hugging Prius drivers and snide attorneys who drive BMW's and Mercedes, but I doubt people would stand for it if I wrote an article about "rich assholes who drive expensive cars and like to cut people off and don't know how to park to save their lives". There is no excuse for the tone of this article, and I don't see why anyone should require "proper sources" to re-write it in a less negative and semi-sarcastic tone. This is bullshit..45Colt 17:49, 26 February 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bull. 

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