I've been a member of this forum ever since the first 1g I had back in '05. When i first got that car I bought it thinking "What? an eclipse that doesn't look like the one in the Fast and The Furious? Must be rare!" I didn't know anything about DSM's, but as soon as i got it I started looking for groups with the same car...which is how I stumbled on LADSM.COM through dsmtalk.com. I was overwhelmed on the amount of enthusiasts for these cars and what the cars are capable of. I then realized what model i had bought for myself. I had people hate on that 1.8L but it was all good because I knew it was still a DSM at heart. Didn't have the power but i still felt proud to represent ladsm. Since then i've had two other dsm's including my daily driver 1g with 242k and going strong that I've had for over 3 years now. I've met alot of people since then, made alot of friends, lost a few, but its all good. You really do see the different sides of people on here the longer you stay, but we're all on here for the same reason, our love for DSM's. If this place was some sort of average random chatroom, i'm sure people would come and go alot faster than they have. Some people do have thicker skins than others and they're the ones that stick around, and others just leave because they dont feel like dealing with immaturity or ignorance from the group. Sometimes we end up competing against ourselves since we feel that other types of cars are out of our league, which is fun. Friendly competition is always a good motivator. I personally haven't been to the meets due to work and usually always getting out at 11pm or later. I tried going a few times but by the time I would get there most everyone but a couple of people would still be there. If meets end up going on til late at night i'm gonna make an effort to show up again. I'm gonna try to get on here more often as well. Living out here in the valley makes hanging out with friends somewhat difficult, usually due to financial reasons, but i try to keep in touch with those who are friends enough to keep in touch with me as well. I gotta admit I miss alot of you guys, no homo. I'm proud to represent LADSM on my car to this day. I want this site and group to blow up, and have a great reputation. WE GOT TO REPRESENT AT MOD THIS YEAR! COMMON!

Thx for the words, christ. I'm in agreement with a lot of what has been said. There's a right time and place for some shit talk (especially when it motivates you to improve your car), but I honestly haven't seen people tear each other down like the people in this club do since I was in high school. I know, I'm guilty too, but it would really be nice to see more camaraderie within the club. There are a select few "OG" members that really tear people down every chance they get as someone mentioned before, and even though they may be cool with that amongst themselves, I think they need to realize the negative impact it has on the club and on people thinking of joining. It's all about having respect. I've had to learn that myself. Sometimes what seems okay to your close friends in the club might not be in the best interest of the club itself.

From here it would be cool to hear some ideas from people on how to expand our group (i've liked the suggestions and comments people have made in this thread already). I was going to go post on DSMtuners in the SoCal forum to generate some interest in getting more DSMs at the Monday meet, but I haven't posted there much at all in the last year or so. Maybe someone that's more involved over there could post something?

Also, I have another thought that might not be popular, so take it or leave it. If we really want some numbers, it might be worth getting some Evo people to show up to the meet. That can be a big can of worms though depending on what kind of people show up. Idunno, just throwing this idea out there. Thoughts?

I would like to see maybe some BBQ or monthly gatherings happen more since I live almost an hour away and can't make it to Monday meet, but I do try to make it to the oxnard meet when I can and support the DSMs there. At the Oxnard meet we do hangout with evo owners and they ain't bad people, but at least there Mitsubishi.


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I'll chime in as a person who is extremely new to this group and hasn't been to any meets yet. So take this with a grain of salt.

I'm new to LADSM, but I've been going to DSM meets since 1999. I know there are people out there who have been meeting in parking lots with other DSMers since before then, but I think I've been around these types of communities long enough to know what's up.

I know what it's like to be the new guy, because I've moved all over the country over the last 12 years meeting up with new DSM clubs when I move to a new city. This is my 6th local DSM community I've joined. And it always seems as soon as I finally get past the "new guy" status and I start to feel like more of a regular, I end up having to move and start the process all over again.

If you want a car community to grow, you need to make new people feel welcome at meets, and give them a good lasting impression that will make him want to come back. The best way to do this is just walk up to the guy as soon as he gets there and say hello. It's really as simple as that. You can't expect people to want to be in a community if they don't feel like people want them there.

I got along really well with the Rochester DSM guys when I went to my first meet because of that very reason. Someone said "hey" and asked about my car (which at the time was a 420a Eclipse with gaudy "rimz" and a shiny intake pipe, and this was in 2000 when most DSMers laughed 420a guys out of the zip code.) But all it took was someone making the effort to say hi to the new guy and introduce him to the rest of the people at the meet and you'd be amazed at how many people will want to come back. I became very good friends with those guys for the 4 years I was in college, and I was really sad when I left.

It's really easy to make fun of new people, especially if they have mods that the typical DSMer would consider rice or whatever. But I'm actually a really good example of someone that just needed a little guidance when I got started. Like I said, I was driving a 420a Eclipse GS in '99 and the first thing I did was awful shiny wheels and other worthless mods that just made the car loud. If I hadn't met the guys in Rochester, who were basically all 1G AWD drag racers, I wouldn't have gone down the path I did. Rather than slamming the car to the ground and adding a 3" exhaust, I saved up my money and bought a Hahn turbo kit. I learned how to launch, wrench, and tune from a bunch of guys who didn't really care for the engine I had, but they saw that I wanted to learn and they were willing to help. After a year of getting better at all of those things, I sold the GS and bought my '91 AWD. By then I was welcoming and helping others into the group. Of course it takes the right mentality of the new people to mesh with the older members, but you have to at least give them a shot.

The main reason I haven't come to a LADSM meet yet is simply that my DSM is down. I could show up on my Cherokee, but then I am the guy that showed up in a Jeep from that point on, and I know what happens from first hand experience when a first impression goes down like that.

On top of that, Go-karting, track days, and cruises are a great way to meet with people other than standing in a parking lot waiting for the police to show up. Even a calm but spirited drive as a group can be a lot of fun, especially when there is a collective destination (such as those listed above).

I've been in LA going on 7 years now, and I'm not going anywhere, so I can't wait to get my Talon back on the road and get my ass to some meets. My work schedule sucks as I work 16 hour days pretty much 7 days a week, but it won't take me long to show up once my car is off its 6 year jack stand hiatus.

And thanks for saying hi on SA Christ. It's nice to see people here cross posting and checking in on other forums as well. See you guys soon.

I also really enjoy being part of this DSM community. And will do my best to show up to the meet on mondays. Just know you have have alot of DSM members here from the San fernando Valley. So maybe makinh the meet a little bit more towards this way instead of further out towards the IE, Would help, geting most of the SFV members to show up, I know my self would be there everymonday if it were move close to the SFV, But either way. You guys already know am 4GRIDER. and been part of this site for a while, been kicked so many times. But love it so much and learn alot from here. That i find a way to get, Back, am just afraid to show up to the meeting, because i feel like ima received pure cold shoulders, and like ima be made fun of. And thats one of the reason I dont show up, Its cuz i dont wanna feel unwelcomed due to the past i've had here with LADSM.
But i myself just try and help with what i can. And know

I figure I should chime in a bit.

I got my DSM in 08, and took me about 2 months to go to Adam's IE meet, and shortly after going to that, I started to try making it to the LADSM meets. Being a bit unemployed and broke my repair period has been quite a bit longer than others here. (Still catching up on maintenance now. )

But I ended up moving to Brawley for almost a year, and then the following year I was trying to get there, but I had No vehicle, or the DSM was out on repairs.

THE BAD

But the ones I did make it to, I did feel kinda out of place when I was there. I loved my Evo wheels, but they were referred to as "played out" by the LADSM crew. And since I was still catching up on repairs rather than doing mods, I was kind of out of the loop with the major conversation. A running theme i noticed is when you show up early, you get locked into conversations, and when some one shows up later, it's hard to get into the conversation.

Another is when Some one asks a 'newb' question, some people would help, and others would say "Just check out the Vfaq, and tuners"

Before I get blasted for my asking questions, I will admit I relied too heavily others, Clint and Sam specifically, asking some newbish questions.

I do think some LADSM members forget that not everyone has the budget available to do rapid mods, and so when some one mentions taking their time on their cars, they are kind of scoffed. I guess it's repeating the whole some time the senior members forget they were once newbs too.

THE GOOD

However, I do have ALOT respect for some of the tuners, and have learned alot from you guys. I just wish I could have been to more of them, but alas, my work has pulled me away from there.

I would still attend, but I've moved to Illinois. I don't have the experience for the workplaces out there. Not nearly as many tuners out here though.

BUT, I do want to stay active on here, because I can still learn, and sicne i have family in the region, I can still get parts.. Assuming people are willing to be a bit flexible.

Overall, you are great guys to hang around with, even when you razz people..


Also, one other thing...


Yes Christ. I'm a furry. Bite me.