[NOS2Go4Me]

The thing about factory hot rods is they (the manufacturers) have a chance with each new offering to sell as many as they could ever make, simply by pricing them effectively and affordably. Instead, they do their best to create niche markets by pricing the "top" or elite models well above what they should be. I'll never knock the SVT Focus, but the pricing scheme alone for the SVT allowed them to price the 05-07 ST way above what was reasonable, just because it was the "sport" model with a few more horses. In the SVT's defence, there's a 40BHP gap between it and the "normal" ZETEC motor. There's not even 20BHP between Ford's tuning of the 2L and 2.3L Duratecs.

Back in "tha day", when you shelled out big bucks for the performance variants of a car, you got performance. Now, you get stickers, maybe a new exhaust and a higher tune of an existing motor that was really never meant as a performance offering to begin with.

As we all can't afford the lastest Porsche, Corvette and other hotrods... we're forced to take other avenues. If you have the knowledge and skills to make your own (or pay someone to do the labour), what's wrong with that?

Personally, I think Jim Kenzie's preaching to the wrong choir. We can't hear him over our rap.