Subculture of lowriders in the U.S. is more than 60 years old, but really they declared themselves in the late 60's. In the thirties during the Great Depression in the cities of Southern California and Texas in Mexican neighborhoods the new fashion appeared among Hispanic youth. They wore large in size bright costumes (Zoot Suits), a hat with an ostrich feather, two-colored shoes. They called themselves «Pachukos» had their own slang and preferred Latin American music.

They pushed the national tradition introducing the Spanish speech and art. They believed that their own culture self- sufficient and independent. Most of them took part in bootleggers gangs and petty criminals. Pachukos drove widespread Ford and Chevrolet which were the most inexpensive cars. They wanted to stand out among the general stream by showing individuality among their own friends were engaged in what is called a "tuning".

A lowrider is a car or truck which has had its suspension system modified so that it rides as low as possible. Lowriders often have user controlled height adjustable suspension. Lowriders are very often classic cars from the 1950s which rode low to begin with, although large numbers of 1940s and 1960s cars are also modified, and to a lesser degree newer vehicles.

Many lowriders feature custom hydraulic suspensions that allow the driver to alter the ride height at will. These systems range from simple to complex and are usually measured by the number of hydraulic pumps used to control the various hydraulic combinations that ultimately produce a specific motion from the vehicle.

Paint, neon or LED lights, chrome or gold accents, cosmetic mirrors, after market steering wheels, fuzzy dice that hang from the rear-view mirror or head rests and swivel seats that allow for easier and more stylish entry and exit.

Another common modification are the car doors, such as suicide doors (doors which open in the opposite direction to a standard car door), scissor doors (doors opening vertically) and gull-wing doors (doors opening towards the roof, swinging up), which are less common than many of the other door configurations.