[Shop Rat]

Originally Posted by old car fan

Shop Rat,not meant to be,rude,just was pointing out,or trying to,that 70s 80cars are not old to me.60s cars do not seem old,pre war cars do seem old.Heck here ,if is not 4wd ,or funny exhaust ,the younger folks will not stop and look

Okay, I understand they are not old to you. When the other older cars are done he will get to ride in those too. And I will bet that when he gets his driver's license (in eight or nine years) he will get to drive whatever antique car(s) we have. My husband is the one that taught his mom to drive a standard shift car.

wj is correct, we must expose kids to this hobby in whatever fashion we are able to do. It may stick. It may not. But at least we will have tried.

[Bluesky636]

Originally Posted by old car fan

Shop Rat,not meant to be,rude,just was pointing out,or trying to,that 70s 80cars are not old to me.60s cars do not seem old,pre war cars do seem old.Heck here ,if is not 4wd ,or funny exhaust ,the younger folks will not stop and look

How old were "antique cars" when AACA was founded? 25? 30 years old? It didn't matter back then, why does it matter so much today? This I will never understand.

[Firepower]

Here in Sweden the old car hobby is quite popular among young people, i have lots of friends driving around in old chevys, buicks, desotos and so on from '40s, '50s and '60s.
I bought my Chrysler disassembled when i was 18 (i'm 21 now) and worked on it for about a year with help from friends before i got it registered.
But sure, it's not in everyones taste. Especially these days with all the talk about cars being bad for the enviroment..
I think the key is as someone mentioned here earlier, you've got to show that you can have fun with your car and invite somenoe along for a ride to show it. In my eyes a car is not a fragile glass sculpture, it's a car..


Here's my Chrysler and my friends '60 Buick, Juli this year. Attending the large car show "Power big meet". Claimed to be one of the largest car shows for american cars 30 years and older. (Attending cars from all over the world. longest distance last year vent to a guy with his mustang from Mexico )

[poci1957]

This is an important topic IMO, just a few notes:

I agree that part of the problem is that a teen and pre-teen has so many recreational activities that their attention span for old cars is not what it used to be. I also got into cars early with toys and such, and was sparked by building model cars. The modern kid seems uninterested in building a model, they just buy one already made and have no involvement in the process. The same when a real car is desired in their teens, no assembly is involved, just get one and drive it. And the affluent parent has little interest in making the first car a character building mechanical project either, they just want a car THEY won't have to work on (or pay for repair.)

Also, one of us joked about what cars are old enough. We all get the joke but to the young hobbiest nothing will run them off faster than what they see as a condesending old timer. When I was a teenager in the early 1980s I hated it and we as a group are VERY bad about that. A snide comment to show what an expert you are and that you know more than the "kid" may make you feel good but it will not win any goodwill.

[old car fan]

Dave i agree ,but i did stray a bit

[old car fan]

Originally Posted by Shop Rat

Okay, I understand they are not old to you. But to a six year-old who has never been in an antique car (as defined by the AACA) ever, a 1974 car is an old car. When the other older cars are done he will get to ride in those too. And I will bet that when he gets his driver's license (in eight or nine years) he will get to drive whatever antique car(s) we have. My husband is the one that taught his mom to drive a standard shift car.

wj is correct, we must expose kids to this hobby in whatever fashion we are able to do. It may stick. It may not. But at least we will have tried.

Every car show i will sit the kids in a car ,let them steer hit the horn ,even though there parents are scared .does not matter ,scratches,nicks are fixable,the next generation may not be.we do our best to inform ,every show,to the kids.I am all for the young -uns

[windjamer]

Firepower that is a sweet looking Buick,and I will bet a cold six pack your haveing a ball with your Chrysler. When I was 18 I had a 49 Ford and mounted a pair of chrome 2ft.long air horns on the fenders as you have the sieran. You dont say if you are an AACA member, if not,why not think about it? Yes us old bast OOPS, guys will bust your chops a little but you will grow to love us.

[Firepower]

Originally Posted by windjamer

Firepower that is a sweet looking Buick,and I will bet a cold six pack your haveing a ball with your Chrysler. When I was 18 I had a 49 Ford and mounted a pair of chrome 2ft.long air horns on the fenders as you have the sieran. You dont say if you are an AACA member, if not,why not think about it? Yes us old bast OOPS, guys will bust your chops a little but you will grow to love us.

You bet, we have a blast in our cars The siren is reeeeally loud, and in combination with the beacon ray on the top noone can miss us
The buick is in a really good condition, the original interior seems like new. He mounted a air-ride system last winter for comfortable driving (and low ), along from that its completely original.

No i'm currently not a member, but i visit this forum and read every day to keep up. Internet is a great resource for learning about and sharing our cars

Regards
Jimmy

[novaman]

Originally Posted by poci1957

Also, one of us joked about what cars are old enough. We all get the joke but to the young hobbiest nothing will run them off faster than what they see as a condesending old timer. When I was a teenager in the early 1980s I hated it and we as a group are VERY bad about that. A snide comment to show what an expert you are and that you know more than the "kid" may make you feel good but it will not win any goodwill.

My first car on the road was a 1964 Chevrolet Chevy II Nova back in 1983. Over the first several years of having the car, I heard some of those remark about it just being a used car. Having grown up in AACA, I ignored them knowing I just needed to wait until 1988 for it to be considered an antique. I unfortunately in some aspects traded it for a '86 CJ7. But shortly thereafter bought a 1963 Chevy II that was an original car. This time I had to wait again for the HPOF Class as this car wasn't as clean as my '64 was so there was not real thought of showing it, just participating in touring, etc.

[poci1957]

Yes novaman, I had a very similar beginning. In 1982 at 14 I acquired a full size 1963 Pontiac convertible which was rough but I loved the lines and thought it would be very sharp fixed up. All the guys in our local car club liked prewar cars and to them this was merely a "used car" and I knew I was not considered in their league as I had a car that was "not old enough".

After a few years getting it on the road and painted I went to a popular local cruise, clean and top down, eagerly anticipating the admiration I knew was coming. All night I sat there ready to receive visitors, and no one was interested in the least in this big old boat. Two guys looked inside, one said "it ain't got a four speed" and they walked away.

To me at 16 this rarely seen 20 year old car (older than me) was fascinating and collectable. I know now that to the old timers (over 40) this 20 year old car was on the showroom yesterday in their memory, as a 1989 or 1990 is to me now. In my case I was so devoted that I did not turn away from the hobby, but to most people it would have seemed rather unwelcoming. Today I try to remember that and be encouraging to the beginner since I was there too, and just yesterday in my mind.