CarNucopia

It a dragon from a Toyota Celica.

My library has a 3D printer that will output designs for card holders. I haven’t made any car parts yet, but I’ve made some other things I needed and was surprised how easy it is. From what I’ve seen in other forums, people create the car part object files and share them as a way of supporting the community.

@Steve Moskowitz Let me know when you're in the area. I'll happily make time for a longer conversation.

Looks like you went back and read my original DM, which I appreciate. I'm encouraged by the fact that you are looking for outside direction in areas you feel need addressing. One last point I'd like to make, then I think I've covered the topic. I believe it's important that people who support you and express opinions like Ed understand that their view and my view are not mutually exclusive. Great deeds and great challenges can and do coexist. That's something I'd consider at the appropriate time. I've been in other volunteer boards and enjoyed the experience. It's important to me to understand an organization better before making that level of commitment. As such, I was hoping to get involved on a local level and see if there were opportunities to volunteer nationally in a marketing capacity since that's how I spent my career. Instead, I got involved elsewhere when I hit a brick wall. I was

Thanks for the reply. The most common answer I've heard to "Failure is not an option" is "Organizations don't plan to fail, they fail to plan". Based on your answer to my third question, I'll offer that this is the core problem with the AACA. It's why you work your tails off and still get criticized for not accomplishing enough. None of my points are directed towards staff. I'm sure they are dedicated and working in earnest to advance the AACA. I'd guess the same holds true for you and the Board. That said, success is measured in results, not effort. Yes, the AACA is definitely making progress. The hard reality is the environment it exists in is changing even faster. You mentioned the Board holds roundtables and communicates through other means. (I'm not sure what the other means are). Only having access to the board at national events limits who can offer opinions and skews the sentiment. It's a small percentage of the total membership and I doubt it gives the board an accurate reflection of what the majority think. There should be a Members Only Roundtable on this platform to discuss issues with the board. The board needs to have an ongoing dialog with members. This forum is the only continual two-way communication channel the AACA has, as far as I know. The other area I want to offer an opinion is on the relationship with Regions and Divisions. As I said before, I'm surprised the Club does not have more say in these relationships. You have offered this fact as a reason why certain issues, like registration, don't get improved. The sentiment is "Case Closed". Is there a reason the bylaws can't be changed to require more governance? The phone call you and I had earlier this year on my experience in this area should be a red flag that there is a problem To summarize, I DMed you because I wanted to get involved with the AACA on a local level. I live in a fairly populated area and have five Regions/Divisions close enough to participate in. I contacted all of them via the email links on the Club's directory and did not receive a single reply. When I shared this with you, your reply seemed like one of genuine surprise and you said "We used to have a strong presence in your area". If the Club's existence in an area can diminish to the point of obscurity without the Club knowing it, there is a problem. I have no doubt there are Regions/Divisions that are run great. Does the AACA collect best practices from them? Is there a forum for the folks in these organizations to share ideas, successes and failures? Should there be stricter minimum requirements to maintain good standing? Local organizations operating under the AACA banner are the front line in interacting with the public and recruiting new members. I'm of the belief that this is too important a task to leave unstructured and unmonitored. I just want to reiterate my criticism is not at all about the staff. The AACA does many things great. I am very appreciative of the aspects of the Club that help me enjoy being a car-guy even more. This is an organization I want to see thrive and endure. I am concerned because I don't believe Leadership completely understands the challenges of the modern environment and they lack a strategic process to identify and address them.

I'm not sure if you are referring to @Melanie Harwood, or me since we were the ones giving criticism in this thread. But since I sent us down this path, I'll share some thoughts. The AACA is clearly a decade or so late in adopting digital communications and processes. Your reply outlines challenges you've recently addressed that have had solutions readily available for years. I implemented a POS system with 25,000 SKUs in 2006. This was for a business smaller in budget and resources then the AACA. And, we should look to the magazine for updates? Have you seen what has become of the magazine business and how relevant a form of communication it is? They're as popular as checkbooks for people under age 35. Magazines are great for long-form content and there is a place for them. The AACA is awesome at this. But, timely organization information should be done electronically. Maybe you're right we have "zero idea" what's going on. But please direct me to the minutes of the Board of Directors meetings so I can see the process in action. Sorry for the rant Steve, but I found your reply defensive and one that rejects criticism instead of welcoming it. The characterization in the first sentence is simply insulting. Anyhow..., I have a thick skin and would like to make this a productive exchange. I have three questions, as a member concerned about the heath of the Club: 1) What metrics does the AACA use to measure the performance of the organization? 2) What document governs the Club's relationship with Regions and Chapters the prohibits the AACA from exercising the any oversight? These organizations operate under the AACA name, yet the club has no say? 3) Finally, I'm curious: is there marketing plan? Thanks for listening and, in advance, answers to the questions above.

That’s a really good point. I’d guess the Hagerty numbers underrepresent enthusiasts under 30 because the car they are passionate about and wrench on is also their daily driver. Hagerty doesn’t insure these folks. Based on my experience, the most popular car among 20-somethings is the Miata. Nothing else is even close, yet Hagerty doesn’t mention it. If I had to read the tea leaves on car enthusiasm trends, they’d tell me there are more people under 30 who love cars then ever.

The hobby will live longer then any of us. I think the relevant question for this forum is will the AACA be there? I'm a life-long car enthusiast, Gen-Xer and former consumer marketing professional. What brought me to this thought exercise is the fact that, for the first time in my life, I have weekends free. As such, I started to look for more ways to get involved with the club. Based on my experience, I believe the organization is poorly equipped for the enthusiasts of the future. I enjoy the AACA and want it to thrive. As such, this is offed to be constructive. The club needs to modernize how it communicates with people, particularly as it relates to events. Honestly, it's astounding that event registration is trafficked (in both) directions via mail. The next generation of members avoid mail. (I'd also wager a good portion don't have a checkbook). Using these means not only sets up roadblocks of sorts, it also gives the club an air of obsolescent. I said as a joke in another thread, the cars need to be 25 years old, do the communication streams need to be too? My own experience is that the effort required to find information on events isn't worth the time. I doubt I'm the first person to reach this conclusion.

If you are comfortable with the knowledge the car will spend your money, go for it. There has never been a better time to own oddball, weird cars because the internet (and Facebook specifically) is a wealth of knowledge on nearly every aspect of ownership. I've bought a few cars that were itches that needed scratching, but rare enough I had your concern. The end result was buying them led to me getting involved and having fun with like minded nutters like me. If you're really concerned it will spend you poor, find a SM Facebook group and ask the question there.

On the subject of games, Milton Bradley made a game called “The Test Driver Game at the Chrysler Corp. Proving Grounds” in the late 50s. I thought the box art was so cool I scanned it and reprinted it at about 300%. Hanging in my kitchen is this giant game box.

A few years ago, when I ran a retail business, we were the unwitting facilitator of a check fraud. About halfway through the day on a Saturday, my mother called me on my mobile phone to tell me the store's phone isn't working. I call it and sure enough, she's right. I call AT&T to get the issue resolved and they tell me there is a forward on the line going to a number I was not familiar with. We fix the issue and I go about my business. Fast-forward a few days and I start getting calls from currency exchanges that the paychecks my staff cashed on Saturday were NSF. I ask who the check was made out to and from what bank. The "person" the check was made out to was not an employee and the bank not ours. It turns out, a woman came in late on Friday to pick up an order for her boss. When we couldn't find the order, my staff let her use the phone. The boss wasn't answering, she said she would be back. In actuality, she put the forward on the line to a burner phone. On Saturday, the currency exchanges Googled our phone number and called to confirm the check was valid. "Marge" in HR answered on the burner and confirmed it was a good check.

The price on the Austin Bantam looked reasonable. Was it a nice car?

Looking for a project to dig into? Perfect restoration for a grass-roots enthusiast. Must sell before I’m in over my head.

This car has been for sale for a while. It's not a 60 Series car, but the seller seems intent on representing it as one. Not a bad price for a 40 Series though.

About how many miles per day are expected? Thanks

Another reason to do this is for easy access when (not if) you get a flat.

I've got a Weight-Safe hitch and recommend it.

Try reaching out to the Chicago Historical Society and the Chicago library.

Agreed. I went though the same search about a month ago.

It’s in the bylaws.

Thanks. So the cars AND the means of communication need to be over 25 years old. 😉

Is there a link to the registration info online?

@1937hd45 Try this link https://www.goodingco.com/lots/?filtersInput[auctionType][0]=Live Auction&filtersInput[auctionYear][0]=2023&filtersInput[liveAuctionVenue][0]=Lynchburg&filtersInput[liveAuctionVenue][1]=Virginia&sortBy=ENDING_SOONEST looks like there are only 10 cars.

I take no responsibility for what happens to your bank account from this point forward. https://bid.mountainvalleyauctions.com/ui/auctions/94835/10532731

Not really. I used adwords ages ago.