Reatta Man

Willis, No reason given on their Web site. Some suspect (complain) that it is environmental issues, but don't know at this point. I feel sorry for anyone that paid big bucks for a paint job with a 6 year warranty, because now it is not worth the paper it is written on.

I wish we all had the choice of paying a few more pennies to get real gas. Here in Texas, ethanol is in EVERYTHING. And, when ethanol was forced on all the stations, the price did NOT go down.

Their Web site claims all of their shops are now independently owned, and they will no longer honor any of their warranties! Too bad....their paint quality for an everyday driver was getting to be quite good at most shops.

We have a discussion going on the BCA page about mentoring new people, as well as showing cars how they were made and not over-restored to a level that could never be equaled in a mass production facility of 30, 40 or 50 years ago. A lot of positive thoughts... As for calling people names, John, if you check the name of this post, the guy was ASKING for people's opinions. Narrow-minded and quick to judge people only chase people away from this forum, rather than encourage a free exchange of ideas. YOU have to decide for yourself if your comments are building people up or tearing them down. The rest of the world already sees them for what they are.....

One other thing to keep in mind when judging older cars to their assembly quality of THEIR day and not current standards. Often, brochures and other marketing materials are highly sought after as a frame of reference for restoration. However, those photos are often airbrushed to remove misaligned body panels and other flaws. One source of documentation that sometimes shows cars, flaws and all, is Collectible Automobile. One example is the piece they did a few years ago on the early '70s Olds Toronados. One of the cars featured had mismatched body panels, and the caption mentioned that they came that way from the factory. While none of us would intentionally paint a car that way just to be authentic, if something can be documented or proven to be a factory flaw, I hope we can all be accepting of the car when it is shown. Great comments about accepting cars in all stages of restoration at the shows.

I think, in typical BCA fashion, you guys have taken up the point I was making PERFECTLY! The idea of mentoring new members (go here, sign up here, food's over there, the 'sit around in lawn chairs and swap stories' gang is over there) would probably do more to add "value" to a new member than a special membership price or any brochure. Thanks to all for bringing up the fun aspect of this; I think mentoring, and making sure the newbies feel welcome and respected is THE correct path for this or any other hobby club. Remember ultimately we join and stay with BCA because we want to, not because we have to. Joe

Yep, more name-calling. Just what this forum needed!

While the comments about dues and the cost of participating have been drawn out and beaten to death, the comments about the judging standards may deserve to be examined further. We are living in a time of pretty boring cars--design wise--but nearly perfectly assembled. It may be a good idea to ask if this tendancy for all car companies to build boring cars with nearly perfect assembly into a hobby filled with cars that were far from perfect when they were new. If you look at the "typical" peak years for Buick (1965-1970, for example) you find cars that were stunning in their design and style, yet came off the assembly line with mistakes and flaws that were intentionally passed on for the dealer or the customer to catch and fix. Of course, the dealer pre-delivery inspections were a joke back then, so the customer became the QC checkpoint. As a result, GM's reputation got damaged in the process and created an opening for Japanese cars that used Deming's theories to produce much higher quality cars. Years later, the styling and pizzazz is all but gone (with a few exceptions) but GM is building cars with gaps measured in millimeters, and everyone is watching the total number of problems per 100 cars in annual quality ratings. Unfortunately, the style of the 60s and 70s has met the drive for perfect assembly of the last 10-20 years, fueled by people who can spend a ton of money on one car to make it near-perfect, but now have probably more money sunk into the car than it is worth or will ever bring at auction. And, their perfect car can be intimidating for anyone thinking of bringing a car to show that is nowhere near that ridiculously high level of perfection. So, has the BCA been pushed (or went along willingly) to become a "Pebble Beach Concours" styled event? Maybe...and those of us old enough to remember a brand new car with misaligned body panels and other flaws are left wondering if some shows have become places where only perfect or near-perfect cars are welcome. Personally, I hope the driven class and the unrestored class are places where the owner's fat wallet will not drive the level of cars to a point where the average owner will be intimidated out of showing at, and thus joining the BCA. If there is one area where we possibly can foster new members is by adapting a "come as you are" attitude toward potential members and their cars, NOT by dropping $5, $10 or $15 off of the annual dues. Joe

Keep in mind that it will be VERY hard to drive with no power steering or power brakes, and it WILL drink your ethanol-laced gas faster than a football team drinking free lemonaide on a hot day! As for safety, it has NONE. It has a single master cylinder driving drum brakes, no shoulder harnesses, and the rear end will slide around and lock the brakes every time it rains. The headlights are about as bright as a Walmart flashlight with worn batteries. The fact that it is old and all steel also does NOT make it safe, no matter how many stories people tell in this forum or voice their opinion about modern 'junk' cars. This is not a vehicle you want to drive every day at 50-70 MPH. If it is a "haul some stuff around the farm" truck, it would be great. If you are thinking of driving it in heavy traffic, or in wet weather, don't do it.

Can you still get lead substitue in "everything is restricted here" California?

Sorry, Rick, and I DON'T want to be argumentative. However, the GM we all know and love is LONG, LONG gone. The "new" GM, which is owned by the government and the UAW, is a little more than one year old. Happy birthday to your grandson. Joe

Oh, this is going to be GOOD! I can just imagine the Texas A&M Cadet Corps meeting up on Guadalupe Street with the tree-hugging crowd on some liberal crusade! Bring your lawn chair, umbrella and a cooler!

Yeah, that stupid "universal symbol" knob to the right of the instrument cluster threw me, though!

That El Caminos have NOTHING to do with '66 Buicks?

Yep, they are extremely expensive.....when new. My advice? Buy a very clean 1-2 year old model with the Cadillac certified 6/100 bumper-2-bumper warranty for about half (or less) of the cost of a new model.

It could also be interpreted (by a 'glass half full guy') that they are saying "as the standard has gone up, so have we!" As for whether anyone would remember the vintage or legacy behind this slogan, they would if Caddy ran more ads like this one: Joe

Have you Googled the part numbers? You might be surprised what you find.....

Laugh at us now but when our YANKEE brethren are up to their eyebrows in snow, we will be puttin' the top down..... Just remember, around here, the salt is for the rim of the margarita glass, not for the roads...

Aw, come on, guys! Don't you know that is how 'grad-jee-ates' from the University of Texas go on job interviews? We Texans are SOOOOO proud of Austin!

Ask 10 people what the definition of an 'antique' car is, and you will get 12 opinions.... Or, as someone once said, 4 out of 3 people can't agree on the definition.

If this keeps up, Texas is going to pass Minnesota as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." But, hey, in Texas, you never complain about the rain.....because you don't know how long it will be before you see any again!

This entire RANT is based upon one assumption: lower dues=more members. One little problem...there IS NO PROOF!

This has been debated to death...and possibly even beyond the grave. You don't like higher dues.....got it! We've ALL got your opinion....MULTIPLE times!!! Just figure out how we can spend money we don't have as if we were the federal government, and we can have dues of $2 per year!

650,000 Euros....so with their financial situation, that is what, $200? Just kidding....but it DOES sound like an urban legend. Of course, in this country, if he was on a CELL PHONE, he could have gotten the death penalty!

It's a CIA coverup of the JFK assasination conspiracy, and it shows the 9/11 terrorists attacks were known by George Bush and planned ahead of time by the FBI, the CIA and the National Bank of North Dakota... Don't you wish it was April 1st? HA HA HA.....