Inquiring minds may want (or not want) to know

[JACK M]

There is a huge discussion on another thread that has peaked my interest.

This forum allows non members and of coarse members of the AACA.

I am curious just what percentage of forum members are indeed AACA members.

 

I personally don't join any clubs or organizations that have to do with my interests simply because there would be to many for me to join.

 

So, I for one am not a member of the AACA. 

[capngrog]

1 hour ago, JACK M said:

 

 

I personally don't join any clubs or organizations that have to do with my interests simply because there would be to many for me to join.

 

So, I for one am not a member of the AACA. 

 

Well, how many of your other "clubs or organizations" have forums that allow you to participate as a non member?  You have 3,894 posts on this forum, which leads me to believe that you spend a lot of time on the AACA forums and that AACA is a significant part of your life.  Why would you not be a member of AACA? 

 

C'mon aboard,

Grog

[padgett]

I support the forums that support my interests.

[JACK M]

12 hours ago, capngrog said:

 

Well, how many of your other "clubs or organizations" have forums that allow you to participate as a non member?  You have 3,894 posts on this forum, which leads me to believe that you spend a lot of time on the AACA forums and that AACA is a significant part of your life.  Why would you not be a member of AACA? 

 

C'mon aboard,

Grog

 

You make a good point, but if I joined all of the racing organizations, different auto brands, and such it would kill me in dues.

I like what Padgett says about supporting the forums that interest me and I am going to have to leave it at that as far as membership.

This forum offers good conversation and myself having a lot of experience with older cars enjoy to be in the mix, whether it be mechanical advise or just the general conversations that arise on here.

I have a daily regiment of computer favorites that I visit every day and after that its my own life.

If I didn't feel welcome here I would move on.

[keiser31]

I was a member at 16 years old and was for a few years. I am now a member again since I feel that I am on this forum enough that I should be a member in order to contribute.

[Buffalowed Bill]

I can only speak for myself. As a former AACA member, I found little personal value in being a member. With absolutely no activities north of California, or west of eastern Montana, the fine magazine was all that club membership offered me. I hate to beat a dead horse, but I received only lip service as a substitute for any real national support for helping organize events or stimulate increased NW membership. Ask yourselves if you would continue your membership in this club if the closest event to you was nine hundred miles away, and you had no car friends that were  members! There seems to be no real membership committee dedicated to increasing club membership outside of the club membership's geographic comfort areas. Not trying to knock the club, because I always believed that the AACA and other multi-marquee clubs offered the best chance for the survival of the hobby, but nothing for us in the PNW.

 

[edinmass]

I started Hershey fall meets in 1971 at age five. I only missed one or two since. I finally joined AACA because I figured the enjoyment and contacts made here made a debt of honor that must be paid. I have been a member about five years now. I have no problem paying the dues. I belong to lots of other car clubs, but on a day to day basis this one I'd the most active and interesting. Ed.

[nzcarnerd]

Hopefully Jack M's interest has not peaked but is still piqued.  There may be some coarse members in the AACA - I hope not too many. No, I am not a member of the AACA. I have been a member of the New Zealand equivalent; the Vintage Car Club of New Zealand for 38 years and for the last 14 years have been part of the editorial committee of its national magazine.

Edited July 25, 2016 by nzcarnerd (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

I joined the AACA national and local chapter way back, years ago, but the meetings were on Friday nights and didn't fit the bigger organization of  us Irish Catholics going out for fish fries. When I joined the Buick Club in 1979 we met on Tuesdays at the Polish Falcon's Club. That worked out well. I guess they were all out bowling that night. ( No stereotypes here.)

 

Like I wrote earlier, I need to get my overdue dues in this week. I consider the Forum as a benefit of the membership.

Bernie

[JACK M]

23 hours ago, Buffalowed Bill said:

I can only speak for myself. As a former AACA member, I found little personal value in being a member. With absolutely no activities north of California, or west of eastern Montana, the fine magazine was all that club membership offered me. I hate to beat a dead horse, but I received only lip service as a substitute for any real national support for helping organize events or stimulate increased NW membership. Ask yourselves if you would continue your membership in this club if the closest event to you was nine hundred miles away, and you had no car friends that were  members! There seems to be no real membership committee dedicated to increasing club membership outside of the club membership's geographic comfort areas. Not trying to knock the club, because I always believed that the AACA and other multi-marquee clubs offered the best chance for the survival of the hobby, but nothing for us in the PNW.

 

 

I suspect that this would be a big part of people not being members if they live where we do.

 

I wonder if there are contributing factors to the results of this poll.

Embarrassment for not being members, or that the general discussion forum is more visited by members than non members.

I was just curious. I enjoy this forum and will continue to visit, of coarse if I get banned, OH WELL !!

Edited July 25, 2016 by JACK M (see edit history)

[Guest]

On ‎7‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 7:08 PM, JACK M said:

There is a huge discussion on another thread that has peaked my interest.

This forum allows non members and of coarse members of the AACA.

I am curious just what percentage of forum members are indeed AACA members.

 

I personally don't join any clubs or organizations that have to do with my interests simply because there would be to many for me to join.

 

So, I for one am not a member of the AACA. 

Jack, I am a former AACA  and chapter member. I quit the chapter when so many modified cars by chapter members started showing up on once a month tours. At the tours some of my hot rod friends would come look at the cars and tell me "your club is a bunch of hypocrites because you let in modified cars". Also on these tours we would park our cars say at a winery and the winery would provide special parking so the cars would be protected from the other non car peoples cars and be on display. While the cars were on display guest from the winery would come out and ask about the cars and our club. When you tried to explain the mission of AACA some of the people seemed confused with many leaving and walking around some more and then coming back to me and say, but what about all these modified cars? Are they members of your club too?  Please explain why those cars are here with you. I had always thought that a chapter had to meet the guidelines of the national club to become a chapter, to reflect the national clubs doctrine for uniformity and clarity so that there would be no confusion wherever you went. If a member believes in the national clubs doctrine no matter where he lives he gets the same message. Today this is not the way it works and I got tired of explaining to outside and inside ( other car clubs and friends) the hobby.

After complaining most of it here about this situation a lot of it here I was told this is the way it's going to be. So with the national club not backing up it's own mission statement in regards to chapters and not having the national clubs backing I started to consider throwing in the towel.

The thing that final did me in was the judging rules. It seems it's OK to make up a car that never left the factory that way. It's OK to modify your car with every single option as long as it was available by the factory. Also I had seen too many cars in Hemmings Classic car magazine with AACA awards with incorrect transmissions rear ends etc. If you can't judge a car properly by not having knowledgeable enough staff yo should NOT be judging at all. The most disturbing part about that was the owners said they made all these changes which looks very hypocritical with AACA badged awards on the grille. The ability to clone a car and win a award is not a good thing especially if a owner of such a car sells it and uses the AACA badge to further the sale.

 

As far as the other thread goes. If AACA strikes up a deal with a insurance company and part of the bargaining is to release members information AACA should ask each member for permission. AACA did not. The most interesting part of this for me was AACA also used expired AACA members information and that would be how my past AACA information was used.  

Edited July 25, 2016 by helfen (see edit history)

[alsancle]

Limiting access to these forum based on AACA club membership would cause a fairly fast death to the site.   Most of the best threads have nothing to do with the club.  There are many interlopers that stop in for a single thread - usually to sell something or ask a question.  Many of these are very valuable and interesting.

 

 

[1912Staver]

The forum is great, but I am no longer an AACA member {was for a few years about 5 years ago}.  Apart from the very nice magazine there was no real involvement . I am not just in the P.N.W. but across the border from Seattle in British Columbia, Canada. There is almost no AACA activity within a reasonable distance.

  The club dues are a problem as the Canadian $ is hopeless these days; no fault of the AACA , but a further barrier to my personal old car situation.  I definitely enjoy the forum, and hope to participate for years to come.

  Greg in Canada

[poci1957]

I am an AACA member because I appreciate the club mission of preservation and restoration and inclusion of all makes and models.  I have been in the Pontiac Oakland Club (POCI) for almost 30 years and remain today but I am not that dedicated anymore as I am interested in more than Pontiacs and am not interested in cliques and modified cars. 

 

BUT regarding non-members here on the forum, the POCI website has a forum open only to members and it is worthless and dead compared to this one.  Todd C    

[Guest]

2 hours ago, poci1957 said:

I am an AACA member because I appreciate the club mission of preservation and restoration and inclusion of all makes and models.  I have been in the Pontiac Oakland Club (POCI) for almost 30 years and remain today but I am not that dedicated anymore as I am interested in more than Pontiacs and am not interested in cliques and modified cars. 

 

BUT regarding non-members here on the forum, the POCI website has a forum open only to members and it is worthless and dead compared to this one.  Todd C    

Unlike Performance ( Pontiac)  years forum which is open/no member and running fine. Todd, remember when I came to AACA where I said I finally found something dedicated to stock, original, restored, historical preserved cars. It was later after joining a chapter I found find the chapters were not dedicated to the principals. 

[Luv2Wrench]

I was a member for a year because I wanted to support the forum.  I forgot to renew and since I don't actually do anything with the membership it was pretty easy to forget.  Now hearing about the Nationwide emails and privacy concerns I guess I'm glad I forgot.   I still think there's a great group here and I enjoy visiting the forums but I think that's about it for me.

[poci1957]

37 minutes ago, helfen said:

I came to AACA where I said I finally found something dedicated to stock, original, restored, historical preserved cars. It was later after joining a chapter I found find the chapters were not dedicated to the principles. 

That is unfortunately true in my area too Don, I have just had to accept that other local members are more flexible on that than I am.  We are about to have our first local show after a chapter reorganization and I know what will show up.  Our previous club leaders and others had been to national AACA events and supported originality, I can only hope for the best now.  Around here not only is no one really interested in originality they almost cannot understand the concept, as if original features are only for snooty TV auction high rollers.  I recall once speaking to the 60something owner of a mostly stock-looking 1957 Pontiac.  It had a 350 Chevy and the owner acted as if the idea of using the original powertrain was not even possible--too ridiculous to even consider and in disbelief that anyone might think otherwise.  Naturally I did not bother continuing the subject and it left me depressed to know how much in the minority I am, the national AACA is my only refuge, Todd C           

[AnniesSS]

I joined the AACA in 2014 after purchasing my Suburban and wanting to show it in Hershey.  We were only National members for 2 years, then decided to join a local chapter and I can't say how much I'm enjoying it!!

[Peter J.Heizmann]

On 7/23/2016 at 10:08 PM, JACK M said:

 

I am curious just what percentage of forum members are indeed AACA members.

 

I personally don't join any clubs or organizations that have to do with my interests simply because there would be to many for me to join.

 

So, I for one am not a member of the AACA. 

 

Just so visitors to this website are aware that this thread is not from the AACA but from a non-member:

 

This AACA Website is paid for from the dues of current AACA Members.  I have a problem with the OP in that he is requesting a poll without permission from the AACA for information coming from a person that is not even a member.  Rather rude in my opinion.

 

In the past when I was on the board such polls were not allowed without the expressed permission of the standing board.

 

Regards,

 

Peter J.

 

 

 

 

[Paul Dobbin]

 

I AM a member of AACA and have been for years.  

I am NOT a member of a local region.

I AM a member of a national region, the Buzzard's Breath Touring Region.

I AM a member of this AACA Forum.

Why?  

AACA is a national voice for our hobby.  They do a good job of promoting the hobby and offer many activities and structure for many events, tours, Forums, a Museum and a well respected format for showing, showcasing and furthering a hobby I've loved all my life. They also have the best antique car national car magazine available, that's free with membership.

While I don't like to show my antique cars at judged shows, I will put them in HPOF or Driver Participation Class to be part of regional of national shows around the country. They often offer a tour of the host area for antique cars to get to know their part of the USA.  As a bonus, I get to see many of the finest antique cars in the country as well as talking to other people with the same interests that I enjoy.

Further, I must add that the folks that run this club as volunteers are giving of their time and resources in an effort to make our experience with AACA a better one. We've met most of them over the years on AACA tours, like the Glidden, Sentimental, Founder's and Regional tours and find them all to be real car people willing to share their enthusiasm for our hobby.

I find the whole experience as a rewarding membership and realize that while it's not perfect for all Forum participants, some folks are just never happy and have a unfulfilled need to complain without participation.  I choose to participate.

[Curti]

I am a member of the national AACA. I vend at Hershey and visit this very valuable site daily.  I feel supporting the AACA  is the right  thing to do.  

[capngrog]

Amphicar;

 

Although a bit of a rant, I found your post to be interesting.

 

Cheers,

Grog

 

 

 

 

[Restorer32]

Member here for about 50 years more or less. In the early years membership was in Dad's name. AACA and Hershey have been some of the most stable things in my life. Jobs come and go, wives come and go, cars come and go but we always have the AACA and Hershey.

[Curti]

38 minutes ago, capngrog said:

Amphicar;

 

Although a bit of a rant, I found your post to be interesting.

 

Cheers,

Grog

I did as well , too bad it got deleted along with his follow up post.  

38 minutes ago, capngrog said:

 

 

 

 

 

[JACK M]

35 minutes ago, Curti said:

I did as well , too bad it got deleted along with his follow up post.  

 

 

Sorry I missed it.

[JACK M]

15 hours ago, Peter J.Heizmann said:

 

Just so visitors to this website are aware that this thread is not from the AACA but from a non-member:

 

This AACA Website is paid for from the dues of current AACA Members.  I have a problem with the OP in that he is requesting a poll without permission from the AACA for information coming from a person that is not even a member.  Rather rude in my opinion.

 

In the past when I was on the board such polls were not allowed without the expressed permission of the standing board.

 

Regards,

 

Peter J.

 

 

 

 

 

I pointed out that I was not a member from the very beginning of this thread.

I found no rule anywhere about starting a poll.

One mans opinion of rude may be another mans curiosity as I titled this thread.

I didn't break any rules here that I know of and if I did I am sorry for that.

All I was doing was expressing my curiosity.

On the other side of things it seems rude to me to make a statement like this.

 

Let's just all get along as this forum is intended.

[Buffalowed Bill]

With regards to Peter Heizmann's comments regarding the inappropriateness of starting this thread saying that starting it was "rather rude," to do so. How else would anyone in a policy making position in the AACA ever get any feedback on what non-members think? There are many more non-members out there then there are AACA members. If the AACA membership would use this type of commentary as a constructive tool, it might be able to make some changes which could translate into some new members. Changes needn't be a counter to any AACA goals. I think that many of us non-members just need to feel that this is a place that we are wanted. Like it or not, AACA membership has to understand that the forum is the pulse of dyeing segment of the old car hobby. It is the defacto mechanism which loosely binds us together. If the AACA ignores this mandate, as a unifying force, I'm afraid that this part of the hobby won't survive long.

[MCHinson]

Peter Heizmann's comment is related to a policy that was in place a few years back, that policy prohibited unofficial polls on the forum. With the current software setup, the option to start a poll is there, so I assume that the current policy allows anybody to start a poll.

 

I am an AACA member. I joined when I was in my 30s. I have been a member for 20 years. For the first decade, I was only involved in events in my local AACA Chapter and never attended any national event. For the last decade, I have also been involved in National Meets and National Tours. I am blessed to live in a place that has great local Chapter and Region events. In addition to volunteering as a moderator on this site, I am also involved in AACA in other National activities as a Volunteer and serve as an officer in my local Chapter and serve as a webmaster for one of the Regions that I belong to.   As a member of multiple AACA Regions,  I can say that AACA is an important part of my involvement in the old car hobby.    

 

AACA provides the forum as a tool to help promote the entire Antique Car Hobby. There is no requirement to be a member of AACA to participate in the Forum. I know of no similar organization that does as much for the hobby as AACA. I would encourage those of you who have never been a member of AACA to consider joining. If you are also a Military Veteran, you can actually join for free. The recent Military Sponsorship program allows Veterans to enjoy their first year for free. For basically the cost of a stamp a Veteran can see if they like being an AACA member. Feel free to download a Military Sponsorship Application at this link: 

http://www.aaca.org/images/pdf/AACAMilitarySponsorshipApplication_2016.pdf

Personally I see the forum as an important part of AACA. I realize that a relatively small number of AACA members participate in the Forum. I suspect that the Forum will become a resource utilitized by more and more AACA members in the future as more older members are replaced by younger more computer savvy members. It is a great resource for information on almost any topic related to the hobby. I certainly appreciate the fact that AACA provides the forum for us to enjoy.

 

 

 

[Bhigdog]

 

I've been a member for 16 years or so for couple of reasons. The first is to gain entrée to shows where the cars mostly are stock and mostly restored. That is my area of interest. I appreciate seeing the work others do ESPECIALLY when the work is done by the owner. Modified cars have zero interest for me so this is where I belong, interest wise.

The forum is a valuable part of the AACA experience both for acquiring and providing knowledge and assistance.

But it would be a lot more fun if the moderators weren't so over zealous in protecting the delicate feelings of the rest of us.

Personally I would still spring for an AACA membership even if I didn't show my cars but was a regular user of the forum. It just seems fair and it's about the same price, or less, than a case of some purely wretched craft beers..................Bob

 

[1912Staver]

It would be interesting to get an idea of how many international members have let their membership lapse. The U.S. dollar is quite strong compared to many other currencies. This fact combined with the limited club activities in many parts may be a barrier to membership. Has the club considered a internet only form of membership ?  For non- U.S. members only, as long as you are a U.S. member the rates are quite reasonable and it's nice to get the physical magazine. Removing the need to print and mail the magazine to non U.S. members might reduce the cost barrier to potential members. I like the magazine a lot, but it ends up costing me $10.00 { Canadian} a copy. My real interest is brass era cars and there is generally very little brass era coverage in the AACA  magazine. There are a few groups; mainly small one make or one model , that offer electronic membership. It's especially attractive for the more specialised orphan car groups where the owners are here and there all over the globe. The person than can print out the articles as they choose. Or just archive them in electronic form. The AACA is a great organisation , it just seems that membership makes more sense the closer to the East or North East a person lives.  It's a big world, and there are antique cars all over it.

  Greg in Canada

Edited July 27, 2016 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Member in the 80s for a few years, lapsed when costs of raising a young family sidelined me from the hobby - rejoined I believe in 2002, Might do lifetime this year as we have a 30th wedding anniversary coming up - and she keeps asking what I might want for a gift and who wears watches anymore...

[Restorer32]

18 hours ago, Buffalowed Bill said:

With regards to Peter Heizmann's comments regarding the inappropriateness of starting this thread saying that starting it was "rather rude," to do so. How else would anyone in a policy making position in the AACA ever get any feedback on what non-members think? There are many more non-members out there then there are AACA members. If the AACA membership would use this type of commentary as a constructive tool, it might be able to make some changes which could translate into some new members. Changes needn't be a counter to any AACA goals. I think that many of us non-members just need to feel that this is a place that we are wanted. Like it or not, AACA membership has to understand that the forum is the pulse of dyeing segment of the old car hobby. It is the defacto mechanism which loosely binds us together. If the AACA ignores this mandate, as a unifying force, I'm afraid that this part of the hobby won't survive long.

Please explain "AACA membership has to understand that the forum is the pulse of a dyeing (sic) segment of the old car hobby".

[Amphicar BUYER]

My honest and heartfelt posts were both deleted because they "offended" somebody. I have yet to be informed of why. This is EXACTLY why I do not join clubs. Illustrated clearly by the deletions. I suspect this one will also have a short life. There are too many people who are so full of themselves for any club to last long. I was not looking for sympathy (that can be found in the dictionary between syphilis and shit in case you were wondering), but merely illustrating why people do not generally join clubs. While I have a great respect for the admins of this forum, the deletion of posts (A.K.A. CENSORSHIP) that do not fit into someones agenda proves that my comments while honest, can not be tolerated. This is one reason our country is going the way it is. Nobody can take honesty and everyone is so afraid to be offended that they just can't be mature. Well I say Too bad! Grow up and man up for crying out loud!

 

No worries, this post will also disappear soon like the rest and no explanation will be given and without the negative, but honest experiences deleted you all can feel that the world is a utopia much like living in N. Korea. You will see what the power that be want you to see and nothing more.The PMs I received confirm that I am far from the only one who feels this way. I am the only one who speaks up about the censorship. 

[Amphicar BUYER]

On 7/25/2016 at 6:15 PM, Peter J.Heizmann said:

This AACA Website is paid for from the dues of current AACA Members.  I have a problem with the OP in that he is requesting a poll without permission from the AACA for information coming from a person that is not even a member.  Rather rude in my opinion.

Peter J.

 

With all due respect, the "Rude" part is that posts were censored (deleted) without explanation nor warning. Calling the OP "Rude" because he used an option that was available. If you don't want polls, turn that feature off. Simply because my posts were negative, they vanished. I posted an honest answer and they were deleted. I know the real reason and who is behind it. Keep your head in the sand all you like, but this is one of many reasons that many do not join clubs. Ignoring or censoring the posts do nothing but reinforce my observations rather that using the information to help fix the problem.

 

The forums are awesome and I applaud the effort it takes. I appreciate being here and I have great respect for the admins position. Lighten up, stop catering to a few instead of the many.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Amphicar BUYER said:

My honest and heartfelt posts were both deleted because they "offended" somebody. I have yet to be informed of why. This is EXACTLY why I do not join clubs. Illustrated clearly by the deletions. I suspect this one will also have a short life. There are too many people who are so full of themselves for any club to last long. I was not looking for sympathy (that can be found in the dictionary between syphilis and shit in case you were wondering), but merely illustrating why people do not generally join clubs. While I have a great respect for the admins of this forum, the deletion of posts (A.K.A. CENSORSHIP) that do not fit into someones agenda proves that my comments while honest, can not be tolerated. This is one reason our country is going the way it is. Nobody can take honesty and everyone is so afraid to be offended that they just can't be mature. Well I say Too bad! Grow up and man up for crying out loud!

 

No worries, this post will also disappear soon like the rest and no explanation will be given and without the negative, but honest experiences deleted you all can feel that the world is a utopia much like living in N. Korea. You will see what the power that be want you to see and nothing more.The PMs I received confirm that I am far from the only one who feels this way. I am the only one who speaks up about the censorship. 

Don't you worry. Many read your post before deletion, when it happened I couldn't believe it. All the best to you. 

[Buffalowed Bill]

In answer to Restorer32's request, Please explain "AACA membership has to understand that the forum is the pulse of a dyeing (sic) segment of the old car hobby". I don't know if substitute troubled for Dyeing would help, maybe not. The segment that I am talking about is dedicated to maintaining and restoring of original cars. I feel that restoring reached it's apex in the early 90's and has been extensively replaced by the restorod, custom and rat rod. There is no other organization that encompasses all makes and years from <25 years. I am 72 yoa when my contemporaries and I are gone there will be frightfully few people who really care about the car the way it was built. Hope this answers your question.-Bill

[Mark Huston]

I was a member of this form for about 14 years before joining the AACA.  I have enjoyed both the forum and the AACA magazine.  However, in this part of California there is no active AACA chapter.  The only benefit I get from the AACA is the magazine and the forum. 

[C Carl]

AACA is the 400 pound gorilla which may ultimately protect our option to drive our ancient deathtraps. Think about all the creative mischief any governmental level could conjure up to make life unpleasant and/or very expensive for us. Vigilance and AACA , my brothers and sisters. And then there is that old saying about not knowing what you have 'till its gone. Mark , where in California is Galt ?  - Carl

[Mark Huston]

3 minutes ago, C Carl said:

 Mark , where in California is Galt ?  - Carl

 

Galt is located in central California about 25 miles south of Sacramento. 

[Bhigdog]

9 hours ago, Amphicar BUYER said:

I am the only one who speaks up about the censorship

 

Don't forget me. I also howl into the wind................Bob