AACA Life Members?

[Brass is Best]

I was just wondering how many of you folks on the forum are AACA life members?

[MCHinson]

I am.

[1937hd45]

I have my 50 year pin, paid my dues one year at a time. Are there more of us that have been here for 50 or more check writers?  Bob 

Edited May 1, 2020 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[Marty Roth]

I am a Life Member,

and closing in on 44 years ( or maybe 47?)

Edited May 1, 2020 by Marty Roth (see edit history)

[kevin1221]

I should have signed up for Lifetime Membership. I have paid annually for 24 years.

 

Kevin

[gossp]

Every year I say I am going to take $600.00 of my Hershey vending proceeds over to the AACA tent and pay for a life membership. Every year I take home more parts than I brought and am not a life member. 

[Frank DuVal]

I am.👍

 

Also a life member of the Subaru 360 Driver's Club.😁

Edited May 1, 2020 by Frank DuVal (see edit history)

[Steve Moskowitz]

I am as well!

[kings32]

I am , my daughter and Grandaughter  Kings32

[Terry Bond]

Life members.  Susan and I have reached the 50 year point by our calculations and should get our pins soon.

Terry

[B Jake Moran]

One of the clubs I belong to is asking their life members to start paying dues because they are hemorrhaging cash.  
 

Are life memberships a good idea anymore?  I assume the idea is to put life membership money into annuities and long term savings to grow.  
 

Part of that clubs issues is that periodicals cost money the club does not have. I get their e-periodicals.  But life members are typically older and want a magazine in their hands. 
 

So I am curious how this is impacting the AACA since I am not sure there is an e option to the magazine.  (I could be wrong).  

[MCHinson]

I paid annual dues for about 15 years because I could not afford the life membership. When I retired, among the things that my unused sick and vacation time payout helped pay for was a life membership. I did the math and figured with an average life expectancy, it would still probably save me a little bit of money over time. 

[Steve Moskowitz]

Jake, we do have our magazine in digital format on the website.  Members only area.  However, we feel very strongly that our printed magazine is enjoyed by our membership.  As we go forward we will be making our magazine more friendly to the latest technology for those who enjoy seeing things on their computers or phones. 

 

 You are right in that the math for our life membership is not a great deal for AACA given the life expectancy these day but it is something we fell important to offer.  The club has been in very good shape for many years financially but now has bitten off a major expense in the new facility which is a game changer.  It is now up to our leadership to find new ways to continue to make the club financially viable.  

[ChazA]

I'm a lifetime member, along with my 20 year old son as I got him a lifetime membership too a while back.  He drives a '65 Cadillac Eldorado and is already a Master Judge...a good deal for him, considering how active he is in AACA, and the local AACA club   Chuck

[61polara]

Life Member here as well.

[caddyshack]

Been a yearly dues paying member since 1972. With all of the unemployment, food shortages, and illness I feel fortunate to belong to any club. God bless all of those workers fighting the virus.

Stay healthy and safe.

[Jim Bollman]

Back in the 70s I noticed a trend after belonging for a few years, the yearly dues would go up and the Life would go up soon after. So when I saw the dues go up I did Life, I think for $150. Was money well spent, but was a lot of money for a young married guy that had just bought a house.

[Peter J.Heizmann]

Life member of AACA since 2001 era and life member of Vietnam Veterans of America since mid-1980’s.

[franklinman]

I’m about 5 years from my 50 year pin. Bought my Life Membership when I was 16. By my figures it’s one of the best investments I ever made.

[rocketraider]

I am. I did it mainly to avoid forgetting to send in the renewal, but I intend to have in my obituary that I was an AACA Life Member.

[1935Packard]

I've been a Life Member since about 2006 or so.  It was $600 at the time, as I recall.   I had joined the aaca in the 80s or 90s for a few years, but then came back to it around 2002 when I bought my first classic car.   Plus, saved me the hassle of renewal. 

 

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by 1935Packard (see edit history)

[38Buick 80C]

Life member for 2 clubs, one paid for and one earned... both easily a smart move based on my age. Had one for 15 years and one for 9, but member of both clubs years before getting the life membership.  For the Buick Club I can truly say I have been a "life" member as I went to my first BCA National Meet at 3 years old and have been to 32 out of 36 since only missing a few while in college.

[Billy Kingsley]

I've never become a life member of any club in any of my interests. I'd like to, but it's a lot easier to come up with the costs of a yearly membership...not to mention the fact that I already came within 5 minutes of dying already...it sure would stink to become a life member of something and not get to enjoy it.

[Terry Wiegand]

I am closing in on being a member for 50 years.  I have been a Life Member for over 33 years and looking forward to getting our 50 Year Pins.  I too will have this mentioned in my final write-up.  The magazine is world class and we really look forward to getting that every other month.  The friendships are something that no amount of money could ever buy.

 

Terry and Barbara Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

[Robert G. Smits]

Somewhere between 40 and 50 years.  My wife must be correct, I'm getting OLD!!!

[Paul Dobbin]

I should have become one back in 1973 when Tom Brookover bought me the firdt years membership.  Politics in the local

were bad then and I stayed AACA national only, here and the EFV8CA..  I still belong to the other local non affiliated antique car

club, even though I live 600 miles away now.  People are the reason and I'm a 47 year member there.   41 National tours later,

I have friends all over the country.  

[padgett]

Sorry but annual is much cheaper with my expected life.

 

Maybe a discount for over 70 ?

Edited May 5, 2020 by padgett (see edit history)

[Steve Rinaldo]

My father got me a membership when I got back from Viet Nam. Then I went to college. I became a life member in the early 80's. AACA has been huge part of Mine and Brenda's Social life.

[gossp]

As I have said before, I always tell myself I am going to go to the AACA tent at Hershey and buy a life membership with my swap meet proceeds... but always spend more than I brought so it never happens. 
 

This year, I get a life membership out of all the money I will save on not going to Hershey. Paid for it immediately before this post. 

[tomcarnut]

I became a Life Member about 1980 when I was in College thanks to a tip from then President Richard Taylor that the price was going up. Should have done the same with the Ohio Region AACA. 

 

Tom Muth

Cincinnati, Ohio

[R W Burgess]

On 5/1/2020 at 5:51 PM, Steve Moskowitz said:

.....The club has been in very good shape for many years financially but now has bitten off a major expense in the new facility which is a game changer.  It is now up to our leadership to find new ways to continue to make the club financially viable.  

*

I would hope our leadership would pose questions to our AACA members before making any major changes for the future of our Organization.

 

Wayne

Life Member

[Steve Braverman]

I've been a life member for 40 years, and hope to get at least another 40 years. My uncle bought me the life membership when I was six years old.

[padgett]

.Kind of like a paid up insurance policy. For the young it makes cents.

[TAKerry]

I am not but probably should be. I have been a member on and off over the years. I belonged to a woodworking guild that offered lifetime memberships, the cost was close to $1000. Annual dues were like $50. Not to seem to crass but the average membership was pretty grey, not sure there was a lot to be gained by buying into the life category. They later stated after a few years (as pointed out in a previous post) that the life memberships actually created a bit of a financial burden on the club. Last "liftime" subscription I did was for a nameless satellite radio company. After having it for a year they offered me another lifetime subsc. as a special. I ended up with 2 of them. First one is still going strong after many years and I consider it well worthwhile, however when the second one stopped working they told me it never existed!! 

[JohnG3]

I am.  

[gossjh]

I am and my son informed me that he just turned his in.

[ia-k]

Considering I got my 1st old car when I was 9 (and my dad showing it at AACA meets) and I am now going on 55 it probably would have been money well spent to get a lifetime membership at that time. 

 

Now I will just pay the yearly dues as I don't think I would be money ahead by getting lifetime membership 

[Akstraw]

I joined the AACA in 1972 at the age of 14 after buying a basket case Model A for $25 the previous year.  About ten years ago, looking ahead to retirement, I decided that each year with my annual bonus I would pay up life memberships to organizations in which I thought I have long term interest.  AACA was at the top of the list!  [That Model A, by the way, won an AACA Senior Award in 2011.]