Car Club Declining Membership

[Walt G]

It seems that the competition aspect of SCCA is what has turned people away from what is being stated here.  there is competition on the show car displays/field but you are not in competition with each other - it is more of a level of how well or authentically a car has been returned to its original state when manufactured. Personally I have never been into competition for either racing, or showing. I did a frame up on a 1931 car and drove it, never had interest in awards, when after 40 years i sold it the current owner is winning all sorts of awards with it . That is his thing - but he drives it too!  Our satisfaction with the cars is at all different levels , I like a well turned out car, hopefully mostly done by myself, that I can drive or give friends a ride in . If a club's focus is mostly on "who are what is best or has the best" I usually will not be a member for a long period of time.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Walt G (see edit history)

[Larry Schramm]

12 minutes ago, Walt G said:

If you belong to a club you hear about more cars than reading advertisements, there are collectors that have too many cars they can ever work on , or they know of "projects" that can possibly be had for some price you can come close to.  

 

True words.  The older the vehicle, the more they change hands by word of mouth within contacts of a club.  Coming into the interest of a specific group of vehicles without contacts makes it difficult to find a vehicle that an individual is able to buy.  That is another reason to join a specific brand club and then the local chapters.

 

The older the vehicle interest, the smaller the "fraternity" of knowledgeable individuals of the make, and from my experience the more helpful they are to help you along with your vehicle journey.

[8E45E]

1 hour ago, leomara said:

It's not only collectable cars, it's collectible anything.  Dealers I've spoken to say collectables that had value years ago do not any more.  That market has collapsed. Younger folks don't have any interest in old things.  There are probably many reasons why which I'm at a loss to understand.  

I'm finding that with vintage radios that only play AM.  

 

No one listens to AM anymore, and shortwave as we know is more or less obsolete with online streaming.

 

Craig

[9F94M567042]

I will make my comment now. I used to think car clubs were a great way to meet and be around others who shared interests. I have been a member of quite a few clubs (and still are for a couple) but what I have noticed most is that one thing that all have in common. They all want new members and want ideas for new things to do as a club but do they really?

I am NOT some newbie that doesn't know what I'm talking about. Most clubs revolve around a handful of folks and just don't have a desire to hear anything from a new member.

It shouldn't matter if you car is running or not or even if you have a car. Your interest in the make should be welcomed and apricated. Like others have said, some clubs are a good fit, others are not, but the fact is, car clubs are not what they used to be.

[Pfeil]

19 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

Maybe nonmembers are clueless as to what CLC is? 

No kidding, I had to look it up. Although this abbreviation stuff is everywhere these days. People expect you to know?

[1912Staver]

So true Craig.  The Downtown East Side of Vancouver is almost unbelievable.  Even out here in the Eastern burbs of Langley there is a significant homeless population. Canada is a rapidly changing place. Not quite as bad as the U.K. , but not doing nearly as well as most of the U.S. Lowish wages for decades, absolutely the worst housing bubble on the planet. And hundreds of thousands of very wealthy  " new Canadians " . If you make the cut , top 20 % of the population it's a great place. For the balance of us it's a slow but steady slide. I truly fear for my son's generation { early 20's } . 

[Peter Gariepy]

OFF TOPIC!

Come on guys.  How did we get from club memberships declining to politics.

JUST STOP@!

[63RedBrier]

I moved to the Washington DC area a little over 3 decades ago and joined the local Corvair club.  All thru college and for two years afterward it was my only car!  I went to a few local Corvair club meetings and I was a little surprised about projects the club would help the members with when I needed help to keep my daily driver Corvair on the road!  A few years went by and the Corvair became my second/weekend/fun car and i started going to the meetings again.  Now 30 years later, most of my friends outside of church are thru the Corvair club, not only on a local level, but on a state and national level too!  I keep in touch with at least a dozen people all over the country mostly via text and emails and an occasional telcal.  We may only see one another every year or two at a national event.  When attending a national, at 56, I still feel as though I am on the younger side of the people there.  One local Corvair club member was always wondering about members who paid thier dues but never came to meetings.  Maybe for them, being a member of the club, albeit from a distance and thru monthly newsletters, was all they had time for or could afford and that was perfectly ok to me.             

[SC38dls]

Walt, the SCCA was great on the track as the car setup and sorting along with the drivers ability was what counted and was great fun.  The club aspect was the uncomfortable part as it was definitely class separation based on money available. The funny part is most of the guys like me, that only cared about the mechanical aspect of the car usually did better on the track than most of the snobby rich guys. They did better at the bar telling stories. 
dave s 

[63RedBrier]

Ok, so I just went back to re-read the original post.  Two things...  First, if a club hosts a show and breaks even that sounds like a well run event to me!  If the club lost a substantial part of it's savings, that would be concerning.  I don't want to beat a dead horse, but if one plays golf, goes out to eat, goes fishing/hunting/whatever past-time, there are costs involved and one does not expect to make any profit.  It's the price of having fun!  Second, an on-line directory for any club sounds like a win-win!  I may look at a paper directory once or twice, but once the "new" directory comes out the old directory would go into the recycling bin.  On-line has less impact on the earth in many ways...    

[1937hd45]

How many hours a day do you spend on "Car Sites" on your computer? Multiply that by the days in a year and compare it to "Car Events" you attend. Welcome to 2022. 

 

Bob 

Edited November 15, 2022 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[kfle]

Traditional car clubs are too heavy handed and have too much bureaucracy in today's world.  I am 51 years old and I am not a fan at all of going to a meeting and having all of these people in positions run through a meeting creating motions, taking notes, having votes, and then planning things out for a year.  Then you pay annual fees for the honor of participating in that structure and you get a paper-based magazine that then you need to figure out how to dispose of and cant search easily.  If this is how I feel, think of how the younger instant gratification generation feels.  

 

Down in Florida, I have become involved with other Cobra and super car owners and it is a different world.  A lot of young very enthusiastic car people.  The way these 'clubs' work is they have a text group/snapchat group or sometimes a facebook group if there are some more old timers involved.  They just correspond on there and guess what, if everyone wants to do a cars and coffee, then someone says lets all meet up here at this place about a week or two before the day.  If we want to do a tour, someone says we are going to do a tour in three weeks and we are going to start at this location in Tampa, stop in Sarasota at Ford's garage for lunch' and then we will end in Ft. Myers at a food bank to help out with some hurricane relief.  If there is the cost to one of these ad hoc tours we all just throw our credit card in and split the costs in real time at the venue or restaurant.  

 

This is similar to how the very popular Japanese car groups operate and I know there is a group of pre 1925 car owners made up of young people that is operating this way in Detroit.  They just get together when they want for a show or a tour and it is about the camaraderie and driving their cars and not about the formality of the clubs of yesteryear.  Also, the side benefit of doing a club like this is that there is no cost at all.  Why do you need membership dues in today's world?

 

All of the monolithic clubs that exist today will need to adapt to today's modality of communication and the fact that people have very limited time due to jobs and other commitments in life.  People want to be able to find information on demand when they need it, they want to hang out with others that are like minded, and they want to drive their cars and get together when they want on the spur of the moment (not where they have to make a big commitment months ahead of time and pay big fees for the event).  I wont even go down the path of going to an event and paying money to enter my car and then having someone judging my car and telling me whats wrong with it.  That is a completely foreign concept to the younger generations of cars today!

Edited November 15, 2022 by kfle (see edit history)

[rocketraider]

On 11/15/2022 at 3:52 PM, SC38dls said:

Walt, the SCCA was great on the track as the car setup and sorting along with the drivers ability was what counted and was great fun.  The club aspect was the uncomfortable part as it was definitely class separation based on money available. The funny part is most of the guys like me, that only cared about the mechanical aspect of the car usually did better on the track than most of the snobby rich guys. They did better at the bar telling stories. 
dave s 

On 11/15/2022 at 1:22 PM, plymouthcranbrook said:

In a similar situation back in the 70’s I was sports car crazy. And as usual I was constantly broke so my sports car of the day was usually somewhat of a junk. I finagled in invitation to join the SCCA. It did not take long to see that I was not in my element at all.  Lotuses, Porches, BMWs I couldn’t even really speak to those folks intelligently.  And nowhere near able to fit in financially. Almost everyone was nice but especially back then we all kind of knew our place and mine wasn’t there.  I lasted about three years and faded away.  

Try living a mile from Virginia International Raceway. You will learn what true sportscar snobbery is. If you don't have the "right" sportscar you're a pariah. And if you don't have a sportscar at all, far as they're concerned you don't exist.

 

There's a small pub and pizza joint in the village of Milton where they hold court. Was in there one night wearing a Toronado shirt and one sneeringly asked how I thought a Toronado would perform on the VIR track.

 

My reply was being nose heavy and tail happy probably not very well- but it would certainly be capable of dragging his wrecked or broken-down Audi off the track!😈

 

I'm reminded of a quote from "Dirty Dancing"- 

 

"Look, I know these people. They're all rich and they're mean."

 

And those qualities will definitely off-put young people or people whose socioeconomic status isn't a good fit.

[Hans1965]

22 minutes ago, kfle said:

Traditional car clubs are too heavy handed and have too much bureaucracy in today's world.  I am 51 years old and I am not a fan at all of going to a meeting and having all of these people in positions run through a meeting creating motions, taking notes, having votes, and then planning things out for a year.  Then you pay annual fees for the honor of participating in that structure and you get a paper-based magazine that then you need to figure out how to dispose of and cant search easily.  If this is how I feel, think of how the younger instant gratification generation feels.  

 

Down in Florida, I have become involved with other Cobra and super car owners and it is a different world.  A lot of young very enthusiastic car people.  The way these 'clubs' work is they have a text group/snapchat group or sometimes a facebook group if there are some more old timers involved.  They just correspond on there and guess what, if everyone wants to do a cars and coffee, then someone says lets all meet up here at this place about a week or two before the day.  If we want to do a tour, someone says we are going to do a tour in three weeks and we are going to start at this location in Tampa, stop in Sarasota at Ford's garage for lunch' and then we will end in Ft. Myers at a food bank to help out with some hurricane relief.  If there is the cost to one of these ad hoc tours we all just throw our credit card in and split the costs in real time at the venue or restaurant.  

 

This is similar to how the very popular Japanese car groups operate and I know there is a group of pre 1925 car owners made up of young people that is operating this way in Detroit.  They just get together when they want for a show or a tour and it is about the camaraderie and driving their cars and not about the formality of the clubs of yesteryear.  Also, the side benefit of doing a club like this is that there is no cost at all.  Why do you need membership dues in today's world?

 

All of the monolithic clubs that exist today will need to adapt to today's modality of communication and the fact that people have very limited time due to jobs and other commitments in life.  People want to be able to find information on demand when they need it, they want to hang out with others that are like minded, and they want to drive their cars and get together when they want on the spur of the moment (not where they have to make a big commitment months ahead of time and pay big fees for the event).  I wont even go down the path of going to an event and paying money to enter my car and then having someone judging my car and telling me whats wrong with it.  That is a completely foreign concept to the younger generations of cars today!

Kfle, you absolutely nailed it. Everything said. I am 57 and completely agree. What would then people 10-20 years younger say? Are here any? 

I am in no real world car club, I go to an open car meet nearly every Sunday morning and enjoy the company, no time table, no pressure, you talk or you don't. I get a coffee and there is a barbeque, enough for most men. I am so busy and stressed out at work I really do not want one thing only - pressure. And there is plenty in today's world, much more than 20 years ago or even 10. And btw here in my country I do not even know if there is any judging of classic cars. I do not need it at all. What I am missing in the real world is the advice and the encouragement that I get on this forum. You guys are my club, although I have never seen anybody in real. Thank you. 

Edited November 15, 2022 by Hans1965 (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

Traditional car clubs are too heavy handed and have too much bureaucracy in today's world.  I am 51 years old and I am not a fan at all of going to a meeting and having all of these people in positions run through a meeting creating motions, taking notes, having votes, and then planning things out for a year.

 

I hope to meet you in person some day, hope the 1911 Cole is nearby. Bob 

[Barney Eaton]

Do not despair,  there will be new clubs that will fill the voids and attract new/younger people.  

Just a matter of time before we have the 3 row SUV club,  maybe a 2 row SUV club,  how about the dual motor (electric) club, 

The Mustang club will form a Division for the new Mustang electric,  electric Hummer club......... there are surely many more

possibilities. 

[JamesR]

3 hours ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

In a similar situation back in the 70’s I was sports car crazy. And as usual I was constantly broke so my sports car of the day was usually somewhat of a junk. I finagled in invitation to join the SCCA. It did not take long to see that I was not in my element at all.  Lotuses, Porches, BMWs I couldn’t even really speak to those folks intelligently.  And nowhere near able to fit in financially. Almost everyone was nice but especially back then we all kind of knew our place and mine wasn’t there.  I lasted about three years and faded away.  

Great comment. My neighbor is a street rodder, and he has encouraged me to attend some old car events - cars and coffee - where all manner of old cars in a variety of condition are welcome. There are obviously cliques at these events, but most people are happy to engage with others who have different interests. I don't look down on modified old cars because there are certainly high dollar original/factory restoration folks who would look down on my old original-ish and less than pristine cars.  (Butchered and abused/neglected old cars is a different matter altogether, though. I look at that stuff differently. )

 

There was a contingent at one of these events who had their pristine high dollar Skyliner retractable top cars on display. I'm sure they meet as a small group and don't want Mustang owners, etc. showing up, but they were nice to talk with at cars and coffee. I only like to take my cars to these more inclusive non-competitive gatherings.

[MCHinson]

I have been a member of AACA, the NC Region of AACA, and the Cape Fear Chapter of AACA for over 25 years. When I joined the club, I was a poor young police officer with a wife, a young son and a 1931 Ford Model A with an old tired rough 1950's restoration. A friend's father introduced me to a local AACA member. I met him and he said nice things about my car and invited me to a club meeting. I was welcomed into the club by a lot of people who were older than I was. My son, and my daughter who was born in 1998 were welcomed to club events, even though she started attending in a baby carrier.  My kids had a lot of extra unofficial grandparents. Our club is still thriving. Most of the Club members here are welcoming to new people. I routinely welcome interested young people to have a seat in my 1937 Buick Roadmaster Convertible Phaeton. There are a lot of young people here who have photos of them sitting in that car. That plants a seed that will likely mature into antique auto hobbyists in many years, likely after I am long gone.  

 

We have a number of fun club events locally every year. We have members who attend the local Cars and Coffee event monthly throughout the year. The people who attend Cars and Coffee range in age from children to elderly. The cars vary from antique show cars, modified cars, to modern daily drivers. While most of the club members are older, we also have a number of young members. We have student members as well as young couples and individual members. We do local tours, an annual local car show, an annual picnic with food paid for by the club, an annual ice cream social, as well as monthly meetings with meals. We have an interested emailed chapter newsletter that arrives by email. The Region newsletter is a mailed publication, as is the AACA's Antique Automobile magazine. 

 

I have signed up multiple new Chapter/Region/AACA members at Cars and Coffee for several years in a row, mostly at Cars and Coffee. Despite the naysayers, there are still plenty of people who are interested in antique cars and membership in a club that supports those cars. All it takes a welcoming atmosphere, the willingness to talk to potential new members about the club, and having the forms ready to sign them up. 

 

While we do have younger members in our club presently and I personally joined when I was in my 30's, the majority of new members who will join AACA are naturally going to be older folks. You need to be able to afford a hobby car to be likely to join an antique automobile club. That means that most new members are going to be retired or nearing retirement age. That is just the demographic that is most likely to be able to have the disposable income to buy a car and be able to afford a house with garage space or able to afford another place to store a car. The death of the hobby is greatly exaggerated. I have been hearing doom and gloom of "today's young people don't have any interest in old cars" for over 25 years and it started before I joined the club.

 

For the first decade that I was an AACA member, I only attended local Chapter events. Since that time, I have moved from Model A Fords, to 1937 Buicks. As I got older, I could afford more car club activities and I have attended national shows and national tours. I joined the 36-38 Buick Club, a Division of the Buick Club of America, and I have attended multiple annual tours with the 36-38 Buick Club. I am also now the newsletter editor for the 36-38 Buick Club. The 36-38 Buick Club is a smaller (but growing) club with mostly older members, but we also have younger members joining that club. I have recruited a number of 36-38 Buick Club members via this forum, as well as via various old Buick facebook pages. As long as club members are welcoming to new people and willing to offer help with technical questions, I don't think you need to worry too much about the future of the hobby. At least in my experience, car clubs still serve a purpose and will continue to do so.  

[MarkV]

Younger people (those under 40) don’t want to join:

1. Politics and bureaucracy with 80 year olds running everything who continue to do things the same because that’s the way they have always been done. 

2. We are working professionals and would like to have our voice heard

3. cars from the 70s and up ARE classic cars and should be respected. I have almost no interest in 50’s or 60’s cars.

4. We don’t do clubs that comes straight out of the 50s. 

5. inclusivity is a must

6. we have social media and it should be used effectively. 
7. many because of the era we came out of don’t have a car yet but should be encouraged to join nonetheless. 
8. those sub 25 year olds aren’t joining because even if they want a classic they are expensive and insurance is impossible to get.
9. Many people live in apartments or rental situations and don’t have room to work on the cars. 

Edited November 16, 2022 by MarkV (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

I forgot one : 

IITUWUBMACBCC

 

its a club I’ve been a member of for over 60 years. I’ve been to many meetings with a bunch of great guys from when I was 18 thru this year. We meet at least every other month and have a great time. Does anyone else in other areas know what this club is and are you a member? 
dave s 

 

edit ps- it’s an acronym if that helps. You all were throwing around so many letters I thought it time for you to figure this out. 

Edited November 16, 2022 by SC38dls (see edit history)

[plymouthcranbrook]

11 hours ago, SC38dls said:

I was the same way about sports cars but in the 60’s & 70’s. We got in the SCCA with a  beat up MGA 1600 MK II and raced it at Blackhawk out near Rockford. I felt the same way about being out of place, little money and a ratty looking car compared to what we were running against. That changed when we started beating some well supported guys that had no idea what was under a hood. Still it was only a few years until I left as it was just beyond my life status and was uncomfortable 

dave s 

We might have been there at the same time. i was in Chicago Region from 74 to 78. Nationally licensed Tech inspector. 

Edited November 16, 2022 by plymouthcranbrook (see edit history)

[Peter Gariepy]

3 hours ago, SC38dls said:

IITUWUBMACBCC

?

[John_S_in_Penna]

11 hours ago, MarkV said:

Younger people (those under 40) don’t want to join:

1. Politics and bureaucracy with 80-year-olds running everything who continue to do things the same because that’s the way they have always been done....

3. cars from the 70s and up ARE classic cars and should be respected. I have almost no interest in 50’s or 60’s cars.

5. inclusivity is a must

Wes, thank you for your insights.  I'll agree and disagree

from an enthusiastic perspective:

 

#3:  I like cars of all eras.  I'd like to see a 1929 Viking as much

as a 1982 Chrysler Cordoba.  The majority of my cars are

from the 1970's.  I don't mind if others have earlier cars--

I'm happy that many 1970's cars are underappreciated and cheaper!

 

#1:  I don't mind if 95% of the club is older than I.  Almost everyone

is friendly.  In fact, I lament the passing of a couple of older members

who had extensive collections and were always open to sharing.

(One man, for example, had 5 Case cars, and was an expert on them.)

Another friendly man I know is 102 and has led a very interesting life!

Having older members brings history forward to the present.

 

#5.  Inclusivity.  That we need to work on.  We need to change 

some of our current region officials, because a few of them actually

disparage the many members whom we rarely see.  That's not a way

to attract!  Perhaps because of that, the membership of our large

region has fallen by 40% in the last 10 years.  This shows that

having the proper attitude--knowledge and enthusiasm--is vital for

attracting and retaining members.

 

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[8E45E]

10 hours ago, MarkV said:

Younger people (those under 40) don’t want to join:

1. Politics and bureaucracy with 80 year olds running everything who continue to do things the same because that’s the way they have always been done. 

                      That was the average age of a Cadillac owner at one time.  Respect your elders

2. We are working professionals and would like to have our voice heard

                      When you work yourself up through the GM ranks to become a Cadillac owner, you deserve to have your voice heard, even at age 40.

3. Cars from the 70s and up ARE classic cars and should be respected. I have almost no interest in 50’s or 60’s cars.             

                      1960's & earlier Cadillacs are true rolling Gentlemens Club stock with REAL wood &  leather inside.  Certain 2000's to present Cadillacs are true BMW & Audi beaters for those under-40 who should                            make the time to investigate them.  (1970's & 80's Cadillacs are all smoke & mirrors and won't look out of place next to an avocado dishwasher.)

4. We don’t do clubs that comes straight out of the 50s.

                      Heritage must be taught and learned, and never something to be ashamed of. 

5. inclusivity is a must

                      Cadillac was the 'Standard of the World'.  Go back to that rule #1 with a different mindset as Cadillac was forced to change their marketing scope by also introducing SUV's and light trucks.

6. we have social media and it should be used effectively. 

                     It's the 21st Century, and almost an 'essential service' like the telephone was in the 20th Century.   
7. many because of the era we came out of don’t have a car yet but should be encouraged to join nonetheless. 

                     Its an incentive.
8. those sub 25 year olds aren’t joining because even if they want a classic they are expensive and insurance is impossible to get.

                     A 2014 CTS-V is a 'used car', and not quite a classic....yet.
9. Many people live in apartments or rental situations and don’t have room to work on the cars. 

                     2000's & up Cadillacs are smaller in size and no longer take up the space a '60's Fleetwood does.

Craig

[John_S_in_Penna]

"1970's & 80's Cadillacs are all smoke & mirrors and won't

look out of place next to an avocado dishwasher."

 

Gee, Craig, I like those cars!  I have a '74 Eldorado and 

a 1980 Seville.  They're easier to own and maintain

than my Locomobile.  But my parents never had an avocado-

colored dishwasher!

 

[8E45E]

16 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

How many hours a day do you spend on "Car Sites" on your computer? Multiply that by the days in a year and compare it to "Car Events" you attend. Welcome to 2022. 

Be realistic.

 

In the northern areas, climate plays a huge factor where one will only drive their collector car from April thru October generally.  Not every locality in North America is like AZ where you can enjoy an old car year round.  Unless you have been living under a rock, there were almost NO "Car Events" in 2020 and 2021, though a number of us did defy authority and held unofficial Friday night cruises.  2022 was the first year since 2019 when major car clubs could host big events. 

 

Craig

[8E45E]

19 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

"1970's & 80's Cadillacs are all smoke & mirrors and won't

look out of place next to an avocado dishwasher."

 

Gee, Craig, I like those cars!  I have a '74 Eldorado and 

a 1980 Seville.  They're easier to own and maintain

than my Locomobile.  But my parents never had an avocado-

colored dishwasher!

The good I can say is they still are affordable for some who want an 'old' car.   

 

I grew up around 1960's Cadillacs when they really made a statement, before they made the same mistake Packard did by moving downmarket in the 1970's in the interest of gaining sales and losing exclusivity and true opulence with cost cutting.  There is a reason the German manufacturers forged ahead in the market that Cadillac (and Lincoln) foolishly abandoned in the 1970's and '80's.  The Japanese and Koreans took note and responded with their Acura/Lexus/Infiniti and Genesis brands.  If Cadillac was in independent, without the backing of almighty General Motors, they would have been gone by the end of the 1980's.

 

My parents had a Harvest Gold dishwasher, (along with a matching side-by-side fridge & stove), which got sold with the house in 1989!!

 

Craig

Edited November 16, 2022 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[kfle]

15 hours ago, Hans1965 said:

Kfle, you absolutely nailed it. Everything said. I am 57 and completely agree. What would then people 10-20 years younger say? Are here any? 

I am in no real world car club, I go to an open car meet nearly every Sunday morning and enjoy the company, no time table, no pressure, you talk or you don't. I get a coffee and there is a barbeque, enough for most men. I am so busy and stressed out at work I really do not want one thing only - pressure. And there is plenty in today's world, much more than 20 years ago or even 10. And btw here in my country I do not even know if there is any judging of classic cars. I do not need it at all. What I am missing in the real world is the advice and the encouragement that I get on this forum. You guys are my club, although I have never seen anybody in real. Thank you. 

Agreed.  You said something key here is that no one wants additional commitments or pressure in today's world and the formal clubs feel like pressure at times.  I still belong to many clubs because I am fortunate enough to have the ability to pay for the club memberships and I look at it as support for those organizations.  Then even all of the printed magazines show up at the house and I don't even have time to read all of them so they sit there unopened and on the list of something else to deal with.   With my limited time, I want to spend it with the cars and friends who enjoy cars as well.  

 

There is a huge gap in how retired older people want the clubs to run and how the younger generation want their car experience to run.  As long as this gap exists and isn't handled by existing clubs, they will continue to decline and it wont be because there is less interest in the cars themselves!

 

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by kfle (see edit history)

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Clearly clubs are not for everyone.  If someone asked me for advice it would be three simple things:

 

1) be realistic in your expectations.  Gather any 15, 20 people in a room and you likely have personalities and knowledge at both ends of the spectrum.  You don't need to be best friends with everyone.

 

2) surprisingly we didn't cover, unless I missed it, aspects like garage tours, members only discounts, tech sessions etc. you likely won't get in a casual meet up.  Something to consider.  This forum for example, supports a knowledge exchsnge far deeper than circulating car pics and recycled posts common on fb groups, for example.  The forum exists due to AACA.

 

3) you have nothing to lose but dues and,a little time.  Sometimes it may be a fit, other times not.  Is ypur interest in the hobby worth that level of investment, really only you can decide that.

 

Ok 4, Seems if open mindedness, inclusivity, and such are key, it helps to bear in mind vibes go two ways.

 

[8E45E]

5 minutes ago, kfle said:

Agreed.  You said something key here is that no one wants additional commitments or pressure in today's world and the formal clubs feel like pressure at times.  I still belong to many clubs because I am fortunate enough to have the ability to pay for the club memberships and I look at it as support for those organizations.  Then even all of the printed magazines show up at the house and I don't even have time to read all of them so they sit there unopened and on the list of something else to deal with.   With my limited time, I want to spend it with the cars and friends who enjoy cars as well.  

 

There is a huge gap in how retired older people want the clubs to run and how the younger generation want their car experience to run.  As long as this gap exists and isn't handled by existing clubs, they will continue to decline and it wont be because there is less interest in the cars themselves!

 

To make a club work (automotive or otherwise), it is up to YOU to be a part of it and help make it work.

 

Pressure is a necessary evil, especially if you take on a responsibility of being the editor of the club magazine, or wants to host the annual zone meet one year.  It takes work and some stress to make everything run seamlessly, and many don't realize the effort it takes.

 

Craig

[kfle]

13 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

To make a club work (automotive or otherwise), it is up to YOU to be a part of it and help make it work.

 

Pressure is a necessary evil, especially if you take on a responsibility of being the editor of the club magazine, or wants to host the annual zone meet one year.  It takes work and some stress to make everything run seamlessly, and many don't realize the effort it takes.

 

Craig

I completely understand the effort.  I did the newsletter for the MARC regional club for a year, I started the Cole Motor Car registry and got it accepted as an affiliated region in the HCCA, sit on the board of a car museum, and have held board positions in local clubs.  I am also one of  the founders and event leaders for one of the largest brass era events in the country.  I have stopped doing most of it because the reward is not there and the desire to change and adapt is just not there for many of these organizations.  As they say....the times are a changin

Edited November 16, 2022 by kfle (see edit history)

[NailheadBob]

7 hours ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

We might have been there at the same time. i was in Chicago Region from 74 to 78. Nationally licensed Tech inspector. 

Friend of mine ran an Opel around that time period and maybe a little into the early 80's at RoadAmerica and Charlotte motor speedway, I went to RoadAmerica several times with him to help out and really loved that track, but you could see the people with money but could not set up a car or even drive it with out crashing, good memories, love the smell of the fumes.

 

He won a race one time, and people with money and pretty race cars protested because he did not have a complete dash in his car, just a panel with all his gauges, OUT came the RULE book and he argued his case with tech inspector (I hope it was not you) and in the end he won the protest and the race. The big money people were furious.

 

Bob

[8E45E]

2 minutes ago, kfle said:

I completely understand the effort.  I did the newsletter for the MARC regional club for a year, I started the Cole Motor Car registry and got it accepted as an affiliated region in the HCCA, sit on the board of a car museum, and have held board positions in local clubs.  I am also one of  the founders and event leaders for one of the largest brass era events in the country.  I have stopped doing most of it because the reward is not there and the desire to change and adapt is just not there for many of these organizations.  As they say....the times are a changin

You nailed it!  

 

I stepped down as local editor of our chapter newsletter editor after 15 years to take on responsibility of a more national publication.  Many don't realize how essential a newsletter is in keeping a club cohesive, and interest up until after they've relinquished the position for one reason or another.  (We were fortunate enough to find a new editor a few months later.)

 

Craig

[West Peterson]

26 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

2) surprisingly we didn't cover, unless I missed it, aspects like garage tours, members only discounts, tech sessions etc. you likely won't get in a casual meet up.  Something to consider.  This forum for example, supports a knowledge exchsnge far deeper than circulating car pics and recycled posts common on fb groups, for example.  The forum exists due to AACA.

 

 

 

This is what I was thinking as well.

[B Jake Moran]

17 hours ago, 63RedBrier said:

Ok, so I just went back to re-read the original post.  Two things...  First, if a club hosts a show and breaks even that sounds like a well run event to me!  

Disagree there.  Car meets in general should yield a "profit."  That profit helps sustain the club.  

 

To break even means higher dues, less stewardship towards museums and other causes.  

 

I was a member of the WP Chrysler Club once and we ran the October car show at the Winterset, Iowa Covered Bridges Festival.  We split the "profits" with the festival and the money earned paid for our club's functions the entire year.  And we earned it!  Organization, set up, parking, hearing attendees complain, etc.   

 

I am not saying the National or Regional that puts on a National show should profit enormously - but to break even every year would not be a good thing.  In my opinion.  

[MarkV]

1 hour ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

Wes, thank you for your insights.  I'll agree and disagree

from an enthusiastic perspective:

 

#3:  I like cars of all eras.  I'd like to see a 1929 Viking as much

as a 1982 Chrysler Cordoba.  The majority of my cars are

from the 1970's.  I don't mind if others have earlier cars--

I'm happy that many 1970's cars are underappreciated and cheaper!

 

#1:  I don't mind if 95% of the club is older than I.  Almost everyone

is friendly.  In fact, I lament the passing of a couple of older members

who had extensive collections and were always open to sharing.

(One man, for example, had 5 Case cars, and was an expert on them.)

Another friendly man I know is 102 and has led a very interesting life!

Having older members brings history forward to the present.

 

#5.  Inclusivity.  That we need to work on.  We need to change 

some of our current region officials, because a few of them actually

disparage the many members whom we rarely see.  That's not a way

to attract!  Perhaps because of that, the membership of our large

region has fallen by 40% in the last 10 years.  This shows that

having the proper attitude--knowledge and enthusiasm--is vital for

attracting and retaining members.

 

 

1. maybe it’s not the age but attitude 

3. You are a rare one many in these clubs think cars past a boomers childhood aren’t worth even working on. 
 

[jp1gt]

My perspective----

I have been around restoring cars my whole life. When I was born, I had a wrench in my hand. My dad always had a car to restore.  My first "collector" cars were mopar muscle cars. I started capital city mopars just to get people together to share ideas and parts. The ferrari club has a very good library of "how to do it" info and videos. I never had a lot of money but could always buy something that needed some work, have fun working on the car and then driving it. I am not much into judged shows, just show and shines. I never really care how much my stuff is worth. For me there would be a lot of value, and comradery in a club that helped people work on their cars. It takes a lot of time always re-inventing the wheel.

[SC38dls]

8 hours ago, Peter Gariepy said:

?

If I Tell U Will U Buy Me A Cold Beer Car Club. 
 

dave s 

[Walt G]

29 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

  Many don't realize how essential a newsletter is in keeping a club cohesive,

I agree totally. I have edited and contributed to car publications both locally and nationally and internationally. Editors are supposed to Edit the publication , not research and write the whole thing to keep members interested and entertained. Some editors are easier to work with then others , some will fill pages with anything just to make it complete and easier to do, take less time, and others will step up to use material that takes a lot more time to edit/correct/deal with images and photos .  It all depends upon the person in charge ( just like any organization, business etc) Patience on both ends - the editors and the contributors.

[8E45E]

Just now, SC38dls said:

If I Tell U Will U Buy Me A Cold Beer Car Club.  

Yep, we want to be the Studebaker DRIVERS Club, not the Studebaker 'Diners' Club when it comes to meets.

 

Craig