Survey about younger audiences in the Classic Car Community

[rocketraider]

1 hour ago, Cman640 said:

Thank you to everyone who filled out the form. I did receive some pushback but this forum was by far the most welcoming. I was told, "Obviously he has nothing to contribute here on MGExperiance" on a different forum. I will probably leave the form up over the weekend and share the results (minus name, ages, and emails of course) next Monday.

Sorry you encountered the car jerks, but people like that are unfortunately rampant in the old car community. I had a run-in with some of them 40 years ago and because of it, to this day I will have nothing to do with the local AACA region.

 

When their MG have rusted into the ground, or burned to a hulk because of faulty Lucas electrics, maybe they'll remember the young man who came to them with interest and questions.

 

I haven't done your survey yet but I will. I may not have much to offer far as input but I'll ALWAYS support a young person interested in cars.

[1912Staver]

I have been involved with Lucas electrics for roughly 50 years now. Both as a British car owner, and a mechanic at a mainly British car repair shop. Dabbles of Volvo of all sorts and Japanese sports cars on the side.

 Lucas products get a bad rap as far as I see things. The majority of the problems I came across were more from poor maintenance / very amateur repairs than shortcomings with the equipment itself. By the 1970's cost cutting led to a decline in things like Lucas dash switches, turn signal switches etc.  But rarely did these problems lead to fires. Lucas components up to the 1970's were actually pretty decent quality. And the switches could often be taken apart and repaired by competent service people or even owners with a sound repair background.

 

 

Edited September 13 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[ABear]

@Cman640, I generally as a rule, do not participate in surveys.

 

I will however give a few thoughts from my POV as a owner of a 123 yr old antique vehicle which has been handed down multiple generations of my family to me.

 

I don't participate in judging type shows, instead I attend modern day car Cruises which basically grew from the typical Friday/Saturday night informal gatherings of other car enthusiasts that loved to burn rubber on the streets.

 

Now days car cruises have moved from nights to more daytime/evening fun events often for Charity type needs.

 

These events have become more family oriented, and I really enjoy interacting with any person that takes an interest in my vehicle which includes young children to young adults to even elderly folks. My car since it is very old and unique, really attracts people and stands out in the sea of Camaros, Chevelles, Mustangs that is typically there.

 

Most folks at these cruises will typically walk away and have no interaction, I stay with my car and enjoy giving folks a glimpse of the early days of automobile history by interacting with them.

 

I find that the younger kids very attentive, but older kids in say JR/SR High a lot less interested, young adults will also seem to be a bit more interested at times.

 

If you would like a peek into early history of automobiles you are welcome to take a look at a website my Daughter setup for our family car. On that website there are also links to a Facebook page and Youtube videos you can watch of our family car.

 

You can find our website here at..

 

https://rikerphaeton.weebly.com/

 

We haven't added much content lately, our Daughter finished College and has had a variety of jobs which all have oddball hrs and every weekend working so she hasn't been able to take videos and pictures over the last few yrs of our adventures.

[human-potato_hybrid]

I responded. Pretty good questions. Though I would put younger people as up to about age 30. Pretty uncommon for people around age 20 to have the money or space for old cars unless a close friend or family member is already doing it. 

[Peter J.Heizmann]

41 minutes ago, human-potato_hybrid said:

I responded. Pretty good questions. Though I would put younger people as up to about age 30. Pretty uncommon for people around age 20 to have the money or space for old cars unless a close friend or family member is already doing it. 

I must disagree.  The younger the better.  I must agree with the AACA’s standpoint that there is absolutely no mandate that to be a member or simply have an interest in old vehicles you must own one or more.  That is where owners come into the picture by encouraging younger people to ride in or help older folks in restoration projects.  

[Tom C]

I just took the survey. I would be glad to answer any further questions you may have.

[human-potato_hybrid]

28 minutes ago, Peter J.Heizmann said:

The younger the better.

My comment has nothing to do with this. Just a pragmatic remark on the youngest people actually buying project cars.

[Peter J.Heizmann]

11 minutes ago, human-potato_hybrid said:

My comment has nothing to do with this. Just a pragmatic remark on the youngest people actually buying project cars.

Thanks for clarifying.

[SteveMaz]

Hats off to you @Cman640. Some of the early responses to your post may have seemed somewhat curmudgeon, but that's mostly because, more often than not, someone will drop a post similar to yours asking for assistance, and then never show their face again. You did the most important thing you could have done. You returned and you engaged. Your responses were cogent and polite. I hope that you continue in the hobby and on these forums. I have no doubt you can be a force for the next generation of old car enthusiasts. Good luck with your restoration. Thanks for making my day!

[JV Puleo]

9 hours ago, Cman640 said:

Thank you for your response I might reach out to you later about a possible contact to the community.

By all means. Send me a PM if you'd like and I'll provide my email address.

[Cman640]

RESULTS TIME!!!

Thank you to everyone who participated. I had almost 40 people respond.

 

Age

I won't share the exact amount of each age, but there was a range from all the way down to 21 to 81. (And one "Old!!")

 

Cars

Ya'll had some interesting cars for sure from 1903 Oldsmoblies to Cadillac Coupe DeVilles.

 

As for the response questions, you guys were great and there are simply too many to post but I will definitely keep you guys updated as I implement your ideas.

[JV Puleo]

Very interesting...your results don't seem to agree in some aspects with the impression you might get by reading this forum. Overall, I think it's encouraging. One aspect that hasn't been touched is what percentage of the under 25's or perhaps 30's would be involved in pre-war cars were they not effectively priced out of the market. There are some very clever and innovative younger people out there who would be able to restore an early car were they encouraged to do so. I have such a friend...very capable and a self-taught machinist and blacksmith although his day job is writing software. It's anecdotal evidence but perhaps worth considering. If I were just starting I think reading this forum would be very discouraging...the constant refrain is "you'll be underwater in no time". Well, that's true but we should be promoting old cars as a worthwhile earning experience...not as a money-making enterprise.

Edited Monday at 06:57 PM by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[CarNucopia]

Thanks for sharing the results

 

I’m curious, is your goal to get young, non-enthusiasts to become enthusiasts? Or is it to get enthusiasts of newer cars (Fast & Furious), into older cars?

[Terry Bond]

Might be interesting to see the same kind of survey directed towards a sample of younger non-enthusiats. Could possibly identify some barriers that could be addressed.

Terry

[hook]

It might be interesting to take a survey of 25 and under individuals that are interested in the classis car community how they feel toward us old folks with the classic cars. Do they think we are stand offish, not receptive of their involvement, and just not interested in them. I've seen that among other older members of this hobby. 

[JV Puleo]

2 hours ago, CarNucopia said:

I’m curious, is your goal to get young, non-enthusiasts to become enthusiasts? Or is it to get enthusiasts of newer cars (Fast & Furious), into older cars?

It's not my place to put words into the mouth of the OP...who is both well spoken and an enthusiast as well but I wonder if there isn't much difference. Obviously, people who are already enthusiasts of some sort are potential enthusiasts for old cars but I wonder if there aren't more. I can only speak for myself here but I was in HS at the time of the "muscle car" boom. I had absolutely no interest in them (and still don't)...in fact, had no particular interest in any modern car. One of my closest friends built a heavily modified '56 Chevy and while I admired his work it was nothing I cared to own or build. We can go on endlessly about this subject among ourselves but it would be interesting to find out if there are others who have an interest but are effectively barred from participation either by price or the hesitation of older collectors to take them under their wing.

[CarNucopia]

22 minutes ago, JV Puleo said:

It's not my place to put words into the mouth of the OP...who is both well spoken and an enthusiast as well but I wonder if there isn't much difference. Obviously, people who are already enthusiasts of some sort are potential enthusiasts for old cars but I wonder if there aren't more. I can only speak for myself here but I was in HS at the time of the "muscle car" boom. I had absolutely no interest in them (and still don't)...in fact, had no particular interest in any modern car. One of my closest friends built a heavily modified '56 Chevy and while I admired his work it was nothing I cared to own or build. We can go on endlessly about this subject among ourselves but it would be interesting to find out if there are others who have an interest but are effectively barred from participation either by price or the hesitation of older collectors to take them under their wing.

You make an interesting point. The biggest constraint on me having an older car was space. I played with motorcycles instead because I wasn't going to let my gearhead wants go unsatisfied.

 

With regards to the OP, I should elaborate on the question. The second thing I'd ask is: is his goal is to get more people involved with old cars by getting them involved in the current way the hobby is structured. For example, does he want to help grow existing clubs membership? Or, does he just want to get younger owning old cars in whatever form it takes. More to the point, what does succuss in this project look like? I think it's great he's doing this project and I'm curious where he wants to take it.

[Cman640]

17 hours ago, CarNucopia said:

You make an interesting point. The biggest constraint on me having an older car was space. I played with motorcycles instead because I wasn't going to let my gearhead wants go unsatisfied.

 

With regards to the OP, I should elaborate on the question. The second thing I'd ask is: is his goal is to get more people involved with old cars by getting them involved in the current way the hobby is structured. For example, does he want to help grow existing clubs membership? Or, does he just want to get younger owning old cars in whatever form it takes. More to the point, what does succuss in this project look like? I think it's great he's doing this project and I'm curious where he wants to take it.

I don't have a set goal on what audience I want to pull from in general, but I believe it will be mostly existing car enthusiasts becoming more involved in older cars. That being said, I do believe I will get some non car enthusiasts to turn out but the existing ones will be the majority for sure. I am planning on accessing my school's car club for this project as well which will be all gearheads like ourselves.

[human-potato_hybrid]

@Cman640 can you post the written answers? (Edited for anonymity and clarity as needed.) I'm curious what people have to say.

[Cman640]

1 hour ago, human-potato_hybrid said:

@Cman640 can you post the written answers? (Edited for anonymity and clarity as needed.) I'm curious what people have to say.

 

[Cman640]

1 hour ago, human-potato_hybrid said:

@Cman640 can you post the written answers? (Edited for anonymity and clarity as needed.) I'm curious what people have to say.

[Cman640]

On 9/13/2024 at 11:55 AM, rocketraider said:

Sorry you encountered the car jerks, but people like that are unfortunately rampant in the old car community. I had a run-in with some of them 40 years ago and because of it, to this day I will have nothing to do with the local AACA region.

 

When their MG have rusted into the ground, or burned to a hulk because of faulty Lucas electrics, maybe they'll remember the young man who came to them with interest and questions.

 

I haven't done your survey yet but I will. I may not have much to offer far as input but I'll ALWAYS support a young person interested in cars.

 

On 9/13/2024 at 1:25 PM, ABear said:

@Cman640, I generally as a rule, do not participate in surveys.

 

I will however give a few thoughts from my POV as a owner of a 123 yr old antique vehicle which has been handed down multiple generations of my family to me.

 

I don't participate in judging type shows, instead I attend modern day car Cruises which basically grew from the typical Friday/Saturday night informal gatherings of other car enthusiasts that loved to burn rubber on the streets.

 

Now days car cruises have moved from nights to more daytime/evening fun events often for Charity type needs.

 

These events have become more family oriented, and I really enjoy interacting with any person that takes an interest in my vehicle which includes young children to young adults to even elderly folks. My car since it is very old and unique, really attracts people and stands out in the sea of Camaros, Chevelles, Mustangs that is typically there.

 

Most folks at these cruises will typically walk away and have no interaction, I stay with my car and enjoy giving folks a glimpse of the early days of automobile history by interacting with them.

 

I find that the younger kids very attentive, but older kids in say JR/SR High a lot less interested, young adults will also seem to be a bit more interested at times.

 

If you would like a peek into early history of automobiles you are welcome to take a look at a website my Daughter setup for our family car. On that website there are also links to a Facebook page and Youtube videos you can watch of our family car.

 

You can find our website here at..

 

https://rikerphaeton.weebly.com/

 

We haven't added much content lately, our Daughter finished College and has had a variety of jobs which all have oddball hrs and every weekend working so she hasn't been able to take videos and pictures over the last few yrs of our adventures.

 

On 9/13/2024 at 3:46 PM, Tom C said:

I just took the survey. I would be glad to answer any further questions you may have.

 

On 9/13/2024 at 4:37 PM, SteveMaz said:

Hats off to you @Cman640. Some of the early responses to your post may have seemed somewhat curmudgeon, but that's mostly because, more often than not, someone will drop a post similar to yours asking for assistance, and then never show their face again. You did the most important thing you could have done. You returned and you engaged. Your responses were cogent and polite. I hope that you continue in the hobby and on these forums. I have no doubt you can be a force for the next generation of old car enthusiasts. Good luck with your restoration. Thanks for making my day!

 

On 9/13/2024 at 5:49 PM, JV Puleo said:

By all means. Send me a PM if you'd like and I'll provide my email address.

Thank you everyone I can't wait to get more involved in the Community. I recently started the project MG and will be making a "blog" on aaca so stay tuned. Found some trophies and awards the MG TC has won over the years and will post those along with the before photos of the car.

[Cman640]

ALSO

 

My Grandfather has accumulated a TON of MG parts over the years. We're starting to sell off these parts slowly but surely. So I might be posting questions on identifying and pricing parts in the future. But I literally have 1000's of parts so if your are in dire need of a part let me know and I'll take a look. 

[CarNucopia]

13 hours ago, Cman640 said:

I don't have a set goal on what audience I want to pull from in general, but I believe it will be mostly existing car enthusiasts becoming more involved in older cars. That being said, I do believe I will get some non car enthusiasts to turn out but the existing ones will be the majority for sure. I am planning on accessing my school's car club for this project as well which will be all gearheads like ourselves.

If you end up doing a questionnaire with the car club and the other younger gearheads, can you post the results here? I think there’s more for us to learn from you about getting younger people involved then the other way around.

Thanks for your enthusiasm and efforts!

Edited Wednesday at 02:03 AM by CarNucopia (see edit history)

[rocketraider]

10 hours ago, Cman640 said:

ALSO

 

My Grandfather has accumulated a TON of MG parts over the years. We're starting to sell off these parts slowly but surely. So I might be posting questions on identifying and pricing parts in the future. But I literally have 1000's of parts so if your are in dire need of a part let me know and I'll take a look. 

Just make sure to keep enough spares to keep the TC running and roadworthy. My experience is when you decide to clean house and think you will have absolutely no need for a certain part, as soon as it's sold the car will demand it!

 

If you sell on that MG Forum who said you had nothing to contribute, make sure the individual who made that remark pays a jerk premium!😛

[hook]

Don't forget the most important part for that MG.