What killed the hobby? 1. Mecum auto auction 2. Barrett Jackson auto auction 3. Price of the cars and parts, this was brought on by the first two reasons. Some imbecile was watching the auction and said “hell if that 69 charger brought 200k at auction. that rotten shitbox with a bill of sale in the back yard that was completely stripped 30 years ago has to be worth at least 40k. No low ballers I know what I got” Kids can’t afford to get in so they have no interest. GREED KILLED THE HOBBY.
I was going comment the same exact thing as you wrote it thank you at least I'm not the only one who sees this!!!! F- Barrett Jackson and mecum and all the hi dollar build that pre teens and young adults can not afford. Shame on you for destroying our affordable hobby.
You know what, you are EXACTLY RIGHT, GREED KILLED T THE HOBBY, and I'm really pist about these rich elites buying these old cars Just for the investment, Noone gets even a chance to see them , they are in warehouses locked up, it really is sad.
Beyond the price, the quality of the auction cars is not what it seems. I bought a former BJ car and it is/was lipstick on a pig. The prior owners I'm sure were relieved to have sold it. I'm gullible and was grieving about the loss of my mom, and I saw the car pop up and bought it. But that's on me. There are still plenty of cool cars out there that are fairly priced, but just not what's popular. The parts, difficulty in finding the parts and then how much they cost, I completely agree with you. I have a unique Dodge truck and I've only seen the factory trim come up for sale once, and I bought it at a high price no questions.
So was that one of 100,000 1955 chev 210 before it was dropped, chopped, big blocked, and painted non factory colors. Throw a body kit, turbos, wild paint, bag it, and a civic is no more a cookie cutter appliance than that 55 chev was. Any car can have a soul, it’s the owners of appliance cars who have lost their car culture soul.
My neighbor is an environmentalist and he has often told me how he despises car culture and he is raising his son the same way. I asked his son who is soon to turn 16 if he was excited to be able to drive soon and he told me he had no interest in driving. A lot different attitude than what me and the other teens had in the 1980s, we couldn’t wait to get a car and start customizing it.
1. Rich people killed the car hobby (unaffordable older cars) 2. BORING cars killed the hobby (nothing to inspire enthusiasts) 3. GREED killed it ($12k for '69 Camaro frame!) 4. Shutting down drag strips 5. Software killed cars
There's plenty of young enthusiasts out there today, but they drive ricers and German makes. Boring is American cars because the big 3 turned themselves into lenders and lessors.
Adding to #4 - shutting down a lot of smaller race tracks in general. Where I grew up, there used to be several "run what you brung," race tracks. Now? We only have one dirt track, and that's eaten up with sprint car racing most of the time. We do still have our drag strip - but it has the NHRA elitism and politics. I'm a millennial, and it's not even like it was when I was growing up.
They close the tracks because nobody goes. I went to my old drag strip a couple years ago. Nobody there compared to the early 70's. The car line was about a dozen deep. And electrics simply blow the doors off the old cars.
Disagree. Being able to build an ECU from a kit and learn to tune my own engine is the only reason I ever started building and tuning project cars. Turbos make easy power and I never would have got into performance if the only way to double the power my car made was to build a fresh NA engine. Instead I literally bolted junkyard used parts to it, booger welded a3” exhaust, built an ECU and turned a 110hp Shitbox Volvo into a 350whp car. I never would have done any of that if my only option was to build an expensive new engine or V8 swap the car.
@@CJColvin If you don't think Volvo redblocks outlast most V8s, it's because you don't know anything about Volvo redblocks. Probably just an other "HURR IMPORT BAD" guy.
@@CJColvin Matey are you high? There hasn't been a volvo redblock made in almost 30 years. I am talking about 20 years ago buying a car that was at the time 20 years old and turbocharging it. Do you automatically assume the fact that I did some tuning means it happened last year? You've been able to buy and build Megasquirt 2 kits since 2005. The car was $450 by the way
It's evolution. Eventually EVERYTHING ages out. Unfortunately, as we grow older, the passions we had will not be the same as the passions of generations to come. It's all inevitable. The key is to enjoy the shit out of it to the fullest while we can... as in life itself.
Well.. I'm in my 50's and I'm an oldsmobile guy. For me, car shows mean getting up early (on my day off) driving to (insert random parking lot, church, strip mall, industrial park) and paying AT LEAST $20. The normal sequence of events is clean up the car from the drive, open lawn chair... and sit. For sometimes 6 to 8 hours until they give out a plastic trophy. It's not fun, I don't even get up and walk around anymore. It's the same group of people that go to every car show. I'm not going to mention the overly loud garbage 50's music they play at every car show. There are usually 2 or 3 cars from the 50's at each show. All have LS motors in them and are dynacorp bodies, so not a real 50's car. I get my cars out on nice days and take them for a ride. Car shows are done for me. Just my opinion, it's not much fun anymore. They are mainly held as fund raisers in my area, and they feel like it.
@@billsteinly8105 LOL my dad has a 38 street rod Olds... strange world we live in. Oldsmobile's are still awesome. Don't get me started about why buick still exists...
I’m not a car show guy for all the same reasons you mentioned. Plus think about this. We spend 10’s of thousands of dollars on our cars, countless hours building and maintaining them and cleaning them up just to have to (pay) $$ so that others can look at them. Haven’t we paid enough???? A car show…….that means our cars are the stars of the show!! Why are we paying? We should be getting paid to show up or at the very least getting in for free. Plus when you enter your car in the show. All the other car owner sit by there car and act like there car is better then everyone else’s car. It’s not about who’s car is better. It’s about looking at all the cool cars. I get way more public interaction just filling my car up at a gas station than I do at a car show. The best car show I’ve ever participated in was back in the early to mid 80’s. Cruising Main Street. Every weekend was a car show cruising up and down Main Street. Man…..those were the days!! Another thing that irritates me Are all these people that want to put their car back to factory original. Dude If I wanted to see what your car looked like from the factory I can look that up on Google. These old cars are like a painters canvas. I want to see your style your design your idea of a cool car. Make your car (yours)!!
This video hit home for me…I’m 50, but when I was 17-20, we rolled up to a gas station someone worked at, a bank parking lot, always an informal cruise and hang out every night! Miss those days….great video
The one single thing that is destroying car culture and the car hobby is TRASH TECHNOLOGY. Cars are no longer cars. They are computers on wheels. Huge ugly disgusting wheels with no actual tires. I am 65, and have been a car guy since around age 12. Classic American cars ONLY. Carbureted, no emissions crap. You couldn't GIVE me a late model car. They are complete GARBAGE.
The hobby will only survive by bringing in new, younger people. Closing off, and or discouraging younger participants will lead to the depth of the hobby. No offense but the boomer generation is no longer the massive cultural center it once was. Things boomers are into is fading as boomers get older. I'm gen x 55, and while I certainly appreciate muscle cars, I'm more into.80s and 90s cars which are poo pooed at many shows and events.
Nothing garbage about today's cars. I'm almost 70 and every newer (2000's) car I have bought has gotten over 200K miles. With electronic ignition and fuel injection, they run perfectly from the time you turn them on. And they are way more comfortable, get way better mileage and handle like they are on rails. You are wrong. Today's cars are simply better than old.
@bobhamilton298 As this is being written I'm sitting in a rental vehicle (a Chevy Subarban)and I just read your comments and I'm thinking to myself as I look at this massive vehicle with all these buttons that do God knows what I'm saying to myself that the average person even if he/she is a motor head ( and I definitely am)all I say to myself is that WE DON'T NEED ALL THIS SHIT, NEW VEHICLES ARNT NOTHING MORE THEN INFOTAINMENT CENTERS ON WHEELS ANYMORE!!!!!!,
@@mikeweizer3149 It's actually far worse than that. They also have elaborate built in spy/surveillance/tracking systems with cameras and microphones watching everything you do and say, how you drive, where you go, and transmit all that information to the manufacturer and who knows who else over the 24/7 WiFi connection. And driver interference systems that can apply the brakes and turn the steering wheel with no input from the driver. And even if they didn't have all that, most large vehicles have twin turbo V6 engines that would be lucky to last 100,000 miles, while a vehicle with a V8 could last over 300,000 miles. 10 speed or CVT transmissions lucky to make it 50,000 miles. And crazy expensive parts. It costs over $5000 to replace the tail lights on a new Ford F-150. They have CANbus electrical systems which will cause multiple failures just because one thing went wrong. They are extremely difficult to troubleshoot, in many cases only a dealer can do it. Not only can an owner not work on them, but neither can an independent shop. The quality on new vehicles is now worse than it was on '70s vehicles. Yes, fit and finish may look better, because they are made by robots. But both design wise and material wise, they are very low quality. They were intended to be disposable. To make it through the warranty period. Even then many newer vehicles have several recalls during the warranty period. And fixing them once they are out of warranty is usually insanely expensive. More than most people can afford. On top of all that, because they are designed and built to be disposable, they depreciate like a rock. Definitely not suitable for a hobby vehicle.
When i grew up we had auto shop in high schools where we get to take it apart and fix cars. Now no more auto shop classes in schools and alot of video games instead which only show expensive euro cars and Japanese cars. And it slowly killed off US muscle cars. My 10 cents.
@@DJsClassicGarage People in the trades make very decent incomes today but middle class suburban kids don't even think about that income source any longer. It's a shame that a teenager can't learn auto body or mechanics in high school any longer. Lots of boys and a few girls at my high school went direct from graduation into trades at 18. It surprised me at 16 to learn how much the farm girls already knew about engines, transmissions and differentials.
Auto shop is alive and well in the northeast, but considering most of todays cars are impossible to work on beyond an oil change, so kids aren't in the driveway with dad even just doing what used to be owner required maintenance. They just don't catch the bug. I think there is a lot of car culture in the drifter Japanese car culture but just like our parents thinking we were degenerates souping up Dusters and the like much of the older car enthusiasts put them down.
Every hobby evolves. Every hobby has old folks complaining their hobby is dead, or what killed their hobby. Cars, hobby trains, bowling, model building, stamp collecting, etc etc. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s just that things change and you’ve been around long enough to see the evolution.
I watched a documentary on this topic a couple of years ago. At one point the journalist interviewed twin 16 year old girls asking why they were the only ones to get their driver's licenses in their grade. They said their father insisted. They were then asked why their friends didn't want to drive and have their own car. Their answer was...wait for it...Because driving would interfere with their phone use!! This is also why young people are clamouring for self-driving cars. They can just ride along with their face planted to their phone screen. The timing of the lack of interest in cars and driving by young people matches up perfectly with the advent of the smartphone. We live in a pretty crazy world now. Pathetic.
When I was young, me and all my friends, couldn't wait to get out drivers license. When my son and his friends were at that age they were not interested. My son waited until he was 18 before he got his license and he was the first one among his friends to do so. However all his friends were crazy about playing Grand Theft Auto on Play Station. I used to tell them that driving a real car was just as much fun. Now they're all grown up and some of them have some nice cars, including my son who drives a V8 6 speed manual Holden Ute. I'm from Australia BTW.
It's bleak. The government and big business have conspired together to monetize the heck out of automobile ownership. Each of those entities extract huge sums of money from citizens for things like yearly auto registration, cars sales tax, fuel tax, car insurance, parking fees, toll roads, fuel prices, etc. I'm particularly angry at big business. Because of Covid, that jacked prices way up. When the pandemic ended, they kept the prices at those elevated rates. WTF! The consumer is being crushed by all the greed. The car culture environment needs a little bit of disposable income to operate. Since we are being squeezed for every last penny, something has to go.
I know this really makes me sick, its the rich and the poor, NO middle class. It's the slow breakdown of society, being done on purpose, by our government.
@@DJsClassicGarage Sorry to disagree, but, yes, greed has a lot to do with it! When the average guy can't have a chance of owning a classic car because some rich p..... decides he'll pay quadruple the price that it is really worth, just to say he owns it!
@@DJsClassicGarage Greed is involved. GM can make a ton of less expensive cars for a smaller profit. Or, they can make expensive cars, sell a lower volume, but make a bigger profit. Mary Barra has that choice. Stock market wants her to keep buying back GM shares to keep price per share high. She stumbles by going for a lower profit per unit she knows she is out.
Here’s another huge issue; the cost of paint and bodywork. Have you priced a decent quality paint job recently? A cheap shitty one is like $3,000. Nice paint job start at $10,000. Pulling a body straight and replacing no weld in panels, just pulling out a crushed rear corner and quarter will cost you $3,000 minimum (had it done recently to a car I saved). This is one of the reasons why when you do go to a big car show like cars and coffee, every old car owned by a young person who isn’t loaded is rattle canned or just has faded shot paint or milky clearcoat.
restore a car. add engine , drive train , than suspension , steering , breaks , body wiring harness , remove all the glass ,new weather strip , chrome, interior , what else before the body shop one spends $75k real fast
@@youtubecarspottersguide1 What? The one thing separating MANY project cars from looking really nice is a paint job. Most projects are not total restoration basket cases like what you describe. Paint fails extremely fast on some cars, being defective or low quality from the factory. Even project cars for young guys that are 10-20 years old, many of them have bad paint. I've had a few where it was the case, and it's the reason why I'll take a car with a blown up engine over a car that runs great but needs paint any day.
I worked in restorations. I know the costs well.. Paint and materials were expensive 20 years ago . I painted other people's cars with the good quality stuff but couldn't afford it myself. I work in the auto upholstery field now..even that is expensive.
I fully agree about the cost of cars, parts, and insurance. It’s not just killing the car hobby, it’s killing the ability to own anything “big ticket” that we have always thought of as upward mobility and life enjoyment. I live in a home that we purchased 20 years ago and, if I had to buy it again now, I definitely cannot afford. I also can’t afford to “downsize” because a smaller home now costs more than I paid for my current home, plus real estate fees and moving costs would give me a smaller house that cost me more than what I currently have! Regarding car culture, outside of the prices, the events are just not much fun anymore. People are not nearly as friendly as they once were. Politics have largely gotten in the way of social interaction. The car owners seem more interested in “bragging rights” than just enjoying people looking at their cars. People don’t talk to each other like they did once. Everybody seems more interested in just getting the event over and getting on with their day. The end of a local Cars and Coffee reminds me a high school parking lot at 2:30 in the afternoon; people can’t get out of there fast enough! I would disagree with anyone who says that the younger people just are not interested in cars anymore. Not true! They are just not always interested in the same cars as the baby boomer and Gen X generations. A few years ago, I took my ‘63 Studebaker Lark and my ‘95 BMW 325i to a local show and parked them next to each other, sat in my “car show lawn chair” and watched people. The age 55 and older generally walked right past the BMW as if it were invisible to look at the Studebaker. The age 30 and younger walked past the Studebaker to check out the BMW. One even remarked to his friend that “you never see e36 BMWs anymore!” Every generation has “their cars”. A 1995 model car is about to become a 30 year old car. To a 20 year old, that is old! To a 70 year old, that is a junky old used car. The interest is still there, even if it doesn’t “present” like it did 30 or more years ago. Times change, people change, and we all can agree that nothing seems to be getting better or easier. It doesn’t present in me like it did 35 years ago, either! Last summer, I purchase a project ‘64 Barracuda. I have wanted a first generation Barracuda for 35 years and I finally decided that my age (53) and the ever increasing cost of the cars (in all conditions) going up sthis fast, if I ever wanted to mark it off the bucket list, I needed to get on with it! I am very unsure if I will buy, less ever restore, anymore cars after that. Not that I don’t want to (I have a mile long list of cars from the 1940s-1980s that I’d love to own), but the cost and associated expense make it less and less realistic! I think the old and young car enthusiast alike are all feeling the same pain! Some of us are fortunate enough to have bought cars back when they were cheap and have been lucky or smart enough to hold onto them. In my case, I am getting totally priced out of the hobby and the focus, in my mind, is shifting from growing the collection to holding on and maintaining what I already have!
We must stay focused men!! The industry is going through waves. The cars we love will be going cheap, then cheaper, then they go up again. Let’s not get discouraged. Let’s buy up good deals as we see them.
The car hobby is getting a just come-uppance. I am 55, my first car at 17 was a 1951 Buick and I have had old cars ever since. As I am Gen X, I didn't experience the dirt cheap old cars of the postwar period, but bought "lesser" models (sedans, independents, just neat old cars that were out of the mainstream). The popular (tri-5 Chevys, muscle cars, etc.) were always out of reach, but I have enjoyed my "everyman" cars for their quality, engineering, styling, and enjoyable ride. Now, when I attend swap meets, I shop the $5 tables, where someone is disposing of some past collector's horde (often with outdated, ridiculously high price tags still attached). Now the cheap parts get my old clunkers back up and running again. The old parts are starting to become affordable again, as they flood back onto the market. Similar stories are seen in things like Lionel trains--once super expensive, now more affordable to a younger generation. People got greedy, but they couldn't take it with them. Now the fine old cars and parts are growing more affordable for a smaller number of younger enthusiasts who appreciate them.
In his biography, Mike Love of The Beach Boys talks about how, when he was growing up, teenagers had a feeling for their cars that no longer exists culturally today. Many of their early hit songs were directly related to car culture of the 1960s.
one of the earliest "true," rock and roll records was Jackie Brenton's "Rocket 88." It's one of two songs that mark the beginning of rock and roll going mainsteam (the other is "Rock Around the Clock"). Even before that, there was "In My Merry Oldsmobile," way back in 1905, by Vincent P. Bryan that kinda had a moment (and apocryphally, solidified "Oldsmobile," as the name of the brand. At the time, it was marketed as "Olds Automobile," and that was shoved together into "Oldsmobile."). There was also Walter O'Keefe wrote "Henry's Made a Lady out of Lizzie," in honor of Henry Ford's 'Tin Lizzie,' in...1928, I believe. Even with the 50s and 60s being the "golden age," of the culture - hot rodding and car culture go back easily into the 20s and teens. Prior to about the 1970s and into the 80s, there had always been that deeper connection to cars. That era marked the change away from cars being something special into something that was a pollutant or "unsafe at any speed," or a pure status symbol. Which incidentally coincided with the first Barrett-Jackson auction in 1971.
@@legiontheatregroup Just like the horse back in the day. You named it You cleaned it You took care of it and maintained it. You even talked to it The car replaced the horse And we Name our cars Clean them Take care and maintain them And who hasn’t talked to their car before? Car people treat their cars like living breathing things. Times sure have changed
Everything across the board is all over with now except for the ultra-rich. There's no appreciation of beautiful anything anymore, including cars, of course. But look at films, music for decades now. I was born in '57, and with 1991 being the midway point, it's still goes way back further than that! Look at the way people dress, carry themselves, nobody cares about anything but themselves which has contributed to the total divisiveness running through our society. Saying the quiet part out loud, everyone knows the great years of the 20th century are long gone in all respects on some level. The time of flourishment had it's time, and when it was over, it was over, permanently. We have a President that simultaneously wanders aimlessly in the Amazon forest and wants a nuclear war, when he's even coherent at all, not asleep on the beach.
I’m in Central Florida and would rather be building and driving classic cars, but you are right when you say the cost of cars and insurance are two of the major reasons the hobby is dying. Modern cars are boring and there’s not much the average person can easily modify on them and old cars cost way too much to build. There aren’t many people that will help you with them either without charging you a lot. An average paint job these days is thousands not hundreds. Then there’s the gate keeping. I meet a lot of guys that honestly don’t want anything to do with younger folks trying to get into the hobby. There’s also the fact that the automobile just doesn’t mean what it used to. People just see them as a tool or an appliance. Like you mentioned, so much can be done online now that a lot of people don’t even want to own a car if they can avoid it. They don’t need to physically go somewhere to socialize. Cars are so expensive that you have to have something boring and reliable to make sure to get to work, so dealing with sometimes cantankerous older cars isn’t really an option. I’m still trying to put my classic back on the road but it’s so expensive that it been slow going. Sorry about this rambling response but there are so many angles to this that I could talk about it for days.
@@wheeled11 Yeah having a car back in the day ment freedom. The car you drove was the person you were. Getting out of the house to hang out with friends and meet new ones. I miss those days! On a side note, Did you know that today squealing the tires is just as bad on your insurance as a DUI!!! That’s crazy!!! Hell, I had 13 tickets on my driving record back in the day and my insurance never knew. Now days I think the insurance knows about your ticket before the officer hands it to you.
" I meet a lot of guys that honestly don’t want anything to do with younger folks trying to get into the hobby. " Relate so much to this. Elder millennial, and I've gotten a lot of snark and snide comments and side-eye when I've shown up in a daily-driven '70 Toronado or my '53 Hudson with the 473 Caddy engine (the Hornillac?), side pipes, and faded paint. Til I tell them I'm the appraiser, the insurance guy, and yes - I do all my own work. Suddenly, they're my new BFF and take a lot of interest in my car. Curious, ain't it? Piggybacking too - there's this perception that older cars are *particularly* cantankerous, and that's not really true. A shitbox from 1999 is a shitbox, but so is a shitbox that's been sitting in a barn since 1969, it just has a nicer body shape. The most cantankerous car I've ever owned was a 2001 VW shitbox. The problem with the older shitboxes - it's just harder to find parts, and (if you're not mechnically inclined or willing to get a whole education about it) people who aren't afraid to work on them. IME it's easier to get them back *on the road* than it is "make them look pretty." But it was always that way - and it's like that even with modern shitboxes. I had a mess of a time getting my last shitbox, a '66 Olds 88, back on the road though - simply because it had sat so long, every last hose and gasket was taking its last gasp, so I absolutely feel your pain. Hang in there, boss. It's worth it, in the end. To actually get something back on the road after putting hours and hard-earned cash into - it's a thing of beauty.
From the '80s through the early 2000s, I was lucky enough to own several beautiful classic cars. I eventually sold them all, and now regret it, because at today's prices of classic cars, I'd never be able to buy them back.
When your son gets to be 55, he'll likely be interested in a classic, early 2000s Audi, Dodge, Lexus, RAM, Mustang or (dare I say it) Hyundai. His household will be empty-nest and he'll have some disposable income.
I live in the Midwest, and the car culture in my city has shifted since we lost our race track. This used to be a big classic / muscle car area, now it's the off-road community that gathers and hangs out to work on and modify our vehicles as well as cruises / parades etc. Jeeps and older 4x4's are some of the simplest, most easily repaired and customizable vehicles available. Sure we still have guys into classics and muscle cars but far less than we have offroad enthusiasts. We don't even have great places to off-road without driving at least two hours, yet we have and even mix of people who actually travel and wheel their rides as well as the mall crawlers. Also, with modern cars like the Hellcats, guys around here could care less about some old Mopar / Pontiac / Ford / Chevy putting out 400 or 500HP. That's just nothing these days. The old cars don't handle big horsepower well without making expensive upgrades and modifications, and then they still don't handle or ride that great. Todays generations would rather just pay someone to fix something for them (even though they really can't afford that either) rather than taking the initiative to learn about it themselves. I think car culture will always be around, it's just going to look different than what we saw and what we did growing up. It'll be interesting to see.
I’m 63 and loved cars since as long as I remember. I still have my 67 Chevelle SS I’ve had for 40 years. 66 impala 91 Chevy van and my newest is my 92 Chevy pickup. What you’re saying is sad but true. All I know is I’ve had an amazing ride and been very fortunate to have lived in this time period that will never happen again.
Yes! I'll be 59 in the spring- my first car was a '69 Z/28 bought at age 14 with summer job money. That was 1980 and it was $3,300 and really nice shape - a 10-11 year old car which is nothing today. I think "our" age group really had it good- the gas crunch of late '70s meant musclecars were dirt cheap and high school guys could get something nice with some hard work and enthusiast parents or friend circle.
DJ, I have too many words about this to put here. In 1965 I was 16, and bought a '57 Ford 2 door wagon for $200. I have owned 50 cars since then. I lived through the golden years of hot rodding, where we could do anything we wanted to our cars, and THAT was what we got together to talk about. At one time, my wife's car was a '70 Challenger 440, and I had a '64 El Camino 327 4 sp. but still drove my '64 Vette to work with an aluminum head 427, 12.5:1 pistons, big ass cam, and a cross ram with 600s. Ran in the 11s. If you could put up with it, you could drive it anywhere. I sold car parts from 1970 on, including performance parts. My list of what killed the hobby; (1) smog regs and testing here in Calif. starting in 1980, (2) computer controlled systems. (I trained at GM and continued to fix cars at home, specializing in carbs, but if you changed anything for performance, it would not pass smog, so you could not register your car) (3) collectors. Some don't give a rats ass about the car, it's just an investment. I went to a party where the guy has 3 warehouses of muscle cars. Any gear head would have been happy to have one, but since they buy up everything, we can't find or afford any of them. In my world, collectors killed the hobby. I got into motorcycles, and I own six at the moment. The 2005 ZX10 I use on the track has a power to weight ratio of 2.7:1. Unbelievably powerful, and will blow the doors off the fastest cars I ever had. The money I have in the whole collection would not buy even 1/2 of a nice car, and my bikes look and run like new. No smog inspections and all 6 will fit in the space of one car. In May of '21, I bought a brand new Challenger. My first new car. It rattled like an old shit box and I traded the giant joke in after 5 months for a low mileage '17 LaCrosse that was lighter, smaller, and had 5 more horsepower. It's been a great car so far. You and I have much in common.
@@CJColvin 3.6 direct injection, variable valve timing, 6 to 4 at cruise, 310 HP, 8 speed paddle shifter.. Same as the V6 Challenger, 305 HP V6. I was trying to buy a tool for the job at hand. My kids live 500 miles away, so it had to get good mileage. I cruise at 77 MPH and the Buick gets 32-34 MPG. The Challenger did well too.
@cadmanchannel Nice, my mom had a 2010 Camaro RS with a 3.6L LFX V6 in it with 304 HP and 278 Ibs of Torque and man it was a blast to drive and it was great till my dad traded it in for his 2023 Toyota 4Runner.
@@CJColvin The late Camaros seem to be put together OK. My brother had money, and bought a new 2019 ZL1-1LE (10 speed auto)for me to drive. With his back, he struggled to get in it, and only drove it twice. I put 600 miles on it, just to car shows and to maintain it. I live in Redding, CA. and we have big pine cones on the roads, with 3.5" from road to cross member, a front end full of carbon fiber, and not a mark on the car, I was too nervous to enjoy it. I miss having a hot rod, but I have owned lots of cars, and I mostly got it out of my system. I rode in a rear engine Vette two days ago, and that got me thinking about hot rods again.
Blame auctions/auction sites/dealers. They have all made older vehicles out of reach for car enthusiasts. Bring a trailer used to say they were for enthusiasts to enthusiasts. Now, it's mostly dealers. And the cars that aren't, enthusiasts will be out-bid by dealers every time. I'm working on a 68 SS396 Chevelle for my neighbor. Right now. It's a MECUM car. What started out as an A/C conversion, has now turned in to body work, complete re-wiring and a front suspension rebuild. Car NEVER should have been sold. I heard everyone say know the car your bidding on, but that is not easy to do at the major auctions. They take no responsibility. Point is, my neighbor is so frustrated, he will probably sell car when I'm done. So, there is another enthusiast discouraged and out of the hobby.
I bought my 57 Nomad in 75 for 750.00. At that time 5-6-7s were a dime a dozen. I’ve had many of them. But now, those that can afford them, are old guys like me. A young guy can’t pay 25000 for a decent 55. All that’s out there are rust and even that is high priced. I remember we wanted the hardtops first, then the two door posts, then the four doors, then the two door wagons and finally the rusted out four door wagons A decent car of any make is going to cost a lot, that the young car guy can’t afford. So you’re left with high priced foreign cars or high priced domestic cars with monthly payments that aren’t worth anything when they break. I’m glad I kept my Nomad!
2008 cash for clunkers - the bane of used cars. Even if you get a decent used one where do you find the parts. my 04 firebird conv needed a steering rack, 81 302 Tbird taillights, 67 tbird suicide doors gas tank, 74 buick electric seat parts - used to go to a few nearby salvage yards but not any more
Very true about prices and availability of used parts for older cars. Salvage yards seem to quickly crush cars for scrap metal sales. Those still having vintage parts want a fortune for them because of that orchestrated rarity. Even old 2.3 Ford four cylinder heads you could pick up for no more than $50 20 years ago sell for $500 today.
I don't think it is dying. It is just evolving. I went to the Good Guys in Columbus, Ohio. I know for sure there was over 1000 cars. I went out to the stop for Hot Rod Power Tour at Indianapolis Raceway Park a pretty huge turnout. The NHRA Nationals at IRP on a Wednesday and Thursday, huge turnouts. The drag and drive events seem to be getting bigger every year. If you pay attention to outside of what you know. The automotive detailing companies are booming and innovating, which means people have an interest in their cars. Harbor Freight keeps copying off Snap On to appeal to the casual DIY, which means there is a profit that is being made. I personally have a love for all types of cars even for brands I have no interest in owning(I grew up around an AMC Gremlin with a 258 six cylinder). I live in the midwest, so there are plenty of interesting cruising routes with historic land marks. Any car can be a fun car.
I grew up in the M/C era and have been a car nut since I was an infant in the late 50s. Got my lic. in the early mid 70s. My first car was a hand me down 65' Ply. The first car I ever bought with my own money was a 69' Ply Road Runner. It was a hobby and daily transportation. My current car is a 17' Super Sport Camaro 6 spd manual. I love old muscle cars to this day but I aint' gonna lie my current modern 455hp Camaro is the baddest car of all I have owned. Fun to drive dependable out of the box kick ass performance, but its to be expected with the 50 years in high tec added.
Not many young people like cars anymore than just commuting. I enjoyed cars as a child and I got my son into it. We don't find sports entertaining but the rumble from a V8 is exciting to us. We have an 01 Mustang GT we are enjoying and it gets looks and complements. It's not very old but it's what we like.
The best part of your comment is having your son enjoying cars and the Mustang with you. That's what keeps the passion alive. To me it doesn't matter what car or how many $ are in it but having family and friends to enjoy the events with.
I definitely feel the pain seeing the loss of interest in collectible cars. As some others have said, all hobbies seem to reach a peak & then decline. They also can morph into something unrecognizable to its origins and be frowned upon by the older crowd, like street takeover drifting. My theory is that the generations coming home from the maternity ward in a minivan, crossover, or SUV are likely raised in an environment where vehicles are regarded as nothing more than an appliance. That is a major obstacle to the car culture.
I'm 71. I started driving in '68...bought a running and driving 54 Chevy for $200. Ha, it seemed like an old car to me then, even though it was only 14 years old. That's nothing today. But a 54 Chevy was much older in appearance, and mechanically as well, compared to a 68 Chevy, plus me being only 16 influenced my perception. That got me interested in the old Chevys, and I became a Classic Chevy enthusiast, restoring my own 55's and 57's. I taught myself to work on them, mechanical and bodywork and paint, since I didn't have money to pay somebody else. As a kid, I built many models, including model cars, which I think helped me be interested in that sort of thing. I imagine there aren't many kids building models anymore. Anyway, I began restoring them for other people in '85. It was a fun way to make a living. I attended car shows, showing my cars and customers' cars. At the time, I wondered how long it could last, since surely there were a limited number of those cars left, and we'd run out after a while. I did it for 30 years, retired now. And they still haven't run out. It's surprising how long the interest has lasted in those cars. And they bring more now than ever. But it costs more to restore them too. Only way to keep costs down is to learn to do most of the work yourself. The good thing about now is that it's easier than ever to learn how to do things using the internet. And project cars and parts are easier to find as well. There are still plenty of reasonably priced projects out there, as long as you don't have to have one of the valuable muscle cars, usually 68-72. So, anybody with the interest and energy, with some mechanical aptitude, and importantly, a place to do it, could do a decent job. I've settled mostly on 70's cars for my collection, since they're affordable and I like them: 73 GTO, 73 Grand Am, 75 Lemans Sport Coupe, 79 Trans Am, and a 67 Impala SS fastback. Modern enough to have the desirable accessories and comfort, and old enough to have some character in the styling. Most mechanical parts still available from the local parts store. The last new car I bought was in 1980. They stopped making the cars I like after the early 80's, so there's really nothing after that that interests me. I don't have and have no need for a late model or new car. I drive my old cars, and enjoy the attention I get on the road and at the gas station. The last large car show I attended was around 20 years ago in Pigeon Forge,TN. I did go to a small local show about a year ago, as a spectator, along with a couple friends. But that's a rarity. I may go a little more in the coming year. Driving them is my main enjoyment. Sometimes a young person will ask what my car is and the year. A friend's grandson, who is 20 likes to talk about my old cars. He says he wants an 81 Z28, which is a good choice. I said I'd give him a little help if he does. Hopefully he'll follow through. But I don't expect most younger people to like the same cars I do, since they didn't grow up with them, so they don't have the sense of nostalgia that I have for them. So, yes of course, all of us who like those old cars will eventually fade away. But at least I have mine until it happens to me 🙂.
I'm 33 I like cars from the 80s 90s and 2000s those are my generations classics now......I have a deep appreciation for those 50s 60s and 70s cars...but my generation grew up seeing them at shows over and over and over again even to this day .....and though cool .....I think we are tired of them..... Friend have expressed this to me aswell.....so that combined with the expense...we don't really want them...we want the stuff we grew up with which is normal I suppose....I think the 80s/90s cars are the perfect balance of comfort/easier to work on...just enough computer whiz bang/and analog mechanical to run simply and reliably ie ( fuel injection) but I can still work on it myself....unlike todays cars that are rolling cell phones and you need a technical degree to get anywhere near it ...I will probably be just like you...always drive something from my era---i have classic car insurance on my 2001 jaguar on my channel
I feel the same way about my 1969 Cadillac Coupe Deville, its old but too old, Cadillac improved the ride and suspension during the 60s, and it's not hard to find parts for the 472 Cadillac engine, it's triple black, with the stock 15 inch rims with WWW tires, and it turns alot of heads.
By and large i agree with you. Couple other factors played a huge part in car prices. Govt cafe, safety, and emissions standards while some of them good intentioned, added tons of complexity and cost to produce a car. That and the average age of people that can relate to 60s muscle cars is very old. 60s cars are cool, but too expensive for enough current young people with the ability to afford, and thus sustain critical mass to sustain their popularity. Right now the central focus of car shows should be 80s and 90s cars, with older stuff obviously welcome. There just arent many 75 to 80 year old people left to even go to car shows to sustain a muscle centric hobby.
I’ve been reading a lot of the comments and people complaining about how expensive these cars have become. Believe me, I understand what you’re talking about. But when I was a kid and I’m 57 now these were just every day cars. Nobody thought that they’d be worth anything like there are today. But you have to understand one important thing. From the early 60s to the early 70s. This was an era when auto manufacturers competed for top dog to make the best performance car that a blue-collar worker could afford and they really didn’t have anything holding them back. The sky was the limit!! And Customer Service was at its peak. You could have the car built, however you wanted it. (For the most part) You will never, ever, see that happen again. The old saying (win on Sunday sell on Monday) You’ll never see that happen again either. Freedom……. It’s a word that we still use today. But unfortunately you’ll never see the definition of that word applied in our lives again like we did back in the 60s and the early 70s. It’s gone forever.
Car Prices! It all went down the shitter when “Leasing” became the preferred method of “Purchase” People didn’t ask anymore for the MSRP, it became “How much per Month”? That skewed the value of every Car.on top came the insanity of Auctions on TV and the Investor/Collector.
I lost my GTO due to a health emergency for my wife. People told me to never sale it. Had no choice. And I understand I will never own another due to pricing. I miss the smell of driving it. And it never let me down. I agree the auction companies have drove prices out of reach for most of us.
i used to own 72 455ho t/a & 70 charger r/t just to name a couple of the 2 dozen i owned between the 80s & 2010s now i drive a 5-speed Yaris due to vintage prices.
You can’t talk about the decline in car culture without talking about the older generations not allowing newer cars into their circles. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I (Hondas, mustangs, Camaros, etc.) got told to leave a meet up because “we were only here to cause trouble.” Half of my friends have sold their “cool” cars and left the hobby now because of experiences like that. It’s not just money to blame, it’s the people in the hobby to blame too.
When I was a moderator on a Photography Forum some fellow moderators (old farts) banned any images from a cellphone. They said "Since they are never really a camera and just have a pinhole and no lens" Later some allowed images from cellphones and went into the pinhole camera fuzzy images forum/ When Russian clones of Leicas flooded the us in the later 1990s a mention of using a Zorki got one in hot water
@@ZBone799 I’m a diehard Chevy guy but have owned countless mustangs chargers cudas etc etc. but I’m an equal opportunity muscle car/cool car lover all would be welcome at my place. Hell put some mags on an anything car and I’m cool with it.
Thats only csuse you young guys cant leave a car show without showing off when your done. Doing burnouts next to a bunch of people gets scary when you loose it and hurt someone or wreck soneone else car. Thats what drag strips are made for!
Central bank inflation starting in 1971 and increasing regulations slowly destroyed the car culture. As someone who has had Mopars since 1986, I am the only one here who still drive a 1969 Charger. You are one of the few people who have brought this out.
Thanks. My mom is happy I use my Finance/economic studies now and then. But seriously, this has really hurt the middle class and car people in particular.
@@DJsClassicGarage Once I get the capability to I am wanting to make a video to show how top down control stops innovation and lowers living standards. The 19'th and 20'th centuries were the exception to the rule!
Right on with this analysis. I bought my new 1990 LX 5.0 Mustang in high school for less than $300 a month with little out of pocket. I was a busboy and making $100 a night cash on the weekends. I do see that kids today don't have the passion for it. On over on the east coast and we had PBIR (fmr Moroso) and drag racing was the place to be on the test and tune nights back in the 80's and 90's. I started to drag my Corvette and there was crickets in the staging lines. The staff there said the kids just aren't coming out and soon thereafter it closed for good. Probably as you said there's no cheap and available cars to build anymore and kids today would have no where to build them even if they did. Apartments, condos, HOA's are a problem now. And now if you were to do a build on anything good, the US parts supply manufacturers are all gone now. I've literally replaced dozens of 30 year original parts to have the replacement fail in 30 days. Most of the good cars I see at the shows were restored 15-20 years ago and those guys are in their 70's and 80's and don't drive them normally since they don't want to break the car or get it wet. It's a shame.
Great points, all. I would add/amplify: Without question, grotesque bureaucracies like CARB are your biggest problem. They have been systematically forcing cars to become more expensive, more difficult to repair, and more boring. At the same time, they are stifling improvements to old cars. For example, why can't I replace my carb with a Holley EFI system? Oh, because it's bad for smog. Except it's better, but the bureaucrats have decided otherwise. I'd say the biggest favor you wealthy baby-boomers could do for us younger enthusiasts is to sue CARB into oblivion using the recent Chevron Doctrine decision. Do it for the children. Two, cars today are simply better. They are cool, quiet and comfortable. Power is great; braking is great; handling is great. Even a boring new Civic goes 0-60 in 7 seconds, and lasts 200k miles without needing anything. You don't have to do tune-ups, or learn to fix a carb anymore. For most people, cars are as unremarkable as their refrigerator. Three, the complication of new cars is hard. You can't buy a Chilton manual anymore, but you can rent the factory manual for a $1,300/yr subscription. That nonsense should be outlawed. Four, to the insurance thing. It's not conspiracy; it's physics. You could barely get a '70s car up to 100 MPH, and if you did, it was terrifying. Now, dumb kids are driving their Chargers 180 on the freeway, while holding a cell phone taking a vid. If anything goes wrong... Finally, car culture is still around, but it's struggling. You see it in things like H2Oi. It's there, but not like you remember. I went to the car wash the other night and the parking lot was full of 20-somethings with their tricked-out rice rockets. They have a club on Instagram. I've never gone to Instagram, LOL. I believe history will remember the automobile as the single greatest invention of the 20th century. Nothing has empowered the common man like car ownership. It allows him to move his family out of the dirty city to a nice residential neighborhood. It allows him to flee famine, like the Dust Bowl Oakies of the '30s did. It allows him to resist oppressive regimes like California, by moving in air-conditioned comfort to other states over rugged mountain ranges that were impassible to previous generations. We need to articulate this message to others. This isn't about going fast. It's about human-empowerment.
Cruise nights help. The truth is most people envy the guys with the wicked classic cars. Most can’t afford to do the hobby, on top of that most people live it apartments nowadays. Makes it almost impossible to build a car. Great video.
@ most people under 30 can only afford an apartment. I didn’t make this up. With this upside down economy you have to earn $130,000 to own a house. Look it up.
The prime killer of car culture is the cell phone. We were in a hurry to get our license so we could meet our friends. For safety reasons, kids were not allowed to walk anywhere, then came the cell phone and video games. That (cell phone and videos) removed the reason for needing a car. Then came covid, we couldn't meet anyone anyway. Everyone stayed inside and socialized via phones and games.
I hear ya. I recently attempted to sell a running '65 Valiant convertible for a few thousand dollars. The vehicle drew spectator attention every time I drove it the the grocery store. The most interested persons were two girls, one fourteen years old and the other fifteen years old. Their parents were all classic car "nuts" like me. The parents of the 14 year-old never called back after inspecting the car and loving it. The other parents loved the Valiant also, but some rust in the lower parts of the sheet metal seemed to squash the deal. I did have a gentleman from England who supposedly was interested, but I did not see how the shipping charges could possibly justify the purchase. Long story short, I put the vehicle back into storage for now. Oh, i got one low ball offer of over a thousand dollars less than my asking price. Past purchases I made circa 1973 were: a running 1965 Valiant four-door V-8 automatic for $125 and a running 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix for $100.
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The problem with convertibles is they are a magnet for theft and vandalism. They also inevitably leak. They are practical only in places like California.
Here is a challenge to anyone that sees this - be the change you want to see in the community. Did you buy your car for peanuts a long time ago? Well instead of selling it to someone for the market price, sell it to a young person for what you paid for it or well below market. I bet you then you’ll see more young people enjoying this hobby.
Good idea. My brother is going to sell his 61 corvette to a kid for 10k in order to contribute 50k to the car hobby. Generous for sure but you’re dreaming
no doubt things have changed tremendously, and as older enthusiasts we must accept that. I feel bad for the high school kids of today, they will never experience what we did. But having a nice old car is still a great way to meet people, and since there are so few of them, seeing one drive down the street or freeway can really brighten up your day, or some else's day. That will never change.
one of the things that blows me away, frustrates, so crazy to me, that has also really been destroying the culture for so many years, decades now, is those people, who decades ago, wound up acquiring some old car, truck or maybe it was one they had been driving for awhile, then it pretty much gave up the ghost of daily usability, so they have these sitting around their place and really, its pretty clear, obvious, they have no real intention, desire to ever invest their efforts or any money to return them to operational condition and yet when they are approached about selling it, to someone who is really interested in doing something with it, they have a ton of wild pie in the sky stories why they are not interested in selling. UNLESS, of course then the truth comes out, they will, would be willing to part with it for a Kings ransom!! Of course, there is really so very little of it left at this point, what is there is absolutely horrible condition too. They have so very little invested, if anything in the old thing, yet they have gotten the notion that what they have is worth a frickin fortune!! So, yeah, too much, way too much to snag it and then spend years and tons of more money to bring it back up to any reasonable level. So they can just sit and rust into oblivion and those people can get nothing for it then, in the end.
I've been upset about this for years too.As others have said, learn to do your own repairs is the biggest thing you can do to be able to own a classic car. The things we can't do anything about are the problem. Well, now that Trump is president again, how about writing to him asking to change the laws so car culture can come back. You could say " you want to make America great again, car culture is part of what is great about America, please get rid of all the goverment overreach, make gas and insurance affordable again, etc ". Also, ask him to Grandfather all existing cars older than 10 years so they can't be scrapped for " safety" or " emisions" reasons. If every car enthusiast writes and asks for these things, He will listen. The American people aren't stupid, we will prevail. God bless
Amen Brother, that's actually Trump's plan is to reduce EPA regulations and reduce NHSA regulations and let NHSA focus on just safety and nothing more and let the EPA go after companies that pollute rivers, streams, and oceans rather than Muscle cars, trucks, and SUVs with big V8 engines.
I remember cruising back in the 80s. I believe the loss of small main street towns and the local gas station with garage service is what caused a loss in car culture.
I was born in 1970 and grew up with cars and youth owners cruising on Friday and Saturday night. Cruising was shut down in 93ish. Drive in’s closed when film went digital. We have gotten away from it being a part of your personality and now cars are appliances to move you. The ones lusting after muscle cars are old now.
Keep the classics alive one car at a time! Teach the young people how important it is to remember them and why we do it! My son and I are restoring a 70 Dart Swinger. One piece at a time!
If there are at least two gearheads left on the planet--there will always be a car culture! In the Northeast the season is short and people will get out there rain or shine!
I really enjoyed you describing the exact set of feelings and observations that I have noticed the same up here in Canada. So few are into this hobby. I do take out all my old vehicles out for a drive. And yes I do get pulled over by the police and have very pleasant converations with them and others. Most often when I am at the gas station. lI get great smiles per gallon!!!
@@daveallen8824 l read that awhile ago. I laughed when l realized that Mustang weighted as much as my '65 Galaxie which has an all cast iron 390, with a mostly C-I transmission.
But the new Mustang performs better in every way. Acceleration, braking, gas mileage, pollution, safety. It has so much standard equipment not even available on a 66. ABS, traction control, overdrive gearing, power locks, windows, brakes, steering, seats, mirrors, stereo, blue tooth, air bags. Would not consider that stuff junk, just different from 1966. How often does a 66 Mustang need service compared to a new one? Oil changes, spark plugs, points, lube jobs, brake adjustments, coolant flushes, band adjustments. A 66 Mustang is pretty worn out at 100k miles, whereas a new one has another 100k to go.
I hear you man about the way things used to be. Gen x here and I agree. It seems like in modern smart phone society we are all more disconnected than the promise that the internet and social media would actually bring us more together.
I was in a car club for several years and one thing I noticed was most people in our club was 10-20 years older than me. I was born in 1963 so the Hot Rod culture was still very much alive in 1978 when I got my permit to drive. I witnessed some kids in my school back in the late 1960s and early 70s get brand new muscle cars, They were the sons of the hardware stores and Bankers etc. When us poor boys came along those cars were sold for 500.00 or less because the gas prices doubled overnight when President Carter was in office. Then I noticed a come back in the mid to late 1990s that is when I bought my 1970 Dodge Charger for 3,000.00 restored it myself took it to several car shows, and then everybody started dying off I lost interest in 2012 - 2013 and just stopped going it was not the same anymore.
How well I remember. My first car, a 57 Olds, cost $100 in 1967. My 57 Chev in 1970 was $400. I once bought a 51 Ford for $15 - running and driving. My wife was given a new '75 Firebird for graduation in 1975 ( I'm still driving it, by the way). We always drove used cars - our first new car was a '94 Chrysler. The prices have just become insane.
I bought a 1950 Ford V8 for $15. and drove it for a year back in 1970. Sold it the next year for $35. Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end.......😢
42 y/o..... I liked vintage muscle cars when I was a young man in the late 90's and early 2000's, but for a young buck not making a ton of money, classic muscle was never affordable for me. It would have been somewhat affordable for someone with an established career at the time, but as time has worn on, boomers seem to have been willing to fork out ever increasing amounts of money for cars that I liked but didn't love so I started not to care about them anymore. What I aspired to were the italian exotics that I saw in movies. While I realize that they are as much or more money than a lot of the classic muscle cars, by the time I could afford an expensive car, my tastes had moved away from classic muscle. If you forked out big money for a classic muscle car and want to get any meaningful amount of money for it, I would sell it sooner than later because I think they are in for a long slow decline in values. In a way, maybe that's a good thing, because some of the people who got priced out will get another bite at the apple.
Well you are speaking the truth. I’ve been a car guy since the late 60’s and it has changed so much and that’s the problem. The real thing about this, is there anybody younger that will want to be a car guy. I don’t think so, then we could talk about the points you gave, money, lack of cars that you could build yourself. I have a project car that I’ve had forever that’s not drive-able and I can’t get out to the garage to work on. I’m not motivated and sad and don’t know why. One other thing that hasn’t helped was the “ Billet “ craze that I had to have more done on my car than you had and the money spent was crazy to keep up.
You can’t blame insurance companies for the high cost of insurance. They use actuarial tables to figure their exposure and charge accordingly. They don’t artificially jack up the rates because they want to be competitive with the other companies. The cost of claims, totaled cars, fraud, lawsuits, etc are astronomically high I’m surprised insurance companies can even stay in business. A car drives through a 24” deep puddle and they total it instead of drying it out an fixing it, because people will claim mold, computer damage, wiring damage. Dry it out, clean it out, test the electrical system, replace parts as needed instead of “we have to replace it because we don’t want to get sued for not replacing it if there is a problem with it in the future”
The main reason IS this: Young people were being priced out of the classic car market around the early 2000's by 2010ish prices had risen double or triple BUT the cause was that getting any work done by body shops or mechanics rose 5 to 10 times previous prices, then parts quality became very unreliable while parts prices rapidly rose. Add all this up and the result was buying a good classic car is well out of the financial reach of most young people (under 25) and MORE IMPORTANTLY, the cost to restore an old car is massive, everything is far to expensive IF you pay someone to do work. Not many young people are exposed to or have the opportunity to learn how to do it yourself. Young people just don't get involved now. That's why most of the classic car owners today have grey hair. Prices will continue to fall and keep falling into the foreseeable future.
I'm happy to report that the organic "hanging out" is alive and well here in Cedar Rapids Iowa. In the summer we have an informal get together every Saturday night. We also have plenty of car shows but they're not as fun.
@@shedbythetracks Wow that’s awesome. What month do you start hanging out on Saturday nights? And Where in Cedar Rapids do you hang out? I live in MO now but I’m from MN and I travel to MN quite a bit. Maybe I’ll stop in some Saturday.
Truth.....im a Fla Panhandle guy and I've come to the conclusion that when I finally get my 34 complete I'm going to have to drive a considerable distance to get to events I'm interested in....Florida sucks in that regard.
As a non American, American cars typified the culture as much as burgers and fries and to me I very much lament the passing of the huge cars you lot used to drive with their huge bonnets and fins. A dreadful shame really.
Unfortunately there's a lot of truth to this. Income to vehicle cost ratio makes it tough to get into the sport today, cash-for-clunkers took out of lot of good older vehicles, government mandates & manufacturers are making cars too complicated for an average back yard mechanic to tinker & have fun with them . . . yeah, that all has diminished things, but there are still those of us out here who are stubborn and don't give up easily. At least on the mechanical side. I've invested in scan tools & things for newer vehicles and do have some success, but I think one of the things that has really made it tough & has gone nuts is the cost of body & paint work! Not only does no shop want to even touch an older or project car, if they do, it'll be in the tens of thousands to do an entire vehicle properly. All body shops want now is collision work. You can try to do it yourself but that's not easy either, with needing all the specialty guns for newer paint plus paint & materials are expensive as all get out! There are still lots of younger people getting into it that are just doing it with different vehicles and sets of skills. However the hanging out part has just about disappeared. Those were good times.
The average new car today may be way more expensive compared to income, but they last way longer and you get much more for your money in terms of fuel savings and crash protection. Remember all those late 50's and early 60's GM death traps that had no side-collision protection because of the x-frame to make them longer, lower, wider? I think you're absolutely correct about insurance companies. They're just like the big banks, financing political campaigns so there'll be very few govt employees questioning their basic practices. The hobby has moved, but the Lowrider Culture is still strong!
DJ, Porsche club people were saying the same thing about the old 356's - super expensive, and who cares ? Market should be correcting ?? 25-39 years ago, I noticed the vw scene was dying where I lived, and my friend bob, is 16 years old, encouraged an interest in hot rods - so I loved going to Good Guys and we would see who could find the highest ticket, we did one close to 6K at the Columbus OH show, years ago. My local church had a friday show and it was great, we had over 1K cars show up labor day weekend, little did I realize that was last one. Land was sold, a new Hospital sits there now and the show moved up the street like 7 miles ?? and it is just not the same, some regulars, and it's just boring and I'm sorry, you wth the new car, park over there. It is free for everyone, I think. Just not the same. I have a 56 coupe deville, a 77 eldo, and vw's from 56 to 88. - I am greatful for youtube since I learn about vw work from Mike FN garage, and Vw Darrin and others....I took an adult evening progream for paint. - IDK, I want to FINISH my projects and want them to stay FIXED. Crappy aftermarket parts are killing it too. Competing interests, internet and phones, and laziness. No one wants a project !
Here northwest of Chicago every other town has a car show almost too many when I occasionally do go sometimes 800 cars which makes it a real hassle parking, etc. it really hasn’t slowed down in this area whatsoever. I’m actually a drag race guy so I don’t go to many shows I like to go where the action is at 72 i’m still running a nine second nova at Great Lakes dragstrip I tuned my car for a 300 shot this coming year
The reason insurance started to increase when the factory hotrods became easy and popular to get,,,teenagers were wrapping these cars around trees and light poles every weekend.....Then there was cars being stolen for parts and also to get out from under the payments....
True. I was born in Tampa and grew up in Sarasota where we’d all meet up at the beach with our cars and then go drag race in some desolate area until the police broke us up. Good times! Now I live in the Destin area with my 72 Mach one and 67 Econoline, but you’re right rarely bump into someone that just an enthusiast anymore. I see quite a few restored broncos in my area, but they’re asking well over 100,000 for them! I just can’t understand it.
You are correct! Greed and non acceptance of younger people has killed, flying model airplanes, building full size experimental aircraft, go-karting, muscle cars. What ever the hobby instant gratification is also a problem. Personally have participated in the aforementioned hobbies and found little dictators emerge in the hobby removing all the fun too. Thank you for the video.
There is no drive any more to individualize your vehicle Several years I took a 06 Yukon Denali xl Black and made it into a trans am Gold on black, custom snow flake gold rims 22's People love it and I still drive it today You don't see any thing like this any more the youth of today are to worried about a phone and social media The majority can't even afford a vehicle much less customize Yup its sad Even most home stereo companies have closed up and Car Audio has gone into the toilet
Scrapping junkyards is a major reason the hobby is having issues. Two large ones in my hometown had cars going back to the 1930s, but one was scrapped about 40 years ago and another 25 years ago. I've seen flatbed trailers on the interstate hauling flattened cars - one had a six perfect late 50's tailfin-era Desoto taillights in the middle of the stack. Another is the idiotic cutting-up of old cars that are drivers by people who never finish them. I've seen dozens of half-baked front end conversions on 50's cars that never got beyond scrapping a running engine and transmission and cutting off the front frame rails. Then, the destroyer tried to sell the car in pieces. Most of the ones that get finished are rolling examples of bad taste, in my opinion. And they'll never be original again in either case.
Remember when planned obsolescence was an issue and a gripe? People found annual styling updates upsetting because it outdated last year's models. Look at the world now! Cars are made with plastic gears, rubber timing belts, and vital tech that can't be updated after a few years. Find new parts for a 20 year old vehicle. They don't make any. Also, The bring a trailer / paint corrected / it's a priceless work of art crowd needs to flip off.
I own a 30yo mustang and have no problem finding parts. Sure, there was that period when my car was too new to have parts in a salvage yard. Then the time when my car became too old to have parts in a salvage yard. But we’re talking local yards. I can still go to the dealer and find many parts that they still keep in stock, don’t have to wait for an order. I am now having to deal with inconvenience of going down to the local auto parts store and they not having what I need in stock. They have it in the warehouse, and can get it in a day. So while yeah, I can’t have it same day, I can get it in a day or two.
Great video, I have a 1996 Ford F150 with a 5.0L (302) Windsor V8 with 211,000 miles on it and still going strong and I take it to car shows every now and then and show it off (as long as its free) but yeah greed and auctions has really killed the fun hobby.
I agree completely. I'm also a huge Epautos fan. Also: I haven't been to a car show in 40 years. You see the same damn thing at every show... '57 Chevy..most with some hideous too-shiny ugly color paint job and modern wheels....69 Camaro (yawn)...and they're all a bunch of trailer queens, worth too much money to drive and enjoy. Never anything truly different. And then half (or even more) of the cars are 80';s/90's/00's junk...the very stuff I'm trying to avoid if I'm at a car show!
I went to Moparty this year and there were thousands of classic Mopars there. I look at the high cost of these cars this way: Now people are saving things that would otherwise be abandoned. I do not believe the car culture is dead.
Dead on Cars (and everything) is too damn expensive I can’t AFFORD car culture. I got a mortgage and kids and two family vehicles, sold the bike and car to help make it happen. Maybe when the house is paid off I can be into cars again
@@DJsClassicGarage Some things really are not that expensive. LS swaps make a lot of sense to build a fast car for low bucks. It just depends on what you want. Have you seen the entry level price for a C4 Vette? Swap in a later model truck drivetrain and one could have a heck of a performance car for a modest investment.
Something I think that sucks is with boost HP is so easy to make these days that a day car with a 400hp street engine would have been considered a pretty hot ride now is chuckled at in the performance car world seems you see 400hp pickups from the factory. Fortunately if you live in a rural area the money isn't there so neither is big HP so you can still have a "fast" car without 700hp. I was born in 73 so I was a kid in the 80s and I absolutely love the malaise era cars, I love that boxy long hood shorter trunk plush interiors, just the smell is unique, people dump on em for there laughable power but their old enough emissions are not an issue so you can get healthy power from them with very little work even with the original engine. You can take a 120hp 318 with a little work make 275 to 300 pretty easy, back in early 90s I took a Newport with a 2bbl 318 lean burn and I had to have bumped it at least 100hp with cheap to free junkyard mods, the only thing I bought new was a camshaft the rest was picked from this n that. And it was a night and day difference people would say 100hp no way, well when you take a 318ci V8 that has been totally suffocated by inhaling and exhaling through a silly straw just letting it breathe is monumental. Dual exhaust no cats, nice appropriate camshaft, early non lean burn electronic ignition, aluminum police car Chrysler spreadbore 4bbl intake, 750 Qjet or thermoquad, remove 100% of the smog equipment, for bonus points acceleration toss in a 6 cylinder converter in it.
I blame mecum auctions television also the overseas market for driving up the prices of old cars beyond what they are worth and making the old car hobby unaffordable
To the average middle class or below working family... The thought of buying some needy vehicle and spending to make it something is unthinkable.. The cost of having any work done is so tedious and costly.. It's just another thing we have been priced out of considering. It used to mean so much to me personally, now it's just a fading shadow.
I was in high school in the early 70s. You were known by the car you drove. Chevelles, Novas, Mustangs, Chargers, 442s, GTOs, etc. were among the cool cars to own. Now kids drive pathetic Corollas, Priuses, Kias, etc. They are just transportation and have a cool factor of zero.
Here in OZ a new car in 1948 cost the equivalent of 72 weeks wages, last year it was 36 weeks wages plus you get a lot more for your money now. Might be different in the US.
I got a classic luxury car 82 Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue fully loaded almost showroom conditions and the judges don't even know what it is half the time I have to chase him down they just walk right by it and all the new cars 5 for 6 years old when all the awards
I bought a 49 GMC from a 40-year-old guy who planned to restore it to perfection. It was his High school car. It sat in a barn for 18 years. I have owned it since 2014. It is in very good condition org.228 closed drive. I installed a new grille, running boards, left frt. fender and serviced tuned the motor updated to elec. wipers filled the fenders with GM rally sport wheels and fatty's and still drive this junk daily'. Too many cars sit and never get done and when they do they sit in a garage rarely driving them. Drive old rusty junk you "fixed up". Be a Man, have fun enjoy your junk, and drive it. You'd be surprised at how much attention unrestored junk gets at the "Show" or WM parking lot.
What killed the hobby?
1. Mecum auto auction
2. Barrett Jackson auto auction
3. Price of the cars and parts, this was brought on by the first two reasons. Some imbecile was watching the auction and said “hell if that 69 charger brought 200k at auction. that rotten shitbox with a bill of sale in the back yard that was completely stripped 30 years ago has to be worth at least 40k. No low ballers I know what I got”
Kids can’t afford to get in so they have no interest. GREED KILLED THE HOBBY.
I was going comment the same exact thing as you wrote it thank you at least I'm not the only one who sees this!!!! F- Barrett Jackson and mecum and all the hi dollar build that pre teens and young adults can not afford. Shame on you for destroying our affordable hobby.
You know what, you are EXACTLY RIGHT, GREED KILLED T THE HOBBY, and I'm really pist about these rich elites buying these old cars Just for the investment, Noone gets even a chance to see them , they are in warehouses locked up, it really is sad.
Beyond the price, the quality of the auction cars is not what it seems. I bought a former BJ car and it is/was lipstick on a pig. The prior owners I'm sure were relieved to have sold it. I'm gullible and was grieving about the loss of my mom, and I saw the car pop up and bought it. But that's on me. There are still plenty of cool cars out there that are fairly priced, but just not what's popular. The parts, difficulty in finding the parts and then how much they cost, I completely agree with you. I have a unique Dodge truck and I've only seen the factory trim come up for sale once, and I bought it at a high price no questions.
So true.
Came here to post this 50k for a square body Chevy lol
Cars today are appliances without souls.
So was that one of 100,000 1955 chev 210 before it was dropped, chopped, big blocked, and painted non factory colors.
Throw a body kit, turbos, wild paint, bag it, and a civic is no more a cookie cutter appliance than that 55 chev was.
Any car can have a soul, it’s the owners of appliance cars who have lost their car culture soul.
Agreed 100%
My neighbor is an environmentalist and he has often told me how he despises car culture and he is raising his son the same way. I asked his son who is soon to turn 16 if he was excited to be able to drive soon and he told me he had no interest in driving. A lot different attitude than what me and the other teens had in the 1980s, we couldn’t wait to get a car and start customizing it.
1. Rich people killed the car hobby (unaffordable older cars)
2. BORING cars killed the hobby (nothing to inspire enthusiasts)
3. GREED killed it ($12k for '69 Camaro frame!)
4. Shutting down drag strips
5. Software killed cars
There's plenty of young enthusiasts out there today, but they drive ricers and German makes. Boring is American cars because the big 3 turned themselves into lenders and lessors.
Adding to #4 - shutting down a lot of smaller race tracks in general. Where I grew up, there used to be several "run what you brung," race tracks. Now? We only have one dirt track, and that's eaten up with sprint car racing most of the time. We do still have our drag strip - but it has the NHRA elitism and politics. I'm a millennial, and it's not even like it was when I was growing up.
And the death of manual transmissions
They close the tracks because nobody goes. I went to my old drag strip a couple years ago. Nobody there compared to the early 70's. The car line was about a dozen deep. And electrics simply blow the doors off the old cars.
EPA.
Computers in cars help kill the hobby.
Disagree. Being able to build an ECU from a kit and learn to tune my own engine is the only reason I ever started building and tuning project cars. Turbos make easy power and I never would have got into performance if the only way to double the power my car made was to build a fresh NA engine. Instead I literally bolted junkyard used parts to it, booger welded a3” exhaust, built an ECU and turned a 110hp Shitbox Volvo into a 350whp car. I never would have done any of that if my only option was to build an expensive new engine or V8 swap the car.
@@yucannthahvittThe question is will it outlast an NA V8?
@@CJColvin If you don't think Volvo redblocks outlast most V8s, it's because you don't know anything about Volvo redblocks. Probably just an other "HURR IMPORT BAD" guy.
@yucannthahvitt What job do you have and how much money do you make to afford that Volvo with ease?
@@CJColvin Matey are you high? There hasn't been a volvo redblock made in almost 30 years. I am talking about 20 years ago buying a car that was at the time 20 years old and turbocharging it. Do you automatically assume the fact that I did some tuning means it happened last year? You've been able to buy and build Megasquirt 2 kits since 2005. The car was $450 by the way
It's evolution. Eventually EVERYTHING ages out. Unfortunately, as we grow older, the passions we had will not be the same as the passions of generations to come. It's all inevitable. The key is to enjoy the shit out of it to the fullest while we can... as in life itself.
Well.. I'm in my 50's and I'm an oldsmobile guy. For me, car shows mean getting up early (on my day off) driving to (insert random parking lot, church, strip mall, industrial park) and paying AT LEAST $20. The normal sequence of events is clean up the car from the drive, open lawn chair... and sit. For sometimes 6 to 8 hours until they give out a plastic trophy. It's not fun, I don't even get up and walk around anymore. It's the same group of people that go to every car show. I'm not going to mention the overly loud garbage 50's music they play at every car show. There are usually 2 or 3 cars from the 50's at each show. All have LS motors in them and are dynacorp bodies, so not a real 50's car. I get my cars out on nice days and take them for a ride. Car shows are done for me. Just my opinion, it's not much fun anymore. They are mainly held as fund raisers in my area, and they feel like it.
An Oldsmobile guy? Oooooh fuuuuuudge, I thought it would be nice to get a 37 Oldsmobile and fix it up like the Christmas Story car.
@@billsteinly8105 LOL my dad has a 38 street rod Olds... strange world we live in. Oldsmobile's are still awesome. Don't get me started about why buick still exists...
I’m 39 and I share the same sentiment
@@billsteinly8105
I wouldn’t do that.
That car will freeze up in the middle of June on the equator.
😂😂
I’m not a car show guy for all the same reasons you mentioned.
Plus think about this.
We spend 10’s of thousands of dollars on our cars, countless hours building and maintaining them and cleaning them up just to have to (pay) $$ so that others can look at them.
Haven’t we paid enough????
A car show…….that means our cars are the stars of the show!!
Why are we paying?
We should be getting paid to show up or at the very least getting in for free.
Plus when you enter your car in the show. All the other car owner sit by there car and act like there car is better then everyone else’s car.
It’s not about who’s car is better. It’s about looking at all the cool cars.
I get way more public interaction just filling my car up at a gas station than I do at a car show.
The best car show I’ve ever participated in was back in the early to mid 80’s.
Cruising Main Street.
Every weekend was a car show cruising up and down Main Street.
Man…..those were the days!!
Another thing that irritates me
Are all these people that want to put their car back to factory original.
Dude If I wanted to see what your car looked like from the factory I can look that up on Google.
These old cars are like a painters canvas.
I want to see your style your design your idea of a cool car.
Make your car (yours)!!
This video hit home for me…I’m 50, but when I was 17-20, we rolled up to a gas station someone worked at, a bank parking lot, always an informal cruise and hang out every night! Miss those days….great video
Thank YOU.
The one single thing that is destroying car culture and the car hobby is TRASH TECHNOLOGY. Cars are no longer cars. They are computers on wheels. Huge ugly disgusting wheels with no actual tires. I am 65, and have been a car guy since around age 12. Classic American cars ONLY. Carbureted, no emissions crap. You couldn't GIVE me a late model car. They are complete GARBAGE.
The hobby will only survive by bringing in new, younger people. Closing off, and or discouraging younger participants will lead to the depth of the hobby. No offense but the boomer generation is no longer the massive cultural center it once was. Things boomers are into is fading as boomers get older. I'm gen x 55, and while I certainly appreciate muscle cars, I'm more into.80s and 90s cars which are poo pooed at many shows and events.
@@howebrad4601 Problem is with newer "cars", It's no longer a car hobby, it's a computer hobby.
Nothing garbage about today's cars. I'm almost 70 and every newer (2000's) car I have bought has gotten over 200K miles. With electronic ignition and fuel injection, they run perfectly from the time you turn them on. And they are way more comfortable, get way better mileage and handle like they are on rails. You are wrong. Today's cars are simply better than old.
@bobhamilton298 As this is being written I'm sitting in a rental vehicle (a Chevy Subarban)and I just read your comments and I'm thinking to myself as I look at this massive vehicle with all these buttons that do God knows what I'm saying to myself that the average person even if he/she is a motor head ( and I definitely am)all I say to myself is that WE DON'T NEED ALL THIS SHIT, NEW VEHICLES ARNT NOTHING MORE THEN INFOTAINMENT CENTERS ON WHEELS ANYMORE!!!!!!,
@@mikeweizer3149 It's actually far worse than that. They also have elaborate built in spy/surveillance/tracking systems with cameras and microphones watching everything you do and say, how you drive, where you go, and transmit all that information to the manufacturer and who knows who else over the 24/7 WiFi connection. And driver interference systems that can apply the brakes and turn the steering wheel with no input from the driver. And even if they didn't have all that, most large vehicles have twin turbo V6 engines that would be lucky to last 100,000 miles, while a vehicle with a V8 could last over 300,000 miles. 10 speed or CVT transmissions lucky to make it 50,000 miles. And crazy expensive parts. It costs over $5000 to replace the tail lights on a new Ford F-150. They have CANbus electrical systems which will cause multiple failures just because one thing went wrong. They are extremely difficult to troubleshoot, in many cases only a dealer can do it. Not only can an owner not work on them, but neither can an independent shop. The quality on new vehicles is now worse than it was on '70s vehicles. Yes, fit and finish may look better, because they are made by robots. But both design wise and material wise, they are very low quality. They were intended to be disposable. To make it through the warranty period. Even then many newer vehicles have several recalls during the warranty period. And fixing them once they are out of warranty is usually insanely expensive. More than most people can afford. On top of all that, because they are designed and built to be disposable, they depreciate like a rock. Definitely not suitable for a hobby vehicle.
When i grew up we had auto shop in high schools where we get to take it apart and fix cars. Now no more auto shop classes in schools and alot of video games instead which only show expensive euro cars and Japanese cars. And it slowly killed off US muscle cars. My 10 cents.
The making of trades to be a lowly profession has hurt as much as anything else.
Feminism killed boys. Boys not even wanting to get drivers license let alone learn anything about fixing them.
@@DJsClassicGarage People in the trades make very decent incomes today but middle class suburban kids don't even think about that income source any longer. It's a shame that a teenager can't learn auto body or mechanics in high school any longer. Lots of boys and a few girls at my high school went direct from graduation into trades at 18. It surprised me at 16 to learn how much the farm girls already knew about engines, transmissions and differentials.
Auto shop is alive and well in the northeast, but considering most of todays cars are impossible to work on beyond an oil change, so kids aren't in the driveway with dad even just doing what used to be owner required maintenance. They just don't catch the bug. I think there is a lot of car culture in the drifter Japanese car culture but just like our parents thinking we were degenerates souping up Dusters and the like much of the older car enthusiasts put them down.
Every hobby evolves. Every hobby has old folks complaining their hobby is dead, or what killed their hobby. Cars, hobby trains, bowling, model building, stamp collecting, etc etc.
It’s nobody’s fault, it’s just that things change and you’ve been around long enough to see the evolution.
I watched a documentary on this topic a couple of years ago. At one point the journalist interviewed twin 16 year old girls asking why they were the only ones to get their driver's licenses in their grade. They said their father insisted. They were then asked why their friends didn't want to drive and have their own car. Their answer was...wait for it...Because driving would interfere with their phone use!! This is also why young people are clamouring for self-driving cars. They can just ride along with their face planted to their phone screen. The timing of the lack of interest in cars and driving by young people matches up perfectly with the advent of the smartphone. We live in a pretty crazy world now. Pathetic.
@@KenMorter
OMG
That is sad!
When I was young, me and all my friends, couldn't wait to get out drivers license. When my son and his friends were at that age they were not interested. My son waited until he was 18 before he got his license and he was the first one among his friends to do so. However all his friends were crazy about playing Grand Theft Auto on Play Station. I used to tell them that driving a real car was just as much fun. Now they're all grown up and some of them have some nice cars, including my son who drives a V8 6 speed manual Holden Ute. I'm from Australia BTW.
It's bleak. The government and big business have conspired together to monetize the heck out of automobile ownership. Each of those entities extract huge sums of money from citizens for things like yearly auto registration, cars sales tax, fuel tax, car insurance, parking fees, toll roads, fuel prices, etc. I'm particularly angry at big business. Because of Covid, that jacked prices way up. When the pandemic ended, they kept the prices at those elevated rates. WTF! The consumer is being crushed by all the greed. The car culture environment needs a little bit of disposable income to operate. Since we are being squeezed for every last penny, something has to go.
Not greed it is depreciation of currency. No one is making lots of money except friends of the government.
Don't forget the ENORMOUS costs of diagnostic and repair software, and deliberately engineered unreliability to milk the parts market.
I know this really makes me sick, its the rich and the poor, NO middle class. It's the slow breakdown of society, being done on purpose, by our government.
@@DJsClassicGarage Sorry to disagree, but, yes, greed has a lot to do with it! When the average guy can't have a chance of owning a classic car because some rich p..... decides he'll pay quadruple the price that it is really worth, just to say he owns it!
@@DJsClassicGarage Greed is involved. GM can make a ton of less expensive cars for a smaller profit. Or, they can make expensive cars, sell a lower volume, but make a bigger profit. Mary Barra has that choice. Stock market wants her to keep buying back GM shares to keep price per share high. She stumbles by going for a lower profit per unit she knows she is out.
Here’s another huge issue; the cost of paint and bodywork. Have you priced a decent quality paint job recently? A cheap shitty one is like $3,000. Nice paint job start at $10,000. Pulling a body straight and replacing no weld in panels, just pulling out a crushed rear corner and quarter will cost you $3,000 minimum (had it done recently to a car I saved). This is one of the reasons why when you do go to a big car show like cars and coffee, every old car owned by a young person who isn’t loaded is rattle canned or just has faded shot paint or milky clearcoat.
restore a car. add engine , drive train , than suspension , steering , breaks , body wiring harness , remove all the glass ,new weather strip , chrome, interior , what else before the body shop one spends $75k real fast
@@youtubecarspottersguide1 What? The one thing separating MANY project cars from looking really nice is a paint job. Most projects are not total restoration basket cases like what you describe. Paint fails extremely fast on some cars, being defective or low quality from the factory. Even project cars for young guys that are 10-20 years old, many of them have bad paint. I've had a few where it was the case, and it's the reason why I'll take a car with a blown up engine over a car that runs great but needs paint any day.
I worked in restorations. I know the costs well.. Paint and materials were expensive 20 years ago . I painted other people's cars with the good quality stuff but couldn't afford it myself. I work in the auto upholstery field now..even that is expensive.
I fully agree about the cost of cars, parts, and insurance. It’s not just killing the car hobby, it’s killing the ability to own anything “big ticket” that we have always thought of as upward mobility and life enjoyment. I live in a home that we purchased 20 years ago and, if I had to buy it again now, I definitely cannot afford. I also can’t afford to “downsize” because a smaller home now costs more than I paid for my current home, plus real estate fees and moving costs would give me a smaller house that cost me more than what I currently have! Regarding car culture, outside of the prices, the events are just not much fun anymore. People are not nearly as friendly as they once were. Politics have largely gotten in the way of social interaction. The car owners seem more interested in “bragging rights” than just enjoying people looking at their cars. People don’t talk to each other like they did once. Everybody seems more interested in just getting the event over and getting on with their day. The end of a local Cars and Coffee reminds me a high school parking lot at 2:30 in the afternoon; people can’t get out of there fast enough! I would disagree with anyone who says that the younger people just are not interested in cars anymore. Not true! They are just not always interested in the same cars as the baby boomer and Gen X generations. A few years ago, I took my ‘63 Studebaker Lark and my ‘95 BMW 325i to a local show and parked them next to each other, sat in my “car show lawn chair” and watched people. The age 55 and older generally walked right past the BMW as if it were invisible to look at the Studebaker. The age 30 and younger walked past the Studebaker to check out the BMW. One even remarked to his friend that “you never see e36 BMWs anymore!” Every generation has “their cars”. A 1995 model car is about to become a 30 year old car. To a 20 year old, that is old! To a 70 year old, that is a junky old used car. The interest is still there, even if it doesn’t “present” like it did 30 or more years ago. Times change, people change, and we all can agree that nothing seems to be getting better or easier. It doesn’t present in me like it did 35 years ago, either! Last summer, I purchase a project ‘64 Barracuda. I have wanted a first generation Barracuda for 35 years and I finally decided that my age (53) and the ever increasing cost of the cars (in all conditions) going up sthis fast, if I ever wanted to mark it off the bucket list, I needed to get on with it! I am very unsure if I will buy, less ever restore, anymore cars after that. Not that I don’t want to (I have a mile long list of cars from the 1940s-1980s that I’d love to own), but the cost and associated expense make it less and less realistic! I think the old and young car enthusiast alike are all feeling the same pain! Some of us are fortunate enough to have bought cars back when they were cheap and have been lucky or smart enough to hold onto them. In my case, I am getting totally priced out of the hobby and the focus, in my mind, is shifting from growing the collection to holding on and maintaining what I already have!
We must stay focused men!! The industry is going through waves. The cars we love will be going cheap, then cheaper, then they go up again. Let’s not get discouraged. Let’s buy up good deals as we see them.
Yep, In Chinese the same word for Crisis also means opportunity
The car hobby is getting a just come-uppance. I am 55, my first car at 17 was a 1951 Buick and I have had old cars ever since. As I am Gen X, I didn't experience the dirt cheap old cars of the postwar period, but bought "lesser" models (sedans, independents, just neat old cars that were out of the mainstream). The popular (tri-5 Chevys, muscle cars, etc.) were always out of reach, but I have enjoyed my "everyman" cars for their quality, engineering, styling, and enjoyable ride. Now, when I attend swap meets, I shop the $5 tables, where someone is disposing of some past collector's horde (often with outdated, ridiculously high price tags still attached). Now the cheap parts get my old clunkers back up and running again. The old parts are starting to become affordable again, as they flood back onto the market. Similar stories are seen in things like Lionel trains--once super expensive, now more affordable to a younger generation. People got greedy, but they couldn't take it with them. Now the fine old cars and parts are growing more affordable for a smaller number of younger enthusiasts who appreciate them.
In his biography, Mike Love of The Beach Boys talks about how, when he was growing up, teenagers had a feeling for their cars that no longer exists culturally today. Many of their early hit songs were directly related to car culture of the 1960s.
one of the earliest "true," rock and roll records was Jackie Brenton's "Rocket 88." It's one of two songs that mark the beginning of rock and roll going mainsteam (the other is "Rock Around the Clock"). Even before that, there was "In My Merry Oldsmobile," way back in 1905, by Vincent P. Bryan that kinda had a moment (and apocryphally, solidified "Oldsmobile," as the name of the brand. At the time, it was marketed as "Olds Automobile," and that was shoved together into "Oldsmobile."). There was also Walter O'Keefe wrote "Henry's Made a Lady out of Lizzie," in honor of Henry Ford's 'Tin Lizzie,' in...1928, I believe. Even with the 50s and 60s being the "golden age," of the culture - hot rodding and car culture go back easily into the 20s and teens. Prior to about the 1970s and into the 80s, there had always been that deeper connection to cars. That era marked the change away from cars being something special into something that was a pollutant or "unsafe at any speed," or a pure status symbol. Which incidentally coincided with the first Barrett-Jackson auction in 1971.
@@legiontheatregroup
Just like the horse back in the day.
You named it
You cleaned it
You took care of it and maintained it.
You even talked to it
The car replaced the horse
And we
Name our cars
Clean them
Take care and maintain them
And who hasn’t talked to their car before?
Car people treat their cars like living breathing things.
Times sure have changed
Everything across the board is all over with now except for the ultra-rich. There's no appreciation of beautiful anything anymore, including cars, of course. But look at films, music for decades now. I was born in '57, and with 1991 being the midway point, it's still goes way back further than that! Look at the way people dress, carry themselves, nobody cares about anything but themselves which has contributed to the total divisiveness running through our society. Saying the quiet part out loud, everyone knows the great years of the 20th century are long gone in all respects on some level. The time of flourishment had it's time, and when it was over, it was over, permanently. We have a President that simultaneously wanders aimlessly in the Amazon forest and wants a nuclear war, when he's even coherent at all, not asleep on the beach.
I’m in Central Florida and would rather be building and driving classic cars, but you are right when you say the cost of cars and insurance are two of the major reasons the hobby is dying. Modern cars are boring and there’s not much the average person can easily modify on them and old cars cost way too much to build. There aren’t many people that will help you with them either without charging you a lot. An average paint job these days is thousands not hundreds. Then there’s the gate keeping. I meet a lot of guys that honestly don’t want anything to do with younger folks trying to get into the hobby. There’s also the fact that the automobile just doesn’t mean what it used to. People just see them as a tool or an appliance. Like you mentioned, so much can be done online now that a lot of people don’t even want to own a car if they can avoid it. They don’t need to physically go somewhere to socialize. Cars are so expensive that you have to have something boring and reliable to make sure to get to work, so dealing with sometimes cantankerous older cars isn’t really an option. I’m still trying to put my classic back on the road but it’s so expensive that it been slow going. Sorry about this rambling response but there are so many angles to this that I could talk about it for days.
I agree, I'm from Brandon Florida.
@@wheeled11
Yeah having a car back in the day ment freedom.
The car you drove was the person you were.
Getting out of the house to hang out with friends and meet new ones.
I miss those days!
On a side note,
Did you know that today squealing the tires is just as bad on your insurance as a DUI!!!
That’s crazy!!!
Hell, I had 13 tickets on my driving record back in the day and my insurance never knew.
Now days I think the insurance knows about your ticket before the officer hands it to you.
" I meet a lot of guys that honestly don’t want anything to do with younger folks trying to get into the hobby. "
Relate so much to this. Elder millennial, and I've gotten a lot of snark and snide comments and side-eye when I've shown up in a daily-driven '70 Toronado or my '53 Hudson with the 473 Caddy engine (the Hornillac?), side pipes, and faded paint.
Til I tell them I'm the appraiser, the insurance guy, and yes - I do all my own work. Suddenly, they're my new BFF and take a lot of interest in my car. Curious, ain't it?
Piggybacking too - there's this perception that older cars are *particularly* cantankerous, and that's not really true. A shitbox from 1999 is a shitbox, but so is a shitbox that's been sitting in a barn since 1969, it just has a nicer body shape. The most cantankerous car I've ever owned was a 2001 VW shitbox. The problem with the older shitboxes - it's just harder to find parts, and (if you're not mechnically inclined or willing to get a whole education about it) people who aren't afraid to work on them. IME it's easier to get them back *on the road* than it is "make them look pretty." But it was always that way - and it's like that even with modern shitboxes.
I had a mess of a time getting my last shitbox, a '66 Olds 88, back on the road though - simply because it had sat so long, every last hose and gasket was taking its last gasp, so I absolutely feel your pain. Hang in there, boss. It's worth it, in the end. To actually get something back on the road after putting hours and hard-earned cash into - it's a thing of beauty.
@lancefletcher2963 Sounds like an awesome story
From the '80s through the early 2000s, I was lucky enough to own several beautiful classic cars. I eventually sold them all, and now regret it, because at today's prices of classic cars, I'd never be able to buy them back.
Kids my sons age (30) are not going to pay 500k for a correct Hemi car,they could care less
When your son gets to be 55, he'll likely be interested in a classic, early 2000s Audi, Dodge, Lexus, RAM, Mustang or (dare I say it) Hyundai. His household will be empty-nest and he'll have some disposable income.
@@billolsen4360 fox body mustangs , JDM cars ,GTR, e46 bmw M3 ,vipers , c8 vettes
I live in the Midwest, and the car culture in my city has shifted since we lost our race track. This used to be a big classic / muscle car area, now it's the off-road community that gathers and hangs out to work on and modify our vehicles as well as cruises / parades etc. Jeeps and older 4x4's are some of the simplest, most easily repaired and customizable vehicles available. Sure we still have guys into classics and muscle cars but far less than we have offroad enthusiasts. We don't even have great places to off-road without driving at least two hours, yet we have and even mix of people who actually travel and wheel their rides as well as the mall crawlers.
Also, with modern cars like the Hellcats, guys around here could care less about some old Mopar / Pontiac / Ford / Chevy putting out 400 or 500HP. That's just nothing these days. The old cars don't handle big horsepower well without making expensive upgrades and modifications, and then they still don't handle or ride that great. Todays generations would rather just pay someone to fix something for them (even though they really can't afford that either) rather than taking the initiative to learn about it themselves.
I think car culture will always be around, it's just going to look different than what we saw and what we did growing up. It'll be interesting to see.
Good observation,
Gonna look a lot different in 15-20 yrs when we're gone
I’m 63 and loved cars since as long as I remember. I still have my 67 Chevelle SS I’ve had for 40 years. 66 impala 91 Chevy van and my newest is my 92 Chevy pickup. What you’re saying is sad but true. All I know is I’ve had an amazing ride and been very fortunate to have lived in this time period that will never happen again.
Yes! I'll be 59 in the spring- my first car was a '69 Z/28 bought at age 14 with summer job money. That was 1980 and it was $3,300 and really nice shape - a 10-11 year old car which is nothing today. I think "our" age group really had it good- the gas crunch of late '70s meant musclecars were dirt cheap and high school guys could get something nice with some hard work and enthusiast parents or friend circle.
DJ, I have too many words about this to put here. In 1965 I was 16, and bought a '57 Ford 2 door wagon for $200. I have owned 50 cars since then. I lived through the golden years of hot rodding, where we could do anything we wanted to our cars, and THAT was what we got together to talk about. At one time, my wife's car was a '70 Challenger 440, and I had a '64 El Camino 327 4 sp. but still drove my '64 Vette to work with an aluminum head 427, 12.5:1 pistons, big ass cam, and a cross ram with 600s. Ran in the 11s. If you could put up with it, you could drive it anywhere. I sold car parts from 1970 on, including performance parts. My list of what killed the hobby; (1) smog regs and testing here in Calif. starting in 1980, (2) computer controlled systems. (I trained at GM and continued to fix cars at home, specializing in carbs, but if you changed anything for performance, it would not pass smog, so you could not register your car) (3) collectors. Some don't give a rats ass about the car, it's just an investment. I went to a party where the guy has 3 warehouses of muscle cars. Any gear head would have been happy to have one, but since they buy up everything, we can't find or afford any of them. In my world, collectors killed the hobby. I got into motorcycles, and I own six at the moment. The 2005 ZX10 I use on the track has a power to weight ratio of 2.7:1. Unbelievably powerful, and will blow the doors off the fastest cars I ever had. The money I have in the whole collection would not buy even 1/2 of a nice car, and my bikes look and run like new. No smog inspections and all 6 will fit in the space of one car. In May of '21, I bought a brand new Challenger. My first new car. It rattled like an old shit box and I traded the giant joke in after 5 months for a low mileage '17 LaCrosse that was lighter, smaller, and had 5 more horsepower. It's been a great car so far. You and I have much in common.
@@cadmanchannel What engine does that Buick LaCrosse have?
@@CJColvin 3.6 direct injection, variable valve timing, 6 to 4 at cruise, 310 HP, 8 speed paddle shifter.. Same as the V6 Challenger, 305 HP V6. I was trying to buy a tool for the job at hand. My kids live 500 miles away, so it had to get good mileage. I cruise at 77 MPH and the Buick gets 32-34 MPG. The Challenger did well too.
@cadmanchannel Nice, my mom had a 2010 Camaro RS with a 3.6L LFX V6 in it with 304 HP and 278 Ibs of Torque and man it was a blast to drive and it was great till my dad traded it in for his 2023 Toyota 4Runner.
@@CJColvin The late Camaros seem to be put together OK. My brother had money, and bought a new 2019 ZL1-1LE (10 speed auto)for me to drive. With his back, he struggled to get in it, and only drove it twice. I put 600 miles on it, just to car shows and to maintain it. I live in Redding, CA. and we have big pine cones on the roads, with 3.5" from road to cross member, a front end full of carbon fiber, and not a mark on the car, I was too nervous to enjoy it. I miss having a hot rod, but I have owned lots of cars, and I mostly got it out of my system. I rode in a rear engine Vette two days ago, and that got me thinking about hot rods again.
@cadmanchannel Nice
Blame auctions/auction sites/dealers. They have all made older vehicles out of reach for car enthusiasts. Bring a trailer used to say they were for enthusiasts to enthusiasts. Now, it's mostly dealers. And the cars that aren't, enthusiasts will be out-bid by dealers every time. I'm working on a 68 SS396 Chevelle for my neighbor. Right now. It's a MECUM car. What started out as an A/C conversion, has now turned in to body work, complete re-wiring and a front suspension rebuild. Car NEVER should have been sold. I heard everyone say know the car your bidding on, but that is not easy to do at the major auctions. They take no responsibility. Point is, my neighbor is so frustrated, he will probably sell car when I'm done. So, there is another enthusiast discouraged and out of the hobby.
I bought my 57 Nomad in 75 for 750.00. At that time 5-6-7s were a dime a dozen. I’ve had many of them. But now, those that can afford them, are old guys like me. A young guy can’t pay 25000 for a decent 55. All that’s out there are rust and even that is high priced. I remember we wanted the hardtops first, then the two door posts, then the four doors, then the two door wagons and finally the rusted out four door wagons A decent car of any make is going to cost a lot, that the young car guy can’t afford. So you’re left with high priced foreign cars or high priced domestic cars with monthly payments that aren’t worth anything when they break. I’m glad I kept my Nomad!
The boomers were the car people, the new generation has no interest in old cars
2008 cash for clunkers - the bane of used cars. Even if you get a decent used one where do you find the parts. my 04 firebird conv needed a steering rack, 81 302 Tbird taillights, 67 tbird suicide doors gas tank, 74 buick electric seat parts - used to go to a few nearby salvage yards but not any more
Very true about prices and availability of used parts for older cars. Salvage yards seem to quickly crush cars for scrap metal sales. Those still having vintage parts want a fortune for them because of that orchestrated rarity. Even old 2.3 Ford four cylinder heads you could pick up for no more than $50 20 years ago sell for $500 today.
I don't think it is dying. It is just evolving. I went to the Good Guys in Columbus, Ohio. I know for sure there was over 1000 cars. I went out to the stop for Hot Rod Power Tour at Indianapolis Raceway Park a pretty huge turnout. The NHRA Nationals at IRP on a Wednesday and Thursday, huge turnouts. The drag and drive events seem to be getting bigger every year. If you pay attention to outside of what you know. The automotive detailing companies are booming and innovating, which means people have an interest in their cars. Harbor Freight keeps copying off Snap On to appeal to the casual DIY, which means there is a profit that is being made. I personally have a love for all types of cars even for brands I have no interest in owning(I grew up around an AMC Gremlin with a 258 six cylinder). I live in the midwest, so there are plenty of interesting cruising routes with historic land marks. Any car can be a fun car.
The only thing that stays the same is everything changes.
I grew up in the M/C era and have been a car nut since I was an infant in the late 50s. Got my lic. in the early mid 70s. My first car was a hand me down 65' Ply. The first car I ever bought with my own money was a 69' Ply Road Runner. It was a hobby and daily transportation. My current car is a 17' Super Sport Camaro 6 spd manual. I love old muscle cars to this day but I aint' gonna lie my current modern 455hp Camaro is the baddest car of all I have owned. Fun to drive dependable out of the box kick ass performance, but its to be expected with the 50 years in high tec added.
Very cool, how much did pay for the 2017 Camaro SS and did you buy it with cash 💸 or fiance it?
Not many young people like cars anymore than just commuting. I enjoyed cars as a child and I got my son into it. We don't find sports entertaining but the rumble from a V8 is exciting to us. We have an 01 Mustang GT we are enjoying and it gets looks and complements. It's not very old but it's what we like.
I’M 57 , GREW UP DRIVING USED GTO’S , FIREBIRD’S, CAMARO’S , BUT I LIKE THE 2008 MUSTANG ALOT !
Can't go bombing around in cheap cars anymore. Cops just live to write tickets now, and then insurance gets crazy.
The best part of your comment is having your son enjoying cars and the Mustang with you. That's what keeps the passion alive. To me it doesn't matter what car or how many $ are in it but having family and friends to enjoy the events with.
@jlc55army True. Something I wished I could continue with my Father who's now gone.
I definitely feel the pain seeing the loss of interest in collectible cars. As some others have said, all hobbies seem to reach a peak & then decline. They also can morph into something unrecognizable to its origins and be frowned upon by the older crowd, like street takeover drifting. My theory is that the generations coming home from the maternity ward in a minivan, crossover, or SUV are likely raised in an environment where vehicles are regarded as nothing more than an appliance. That is a major obstacle to the car culture.
I'm 71. I started driving in '68...bought a running and driving 54 Chevy for $200. Ha, it seemed like an old car to me then, even though it was only 14 years old. That's nothing today. But a 54 Chevy was much older in appearance, and mechanically as well, compared to a 68 Chevy, plus me being only 16 influenced my perception. That got me interested in the old Chevys, and I became a Classic Chevy enthusiast, restoring my own 55's and 57's. I taught myself to work on them, mechanical and bodywork and paint, since I didn't have money to pay somebody else. As a kid, I built many models, including model cars, which I think helped me be interested in that sort of thing. I imagine there aren't many kids building models anymore. Anyway, I began restoring them for other people in '85. It was a fun way to make a living. I attended car shows, showing my cars and customers' cars. At the time, I wondered how long it could last, since surely there were a limited number of those cars left, and we'd run out after a while. I did it for 30 years, retired now. And they still haven't run out. It's surprising how long the interest has lasted in those cars. And they bring more now than ever. But it costs more to restore them too. Only way to keep costs down is to learn to do most of the work yourself. The good thing about now is that it's easier than ever to learn how to do things using the internet. And project cars and parts are easier to find as well. There are still plenty of reasonably priced projects out there, as long as you don't have to have one of the valuable muscle cars, usually 68-72. So, anybody with the interest and energy, with some mechanical aptitude, and importantly, a place to do it, could do a decent job. I've settled mostly on 70's cars for my collection, since they're affordable and I like them: 73 GTO, 73 Grand Am, 75 Lemans Sport Coupe, 79 Trans Am, and a 67 Impala SS fastback. Modern enough to have the desirable accessories and comfort, and old enough to have some character in the styling. Most mechanical parts still available from the local parts store. The last new car I bought was in 1980. They stopped making the cars I like after the early 80's, so there's really nothing after that that interests me. I don't have and have no need for a late model or new car. I drive my old cars, and enjoy the attention I get on the road and at the gas station. The last large car show I attended was around 20 years ago in Pigeon Forge,TN. I did go to a small local show about a year ago, as a spectator, along with a couple friends. But that's a rarity. I may go a little more in the coming year. Driving them is my main enjoyment. Sometimes a young person will ask what my car is and the year. A friend's grandson, who is 20 likes to talk about my old cars. He says he wants an 81 Z28, which is a good choice. I said I'd give him a little help if he does. Hopefully he'll follow through. But I don't expect most younger people to like the same cars I do, since they didn't grow up with them, so they don't have the sense of nostalgia that I have for them. So, yes of course, all of us who like those old cars will eventually fade away. But at least I have mine until it happens to me 🙂.
I'm 33 I like cars from the 80s 90s and 2000s those are my generations classics now......I have a deep appreciation for those 50s 60s and 70s cars...but my generation grew up seeing them at shows over and over and over again even to this day .....and though cool .....I think we are tired of them..... Friend have expressed this to me aswell.....so that combined with the expense...we don't really want them...we want the stuff we grew up with which is normal I suppose....I think the 80s/90s cars are the perfect balance of comfort/easier to work on...just enough computer whiz bang/and analog mechanical to run simply and reliably ie ( fuel injection) but I can still work on it myself....unlike todays cars that are rolling cell phones and you need a technical degree to get anywhere near it ...I will probably be just like you...always drive something from my era---i have classic car insurance on my 2001 jaguar on my channel
im 62 , im more fox body mustang , iroc Z ,supra mk 2 , Saab 900 turbo @@Jag-leaper than a 1970 gas hog muscle car numbers match one of 3 etc .
I feel the same way about my 1969 Cadillac Coupe Deville, its old but too old, Cadillac improved the ride and suspension during the 60s, and it's not hard to find parts for the 472 Cadillac engine, it's triple black, with the stock 15 inch rims with WWW tires, and it turns alot of heads.
I'm a year younger. 1st car a 55 Plymouth. Yeah, thought she was ancient, but easy to work on.
By and large i agree with you. Couple other factors played a huge part in car prices. Govt cafe, safety, and emissions standards while some of them good intentioned, added tons of complexity and cost to produce a car.
That and the average age of people that can relate to 60s muscle cars is very old. 60s cars are cool, but too expensive for enough current young people with the ability to afford, and thus sustain critical mass to sustain their popularity.
Right now the central focus of car shows should be 80s and 90s cars, with older stuff obviously welcome. There just arent many 75 to 80 year old people left to even go to car shows to sustain a muscle centric hobby.
I’ve been reading a lot of the comments and people complaining about how expensive these cars have become. Believe me, I understand what you’re talking about.
But when I was a kid and I’m 57 now these were just every day cars. Nobody thought that they’d be worth anything like there are today.
But you have to understand one important thing.
From the early 60s to the early 70s. This was an era when auto manufacturers competed for top dog to make the best performance car that a blue-collar worker could afford and they really didn’t have anything holding them back. The sky was the limit!!
And Customer Service was at its peak. You could have the car built, however you wanted it. (For the most part)
You will never, ever, see that happen again.
The old saying (win on Sunday sell on Monday)
You’ll never see that happen again either.
Freedom…….
It’s a word that we still use today.
But unfortunately you’ll never see the definition of that word applied in our lives again like we did back in the 60s and the early 70s.
It’s gone forever.
Car Prices! It all went down the shitter when “Leasing” became the preferred method of “Purchase”
People didn’t ask anymore for the MSRP, it became “How much per Month”?
That skewed the value of every Car.on top came the insanity of Auctions on TV and the Investor/Collector.
Exercised my buyout on my Toyota pickup at lease expiration. Sold it a year later for 4k more than what it cost me to buy it out
I lost my GTO due to a health emergency for my wife. People told me to never sale it. Had no choice. And I understand I will never own another due to pricing. I miss the smell of driving it. And it never let me down. I agree the auction companies have drove prices out of reach for most of us.
i used to own 72 455ho t/a & 70 charger r/t just to name a couple of the 2 dozen i owned between the 80s & 2010s now i drive a 5-speed Yaris due to vintage prices.
Man, I feel for you. Non car people do not understand that sensation. But helping your wife is s noble cause hope she's well
You can’t talk about the decline in car culture without talking about the older generations not allowing newer cars into their circles. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I (Hondas, mustangs, Camaros, etc.) got told to leave a meet up because “we were only here to cause trouble.” Half of my friends have sold their “cool” cars and left the hobby now because of experiences like that. It’s not just money to blame, it’s the people in the hobby to blame too.
When I was a moderator on a Photography Forum some fellow moderators (old farts) banned any images from a cellphone. They said "Since they are never really a camera and just have a pinhole and no lens"
Later some allowed images from cellphones and went into the pinhole camera fuzzy images forum/
When Russian clones of Leicas flooded the us in the later 1990s a mention of using a Zorki got one in hot water
@@ZBone799 I’m a diehard Chevy guy but have owned countless mustangs chargers cudas etc etc. but I’m an equal opportunity muscle car/cool car lover all would be welcome at my place. Hell put some mags on an anything car and I’m cool with it.
Thats only csuse you young guys cant leave a car show without showing off when your done. Doing burnouts next to a bunch of people gets scary when you loose it and hurt someone or wreck soneone else car. Thats what drag strips are made for!
Central bank inflation starting in 1971 and increasing regulations slowly destroyed the car culture. As someone who has had Mopars since 1986, I am the only one here who still drive a 1969 Charger. You are one of the few people who have brought this out.
Thanks. My mom is happy I use my Finance/economic studies now and then. But seriously, this has really hurt the middle class and car people in particular.
@@DJsClassicGarage Once I get the capability to I am wanting to make a video to show how top down control stops innovation and lowers living standards. The 19'th and 20'th centuries were the exception to the rule!
Wildly enough - '71 was the very first incidence of the Barrett-Jackson auction.
Right on with this analysis. I bought my new 1990 LX 5.0 Mustang in high school for less than $300 a month with little out of pocket. I was a busboy and making $100 a night cash on the weekends. I do see that kids today don't have the passion for it. On over on the east coast and we had PBIR (fmr Moroso) and drag racing was the place to be on the test and tune nights back in the 80's and 90's. I started to drag my Corvette and there was crickets in the staging lines. The staff there said the kids just aren't coming out and soon thereafter it closed for good. Probably as you said there's no cheap and available cars to build anymore and kids today would have no where to build them even if they did. Apartments, condos, HOA's are a problem now. And now if you were to do a build on anything good, the US parts supply manufacturers are all gone now. I've literally replaced dozens of 30 year original parts to have the replacement fail in 30 days. Most of the good cars I see at the shows were restored 15-20 years ago and those guys are in their 70's and 80's and don't drive them normally since they don't want to break the car or get it wet. It's a shame.
Great points, all. I would add/amplify:
Without question, grotesque bureaucracies like CARB are your biggest problem. They have been systematically forcing cars to become more expensive, more difficult to repair, and more boring. At the same time, they are stifling improvements to old cars. For example, why can't I replace my carb with a Holley EFI system? Oh, because it's bad for smog. Except it's better, but the bureaucrats have decided otherwise. I'd say the biggest favor you wealthy baby-boomers could do for us younger enthusiasts is to sue CARB into oblivion using the recent Chevron Doctrine decision. Do it for the children.
Two, cars today are simply better. They are cool, quiet and comfortable. Power is great; braking is great; handling is great. Even a boring new Civic goes 0-60 in 7 seconds, and lasts 200k miles without needing anything. You don't have to do tune-ups, or learn to fix a carb anymore. For most people, cars are as unremarkable as their refrigerator.
Three, the complication of new cars is hard. You can't buy a Chilton manual anymore, but you can rent the factory manual for a $1,300/yr subscription. That nonsense should be outlawed.
Four, to the insurance thing. It's not conspiracy; it's physics. You could barely get a '70s car up to 100 MPH, and if you did, it was terrifying. Now, dumb kids are driving their Chargers 180 on the freeway, while holding a cell phone taking a vid. If anything goes wrong...
Finally, car culture is still around, but it's struggling. You see it in things like H2Oi. It's there, but not like you remember. I went to the car wash the other night and the parking lot was full of 20-somethings with their tricked-out rice rockets. They have a club on Instagram. I've never gone to Instagram, LOL.
I believe history will remember the automobile as the single greatest invention of the 20th century. Nothing has empowered the common man like car ownership. It allows him to move his family out of the dirty city to a nice residential neighborhood. It allows him to flee famine, like the Dust Bowl Oakies of the '30s did. It allows him to resist oppressive regimes like California, by moving in air-conditioned comfort to other states over rugged mountain ranges that were impassible to previous generations. We need to articulate this message to others. This isn't about going fast. It's about human-empowerment.
Cruise nights help. The truth is most people envy the guys with the wicked classic cars. Most can’t afford to do the hobby, on top of that most people live it apartments nowadays. Makes it almost impossible to build a car. Great video.
My HOA forbids any work on cars in your driveway.
Just WOW!
Most people live in apartments? I don't think so Tim.
HOA s are stupid and people should not live in them.
@ most people under 30 can only afford an apartment. I didn’t make this up. With this upside down economy you have to earn $130,000 to own a house. Look it up.
The prime killer of car culture is the cell phone. We were in a hurry to get our license so we could meet our friends. For safety reasons, kids were not allowed to walk anywhere, then came the cell phone and video games. That (cell phone and videos) removed the reason for needing a car. Then came covid, we couldn't meet anyone anyway. Everyone stayed inside and socialized via phones and games.
I hear ya. I recently attempted to sell a running '65 Valiant convertible for a few thousand dollars. The vehicle drew spectator attention every time I drove it the the grocery store. The most interested persons were two girls, one fourteen years old and the other fifteen years old. Their parents were all classic car "nuts" like me. The parents of the 14 year-old never called back after inspecting the car and loving it. The other parents loved the Valiant also, but some rust in the lower parts of the sheet metal seemed to squash the deal. I did have a gentleman from England who supposedly was interested, but I did not see how the shipping charges could possibly justify the purchase. Long story short, I put the vehicle back into storage for now. Oh, i got one low ball offer of over a thousand dollars less than my asking price. Past purchases I made circa 1973 were: a running 1965 Valiant four-door V-8 automatic for $125 and a running 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix for $100.
The problem with convertibles is they are a magnet for theft and vandalism. They also inevitably leak. They are practical only in places like California.
Here is a challenge to anyone that sees this - be the change you want to see in the community. Did you buy your car for peanuts a long time ago? Well instead of selling it to someone for the market price, sell it to a young person for what you paid for it or well below market. I bet you then you’ll see more young people enjoying this hobby.
I do that w/ my wrist watches my new hobby. They don't require gas oil or insurance either.
Good idea. My brother is going to sell his 61 corvette to a kid for 10k in order to contribute 50k to the car hobby. Generous for sure but you’re dreaming
no doubt things have changed tremendously, and as older enthusiasts we must accept that. I feel bad for the high school kids of today, they will never experience what we did. But having a nice old car is still a great way to meet people, and since there are so few of them, seeing one drive down the street or freeway can really brighten up your day, or some else's day. That will never change.
Agreed 100%
one of the things that blows me away, frustrates, so crazy to me, that has also really been destroying the culture for so many years, decades now, is those people, who decades ago, wound up acquiring some old car, truck or maybe it was one they had been driving for awhile, then it pretty much gave up the ghost of daily usability, so they have these sitting around their place and really, its pretty clear, obvious, they have no real intention, desire to ever invest their efforts or any money to return them to operational condition and yet when they are approached about selling it, to someone who is really interested in doing something with it, they have a ton of wild pie in the sky stories why they are not interested in selling. UNLESS, of course then the truth comes out, they will, would be willing to part with it for a Kings ransom!! Of course, there is really so very little of it left at this point, what is there is absolutely horrible condition too. They have so very little invested, if anything in the old thing, yet they have gotten the notion that what they have is worth a frickin fortune!! So, yeah, too much, way too much to snag it and then spend years and tons of more money to bring it back up to any reasonable level. So they can just sit and rust into oblivion and those people can get nothing for it then, in the end.
I absolutely hate that. I saw a half cuda only the front rails fire wall and roof the rest was gone and he wanted 20k for it.
Yep, The "I will fix it one day" crowd
I've been upset about this for years too.As others have said, learn to do your own repairs is the biggest thing you can do to be able to own a classic car. The things we can't do anything about are the problem. Well, now that Trump is president again, how about writing to him asking to change the laws so car culture can come back. You could say " you want to make America great again, car culture is part of what is great about America, please get rid of all the goverment overreach, make gas and insurance affordable again, etc ". Also, ask him to Grandfather all existing cars older than 10 years so they can't be scrapped for " safety" or " emisions" reasons. If every car enthusiast writes and asks for these things, He will listen. The American people aren't stupid, we will prevail. God bless
Amen Brother, that's actually Trump's plan is to reduce EPA regulations and reduce NHSA regulations and let NHSA focus on just safety and nothing more and let the EPA go after companies that pollute rivers, streams, and oceans rather than Muscle cars, trucks, and SUVs with big V8 engines.
I remember cruising back in the 80s. I believe the loss of small main street towns and the local gas station with garage service is what caused a loss in car culture.
Very Good Point.
I was born in 1970 and grew up with cars and youth owners cruising on Friday and Saturday night. Cruising was shut down in 93ish. Drive in’s closed when film went digital. We have gotten away from it being a part of your personality and now cars are appliances to move you. The ones lusting after muscle cars are old now.
Yep. Hopefully there is a car renaissance
Keep the classics alive one car at a time! Teach the young people how important it is to remember them and why we do it! My son and I are restoring a 70 Dart Swinger. One piece at a time!
That is my goal with this channel. Good luck on the Dart.
EVs and govenment overreach
If there are at least two gearheads left on the planet--there will always be a car culture! In the Northeast the season is short and people will get out there rain or shine!
In Australia we also have the Government seeing car meets as a cash grab, targeting them for ticketing, to raise revenue.
I really enjoyed you describing the exact set of feelings and observations that I have noticed the same up here in Canada. So few are into this hobby. I do take out all my old vehicles out for a drive. And yes I do get pulled over by the police and have very pleasant converations with them and others. Most often when I am at the gas station. lI get great smiles per gallon!!!
The other day I saw a video that pointed out that a new Mustang weighs 1000 pounds more than a 66 - half a ton of junk to haul around - amazing.
Crazy how heavy everything has become.
@@daveallen8824 l read that awhile ago. I laughed when l realized that Mustang weighted as much as my '65 Galaxie which has an all cast iron 390, with a mostly C-I transmission.
But the new Mustang performs better in every way. Acceleration, braking, gas mileage, pollution, safety. It has so much standard equipment not even available on a 66. ABS, traction control, overdrive gearing, power locks, windows, brakes, steering, seats, mirrors, stereo, blue tooth, air bags. Would not consider that stuff junk, just different from 1966. How often does a 66 Mustang need service compared to a new one? Oil changes, spark plugs, points, lube jobs, brake adjustments, coolant flushes, band adjustments. A 66 Mustang is pretty worn out at 100k miles, whereas a new one has another 100k to go.
I hear you man about the way things used to be. Gen x here and I agree. It seems like in modern smart phone society we are all more disconnected than the promise that the internet and social media would actually bring us more together.
Very much so.
I was in a car club for several years and one thing I noticed was most people in our club was 10-20 years older than me. I was born in 1963 so the Hot Rod culture was still very much alive in 1978 when I got my permit to drive. I witnessed some kids in my school back in the late 1960s and early 70s get brand new muscle cars, They were the sons of the hardware stores and Bankers etc. When us poor boys came along those cars were sold for 500.00 or less because the gas prices doubled overnight when President Carter was in office. Then I noticed a come back in the mid to late 1990s that is when I bought my 1970 Dodge Charger for 3,000.00 restored it myself took it to several car shows, and then everybody started dying off I lost interest in 2012 - 2013 and just stopped going it was not the same anymore.
Your thoughts = my thoughts, miss those 70-80"s car meets, a spot every one went to race!
I stopped going to car shows maybe 15 years ago - 60-75% were on an S10 frame with an LS motor...
How well I remember. My first car, a 57 Olds, cost $100 in 1967. My 57 Chev in 1970 was $400. I once bought a 51 Ford for $15 - running and driving. My wife was given a new '75 Firebird for graduation in 1975 ( I'm still driving it, by the way). We always drove used cars - our first new car was a '94 Chrysler. The prices have just become insane.
Exactly, $15 bucks DAMN! Wow owning a 75 Firebird for 50 Years! Congrats.
I bought a 1950 Ford V8 for $15. and drove it for a year back in 1970. Sold it the next year for $35. Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end.......😢
42 y/o..... I liked vintage muscle cars when I was a young man in the late 90's and early 2000's, but for a young buck not making a ton of money, classic muscle was never affordable for me. It would have been somewhat affordable for someone with an established career at the time, but as time has worn on, boomers seem to have been willing to fork out ever increasing amounts of money for cars that I liked but didn't love so I started not to care about them anymore. What I aspired to were the italian exotics that I saw in movies. While I realize that they are as much or more money than a lot of the classic muscle cars, by the time I could afford an expensive car, my tastes had moved away from classic muscle. If you forked out big money for a classic muscle car and want to get any meaningful amount of money for it, I would sell it sooner than later because I think they are in for a long slow decline in values. In a way, maybe that's a good thing, because some of the people who got priced out will get another bite at the apple.
Well you are speaking the truth. I’ve been a car guy since the late 60’s and it has changed so much and that’s the problem. The real thing about this, is there anybody younger that will want to be a car guy. I don’t think so, then we could talk about the points you gave, money, lack of cars that you could build yourself. I have a project car that I’ve had forever that’s not drive-able and I can’t get out to the garage to work on. I’m not motivated and sad and don’t know why. One other thing that hasn’t helped was the “ Billet “ craze that I had to have more done on my car than you had and the money spent was crazy to keep up.
Very well said! Sad but true.
Everything negative we're dealing with in this world is related to fiat money.
What rubbish.
Yeah, I miss the camaraderie of attending the local Mopar shows and having my ‘71 Javelin directed to park out by the porta-potties.
Im 53 my teen cruisin memories are the best and as you say the random gatherings to talk and enjoy and envy the cars i miss that alot.
You can’t blame insurance companies for the high cost of insurance. They use actuarial tables to figure their exposure and charge accordingly. They don’t artificially jack up the rates because they want to be competitive with the other companies. The cost of claims, totaled cars, fraud, lawsuits, etc are astronomically high I’m surprised insurance companies can even stay in business. A car drives through a 24” deep puddle and they total it instead of drying it out an fixing it, because people will claim mold, computer damage, wiring damage. Dry it out, clean it out, test the electrical system, replace parts as needed instead of “we have to replace it because we don’t want to get sued for not replacing it if there is a problem with it in the future”
The main reason IS this: Young people were being priced out of the classic car market around the early 2000's by 2010ish prices had risen double or triple BUT the cause was that getting any work done by body shops or mechanics rose 5 to 10 times previous prices, then parts quality became very unreliable while parts prices rapidly rose. Add all this up and the result was buying a good classic car is well out of the financial reach of most young people (under 25) and MORE IMPORTANTLY, the cost to restore an old car is massive, everything is far to expensive IF you pay someone to do work. Not many young people are exposed to or have the opportunity to learn how to do it yourself. Young people just don't get involved now. That's why most of the classic car owners today have grey hair. Prices will continue to fall and keep falling into the foreseeable future.
I'm happy to report that the organic "hanging out" is alive and well here in Cedar Rapids Iowa. In the summer we have an informal get together every Saturday night. We also have plenty of car shows but they're not as fun.
@@shedbythetracks
Wow that’s awesome.
What month do you start hanging out on Saturday nights?
And
Where in Cedar Rapids do you hang out?
I live in MO now but I’m from MN and I travel to MN quite a bit.
Maybe I’ll stop in some Saturday.
That is cool, I should have included it is deader in big cities but I have seen more rural or smaller cities still have this sense of togetherness.
Truth.....im a Fla Panhandle guy and I've come to the conclusion that when I finally get my 34 complete I'm going to have to drive a considerable distance to get to events I'm interested in....Florida sucks in that regard.
At least the weather is nice 6 months a year and tolerable the other 6.
As a non American, American cars typified the culture as much as burgers and fries and to me I very much lament the passing of the huge cars you lot used to drive with their huge bonnets and fins. A dreadful shame really.
American Exceptionalism as it has become known.
Unfortunately there's a lot of truth to this. Income to vehicle cost ratio makes it tough to get into the sport today, cash-for-clunkers took out of lot of good older vehicles, government mandates & manufacturers are making cars too complicated for an average back yard mechanic to tinker & have fun with them . . . yeah, that all has diminished things, but there are still those of us out here who are stubborn and don't give up easily. At least on the mechanical side. I've invested in scan tools & things for newer vehicles and do have some success, but I think one of the things that has really made it tough & has gone nuts is the cost of body & paint work! Not only does no shop want to even touch an older or project car, if they do, it'll be in the tens of thousands to do an entire vehicle properly. All body shops want now is collision work. You can try to do it yourself but that's not easy either, with needing all the specialty guns for newer paint plus paint & materials are expensive as all get out!
There are still lots of younger people getting into it that are just doing it with different vehicles and sets of skills. However the hanging out part has just about disappeared. Those were good times.
The average new car today may be way more expensive compared to income, but they last way longer and you get much more for your money in terms of fuel savings and crash protection. Remember all those late 50's and early 60's GM death traps that had no side-collision protection because of the x-frame to make them longer, lower, wider? I think you're absolutely correct about insurance companies. They're just like the big banks, financing political campaigns so there'll be very few govt employees questioning their basic practices. The hobby has moved, but the Lowrider Culture is still strong!
Boomers killed it. They pushed the prices higher n higher and now? They're dying.
And kids sell their cars
Sounds like a gen Z problem
DJ, Porsche club people were saying the same thing about the old 356's - super expensive, and who cares ? Market should be correcting ?? 25-39 years ago, I noticed the vw scene was dying where I lived, and my friend bob, is 16 years old, encouraged an interest in hot rods - so I loved going to Good Guys and we would see who could find the highest ticket, we did one close to 6K at the Columbus OH show, years ago. My local church had a friday show and it was great, we had over 1K cars show up labor day weekend, little did I realize that was last one. Land was sold, a new Hospital sits there now and the show moved up the street like 7 miles ?? and it is just not the same, some regulars, and it's just boring and I'm sorry, you wth the new car, park over there. It is free for everyone, I think. Just not the same. I have a 56 coupe deville, a 77 eldo, and vw's from 56 to 88. - I am greatful for youtube since I learn about vw work from Mike FN garage, and Vw Darrin and others....I took an adult evening progream for paint. - IDK, I want to FINISH my projects and want them to stay FIXED. Crappy aftermarket parts are killing it too. Competing interests, internet and phones, and laziness. No one wants a project !
Here northwest of Chicago every other town has a car show almost too many when I occasionally do go sometimes 800 cars which makes it a real hassle parking, etc. it really hasn’t slowed down in this area whatsoever. I’m actually a drag race guy so I don’t go to many shows I like to go where the action is at 72 i’m still running a nine second nova at Great Lakes dragstrip I tuned my car for a 300 shot this coming year
That is great to hear! 300 SHOT damn man that is freaking awesome!
The reason insurance started to increase when the factory hotrods became easy and popular to get,,,teenagers were wrapping these cars around trees and light poles every weekend.....Then there was cars being stolen for parts and also to get out from under the payments....
True. I was born in Tampa and grew up in Sarasota where we’d all meet up at the beach with our cars and then go drag race in some desolate area until the police broke us up. Good times! Now I live in the Destin area with my 72 Mach one and 67 Econoline, but you’re right rarely bump into someone that just an enthusiast anymore. I see quite a few restored broncos in my area, but they’re asking well over 100,000 for them! I just can’t understand it.
You are correct! Greed and non acceptance of younger people has killed, flying model airplanes, building full size experimental aircraft, go-karting, muscle cars. What ever the hobby instant gratification is also a problem. Personally have participated in the aforementioned hobbies and found little dictators emerge in the hobby removing all the fun too.
Thank you for the video.
There is no drive any more to individualize your vehicle Several years I took a 06 Yukon Denali xl Black and made it into a trans am Gold on black, custom snow flake gold rims 22's People love it and I still drive it today You don't see any thing like this any more the youth of today are to worried about a phone and social media The majority can't even afford a vehicle much less customize Yup its sad Even most home stereo companies have closed up and Car Audio has gone into the toilet
Scrapping junkyards is a major reason the hobby is having issues. Two large ones in my hometown had cars going back to the 1930s, but one was scrapped about 40 years ago and another 25 years ago. I've seen flatbed trailers on the interstate hauling flattened cars - one had a six perfect late 50's tailfin-era Desoto taillights in the middle of the stack.
Another is the idiotic cutting-up of old cars that are drivers by people who never finish them. I've seen dozens of half-baked front end conversions on 50's cars that never got beyond scrapping a running engine and transmission and cutting off the front frame rails. Then, the destroyer tried to sell the car in pieces. Most of the ones that get finished are rolling examples of bad taste, in my opinion. And they'll never be original again in either case.
Remember when planned obsolescence was an issue and a gripe? People found annual styling updates upsetting because it outdated last year's models.
Look at the world now! Cars are made with plastic gears, rubber timing belts, and vital tech that can't be updated after a few years. Find new parts for a 20 year old vehicle. They don't make any. Also,
The bring a trailer / paint corrected / it's a priceless work of art crowd needs to flip off.
I own a 30yo mustang and have no problem finding parts. Sure, there was that period when my car was too new to have parts in a salvage yard. Then the time when my car became too old to have parts in a salvage yard. But we’re talking local yards. I can still go to the dealer and find many parts that they still keep in stock, don’t have to wait for an order. I am now having to deal with inconvenience of going down to the local auto parts store and they not having what I need in stock. They have it in the warehouse, and can get it in a day. So while yeah, I can’t have it same day, I can get it in a day or two.
Great video, I have a 1996 Ford F150 with a 5.0L (302) Windsor V8 with 211,000 miles on it and still going strong and I take it to car shows every now and then and show it off (as long as its free) but yeah greed and auctions has really killed the fun hobby.
I agree completely. I'm also a huge Epautos fan. Also: I haven't been to a car show in 40 years. You see the same damn thing at every show... '57 Chevy..most with some hideous too-shiny ugly color paint job and modern wheels....69 Camaro (yawn)...and they're all a bunch of trailer queens, worth too much money to drive and enjoy. Never anything truly different. And then half (or even more) of the cars are 80';s/90's/00's junk...the very stuff I'm trying to avoid if I'm at a car show!
Any you Florida guys remember Clearwater back inthe 70s. The whole parking lot was full of chrome wheels & Hooker headers on TAs or Z28s.
Very informative , Educated video. I learned a few things.
I went to Moparty this year and there were thousands of classic Mopars there. I look at the high cost of these cars this way: Now people are saving things that would otherwise be abandoned. I do not believe the car culture is dead.
The rich have taken it over it’s far from done
Dead on
Cars (and everything) is too damn expensive
I can’t AFFORD car culture.
I got a mortgage and kids and two family vehicles, sold the bike and car to help make it happen.
Maybe when the house is paid off I can be into cars again
I have heard this a lot of times.
@@DJsClassicGarage Some things really are not that expensive. LS swaps make a lot of sense to build a fast car for low bucks. It just depends on what you want. Have you seen the entry level price for a C4 Vette? Swap in a later model truck drivetrain and one could have a heck of a performance car for a modest investment.
I agree. Currently dealing with this. Trying to keep a local club alive that was founded in 79.
Something I think that sucks is with boost HP is so easy to make these days that a day car with a 400hp street engine would have been considered a pretty hot ride now is chuckled at in the performance car world seems you see 400hp pickups from the factory. Fortunately if you live in a rural area the money isn't there so neither is big HP so you can still have a "fast" car without 700hp. I was born in 73 so I was a kid in the 80s and I absolutely love the malaise era cars, I love that boxy long hood shorter trunk plush interiors, just the smell is unique, people dump on em for there laughable power but their old enough emissions are not an issue so you can get healthy power from them with very little work even with the original engine. You can take a 120hp 318 with a little work make 275 to 300 pretty easy, back in early 90s I took a Newport with a 2bbl 318 lean burn and I had to have bumped it at least 100hp with cheap to free junkyard mods, the only thing I bought new was a camshaft the rest was picked from this n that. And it was a night and day difference people would say 100hp no way, well when you take a 318ci V8 that has been totally suffocated by inhaling and exhaling through a silly straw just letting it breathe is monumental. Dual exhaust no cats, nice appropriate camshaft, early non lean burn electronic ignition, aluminum police car Chrysler spreadbore 4bbl intake, 750 Qjet or thermoquad, remove 100% of the smog equipment, for bonus points acceleration toss in a 6 cylinder converter in it.
Very Valid points and yes any of those cars can be brought to life fairly cheap.
Much like the healthy days of our lives it’s over. But I’m thankful to have lived when it was more enjoyable and cars and parts were plentiful.
I blame mecum auctions television also the overseas market for driving up the prices of old cars beyond what they are worth and making the old car hobby unaffordable
To the average middle class or below working family... The thought of buying some needy vehicle and spending to make it something is unthinkable.. The cost of having any work done is so tedious and costly.. It's just another thing we have been priced out of considering. It used to mean so much to me personally, now it's just a fading shadow.
I was in high school in the early 70s. You were known by the car you drove. Chevelles, Novas, Mustangs, Chargers, 442s, GTOs, etc. were among the cool cars to own. Now kids drive pathetic Corollas, Priuses, Kias, etc. They are just transportation and have a cool factor of zero.
Here in OZ a new car in 1948 cost the equivalent of 72 weeks wages, last year it was 36 weeks wages plus you get a lot more for your money now. Might be different in the US.
I got a classic luxury car 82 Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue fully loaded almost showroom conditions and the judges don't even know what it is half the time I have to chase him down they just walk right by it and all the new cars 5 for 6 years old when all the awards
Wow! That car is now so rare since most of them just got forgotten.
I bought a 49 GMC from a 40-year-old guy who planned to restore it to perfection. It was his High school car. It sat in a barn for 18 years. I have owned it since 2014. It is in very good condition org.228 closed drive. I installed a new grille, running boards, left frt. fender and serviced tuned the motor updated to elec. wipers filled the fenders with GM rally sport wheels and fatty's and still drive this junk daily'. Too many cars sit and never get done and when they do they sit in a garage rarely driving them. Drive old rusty junk you "fixed up". Be a Man, have fun enjoy your junk, and drive it. You'd be surprised at how much attention unrestored junk gets at the "Show" or WM parking lot.
This is the other thing I have noticed less people want to drive 20 footers. Honesty they are the most fun to drive.
@@DJsClassicGarage 100%. Give the Big 3 one thing - they understood what's fun to drive on long road trips. Absolute land barges.