[nUcLeArEnVoY]

I'm in a rather odd-man-out position of being in the younger generation having a passion for these cars. I just turned 35, so I'm an early millenial. I've wanted a 2nd-gen Trans Am since I was 20 years old and have owned two of them, one of them being the 1979 I own now.

This isn't my first car I bought out of enthusiasm or to enjoy, either. My first was a 1978 Trans Am that I owned very briefly at 21 years old, mostly because it was a disaster and I was naive about what to look for in a classic car. I bought it site unseen off eBay. My 1979 I have now is leagues better, and I went to actually look at it before I brought it home. But anyway, in 2010 is when I got my 2011 Camaro SS, which were really hot cars at the time because of Transformers n' such, plus the "return of the Camaro." Owning that car was a life of shows, car clubs, meets, etc... things I thought I'd do once I get my Trans Am, which deep down was still my true dream car.

Now that I have my Trans Am, I mostly just enjoy it by taking it out on drives. I've owned it for two years and not once have brought it to a show, though I've been to a few casual meets with it (which IMO are way funner). These meets are with a way younger, urban crowd and most of the cars there were imports or late model, so needless to say, my '79 was quite a novelty at these meets, and the millenials and Gen Z'ers were definitely interested in it, especially since someone of their generation is the one owning it. Try as they might to love hard on their high-revving sporty import cars, when the Poncho comes pulling in thumping away in that torquey 400 and the iconic styling, even the unenthused all of a sudden become the enthused. It's a rather interesting dynamic to behold, for sure. A little over a month ago, I pulled up to a small import meet and the moment I turned off the key, I had a crowd - young boys, a young girl; none of them over 25 - all car lovers, sure, but every one of them wanted a seat in the T/A, and a rev of the motor which I gladly allowed. You can't get these kinds of cars without expecting to share them in any small way you can. I still fully maintain that young car enthusiasts want these old classics far more than you all think they do, they're just so unattainable that it's almost like an average guy "wanting" a Ferrari, or a private jet. Like, you want it, but you're so accustomed to the idea that it's "just a dream" that you never even bother pursuing it.

But all in all, the show-going life hasn't really been my thing, anymore. Part of it is because I'm paranoid of the car making it to these far away shows, even though it runs amazingly well and has never stranded me, overheated, or failed for anything mechanical... it's just some fear of mine. I still can't trust the car, for some reason. Plus, not a lot of classic car shows happen in Miami. It's mostly new age stuff, so you kind of gotta take what you can get. Mostly, I just cruise the T/A and work on it, which is good enough for me. I have big plans to restomod and build it up in the future, maybe then I'll start attending shows.

Point is, I think the funner aspect of this hobby is just getting out and driving the car. It's a transformative experience, and seeing them in the wild in an ocean of bland late model cars is way more special, imo.