[Jay S]

Last weekend at our local track we went to 1320 Video’s 3 day Ice Cream Cruise car festival. 14,000 in attendence all 3 days. I think Saturday is well over 20K. Probably 2/3 of the crowd was under 30. Tons of teens. My 13 year old son and I had a total blast. What a hoot. I am not very worried about the next generation when it comes to cars.

https://youtube.com/shorts/CrTeY-qVH...C76KmVsnt9mI9U

https://youtube.com/shorts/eVNJeYsg7...qoNpV_Ea7LNBmn

https://youtube.com/shorts/8a6X8-f9d...rjy7pclC95vse4

[jhein]

To add to my earlier post...

When I'm out driving around at least as many young people give me a thumbs or a wave as older people, maybe more. In fact, many times I'll drive by a guy about my age or older who takes no notice of the car whatsoever. Now, I'm not looking for that at all, but it is a little weird that some one from that era would see a 70 TA roll by and not bat an eye.

I searched the web today and found some stats from Hagerty, etc. There don't seem to be any hard figures. Lots of estimates. One said that about 8% of car owners have a "classic car". I don't know what that means. But
i find it very hard to believe that 8% of car owners have what we're talking about here, a 60s-70s muscle car.

So the thing is that even though the hobby is not exactly mainstream, the people in it are sort of devoted to it.

The other thing is that young people don't have any money yet. And it's not a cheap hobby.

But, the most important thing is that I don't have my car for any of them. I have it for me!

[tigergto]

What I took from what Joe was saying, was drive and enjoy those damn cars. Many of them are not going to be that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that we think they will be.

[scott70]

Originally Posted by jhein

To add to my earlier post...

When I'm out driving around at least as many young people give me a thumbs or a wave as older people, maybe more. In fact, many times I'll drive by a guy about my age or older who takes no notice of the car whatsoever. Now, I'm not looking for that at all, but it is a little weird that some one from that era would see a 70 TA roll by and not bat an eye.

I searched the web today and found some stats from Hagerty, etc. There don't seem to be any hard figures. Lots of estimates. One said that about 8% of car owners have a "classic car". I don't know what that means. But
i find it very hard to believe that 8% of car owners have what we're talking about here, a 60s-70s muscle car.

So the thing is that even though the hobby is not exactly mainstream, the people in it are sort of devoted to it.

The other thing is that young people don't have any money yet. And it's not a cheap hobby.

But, the most important thing is that I don't have my car for any of them. I have it for me!

That is true. Back in the 80’s you could buy a decent muscle car at a decent price. That time is gone.Kind of tough for a young person these days on a budget.

[Jay S]

Originally Posted by tigergto

What I took from what Joe was saying, was drive and enjoy those damn cars. Many of them are not going to be that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that we think they will be.

I think enjoy and drive your cars is very true.

One of my friends was getting frustrated that his kids were not interested in his old Pontiac’s, and has came close to selling off his cars several times. He also very rarely drove them. But when his kids started driving to school and getting drivers licenses, he started getting his old cars out and enjoying them more. One of the kids is helping work on them a lot, so much so, they ended up buying another project. I think there is a lot of truth to getting your cars out and enjoying them, especially with kids.

We were parked next to a college age girl (her dad was there with her) at the car show with wild custom Mazda Miata. There were over 2200 cars at the show, she was in the VIP section of the car show. Very cool.

[71GP76TA]

The weather cooled off here last week. I daily drove my numbers matching original paint '70 Chevelle SS454 4 speed all week.

[scott70]

Well I never thought I’d see a generation where some dress up like animals and use litter boxes so I guess in ways the times are a changin’.

[Hunter98TA]

Originally Posted by scott70

Well I never thought I’d see a generation where some dress up like animals and use litter boxes so I guess in ways the times are a changin’.

my 12 y/o Granddaughter says she has 2 Furries in the school and they are off limits to all the kids.

[george kujanski]

I'm in Pigeon Forge this week and there are hundreds if not thousands of younger guys and gals driving " tuner " cars ( or whatever they are) you know with about 40 degrees of negative camber. What's with that anyway? They all seem to gravitate to that style.

George

[Held for Ransom]

Joe is dealing with the death of his brother. Everything is stemming from that.

[PAUL K]

There is definitely interest in automobiles from the younger generations. I believe Joe's point is most the younger generations won't give a crap about our beloved muscle cars. I'd agree with that and certainly there are always acceptions. My father-in-law was into "antique" vehicles. He had a fully restored 29 Buick, a 53 Buick and a 62 Starfire. His son has always been into cars and has owned a crap ton of them. His daughter puts up with my cars and has a Grand National herself. When he passed the 53 & 62 could not be sold fast enough. The daughter wanted to keep the 29 in the family since it was a museum piece and the entire family had worked on the restoration, the brother couldn't sell it was enough.... I'm not sure how the scenario would be different today except insert GTO, GTX and GT500 in place of 29, 53 and 62.

None of the cars brought the kind of money they were "valued" at and the 53 and 29 went out of the Country for new ownership. The great thing is the fellow that purchased the 29 cares for that car as much as the previous owner but drives the wheels off of it.

Younger generations most likely aren't going to favor older muscle cars with sub-par performance and handling and to them looks. A starter project is 10k cash, a paint job is 10-20k, engine rebuild is the same and has a good chance of flattening the cam or having a roller lifter rip the bore off the side of the block ..... I think ole Joe's points have merit.... Like the guy or not.

[Rachelsdad]

PMFJI...

I can only state that from my own experience going to local shows and a few nationals, the median age of owners of collector cars seems to be hovering somewhere between mid-50's to mid-70's.

There are some younger people enthused about cars, yes, but when I attended my first POCI convention in 1980 (I'd been a member for a couple of years, by then), I may have been part of the younger set, but probably not by more than 20 or so years. I'm now 64, and that still disturbingly seems to be the case.

Aside from video games and cheap-cheap rice burners being so popular with the youngest set, I'd attribute a good deal of the lack of the 30-something crowd to be high financial barrier to entry. The cost of even a decent project car (for what interests that age group) is high, let alone $60K+ for a running, restored example.

My first show car is the one I show now, my '63 Bonneville. My dad was the second owner, in January of '65, and she was passed down from one to the other of us until coming to me in '76. The initial body work was along the lines of $3,500 (still a good sum of money in the late '70's), which my dad - an accountant - bartered with his client (Del's Auto Body, in Glen Cove, NY). So, for me, there was no real financial barrier to entry into the hobby.

My next "old car" was my '63 GP, which I purchased from a few blocks away for $75, and which I drove most of my sophomore and junior years in college, giving me the opportunity to retire the Bonneville from daily duty (in the snow and rain and salt and...). The GP was almost presentable as a daily driver, and gave me the opportunity to learn some necessary body work and painting skills.

Today, it seems that such experiences are fewer and farther between. This is my concern for not only our existing cars, but for the hobby as a whole. True, inheriting a nice car bypasses the financial barrier, but the person inheriting must have some desire for the car (if not the hobby); otherwise, it's like inheriting an old plow horse while living in an apartment in the city (useless, and costing more to maintain than any enjoyment which might be derived from it).

If in doubt as to what to do with the car once you're gone, and you have nobody in the family who might appreciate it as much as you do, I would suggest looking to close friends or even museums for truly nice examples. If financial need takes a more prominent role, selling while still here but no longer able to enjoy is always an option, assuming the market remains somewhat resilient and buyers of means are available.

[400 4spd.]

Originally Posted by george kujanski

I'm in Pigeon Forge this week and there are hundreds if not thousands of younger guys and gals driving " tuner " cars ( or whatever they are) you know with about 40 degrees of negative camber. What's with that anyway? They all seem to gravitate to that style.

George

I've seen some video of how they trashed Gatlinburg and ended up being booted out of town. Sounds like that event won't be returning.

[george kujanski]

Read about it today.. the event was "slammed enuf" and they were all over like cockroaches. It wS funnY watching them scrape their chassis over the speed bumps.

George

[71GP76TA]

Originally Posted by george kujanski

Read about it today.. the event was "slammed enuf" and they were all over like cockroaches. It wS funnY watching them scrape their chassis over the speed bumps.

George

The dumb get dumber..

[Simple Man]

Originally Posted by george kujanski

Read about it today.. the event was "slammed enuf" and they were all over like cockroaches. It wS funnY watching them scrape their chassis over the speed bumps.

George

Well...at least those people are out there doing something with cars, not sitting playing games on their phones. I say if they want to drive a modded import, let 'em. They can't afford a musclecar, so do the same thing most of us did. Buy something you can afford, and start making it your own. People did that with Model A's, 40's coupes, lead sleds in the 50's, and the muscle car era. The people who came before us probably bad mouthed us the way you bad mouth the one's today.

[vertigto]

I hope the article below isn't the future of our hobby. I get that there has always been an element of rebellion in car culture, but the violence/disrespect for authority is escalating outside of politics.

Teens Arrested as 'Vehicle Takeover' Turns Fiery in Boston
Police say crowd set cruiser on fire during street takeover

A chaotic scene erupted in Boston's South End early Sunday when a crowd of more than 100 people allegedly attacked police cruisers with fireworks and debris, leading to the arrest of two Rhode Island teenagers. According to police, the crowd was participating in a so-called "vehicle takeover" just after 2am, blocking an intersection and turning violent when officers arrived, NBC News reports. The crowd allegedly hurled fireworks, traffic cones, poles, and other items at marked police cruisers. At least one cruiser suffered extensive damage after being repeatedly hit with fireworks and catching fire, requiring intervention from the Boston Fire Department.

Police say such "takeovers" are large gatherings in which cars and pedestrians occupy roadways for activities like burnouts and illegal street racing. The confrontation escalated when some individuals jumped on the hood of a cruiser, while others used objects to strike the vehicles. Officers arrested two suspects, aged 18 and 19, who they say were both seen actively attacking a cruiser—one allegedly throwing objects, the other using an orange pole to strike the vehicle.

Both teens now face charges that include assault and battery of a police officer, destruction of property, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. Their arraignment is expected in Roxbury District Court. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu condemned the incident, promising that those responsible will face "serious consequences" and emphasizing that such disruptions are not welcome in the city. She assured the public that authorities intend to prosecute those involved and hold them accountable for the night's disorder. A similar incident also took place in the Boston suburb of Randolph, Boston.com reports, but no arrests were reported there.

[dataway]

When I was a kid growing up in Memphis in the 70s there was a huge amount of street racing. Any stretch of straight road outside of town had quarter miles marked off. The Crystal drive-in burger joint on Summer ave. had people TRAILER race cars into the parking lot for races on Summer Ave during the police shift change. I remember one guy named Billy (The Midget) a little person, with a V-8 Vega that would trailer it in.

Both myself and my brother ended up in jail once for antics in our cars (the 68 GTO I still own, and a 69 Charger in my brother's case) as teenagers.

So, just sayin, what seems like total mayhem to us now, might have seemed like good fun when we were 18.

I'd say the big difference is there was never attacks on police or any (serious) destruction of property back then. Mostly the only thing we destroyed were our own cars.

[Jay S]

The combo of Social media and cell phones have created some big street take over flash mobs.

[vertigto]

Originally Posted by dataway

I'd say the big difference is there was never attacks on police or any (serious) destruction of property back then. Mostly the only thing we destroyed were our own cars.

That is exactly my point.