Mark, while I generally agree with what you are saying....I don't think it's all doom and gloom regarding our car hobby, not yet anyway. There are still young gearheads out there as well as kids who appreciate history and things that are truly vintage. My two
girls, now 11 and 8 yrs old love my '65 300 and my '37 Ford hotrod. They point out every cool car they see on the road (none of which are ever newer than 1980) and can't wait to show a new friend what's in the garage, including our 1959 vintage mahogany runabout.
There are still kids and young people at car shows and kids turning wrenches, I just think in smaller numbers.
What I've noticed, most kids who get a look in my garage don't care much......nor do 'their' parents. In most cases our adult friends will walk right past without so much as a glance; guess what their kids think of old cars. The kids that care are the kids
who are growing up around parents, grand parents, and role models that care and take the time to teach them. All we can do is continue to educate the ones that are willing to listen with the wisdom we've picked up throughout our lives. If your grandkids are
sitting on a stool watching you work, I'd say that's a pretty good start.
The other thing to consider is the cost of entry into this 'hobby' now. When I turned 15 in 1985, I was given our old family car....a 1965 Chrysler 300 2 dr/ht. It was worth about $500 and didn't run well. I rebuilt the heads in auto shop and went through the
mechanicals for less than $500 in parts. Drove the car a few years, learned some things, and kept buying and building old Mopars as a result.
It's hard to ignite interest in vintage cars when the cost of getting even a basket case is so beyond the financial capabilities of most people, especially young people. We all spend a lot of time discussing the outrageous values of these cars and the costs
involved in restoring and maintaining them; we can't be surprised when the large majority of young people shy away from that. I can just appreciate seeing a kid working on an old BMW or Honda in the driveway, wrenching on what they can afford....learning,
instead of dropping it off at a dealership and complaining about the cost of a brake job.
I'll likely leave my 300 to my kids......what they do with it is up to them but hopefully they'll still appreciate it enough to enjoy the nostalgia.
Ryan Hill
From: 'mark love' via Chrysler 300 Club International
Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2022 6:35 AM
To: Chrysler 300 Club International
Subject: Re: {Chrysler 300} who wants a club calendar
If we think the succeeding generations will find amusement looking at old paper printed calendars, well when was the last time you heard the word ’nostalgia’ used in a conversation among
our young generation They never look back, it’s all about me right now and me tomorrow.
I was in to our Canadian Automobile Association CAA (your AAA0 yesterday and a lady in front of me had a handful of route maps. I asked her if she was going ‘round the world. She said the clerk told her that, when these maps were all spoken
for, the CAA was going to stop printing them because there was no demand for them.
My wife, not long ago, suggested I take down the girly pictures and the old cig and liquor ad posters hanging up in the garage as they might be too sensitive for the grand kids when they come over to search around in the dim light for an oil stained
stool to sit on while they watch me work a piece of stainless trim and ask me why it’s not plastic and can’t I get a new one on Amazon.
I think there better be an electronic version of the calendar, built for both a computer and phone screens. Otherwise, those generations that we think will want to know more about our letter cars may never get to know or understand our passion,
much the same as they treat history.
A cynic with a beef. Yes I rely on the newer tech but it’s sure changed the way we look at life.
Electronic map for me please. As we now know, the data can never be erased; it will around forever.
m
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