Are car enthusiasts a dying breed?

[Rob]

Malcolm Hogan: Are car enthusiasts a dying breed?

By Malcolm Hogan Fri, Sep 5, 2014
The Florida-Times Union

In a few of my recent drives of luxury and sports cars, I came to the realization that car enthusiasts are somewhat of a rarity in today’s culture — well at least in the traditional sense.

A recent trip to Starbucks in Chevy’s Corvette Stingray brought out a group of onlookers asking what model Ferrari I was driving. After my surprised face and quick-answer “no,” they proceeded to ask me if my laptop was the latest MacBook Pro and why did I purchase it over the Microsoft Surface.

I was taken for a ride, transported to an unfamiliar territory — the Twilight Zone or something.

Once, while stopping to get gas in a thirsty and in all other ways over-the-top $176K Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, several guys all in fairly new Hyundai Genesis Coupes, obviously in a group headed to a local car show or event, glanced at my Porsche, but then proceeded to grab their cell phones and start texting. It seems they could really care less — no thumbs-up; no selfies with the Porsche; and no googling eyes.

Strange, right?

I have the fortunate job of getting a brand new vehicle each week for reviewing purposes, and you have probably read many of my test drive reviews of those vehicles in this Drive section and on AutomotiveAddicts.com. You may think my job is all rainbows and sunshine. However, there are those occasional times where I must perform painstaking research or meet a quickly-approaching deadline for a story.

Between those transitional periods of having fun showing off my new Corvette Stingray, to conjuring up a story about the new eight-speed automatic transmission the Stingray is going to get next year, I find myself wondering how many people are real car enthusiasts and if they really care about the “details.”

 

[LLC5]

I think they are a dying breed. Too many kids don't even care about getting a license, they think that punching buttons into cyberspace is actually accomplishing something, and the need to actually meet and TALK to people or even PLAY a sport, (NOT virtual, which is an epidemic right now) isn't even important. Too bad.......

 

[kpic]

I work in design engineering and we hire interns. The majority of them are into cars. Judging by their desktops; as long as there is engineering students, there will be expensive powerful vehicles.

 

[LLC5]

I work in design engineering and we hire interns. The majority of them are into cars. Judging by their desktops; as long as there is engineering students, there will be expensive powerful vehicles.

Let's hope that they are in the majority in the near future......

 

[Antz81]

In some ways they are dying out, especially in the younger generations. They seem to be loosing interest in the older cars. They appreciate the classic sports cars, but nothing more. The idea of keeping a car original has definitely gone out the window.Most of the ones I know also don't see the need for more than 6 cylinders.
They seem to have this theory that because 4 and 6 cylinder motors can be modified and tuned to run as fast as 8+ cylinder motors that that's the way to go. They don't seem to understand that doing so also reduces the life of the motor.

 

[kpic]

Let's hope that they are in the majority in the near future......

Engineering is a challenging and expensive course of study.

We had one intern who owned a old restored Ford pickup modern engine, computer etc. One of the design engineers bought a 99 FRC for auto-X. HR manager drives a bottle fed Mustang in the hot persuit of 10s. A 65 Chevelle SS, a rare one of a few Formula TransAm, RX? with a Grand National engine and EFR turbo, a twin turbo Fox body (strip car but I believe it still has a tag), etc. Same as mine, most of the power toys stay at home but there are quite a few performance vehicles here; but that kinda goes with the territory.

In some ways they are dying out, especially in the younger generations. They seem to be loosing interest in the older cars. They appreciate the classic sports cars, but nothing more. The idea of keeping a car original has definitely gone out the window.Most of the ones I know also don't see the need for more than 6 cylinders.
They seem to have this theory that because 4 and 6 cylinder motors can be modified and tuned to run as fast as 8+ cylinder motors that that's the way to go. They don't seem to understand that doing so also reduces the life of the motor.

IMO, those types want the creature comforts and are satisfied.

They haven't realized the same can be done to a V8. Learning about starting with more eggs in the basket will be an educational experience for them. To be a gearhead, one accepts sooner or later it will break and you'll will rebuild it.
It is an addiction one assumes they will outgrow; but quite a few never do and I am one of them.

 

[82ColEd]

I went Maybe, as the classic type of Enthusiast is definitely dying out. Keeping a Classic car classy doesn't seem to be on top of the list of the youngens, but there are other types of enthusiasts out there. Met a few of them on the Ring a week ago. They were into cars, tuning them, making them go faster, caring about the detail of the ones they drove. Now, they may not be what you and i like, ie. the 350's, V8 kind, but they all enjoyed cars, in a different flavor, but still..
They even wanted me to go on the track with our family wagon chuckle Dodge Magnum Rt with winter tires) to see what the V8 does. I declined, laughing..


Stefan

 

[Tom Bryant]

Younger people are interested in different types of cars than us older guys. But it seems as they grow older their preference changes with their income. It wasn't too many years ago that the big classic cars were going cheap, in comparison to where they had been, as the people that wanted them were old and dying off. Now they have come back strong and prices are way up again. People in their 40s and 50s with money are snapping up the '30s Caddys, Packards and the like. These are young people to me. The same type of person is buying older Corvettes too and their enthusiasm is running up the prices to where most of us can only watch from the sidelines, or build something else.

I belong to a truck forum that has more younger guys than old. They are building '67-'72 Chevys mostly. It's an easy to work on vehicle, everything is available in stock or custom parts and they can have a nice finished street custom for less than the buy-in of a Corvette or Camaro (any year) that is just a solid starting point. Watch the auctions and count the number of nice finished drivers that sell in the teens or less. B-J on tuesday or Mecum on the first day of one of their sales are a prime example. We had three well attended car shows this season in my little town. That has never happened before.

C4s and some C3s are cheap right now but they are still expensive to restore or modify. I do see young guys in their twenties driving early C4s now often and it reminds me of when I first started driving Corvettes. The ones that I could afford turned out to be the ones others drove and sold over and over without doing much if any maintenance to them. That much anticipated Corvette purchase became a nightmare is short order.

I don't believe that the car guy is a dying breed, just changing. A car guy, no matter what he likes is better than no car guy at all.

Tom

 

[Fitz]

Car Enthusiasts Arent Dead Yet!

Old guys are the same everywhere. No one loves the stuff they love, no one keeps the traditions alive. Whine Whine Whine. Go to any car show and you see as many young as old. Their tastes swing with what is in vogue at the time; due to peer pressure and competition for the pretty girls but they still like cars. Old, new, fast, low and some even fancy rice burners but they all have one thing in common. They like cars.

So, even though some of us have a dirt nap in our near future , car enthusiasts aren't extinct, but their tastes are changing!

 

[catbert]

I can understand kids not being turned on by today's cars. There just aren't many fun cars that young people can afford to buy and modify. Remember having to choose from a GTO, Malibu SS, Charger, Grand Sport Road Runner, 442, Cuda etc, etc? All those were cars lots of young people could buy and play with back in the day. Now they have a choice of Camaro or Mustang from domestic auto makers. I don't think the Challenger is a valid option, and sales figures back that up. The Hell Cat may bring it back for well heeled kids.

The biggest reason IMHO, is that car nuts used to be blue collar guys, who were the sons of blue collar guys. Sadly, there aren't many of those left.

 

[BigJimZ16]

Both of my sons are in their early thirties, neither one has any interest in the car hobby. They both drive trucks and their wives drive SUVs... My step son, is a Chrysler salesman, and couldn't care less abouty the SRTs! My son IS blue collar, works in a steel mill, no difference... If the wife and I died, I'm sure each of them would be selling a Corvette!

 

[Wegone]

No & Yes, You have the Classic and Modern.
I believe the world of auto enthusiasts is alive and well just changing with the times. The older crowd grew up in an age that you had to work hard and live long enough to get the car you dreamed about as a young man, we now have those cars. Not all of them are out showing off there cars so the number is hard to put your finger on. Now the younger crowd, they have grown up in a world of instant gratification. I believe they are just as much auto enthusiasts as the older crowd. The difference being they no longer have to wait, they just go buy the lasted and greatest new.

 

[Fitz]

There just aren't many fun cars that young people can afford to buy and modify. Remember having to choose from a GTO, Malibu SS, Charger, Grand Sport Road Runner, 442, Cuda etc, etc? All those were cars lots of young people could buy and play with back in the day.
The biggest reason IMHO, is that car nuts used to be blue collar guys, who were the sons of blue collar guys. Sadly, there aren't many of those left.

There's still lots of fun cars and there are plenty of people out there playing with them. They just look a bit different than the 60's GTO's Chevelles and 442's. Every time I bring out my LS2 powered Miata or my 67 Stepside pickup they draw crowds and it's the young guys, not the older ones that really like them.

 

[kpic]

Judging by grandson's friends at college, a lot of younger people add a turbo or NOS to a ricer. However, there are a few built Mustangs and Camaros also.

Anytime the hood is up it draws a crowd and age doesn't seem to be a factor. The next shock is when they learn it gets 30 plus.