AMOC Membership
Discussion
Dear All
Some of you may know that I am the Area representative for the AMOC in Area 1 which is SW London and Surrey. Having recently taken part in the annual meeting of worldwide reps at club HQ I was very interested in the demographic of the current membership of which only 33% is made up of Gaydon car owners. This is less than 2000 members who own a DB9, Vantage, DBS, Rapide, etc!
Because of the much greater number of these cars produced I imagined that the membership would be more, so I would appreciate it if any of you, particularly in my area would let me know whether you are a member and if not, why not. Any feedback from any region of the country would be helpful but especially Area 1 as I already know how many members I have.
I don’t think anyone at the club has ever asked the question and as what should be a growing number of you joining the club once you enter car ownership, that doesn’t appear to be the case. You are a big part of the future of the club and I really would like to be able to present your comments to the club for their input.
If you want to email me separately rather than post on the forum then let me know at timbutcher@trinityastonmartin.co.uk.
Some of you may know that I am the Area representative for the AMOC in Area 1 which is SW London and Surrey. Having recently taken part in the annual meeting of worldwide reps at club HQ I was very interested in the demographic of the current membership of which only 33% is made up of Gaydon car owners. This is less than 2000 members who own a DB9, Vantage, DBS, Rapide, etc!
Because of the much greater number of these cars produced I imagined that the membership would be more, so I would appreciate it if any of you, particularly in my area would let me know whether you are a member and if not, why not. Any feedback from any region of the country would be helpful but especially Area 1 as I already know how many members I have.
I don’t think anyone at the club has ever asked the question and as what should be a growing number of you joining the club once you enter car ownership, that doesn’t appear to be the case. You are a big part of the future of the club and I really would like to be able to present your comments to the club for their input.
If you want to email me separately rather than post on the forum then let me know at timbutcher@trinityastonmartin.co.uk.
Hi Tim
As an ex-AMOC member, I think the £90.00 is just a bit rich for the percieved benefits that I received. The people in my area are really nice people and the monthly meeting is great, but why so expensive in comparison to other clubs I have been a member of.
You will possibly see my remarks as strange bearing in mind the premium I am willing to pay for the car I drive, but I just did not see the value for money.
regards
John
As an ex-AMOC member, I think the £90.00 is just a bit rich for the percieved benefits that I received. The people in my area are really nice people and the monthly meeting is great, but why so expensive in comparison to other clubs I have been a member of.
You will possibly see my remarks as strange bearing in mind the premium I am willing to pay for the car I drive, but I just did not see the value for money.
regards
John
Hi Tim, no particular reason. However, when looking to get an Aston (3 + years ago) I did lots of research and lurking on forums. The site with the best knowledge on Gaydon cars at the time was PH not AMOC. So, stuck around here rather than AMOC, enjoy the banter here (seems a whole lot less on AMOC) as well as the general discussion on Gaydon Astons. As PH people are now having meetings / drinks etc I've not thought to much about joining AMOC.
As I have always lusted after an Aston of just about any period, prehaps I should join AMOC as well
The alternative answer:-
I don't have facial hair and I don't not know my VIN / chassis number .
Only joking
As I have always lusted after an Aston of just about any period, prehaps I should join AMOC as well
The alternative answer:-
I don't have facial hair and I don't not know my VIN / chassis number .
Only joking
Hi Tim, I was and haven't renewed - but I will do!
I think there's a perception that the old DB guard think the Bloxham and Gaydon cars are not 'real Astons', whether this is true who knows, I have enjoyed the few AMOC events I've been to.
Oddly almost everyone on the PH forum owns a Gaydon car... There must be a correlation!
Please keep me up to date with any area 1 stuff as I'm in Putney. I'll get my subs sorted ASAP.
I think there's a perception that the old DB guard think the Bloxham and Gaydon cars are not 'real Astons', whether this is true who knows, I have enjoyed the few AMOC events I've been to.
Oddly almost everyone on the PH forum owns a Gaydon car... There must be a correlation!
Please keep me up to date with any area 1 stuff as I'm in Putney. I'll get my subs sorted ASAP.
As with johng39, no benefit. I'm a long way from the closest events (at least an eight hour drive).
Also, to be honest, I find the AMOC forum overrun with snobbish fanboys. I like sites where members are open to civilized debate and display enthusiasm and respect for performance cars in general, not sites dominated by defensive, hoity-toity characters waiting to shoot down any perceived Aston criticism.
Also, to be honest, I find the AMOC forum overrun with snobbish fanboys. I like sites where members are open to civilized debate and display enthusiasm and respect for performance cars in general, not sites dominated by defensive, hoity-toity characters waiting to shoot down any perceived Aston criticism.
funnily enough, reading this thread made me revisit the AMOC site and I just made a quick post there
In answer to the question, the posts here mostly validate my thoughts, which is that it's self fulfilling. The Gaydon section on the AMOC site isn;t that active, certainly compared to PH, which as mentioned is dominated by Gaydon cars. So it stands to reason that I visit & post here more
Also, in terms of speculation on new developments, which is all part of the fun for me, posting & reading, however little is actually concrete, there is lots more here than on AMOC
For what it's worth, IMO the monthly magazine is a bit OTT. It's all done very nicely, but it must cost a fair bit to produce and a lot of the content, however well done, has little personal interest. Lots of stuff about AMOC (minutes, stuff about the structure of the organisation, details of every little monthly regional meet, etc) as opposed to about the cars and when there is, very little on Gaydon cars that is in any way on par, in terms of new content or thoughts, with reviews available in all the main car mags. I hope that doesn;t sound critical as it's not meant to - it's simply my honest reasons why it doesn't interest me - it's not that I think it should be done better, but perhaps whether it should be done at all. The fact it's not digital creates it's own stereotypical pre conceived image of course
Or perhaps there could be a significantly discounted membership that doesn't include the monthly mag ?
In answer to the question, the posts here mostly validate my thoughts, which is that it's self fulfilling. The Gaydon section on the AMOC site isn;t that active, certainly compared to PH, which as mentioned is dominated by Gaydon cars. So it stands to reason that I visit & post here more
Also, in terms of speculation on new developments, which is all part of the fun for me, posting & reading, however little is actually concrete, there is lots more here than on AMOC
For what it's worth, IMO the monthly magazine is a bit OTT. It's all done very nicely, but it must cost a fair bit to produce and a lot of the content, however well done, has little personal interest. Lots of stuff about AMOC (minutes, stuff about the structure of the organisation, details of every little monthly regional meet, etc) as opposed to about the cars and when there is, very little on Gaydon cars that is in any way on par, in terms of new content or thoughts, with reviews available in all the main car mags. I hope that doesn;t sound critical as it's not meant to - it's simply my honest reasons why it doesn't interest me - it's not that I think it should be done better, but perhaps whether it should be done at all. The fact it's not digital creates it's own stereotypical pre conceived image of course
Or perhaps there could be a significantly discounted membership that doesn't include the monthly mag ?
I should have added, I'm a member of AMOC because of the deal through Locktons which requires me to be one. I don''t resent it but probably don't use it as much as I should
I think it's important that the heritage of the brand is looked after and perhaps, in 20 yrs time, some of us Gaydon owners will still have keepers from the current model range and we will then be posting on the AMOC site, not here ?!? :-)
I think it's important that the heritage of the brand is looked after and perhaps, in 20 yrs time, some of us Gaydon owners will still have keepers from the current model range and we will then be posting on the AMOC site, not here ?!? :-)
This is great guys, keep the comments coming.
I was at the AGM where John Goldsmith was voted in as new chairman and the day before was the reps meet.
I mentioned the event we had at Trinity, and how all of you that attended were so positive towards the Marque and how the AMOC should tap into the ownership that it is missing out on by not listening.
Time will tell if the new people in charge of the club will do what is necessary or follow the old guard as has been mentioned.
For your information, my club ownership goes back some years and an interesting thing to note is that in the newsletters of the day, that when the DBSV8 came out in 1971, owners of the Newport Pagnell DB4/5/6's were commenting on the fact that the V8's were not 'proper Astons' The same happened when the DB7's came in and so on. This is not a new occurence.
There is no doubt that the Gaydon car owners are generally younger than the usual AMOC member but you will be the owners that take the club through the next couple of decades. Someone needs to listen to you!
I was at the AGM where John Goldsmith was voted in as new chairman and the day before was the reps meet.
I mentioned the event we had at Trinity, and how all of you that attended were so positive towards the Marque and how the AMOC should tap into the ownership that it is missing out on by not listening.
Time will tell if the new people in charge of the club will do what is necessary or follow the old guard as has been mentioned.
For your information, my club ownership goes back some years and an interesting thing to note is that in the newsletters of the day, that when the DBSV8 came out in 1971, owners of the Newport Pagnell DB4/5/6's were commenting on the fact that the V8's were not 'proper Astons' The same happened when the DB7's came in and so on. This is not a new occurence.
There is no doubt that the Gaydon car owners are generally younger than the usual AMOC member but you will be the owners that take the club through the next couple of decades. Someone needs to listen to you!
jonby said:
...For what it's worth, IMO the monthly magazine is a bit OTT. It's all done very nicely, but it must cost a fair bit to produce and a lot of the content, however well done, has little personal interest. Lots of stuff about AMOC (minutes, stuff about the structure of the organisation, details of every little monthly regional meet, etc) as opposed to about the cars and when there is, very little on Gaydon cars that is in any way on par...
I like reading it, but it does hark back to a bygone era when we turned a blind eye to the local vicar rogering the choirboys, simply because he was a fine chap.
We need more Gaydon content....it is the future after all.
Perhaps even a bit of top totty on page 3, or even a readers' wives section
Jockman said:
I like reading it, but it does hark back to a bygone era when we turned a blind eye to the local vicar rogering the choirboys, simply because he was a fine chap.
We need more Gaydon content....it is the future after all.
Perhaps even a bit of top totty on page 3, or even a readers' wives section
Jockman said:
I like reading it, but it does hark back to a bygone era when we turned a blind eye to the local vicar rogering the choirboys, simply because he was a fine chap.
We need more Gaydon content....it is the future after all.
Perhaps even a bit of top totty on page 3, or even a readers' wives section
Thanks Jockman
Tim Butcher said:
This is great guys, keep the comments coming.
I was at the AGM where John Goldsmith was voted in as new chairman and the day before was the reps meet.
I mentioned the event we had at Trinity, and how all of you that attended were so positive towards the Marque and how the AMOC should tap into the ownership that it is missing out on by not listening.
Time will tell if the new people in charge of the club will do what is necessary or follow the old guard as has been mentioned.
For your information, my club ownership goes back some years and an interesting thing to note is that in the newsletters of the day, that when the DBSV8 came out in 1971, owners of the Newport Pagnell DB4/5/6's were commenting on the fact that the V8's were not 'proper Astons' The same happened when the DB7's came in and so on. This is not a new occurence.
There is no doubt that the Gaydon car owners are generally younger than the usual AMOC member but you will be the owners that take the club through the next couple of decades. Someone needs to listen to you!
Hi Tim....I was at the AGM where John Goldsmith was voted in as new chairman and the day before was the reps meet.
I mentioned the event we had at Trinity, and how all of you that attended were so positive towards the Marque and how the AMOC should tap into the ownership that it is missing out on by not listening.
Time will tell if the new people in charge of the club will do what is necessary or follow the old guard as has been mentioned.
For your information, my club ownership goes back some years and an interesting thing to note is that in the newsletters of the day, that when the DBSV8 came out in 1971, owners of the Newport Pagnell DB4/5/6's were commenting on the fact that the V8's were not 'proper Astons' The same happened when the DB7's came in and so on. This is not a new occurence.
There is no doubt that the Gaydon car owners are generally younger than the usual AMOC member but you will be the owners that take the club through the next couple of decades. Someone needs to listen to you!
Im in... Can you email me details of membership etc....
Cheers.......
Tim
why not have a look at what the other clubs are like, and learn from them? My brother in law has an Exige, Him and some other drivers regularly go on long trips to the Alps, etc driving and camping/staying in cheap hotels. For the thrill of driving. Not to learn about a new culture, or be educated, but the AMOC version would be more formal castle and garden tours, less frantic driving.
Perhaps that does reflect the grand touring nature of the cars, and the mature demographic of most of the members I'm sure, but this is no longer matched by the ownership demographic of new cars.
On more then one occassion I have met members at dinner events who dont own cars, dont know anything about them, but joined because they feel the posh, formal stuff is what the club is! One even said "The food, the wine. The company. This is what the club is about...." at one christmas event.
"And the cars?" I asked.
They didnt feaure on his radar. At all. The club might as well have been a golf club to him. I have always felt a lot of members DO think its a golf club. There are some very rich members of the club, but having poeple join just so they can hob-knob with them maybe skew's the events team into organsing events which the gaydon owners (maybe read younger, less Blazer-ish, more Sparco boot then brogue, Houx rather then Chateau*) want to attend.
Of course there are exceptions- those who post on here, and the friends I still have in the club, but this doesnt reflect in the amoc events. Or those who attend them
I joined the club at 14, but left when I was in my early 30s for many reasons I wont go into here. I still love the cars with a passion I have only felt again when my son was born. But the club still leaves my cold and gives nothing I would consider paying for.
One more example: we know this is the most popular website for cars in the UK, with many gaydon owners present and very active members. Has anyone from the club mentionned what is happening this weekend?? Where Gt4 racing versions of their very cars can be seen in action, amongst others?? Maybe invited any Gaydon owners to attned, offer them free parking in the centre (regardles of membership status) providing they bring their Aston, offer a tea and then chat about membership???
why not have a look at what the other clubs are like, and learn from them? My brother in law has an Exige, Him and some other drivers regularly go on long trips to the Alps, etc driving and camping/staying in cheap hotels. For the thrill of driving. Not to learn about a new culture, or be educated, but the AMOC version would be more formal castle and garden tours, less frantic driving.
Perhaps that does reflect the grand touring nature of the cars, and the mature demographic of most of the members I'm sure, but this is no longer matched by the ownership demographic of new cars.
On more then one occassion I have met members at dinner events who dont own cars, dont know anything about them, but joined because they feel the posh, formal stuff is what the club is! One even said "The food, the wine. The company. This is what the club is about...." at one christmas event.
"And the cars?" I asked.
They didnt feaure on his radar. At all. The club might as well have been a golf club to him. I have always felt a lot of members DO think its a golf club. There are some very rich members of the club, but having poeple join just so they can hob-knob with them maybe skew's the events team into organsing events which the gaydon owners (maybe read younger, less Blazer-ish, more Sparco boot then brogue, Houx rather then Chateau*) want to attend.
Of course there are exceptions- those who post on here, and the friends I still have in the club, but this doesnt reflect in the amoc events. Or those who attend them
I joined the club at 14, but left when I was in my early 30s for many reasons I wont go into here. I still love the cars with a passion I have only felt again when my son was born. But the club still leaves my cold and gives nothing I would consider paying for.
One more example: we know this is the most popular website for cars in the UK, with many gaydon owners present and very active members. Has anyone from the club mentionned what is happening this weekend?? Where Gt4 racing versions of their very cars can be seen in action, amongst others?? Maybe invited any Gaydon owners to attned, offer them free parking in the centre (regardles of membership status) providing they bring their Aston, offer a tea and then chat about membership???
- "Houx rather then Chateau". I like that. It rhymes, and sums it up nicely.
Oddly I used to post on the DB7 part of AMOC a lot, was as regular on there as I am on here (too regular some might say...). Verminator and LBS are the only two Bloxham owners I can think of here, the bulk of us are Gaydon owners with a few Vanquish owners who come down when someone insults their gearboxes
But the DB9 section on there... well you can see the virtual tumbleweed. I'd ask questions, no answers and eventually ended up talking to myself, now I'm here doing something similar I suppose but Jockman and George will normally humour me! I know I am only comparing forum with forum, but that seems to be my most frequent interaction.
As to the club - I have NEVER felt unwelcome at an event, everyone is very decent and thoroughly interesting. But there's a bit of the 'young whippersnapper with a mass-produced car' tone to the whole thing, including the magazine. The mag tends to have the same faces collecting the same trophies year in year out. Obligatory DB4/5/6 outside country pile, elderly people eating dinner with nice paintings on the wall and so on.
What about a feature on Burntout's car, from getting damaged to the unique stealth machine it became, or Ben's 475bhp GT4 engined Vantage? A lot of us 'whippersnappers with mass-produced cars' are doing good and interesting things with our Astons and defending the marque against all-comers into the bargain! In a perfect world a DB4 Mk5 would sit next to my DB9, maybe the DB owners need to see the Gaydon cars are the modern counterparts to their classics.
Amused by the story of the NP V8s getting the 'not a proper Aston' treatment in the 70s. I suppose the DB cars (excluding the 7 and 9) will always be the true Astons, the pre-DB cars are too rare and too little known to count!
Tim, when is the next Area 1 meeting? I would like to attend.
But the DB9 section on there... well you can see the virtual tumbleweed. I'd ask questions, no answers and eventually ended up talking to myself, now I'm here doing something similar I suppose but Jockman and George will normally humour me! I know I am only comparing forum with forum, but that seems to be my most frequent interaction.
As to the club - I have NEVER felt unwelcome at an event, everyone is very decent and thoroughly interesting. But there's a bit of the 'young whippersnapper with a mass-produced car' tone to the whole thing, including the magazine. The mag tends to have the same faces collecting the same trophies year in year out. Obligatory DB4/5/6 outside country pile, elderly people eating dinner with nice paintings on the wall and so on.
What about a feature on Burntout's car, from getting damaged to the unique stealth machine it became, or Ben's 475bhp GT4 engined Vantage? A lot of us 'whippersnappers with mass-produced cars' are doing good and interesting things with our Astons and defending the marque against all-comers into the bargain! In a perfect world a DB4 Mk5 would sit next to my DB9, maybe the DB owners need to see the Gaydon cars are the modern counterparts to their classics.
Amused by the story of the NP V8s getting the 'not a proper Aston' treatment in the 70s. I suppose the DB cars (excluding the 7 and 9) will always be the true Astons, the pre-DB cars are too rare and too little known to count!
Tim, when is the next Area 1 meeting? I would like to attend.
i'm still a member,,,but still get no help , etc from the club with regards to Hever...last yr they sent a cup i think...this yr i doudt they will supply anything...and they do know that 80% of the people who attended Hever last yr were non members , an ideal time to recruit new members?...not according to AMOC it isn't....too many old farts running the club , stuck in the past glory days of racing etc....which is dragging the club down....
thats my 2p worth....
see you all at Hever June 24th....
thats my 2p worth....
see you all at Hever June 24th....
yeti said:
Tim, when is the next Area 1 meeting? I would like to attend.
Now that’s the spirit Yeti. Like the new broom in the AMOC committee, the way to change the AMOC is for more Gaydon members to join and get involved. When I went to my first AMOC meeting I had a great time and the guy’s there said I was the first Vanquish owner that they had been able to actually talk to. I won’t say what they said about some of the others. I’m sure they just misunderstood the chaps. There was also a big contingent of DB7 owners. They must have been in the same position as the DB9 owners when their cars were new but they joined the club and were not put off by the old fuddy dudies.
I think of the AMOC as part of the Aston Martin experience and enjoy it as such.
williamp said:
Has anyone from the club mentionned what is happening this weekend?? Where Gt4 racing versions of their very cars can be seen in action, amongst others?? Maybe invited any Gaydon owners to attned, offer them free parking in the centre (regardles of membership status) providing they bring their Aston, offer a tea and then chat about membership???
Actually Anne did post a thread about the AMOC racing at Silverstone this Saturday! But that was an exception, and maybe because I whinged about an AMOC meet that was posted last Sunday with an hour's notice!Tim, I think you're taking a good step by asking the question. I've wavered back and forth on membership. On the one hand, I regard AMOC as the "Church of Aston", very much about preserving the history and reverence for the cars past and, to a lesser degree, present. As with most churches there's some stuffiness about it but I feel like I *should* support it.
On the other hand, I'm half way around the world on the West coast of Canada and it's much harder to see the benefits for the cost. I might be interested in the meetings and social events if I were in the UK, but I'm not. I haven't seen the AMOC publications, so I don't really know what I'm missing. I understand there are technical areas on the website that are open to members only, so again I don't know what I'm missing. In short, AMOC hasn't "sold" me on membership.
Aston ownership in North America (at least in my part) seems to be a fairly solitary pursuit -- I rarely see another one on the road and I don't know any other owners here. To give you an idea: there are only 14 new or used Astons listed for sale within 500km of me. PH and AMOC forums are hugely UK-centric, but I enjoy the community (interesting characters in both places) and visit both sites regularly. There's good information and helpful people at both, and that has definitely added to my enjoyment of the car.
Would I be interested in an "internet only" AMOC membership at a reduced cost? Yes I think so, if it gave me access to the member areas and there was useful information there. Would I pay more to get the publication subscription if I knew what was being published, or could look at online copies of past issues? Perhaps. I would also suggest that it wouldn't hurt your cause if you could find a better way to deal with pricing for joining mid-year.
Hope that one view from the "rest of the world" is helpful. Given that the market for AM seems to be growing in far away places it might be a good thing to figure how to reach out and include those new owners.
On the other hand, I'm half way around the world on the West coast of Canada and it's much harder to see the benefits for the cost. I might be interested in the meetings and social events if I were in the UK, but I'm not. I haven't seen the AMOC publications, so I don't really know what I'm missing. I understand there are technical areas on the website that are open to members only, so again I don't know what I'm missing. In short, AMOC hasn't "sold" me on membership.
Aston ownership in North America (at least in my part) seems to be a fairly solitary pursuit -- I rarely see another one on the road and I don't know any other owners here. To give you an idea: there are only 14 new or used Astons listed for sale within 500km of me. PH and AMOC forums are hugely UK-centric, but I enjoy the community (interesting characters in both places) and visit both sites regularly. There's good information and helpful people at both, and that has definitely added to my enjoyment of the car.
Would I be interested in an "internet only" AMOC membership at a reduced cost? Yes I think so, if it gave me access to the member areas and there was useful information there. Would I pay more to get the publication subscription if I knew what was being published, or could look at online copies of past issues? Perhaps. I would also suggest that it wouldn't hurt your cause if you could find a better way to deal with pricing for joining mid-year.
Hope that one view from the "rest of the world" is helpful. Given that the market for AM seems to be growing in far away places it might be a good thing to figure how to reach out and include those new owners.
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