Are car enthusiasts a dying breed?
Discussion
I'm 21 (so part of the youth i guess!) and i think that overall the amount of true enthusiasts is the same. However i think that you had to have a slight interest in cars in the 60's & 70's as it required abit of thought just to get your car running. Whereas today you can just jump in and go with zero thought.
In other words knowing abit about cars was a necessity whereas today its optional, but the same proportion of'real' enthusiasts still exists.
In other words knowing abit about cars was a necessity whereas today its optional, but the same proportion of'real' enthusiasts still exists.
Rotary Madness said:
Mr2Mike said:
Fleckers said:
my ldest is 18 no interest
my 16 year old is car crazy
my 12 year old no interest at moment
my 9 year old no interest at moment
my 6 year old car crazy
my 4 year old car crazy
I can see what your main interest is my 16 year old is car crazy
my 12 year old no interest at moment
my 9 year old no interest at moment
my 6 year old car crazy
my 4 year old car crazy
I used to run a car before moving to London and I don't think I'd like to be without one should I move out again. I like to think I'm a Petrolhead, but being male and in my twenties, the cost of insuring anything interesting makes me wince every time I look into buying a car.
I can't help thinking that some the joys of motoring have gone compared to a few decades ago. Most cars are 2 litre diesels, environmental and cost concerns mean driving enthusiastically is frowned on, and driving in traffic is more stressful.
I can't help thinking that some the joys of motoring have gone compared to a few decades ago. Most cars are 2 litre diesels, environmental and cost concerns mean driving enthusiastically is frowned on, and driving in traffic is more stressful.
The world kids are growing up in is quite different to the world in which I gew up; the 1980's. Speed is deemed socially unacceptable and to a large extent so is risk, so there's far less opportunity to glamorise cars and speed. Having said that my girlfriends younger brother (15) is much more of an enthusiast than I ever was at that age
I am 17 and love cars as soon as i started to learn to drive i was looking for a car and generally loved finding a car and insurance i was lucky enough to get insured on my mams car and enjoy driving that but already wanting to purchase a nice older car like a ford escort st or something along them lines when i get older and can get insured on it
Elf & Safety probably has something to do with it, or at least the attitudes of some parents towards it.
Not too many years ago me and my friends cut our driving teeth in a series of old rusty ford, vauxhall, rover and fiats. None of these motors had ABS, airbags, power steering, or even decent tyres and in some cases complete floors.
Nowadays many many parents won't allow their children to drive such cars so support or encourage the purchase of new modern stuff that needs very little maintaining.
The good old elves also have scuppered one of my favourite ways to pass the time, between days wasted in pubs, which was mooching around scrapyards for the one part or switch needed to fix the car.
Life gets in the way too because now I need to go to work and pay bills spending a few days trying an engine swap or ripping apart cars trying to fit a new stereo system are sadly things of the past.
Not too many years ago me and my friends cut our driving teeth in a series of old rusty ford, vauxhall, rover and fiats. None of these motors had ABS, airbags, power steering, or even decent tyres and in some cases complete floors.
Nowadays many many parents won't allow their children to drive such cars so support or encourage the purchase of new modern stuff that needs very little maintaining.
The good old elves also have scuppered one of my favourite ways to pass the time, between days wasted in pubs, which was mooching around scrapyards for the one part or switch needed to fix the car.
Life gets in the way too because now I need to go to work and pay bills spending a few days trying an engine swap or ripping apart cars trying to fit a new stereo system are sadly things of the past.
Matt UK said:
I was thinking this just recently. Most of the cars in my road are nice enough exec chariots / 4x4's, but nothing that really suggested any of the owners were really into their cars.
This did change however when I got my Caterham. All of a sudden, neighbours who previously walked past with a friendly wave are now standing on my drive for 45mins looking at the car and tellling about the old cars they had and there were some real surprises.
Beyond plenty of 'oohs' 'aaahhs' and 'can we go for a quick spin' I have so far discovered that;
Mr S type Jag Diesel used to race a Cortina in a Rally Cross type event
Mr Merc 350cdi had a Stag and an Interceptor
Mr Nissan X trail rebuilt a 70's Buick back in the early 90's
Mr BMW 330d still has an Austin Healey 3000 tucked in the back of the garage
They are out there - they just need a little encouragement!
I had a similar experience recently, it's quite obvious I'm a petrol head (and only really associate with them too) by the amount of impractical and odd machinery that gets parked outside my house. Having a bit of a chat with the neighbours recently I discovered that mr Fiesta and Corolla Verso used to spanner for a Formula Ford team, and Mr Saab 9-3 estate with immaculate front lawn didn't actually like it very much and chopped it in for a Focus ST about a week later!This did change however when I got my Caterham. All of a sudden, neighbours who previously walked past with a friendly wave are now standing on my drive for 45mins looking at the car and tellling about the old cars they had and there were some real surprises.
Beyond plenty of 'oohs' 'aaahhs' and 'can we go for a quick spin' I have so far discovered that;
Mr S type Jag Diesel used to race a Cortina in a Rally Cross type event
Mr Merc 350cdi had a Stag and an Interceptor
Mr Nissan X trail rebuilt a 70's Buick back in the early 90's
Mr BMW 330d still has an Austin Healey 3000 tucked in the back of the garage
They are out there - they just need a little encouragement!
I think the moral of the story is to choose your wife carefully
Just for balance, I'm 22 and have been keenly interested in cars forever (caught the bug off dad). Most of my friends are at least 'interested' in cars, and even those who aren't don't mind immersing themselves in car culture by supporting me at race weekends.
My dad and I built a caterham in 2001 and both of us have been hooked on racing them since. I work as a trainee design engineer (mechanical) and shovel my money wholesale into racing and going out.
Before you all call me a selfish, vacuous waste of space, I appreciate that I'll soon have to give it up and move out... But in the mean time I have worked hard to build up a non-depreciating nest-egg in the form of my race car.
The force is strong in this one.
My dad and I built a caterham in 2001 and both of us have been hooked on racing them since. I work as a trainee design engineer (mechanical) and shovel my money wholesale into racing and going out.
Before you all call me a selfish, vacuous waste of space, I appreciate that I'll soon have to give it up and move out... But in the mean time I have worked hard to build up a non-depreciating nest-egg in the form of my race car.
The force is strong in this one.
I've been crazy about cars since as far back as I can remember, (18 now) but I suppose that's what happens when your dad races occasionally and runs a bodyshop to pay for his racing and mine back when I did a lot of karting. A lot of similar aged friends are into their cars, but all VW 'scene' nutters, and quite a few have licenses but just cannot afford to buy and/or run a car. Shame really. I had to get my dad to pay for everything and pay him back bit by bit, only a couple of months away from the car being totally mine 
17 year olds can't afford to think about cars.
It costs £1000 plus to pass your test, (I'll itemise getting my son through his test if you like)
It costs £2500 to insure the s
test group one car, once you pass your test.
If you think you might go to university starting in 2012, you will finish university with a loan of £50K, and the maintenance part of the loan won't be enough to actually live on, so you'll have to work part time whilst you study for A levels and work full time in your summer holidays, and hope that your grand parents give you money at christmas.
That said, my son is hopping to go to university this year, on the old scheme, I made sure that he had enough lessons and practise to pass his test, and then I traded my group 12 volvo in for a 1988 mini. 9 months after passing his test he's showing signs of becoming an enthusiast, but possibly not a mini enthusiast, given the gross unreliability.
It costs £1000 plus to pass your test, (I'll itemise getting my son through his test if you like)
It costs £2500 to insure the s
test group one car, once you pass your test.If you think you might go to university starting in 2012, you will finish university with a loan of £50K, and the maintenance part of the loan won't be enough to actually live on, so you'll have to work part time whilst you study for A levels and work full time in your summer holidays, and hope that your grand parents give you money at christmas.
That said, my son is hopping to go to university this year, on the old scheme, I made sure that he had enough lessons and practise to pass his test, and then I traded my group 12 volvo in for a 1988 mini. 9 months after passing his test he's showing signs of becoming an enthusiast, but possibly not a mini enthusiast, given the gross unreliability.
TAHodgson said:
I've been crazy about cars since as far back as I can remember, (18 now) but I suppose that's what happens when your dad races occasionally and runs a bodyshop to pay for his racing and mine back when I did a lot of karting. A lot of similar aged friends are into their cars, but all VW 'scene' nutters, and quite a few have licenses but just cannot afford to buy and/or run a car. Shame really. I had to get my dad to pay for everything and pay him back bit by bit, only a couple of months away from the car being totally mine
Sounds so damn familiar! Dad and I both race and dad runs a bodyshop for a living! I got my racecar in March '09 when I was 19, so you must be getting yours soon I presume!? Mk2 golf GTI perhaps?Ari said:
Welshbeef said:
Given the increasing popularity of goodwood FOS silverstone classic Le Mans F1
I'd say in general it's in rude health.
Weren't many people under the age of 40 at the FoS when I was there on Friday...I'd say in general it's in rude health.
Although i do agree that the endless speed bumps, cameras, bus lanes, reduced limits etc are sucking the soul out of it. Oh, and endlessly being told we'll all die of carbon dioxides unless we buy a diesel or hybrid
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