[Mike-T]

It helps to get young people involved..My 13 year old son knows most 60-70s musclecars at a glance, and he is already planning his 69 Camaro..I did have to steer him away from mustangs though...On a similar note, since my 67 is still in pieces, I drove my fenderless hotrodded 1931 roadster during our week long Cruising the coast cruise in...most people didn't have a clue what a traditional hotrod roadster is about, and looked at it like it was from Mars..I really felt like a dying breed!

[rj68RS]

I don't think the breed is dying until as parents we don't teach our boys and girls about cars and the love of owning and working on them. I have two boys, 17 band 19. Both drive newer Ford Focus' but that's okay with me because both were built in Wayne,MI (I have the build sheets) and they aren't driving Honda, Toyota, or Nissan's. Both boys love American muscle cars and hot rods. My youngest wants a 69 Camaro pro-touring and a 33 roadster with a 572 or 621 blown Chevy big block, I told him to get a really good job. Oldest loves 57 Belairs with twin turbo small blocks that look like sleepers on the outside. I have already told both that when they can afford the car, parts, and beer I will donate my time to help them do the builds.

[jr68]

Originally Posted by rj68RS

Both drive newer Ford Focus' but that's okay with me because both were built in Wayne,MI (I have the build sheets) and they aren't driving Honda, Toyota, or Nissan's. Both boys love American muscle cars and hot rods.

[norcal_68]

Interesting post here. The hobby has priced out the youth and others. It's not affordable for many people to get a muscle/classic car anymore. To start, you have to scour the earth to find a reasonably priced car at all entry levels. While the internet has been a great resource for car builders, it's also been the bane to enthusiasts, as it's brought the worst out in car flippers and people exploiting the hobby.

To buy a muscle/classic car, you have to have cash, otherwise you're financing a car at an unreasonable apr percentage. 8-10% is pretty outrageous these days. I've finally gotten back into a muscle car after many years, 15 years to be exact. Other priorities have always gotten in the way, money for an engagement ring, house payment, paying off college loans. I finally was able to buy a pretty solid 69 for straight cash, won't disclose how much, as I think I still overpaid in this market. I'd like to get my sons into the hobby when they're in their teens, but I'd probably have to start hunting now for their project cars. And they're only 7 and 5 years old! Anyhow, I don't mean to say negative, but it's just not a practical hobby for the younger generation.

[Mike-T]

That can be true for sure, but great deals on plane jane camaros are out there still. I bought a 67 coupe only 2 years ago for 2500.00 from a friend who was about to list it on ebay. That price included a bunch of new sheetmetal, and a 350/4 speed. I put new quarters and front cap on it, revamped the interior, and suspension, then sprayed it with DP90. We ended up with a rust free driver quality 67 RS to play with for about 7500 bucks. My son helped with the cleaning of parts, not much else he could do then, but now he's willing and ready to do more on the next one...(someone decided they REALLY wanted that one and made a great offer on it, so it left before I could even paint it)

True it wasn't a custom painted show car or 100 point restoration, but it was never intended to be, just something we could mess with together. If you have the place to work and the tools, its a great way to get a kid hooked on the car scene.

Now if your only option is to buy a turn key finished car, then no, that wouldn't be feasible (or smart for that matter) for a teenager.

[DjD]

Originally Posted by Mike-T

That can be true for sure, but great deals on plane jane camaros are out there still. I bought a 67 coupe only 2 years ago for 2500.00 from a friend who was about to list it on ebay. That price included a bunch of new sheetmetal, and a 350/4 speed. I put new quarters and front cap on it, revamped the interior, and suspension, then sprayed it with DP90. We ended up with a rust free driver quality 67 RS to play with for about 7500 bucks. My son helped with the cleaning of parts, not much else he could do then, but now he's willing and ready to do more on the next one...(someone decided they REALLY wanted that one and made a great offer on it, so it left before I could even paint it)

True it wasn't a custom painted show car or 100 point restoration, but it was never intended to be, just something we could mess with together. If you have the place to work and the tools, its a great way to get a kid hooked on the car scene.

Now if your only option is to buy a turn key finished car, then no, that wouldn't be feasible (or smart for that matter) for a teenager.

You found a great deal but most teens end up with mom and dads hand me down or spend about $2k on their first car and don't have any money left to sink into it. An old classic is not a good 1st car for most teens. That doesn't mean they won't be into them later after college and getting life started. It doesn't mean they can't learn to wrench on their $2k beater and do a brake job in the driveway with hand tools or make suspension and other performance mods as they get the money to afford them... That's really the "breed", the classic's will come as they grow and develop... If you are one of the over 50 set here here you got to experience it with what we call old classic's but the cars back then were not old classics, they were what we could afford!

[Vintage 68]

Originally Posted by rj68RS

I don't think the breed is dying until as parents we don't teach our boys and girls about cars and the love of owning and working on them.
... I will donate my time to help them do the builds.
...

As I've posted many times - both my daughters are very into cars and do much of their own work on theirs
They spend many a day (and night) out in the shop with dad working on all sorts of vehicles and vessels
Nothing like teaching your daughter to operate a fork-lift so she can help you pull and engine

Just like your boys - they both have new Daily-drivers (a 2011 Malibu and 2012 Cruz - we're a 'Chevy' family ) but love classics and hope to build a 1st or 2nd Gen. sometime (and are really hoping dad passes a couple down ...).

The youngest did a 60's VW a few years ago, and now has a mid-70's Shortbed Chevy pick-up that she's slowly reworking. So far we've dropped it and done some driveline improvements. She's hoping to have a new set of rims/tires by next spring and then we're going to start redoing paint and cosmetic items.
There's always room in "Dad's Garage" for one of their projects

[tlabansky]

I'm probably going to get flammed or whatever for saying this, the reason why more kids (including me) are buying imports is because they're cheap to modify. And quality parts aren't as expensive either and they are fairly quick with mild building. Its not dying unless you think of imports as being "only rice" and not included into the criteria of the love of going fast and modifying cars. But their has some really good info on this thread.

Everything is more enjoyable when you don't have to urinate.

[Eleanor's Nemesis]

You won't get flamed, there is truth in what you wrote. Many of us with older muscle cars were in the same position 2-3 decades ago that you and your friends are in now.

Not many of us had any money when we were young-so we went to the wrecking yards and got the OE performance parts of the day off crashed and blown up cars. I can't tell you how many Mopar 440's and 9 inch Ford rears I pulled back in the day-I never paid more than 50 bucks for any of those things, and I remember laying in the mud busting knuckles vividly,lol.

Originally Posted by tlabansky

I'm probably going to get flammed or whatever for saying this, the reason why more kids (including me) are buying imports is because they're cheap to modify. And quality parts aren't as expensive either and they are fairly quick with mild building. Its not dying unless you think of imports as being "only rice" and not included into the criteria of the love of going fast and modifying cars. But their has some really good info on this thread.

Everything is more enjoyable when you don't have to urinate.

[tlabansky]

Yeah, that's so true. But most people don't really understand that that stuff isn't cheap like that anymore. I wish it were lol.

But again a lot of people hate on imports like its not part of the "sport" if you will because its not what they like. But I can garuntee you that import lovers also love American stuff. I wish I could say vice versa

Everything is more enjoyable when you don't have to urinate.

[jr68]

Hey I get why young guys would buy imports cuz theyre cheap, plentiful, disposible and easy to hot rod. Heck smash one up and go down to the corner car lot and grab another one.

I did as above mentioned score my Camaro when they were cheap, heck I got it for 900 bux back when I was 20. It was a total basket case.

btw I'm one who dislikes imports, you have no idea how much.

[Mike-T]

but its just so hard for me to call a 4 door accord with fart can exhaust and a 4 banger a hot rod..lol.

I have great memories of the mid 70s hanging around at my uncles wrecking yard. I was probably 14 or so. I remember the complete ss396 chevelles, GTOs and Mustangs sitting around in the yard. amazing how worthless they were then...We never could keep a decent 67-69 Camaro though..unless it was just demolished..

I know...times change....I could probably learn to like an EVO or WRX, but there's something addictive about a cammed up V8

[tlabansky]

Originally Posted by Mike-T

but its just so hard for me to call a 4 door accord with fart can exhaust and a 4 banger a hot rod..lol.

I have great memories of the mid 70s hanging around at my uncles wrecking yard. I was probably 14 or so. I remember the complete ss396 chevelles, GTOs and Mustangs sitting around in the yard. amazing how worthless they were then...We never could keep a decent 67-69 Camaro though..unless it was just demolished..

I know...times change....I could probably learn to like an EVO or WRX, but there's something addictive about a cammed up V8

Haha yeah, im talking about hondas too, but their are other imports than evos and wrx's. Like z31 300zx's and 240sx's are cheap as hell. And evos and wrxs have 4 doors and a 4 Banger


My buddy has a 800whp civic that he used to daily when it only had 650whp. but it all depends on the mentality of the import owners.

Originally Posted by jr68

Hey I get why young guys would buy imports cuz theyre cheap, plentiful, disposible and easy to hot rod. Heck smash one up and go down to the corner car lot and grab another one.

I did as above mentioned score my Camaro when they were cheap, heck I got it for 900 bux back when I was 20. It was a total basket case.

btw I'm one who dislikes imports, you have no idea how much.

I hang around people that hate imports alot too. Ricers irritate me too. But not all imports are rice.
But that's the wrong attitude to have on imports dude. Not everyone will sit their and talk s*** about a camaro. At least not the people who I hang around.



Everything is more enjoyable when you don't have to urinate.

[rj68RS]

There is definitely a generational thing here but it's not the import cars as much as some of the drivers and their attitudes. It's the few who ruin it for the many. Loud (c)rap blaring from subwoofers bigger than the tires, attempts to do burnouts at every stop sign, open containers, drugs, and the inevitable loaded handguns. It's the reason why many car shows don't allow imports and the ones that do usually separate them from all the other cars.

My grandmother used to say, "Never judge a book by it's cover, but... if the table of contents is out there for all to see, you know where the story is headed"

[Eleanor's Nemesis]

I remember back in the day we did some pretty stupid and irritating stuff too. Burnouts all over the place, loud exhaust, loud rock-n-roll, daredevil driving tactics, the whole nine. That was during the post- muscle car era too when our cars could be bought for a song.
Don't hold all that stuff against the young crowd, most of us did it all back in the day. The kids are just having fun.

Most of us old car guys have grown and matured-so we don't really like the new kids with their stuff. I bet the Model T and Flathead guys hated the Muscle Cars with those loud paint jobs, weird wings and spoilers, and most of all that blaring 'music' by Jimi and Zepplin and all the rest.

I do despise the rap stuff, however.......lol.