I'm Confused...

[ssn696]

I spent a lot of time in, around and under several Malibus in my 20s. I learned by doing. Now that I am in my 40s, with three kids and a more than full-time job, I want to remind myself that I can still do these things (even if my wife argues I can't). I can't explain why I like the 1980 Malibu. Even if it does not yet go anywhere, I sit behind the wheel, and the space around me has all the right distances and proportions. Probably $entimental. That's the car I learned to drive in. (Still mad that it's the only year Malibu grille not yet recreated in the aftermarket...)

 

[el corvino]

What do you want me to prove? Pics of my cars? Here's the Esky trailering my Cutlass to drop it off at my shop that does all my custom work when it's beyond my scope... And here's a little eye candy from a frame off LS3 on bags...

It also has a lot to do with where you are from, your income, and your family's money. I'm from South Florida... leave it at that.

 

[Bonnewagon]

This is a hobby? Rats, I was looking online for parts and info and wound up here. Seriously though, CK80 nailed it. Whatever you were bequeathed by your family- you drove. Year, make, model, and condition was irrelevant. It was YOURS! And when it broke- you fixed it. Period. You accumulated tools, parts, and friends, and eventually became a "car guy". Then, and only then, did you begin to like "certain" cars more than others and seek them out. Maybe it was that 60's muscle car you never could afford. Maybe it was Grandpa's Model A. Maybe it was a mega-bucks import you saw in Car & Driver. But you got it, fixed it up, and showed it off if it was worthy. 'Twas always thus. Which brings me to my point. All the guys at that show, all the guys reading this, and all the ones that came before us, had one thing in common. We loved cars enough to keep em', fix em', and cherish them. That is so different from the average idiot who buys a car, abuses the crap out of it, and junks it as soon as he can get something "better". So embrace the new crop of car guys- they are the same as us.

 

[Wraith]

I'll disagree with the "new car guys" sentiment, the internet has ruined traditional hot-rodding as it was known. Too many people can look at 1 billion photos on a Google search, find the build thread, then source parts without leaving their office/living room/toilet and be a part of the club without earning their badge.

You would think this would propel car building but it stifles it in my honest opinion.

Nobody has to wait for the newest car rag to come out every month to find something new for their car, nobody get's to cruise every Friday/Saturday in a distant town to see what the competition is running, everything is a point and click, wait, somebody has done that, crap. I love the old days when you just went and wrenched, drove your car, and were happy with what you had. I miss the days of talking to random car guys at a cruise, car show, or just going to meet a guy that had a parts ad in the Sunday shopper to find people that shared a passion for the hobby.

The point-and-click mentality has diluted our hobby.

*This in no way discredits those that use the internet, only those that look to recreate a look/feel/coolness without finding their own way in the great hobby called hot-rodding, plus all the hours and dollars to get to the mythical end of a journey that we know as a car.

 

[1evilregal]

I actually thought about this on and off all day, and I had a thought...

one thing I think we're all missing here (myself included at first) is bang for the buck.... we all want our cars to have more power, handling,etc..., but want to keep it all in somewhat of a budget.

Take the average honda civic, for example: stock hp is what, 120? that's about 2/3 of what our had new, and at nearly half the weight.... now add in a flea-bay turbo on the cheap, and now you've got something with more hp than ours and came in at way cheaper than squeezing the same amount of power out of our some-cases hard to find performance parts.... throw in that the car being half the weight gives it way more power-to-weight ratio, and the ability to already handle way better than our bulky boxes....... I'm not bashing anyone for having/driving/modifying a compact car, in fact, I had an 83 civic hatch that I used to have a ball in, that I had a total investment of $200, out-handled my regal, and still got 40 mpg! I miss that little thing!

there's no 1 real reason that younger guys are picking these cars..... maybe availability is the main choice?

 

[64nailhead]

To each his own. I'm almost 50 and my son revitalized my interest in being a gear head. He likes muscle cars from the 60's, but they are mostly beyond our reach (financially), but he chose a 67 C20 first, an H-body second - 77 Astre, and a G-body third. His G-body was new when I was in 7th grade and was considered a desirable, hot, new, cool car when I was a young man. Much the same way a Honda or Volkswagen is now viewed by the younger generation. I'm happy as a lark to help him build his G-body to compete with modern stuff and all of his friends appreciate both his G-body and the fun that we have messing with it. If you hang with people that don't appreciate your taste, then it sounds like you need to hang with different people IMHO. But nothing makes me happier then to wrench on his car all day long on a Saturday with him.Hopefully, someday, you'll appreciate doing the same with your son (or daughter.) Take a look at the last couple of posts in my build thread and you'll understand.

In our society vehicles started out as a utility and turned into a hobby. This explains why we all have varying tastes. Look at everyone's hobby for what it is - a hobby, a release from the daily grind, whatever - again - to each his own.

Jim

 

[GP403]

In a way I find this humorous. As an relatively recent amateur radio operator, I hear this same sort of thing thrown around by the old timers.... "Back in my day we had to do 120WPM morse code with our ears full of cotton and build our own radios out of old lightbulbs, rusty fence wire, and seashells, damn kids today have it so easy.....and that was just to get our first license, let alone the upgrades....blah creak where's my cane."

There will always be the sticker-collectors. If it gets them started and gets them interested, maybe they'll go beyond and actually start learning something. Cripes in the height of the muscle car era the only thing you needed to get a fast car was some money and a visit to the dealer. Blame Pontiac. All you had to do back in the day was visit the parts counter and get some racing parts, right? Is it any different?

I recently watched "Two Lane Blacktop" and apart from it being an incredibly stupid movie with no plot, the guy with the (then new) '70 Judge acting all hot (and full of) sh*t vs. the other guys in the '55 Jalopy is practically the same situation.

There's a lot of it I don't like (and I won't go into it here because its just that, my opinion) but like I said, if it keeps the cars on the road and gets their interest in cars piqued then hey, who cares. How many kids did you know growing up who had a mid-70s Coupe or F-body jacked up in the back with ladder bars and glasspacks because it looked and sounded cool and no other reason..... I knew a lot.

 

[Kwik_Cutty88]

You guys all have good points. I guess I am an "old soul" lol.

 

[Bar50]

Well, I am in the older geezer demographic at 41. I have a collection of beater and project G-body cars. I moved from muscle cars that I drove in high school, like my first driver a 70 GS that I added a 455 to and the 70 GTO that followed to G-body cars because they are V8 body on frame cars. Lots of parts that fit and swap. GM stuff, C'mon. But, for $4000-$6000 you can grab a decent car and enjoy it. For less, you can have a project that needs some love and attention. I don't hate on younger guys that 'Google it' I made a name and reputation for myself for being the guy that remembered all that intel that made swap meets great for me and friends. If anything, I am a little jealous...nobody has to ask..."Hey what does this part fit?"

Enter a young guy or gal, he may not end up with a $4000-6000 version. I would still love to have another 68-69-70 Chevelle, but, for the price of a rough and rusty incomplete hull muscle car, I can have a big block Malibu with clean interior, nice wheels and have a great time. Plus, they are starting to become dinosaurs. Nobody wants a 454 or a carb. LSx swaps look easy, but, they are not cheap.

Plus, I don't see the same want, desire,and need to be autonomous with a vehicle in my nieces and nephews. Right now a cell phone and social media sort of trump having a car. Good bless 'Street Outlaws' it has generated a spike in the interest of old cars and hot rods/drag racing of your youths.

 

[Canon_Mutant]

At almost 60 [BTW, Bar50 at 41 you are still just a youngster in my book], I loved what are considered the true classic muscle cars but, with me, by the time I was old [wealthy] enough to finally buy my first new car, it was an '84 Cutlass Supreme. It had a gutless 307 but was SUCH a wonderful looking, riding, driving, car. It was only when I heard the RWD Cutlass was going away that I sought out to find what would be the last real 442 in my book and was just lucky to score 1 of 4208 in late '86 which I pretty much put in a garage, drove it occasionally during fair weather, and started driving pickups daily. Had I been able to afford even a reasonably nice much less new 68-72 anything at the time perhaps they would have become my passion. But, it was a new challenge to take a car that rides, drives, etc. much better than the true classic muscle cars ever did and make it perform better while still passing a sniff test and getting decent enough mileage to get me to the next potty stop BEFORE I have to fill up again. Now that I have accomplished that, before I go to the great salvage yard in the sky, if I can just make it perform respectfully on a track too . . . turning, stopping, silly stuff like that?

Youngsters from Gen X to Millennials have generally been handed a Subaru, Honda, or Toyota [more recently perhaps a Kia, Hyundai, or even a Focus or Cruze] by their folks OR, if they are actually self sustaining like most of us old farts were by necessity, they can only afford a high mileage version of these Japanese vehicles that they can likely just get in it and drive it because it likely does still run, then perhaps spend a little money on a coffee can muffler, perhaps a lowering kit, and [2] 300W subs for buzzing those bumpers OR get a high mileage G-body that will likely require a LOT of work, time, and coin to even get it and keep it running right when you know next to nothing about cars? It is a pretty easy decision. None of it bothers me except the damn coffee can mufflers and buzzing bumpers at 4:30AM!