Is The Car Culture Doomed?

[Caballero]

All the newer stuff is computerized as well, which sucks. There are still plenty of cars in fields and junkyards that someday would be worth restoring or modifying. There are still barn finds as well. Last week I bought a 62 Continental convertible that had been sitting under a shed for 25 years.

Now I know with cash for clunkers, that the engines have to be destroyed, but after that what happens to the car? Also, since this is a government program, is there a list anywhere of the cars that have been accepted?

 

[CamaroAdam73]

I think we're pretty much the last of the breed, My moto is i won't drive it unless i built it, and i still stand by that today. I've got an 88 Monte SS and 73 camaro RS, the only other car i've owned and driven was a 94 Firebird that i bought as just a rolling chasis and dropped the motor( V6) and trans back into.

In my opinion, if they pass laws to limit what year vehicles car be allowed on the road, our cars will be safe due to the "classic" nature of the vehicles we drive and build, but to be honest, if they DID say i wasn't allowed to drive my car on the road, i'd probably cut up my license, rip the plate off and do it anyways. Just like if they tried to take away my guns, Over my dead body, And if thats the case You better believe i'm at least going down swingin'.

 

[bimmershark]

it ll be around forever , there are some pretty decent cars coming out , i took a ride in a new camaro with the 300 hp v-6 and honestly was surprised as hell... the local car group i am in with is a huge mix of cars , my one buddy has a 1st gen mr2 and a 63 rambler wagon he is 19 , there is a evo or 2 some bimmers , hondas that honestly impress me ...i have faith

 

[Larryg]

I wonder how many people thought the hot rod was dead in the 50's when cars got bigger and heavier along with big fins of all things! Vettes and T birds continued to grow too. What was happening before the GTO showed up? Cars were HUGE! For a brief period in our history performance boomed and then hit the crapper all in less than ten years. It never really hurt the hobby at all, gas cost did but lack of OEM involvement didnt.

Some of you are missing all the F body camaro's and firebirds built for years and equipped with V6's like our g bodies that can be had for chump change. These can be turned into drag cars, auto crossers, drift cars, or really nice street cars too. They'll handle big blocks with nary a fuss too. I'm not a mustang guy but how many of them fox bodies are out there? Capris's, t bird's even baby continental's too. All fit V8's without fuss and are RWD. They can also be built to do whatever you want. Theres also 2wd S10's and Blazers too, just waiting for a chance to smoke em with a new power plant. These are still coming off the showroom floor as well.

I just saw an old 10 second mercedes on pinks out takes. An 80's mercedes! We just need to use our imaginations.

 

[Bonnewagon]

In New York you're exempt after 25 years too. That's why I grabbed this old man's wagon and waited for the clock to run out so I could run an older V-8 in it. I agree that the raw material will be scarce but hot rodders have allways done whatever it takes to build something fast and fun. And today's kids are so computer savvy that I wouldn't worry about it holding them back from rodding the new stuff.

 

[dougfather]

I agree that the raw material will be scarce but hot rodders have allways done whatever it takes to build something fast and fun. And today's kids are so computer savvy that I wouldn't worry about it holding them back from rodding the new stuff.

I don't think the car culture will die, BUT it will evolve for sure. As with any proprietary info for firmware, it eventually gets reversed engineered or leaked out. I look at what is coming out (thinking th Ford Ecoboost Turbo V6) and seeing the insane amount of horsepower in a small package that no one could ever have dreamed of 20 years ago. People have done crazy things to cars in the past will will continue. What they do and how the go abaout it may be a bit different.

 

[outsider_27]

I think that it will for sure change, but it won't die. The classics and muscle cars have gotten so high in price the average person can't afford to buy them anymore. Even a crappy shell is too much. That is where the a-g bodies come in. Though not a muscle car in the former respect, they can be built just as well. And with the variety of platforms, you can have any engine in any platform, though I am not a fan of that. I have seen high school kids wrenching on a late 70's Caprice, the culture is there.

 

[Silent viewer]

if anything it is coming back right now, the camaro just came back and there are more rear wheel drive sporty cars out now then we had 10 years ago! i really dont think that the goverenment is gonna have anything to do with it either, they exempt cars over 25 years old from emissions and most of us build these cars as hobby cars, they are more focused on the guy that drives 200k a year and want him in a low emessions car. if they quit making cars that meet our needs then i would think that kit cars will start making a much larger appearance in the custom car world, i would not mind buiding a 30s model kit car already! it was mentioned that g bodies are affordable verses a true muscle car, i have been building these cars for almost 15 yerars, the pricves in the last few years, especially the last year has sky rocketed big time! BUT we are also seeing allot more for the after market world, if the culture was doomed the aftermarket world would be tappering off big time. as for the rice burner guys, those things are almost non existant from what it was 5 years ago. the culture will evolve just like everything else but it is far from doomed!

 

[Caballero]

They need to bring back hardtops! What were some of the last US ones? I know Mercedes made them in the early 90s.