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Coupe des Alpes 1958


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Younger people are interested in younger cars and tend to operate via forums alone. I suppose because the interest is age related, enthusiasm for various models is more transitory and for the ownership of buildings etc, negligible. Dealers too, make more money out of "emerging" classics than established ones.

 

I wonder if the size of our type of car club will decrease over time and eventually become affiliated to one large post war equivalent of the VSCC.

 

 

Totally disagree, it is the attidude that puts the younger generation off and maybe the stifling regulations that we now live with

 

I Belong to a local car club the President of the club is 28 the average age of the membership is between 20 and 35, at 45 I am an old fart. Most of the younger guys love our cars but can not afford them but hope to one day. The club welcomes any car built before 1980 no matter what it state, there are loads of young members with 1960's cars mainly popular cars as its what they can afford but the passion is still there.

 

There is a goup of guys in their mid 20's who are in the process of buying wrecked or abandoned 1920's chassis and transforming them into specials as they are cheap and they can afford it. from this bought for a few hundred euros

384248_4267338195613_1388730839_n.jpg

 

To this in less than a year

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xub7pn_cyclecar-peugeot-1928_auto?start=9

 

These people are the future of our hobby not "Alternative Investors" the best thing for the future is for the values of our cars to fall which they will do eventually in real terms.

 

(hops off soap box and runs to corner to wait for fallout :ph34r::D )

 

cheers

 

Alan

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Alan

 

I don't think it's attitude or even cost, though older cars are way more expensive than young people with families can afford, I think it's simply what they remember. Old cars tend to be popular with an age group that hankers after ones from their youth, so I buy TR3As and Bentleys and younger people later models from theirs.

 

If you look in the classic car mags you'll see they devote lots of space to Golf GTIs, Mazda MX5s and powerful Mercs and BMWs etc. This type of car, if it becomes a classic, shoots up in value and dealers and mags do well.

 

Meanwhile TR3As are comparatively rare with predictable prices that everyone knows, so making big profits is harder and sales are much slower because few can afford them. Not so interesting to mags needing ad sales or dealers hoping for bigger margins.

 

The VSCC had a good idea when they allowed Austin 7s and related specials in because it gave young people affordable competition vehicles, but without a parent or mentor, how are most young uns going to know about them and how many are interested in something so slow when they can have an MX5 for a £1000. This shows that there are exceptions as you're describing, which is good.

 

All the old, rare and valuable cars are always bought by rich collectors because they are the only ones who can afford them and it's wrong to knock them because they are as interested as anyone and they use them as much as they can. There's a huge business in providing Rallies, races, concours, holidays and so on for them and us too if we fancy it. Healey 3000s and E Types are rising in price faster than average because they are beautiful and people want them for these events.

 

There could not be a more friendly and hospitable club than this one and I'm sure that any young people remotely interested in TRs would be made welcome and treated well by any of us. Why ever not? But I think they prefer later cars.

Edited by Ashley James
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... older cars are way more expensive than young people with families can afford,

 

Agree with most of the reasoning, but during the last 5 years it has cost me far less to run my TR3A than for my son to run Saxos (even after allowing for the ludicrously crippling insurance loading until he reached 25). Most affordable modern cars are poorly built and require frequent replacement of exhaust and associated emission equipment, not to mention electrical items and plastic interior trim disintegrates when removed to get at hidden electrics. Other than basic jobs on modern cars like brake overhaul, greasing, etc., most DIY maintenance and tuning is beyond the scope or facilities of the average owner, particularly young drivers, unlike the majority of classics. Spares are also cheaper for classics and many components can still be refurbished. Unfortunately, all of this is lost on the young, as it's all down to 'image' and peer pressure.

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Totally disagree, it is the attidude that puts the younger generation off and maybe the stifling regulations that we now live with

 

I Belong to a local car club the President of the club is 28 the average age of the membership is between 20 and 35, at 45 I am an old fart. Most of the younger guys love our cars but can not afford them but hope to one day. The club welcomes any car built before 1980 no matter what it state, there are loads of young members with 1960's cars mainly popular cars as its what they can afford but the passion is still there.

 

There is a goup of guys in their mid 20's who are in the process of buying wrecked or abandoned 1920's chassis and transforming them into specials as they are cheap and they can afford it. from this bought for a few hundred euros

384248_4267338195613_1388730839_n.jpg

 

To this in less than a year

 

http://www.dailymoti...28_auto?start=9

 

These people are the future of our hobby not "Alternative Investors" the best thing for the future is for the values of our cars to fall which they will do eventually in real terms.

 

(hops off soap box and runs to corner to wait for fallout :ph34r::D )

 

cheers

 

Alan

 

 

Hi Alan

 

That´s how I started! When still an apprentice fitter/machinist I bought a 1935 Austin 7 Ruby saloon and put a fibreglass body on it after first welding in more strength tubing to support the body, rather like our four outer body supports on the TR´s. I had to wait until I had saved enough money to buy the next part I needed to continue the build, it took me nearly 3 years waiting for that next £1.00.

Dave

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Interesting forward looking debate this.

 

Kiwifrog - your experience with French yoof is different from mine and makes a pleasant change from my observations.

A great majority of classic car buffs here are tyre kickers and polishers and don't have a clue as to what makes them stop, steer and go. Many are not really interested to learn either ! Like many of our age I look after my 3A myself and I'm considered an excentric by many.

 

BrianC You have started on something, that in my corner of the woods has become apparent. It is not surprising that youth takes less interest in the mechanics of cars - classic or modern, now that breakdown on something interesting and affordable now requires the intervention of a garage with an expensive box of tricks to sort things out.

The days of road side repairs are disappearing fast as our generation curls up its toes.

 

If I can throw another thought into the ring - what is going to happen to all these absurd prices being paid (by whom ?) in a few years time when us fettlers are no longer around.

IMHO it is us lot with the grisbee that can afford to pay for this nostalgia in our dotage - it may not always be so

 

james

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The extraordinary thing is that car restoration doesn't seem to be affected in the way that most businesses have in this crisis.

 

My son runs a restoration company and also does work for another. This year he's had a 1936 BMW 319, a completely rebuilt to trim MGTC, a Lambourghini, an E Type, a Lea Francis, Austin Clifton Tourer, several rare Derby Bentleys for complete trims, a P1 and a Ghost, I can't remember them all, some are from the super rich and others from people like us that save hard.

 

TV shops and Argos tell a different story, their business is well down.

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TV shops and Argos tell a different story, their business is well down.

 

 

Thats because there is nothing worth watching on the telly and Argos doesn't sell proper Toys like TR's :D

 

Cheers

 

Alan

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Thats because there is nothing worth watching on the telly and Argos doesn't sell proper Toys like TR's :D

 

Cheers

 

Alan

 

 

Too right!

 

I thought it was me, because I didn't think TV had ever been worse than it is now.

 

We use Apple TV and either rent from iTunes or use Netflix.

 

I can't stand the cult of personality and I'm not the slightest bit surprised Jimmy Saville was a vile pervert, probably one of many IMO!

Edited by Ashley James
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