Anyone tired of this ???
The blank check guys have their place in the hobby too.
Sure, absolutely they are part of the equation. That's trickle-down economics for ya, I suppose. But for them it's not "a" hobby. They are just feeding the hobby market with capital. And I still question what's to be proud of, because it's not the car they built, it's the car they bought.
There's a very large distinction there, which goes to the OP's original observation. I was watching some rocker driving his General Lee Charger on Rides yesterday. Cool dude, cool car, awesomeness everywhere. But the car is just a toy to him, he even said so. Now he has the ultimate Dukes of Hazard toy. He doesn't appreciate the Charger for what it is primarily because he did not build it himself, like the Dukes built the original on the TV show in TVland, somewhere down south.
I have more respect for the check writers who at least inflate their tires and change their own oil. I believe the original OP's complaint might be that we have gotten to the point now where the check writers that maybe don't even do that outnumber the real builders, so the hobby is diminished for that.
Like Grassy said, nobody does it all. Not even Chip Foose does it all, personally. He has a team doing it. But the people who do what they can on a shoestring budget building "junkers" are the ones I really respect and have the right to take true pride in ownership.