"The Hobby Is Dying"

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seabee

seabee

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I have seen this phrase used often in the last 20yrs of searching through car forums (specifically Mopar forums). I have also watched the demand for and prices go up as well as the aftermarket expand and media. I don't have an answer, but am curious why that sentiment is common. What do you think?
 
The hobby is not dying
It is simply evolving in something we may not like or appreciate so rather then acknowledging the kid down the block with the ridiculous large wheels (18s) squeezing 600 horses out of an engine the size of a mountain dew bottle, we claim its dying
 
I wished it would for a minute so I could finally get into a '68 Plymouth B-body, and a 68-70 Charger :)

Seriously, with the crave for these cars and prices climbing, I don't see these cars rolling over and folks walk'n away from the Hobby. Look at the youth at Drag Week, Sick week, and other events like that. Shows like Engine Masters, Roadkill, and many utube channels have large followings. I have noticed the younger crowd don't want to just drive a "minty" 340 Duster to get a Donut Shop doing 40 mph, rope it off, then garage it. To be truthful, I don't like that either. It's why I love roadkill style cars.
 
When other things take up your wallet, I'll be waiting in the wings for a good deal.
It should be a buyer's market by then.
 
People don't like change. When they see something different, they assume the worst.
 
Cost is one. A shift in the new generations interest level. And lastly, cost in case I forgot to mention it..... Have you seen the price of junk buckets these days? As I have said, glad I got to enjoy it when everything made sense. It will always be here, but in a different form. EV is coming which will definitely not be welcomed by the older generation.

It's been this way since automobiles were made into a hobby....

JW
 
318willrun said:
I wished it would for a minute so I could finally get into a '68 Plymouth B-body, and a 68-70 Charger :)

Seriously, with the crave for these cars and prices climbing, I don't see these cars rolling over and folks walk'n away from the Hobby. Look at the youth at Drag Week, Sick week, and other events like that. Shows like Engine Masters, Roadkill, and many utube channels have large followings. I have noticed the younger crowd don't want to just drive a "minty" 340 Duster to get a Donut Shop doing 40 mph, rope it off, then garage it. To be truthful, I don't like that either. It's why I love roadkill style cars.
Click to expand...

In 2001 my daily was a BB 72 Charger I got for $1800. At the time it got a lot of attention from working class and lower income folks and a general disinterest from young professionals and "Wellydo's". Like you pointed out, maybe the hobby is changing but not necessarily dying. From what I see it is bigger than ever. Perhaps it is dying for those priced out due to low/fixed incomes.
 
No need to let cost keep anyone out.... I have a '64 Rambler I'll sell

:lol:
 
Its the age.

Model A fords, 32 ford used to be priced into oblivioun. Now parts are getting easier to come by as that generation dies away. Mind you the street rod scene and fiberglass came into being.

Muscle car era generation will slowly fade away and the demand will decrease.

Now is the street tuner and current generation of high horsepower mobiles (dont want to use the muscle car term)

I see my step son and his friends all excited about electric cars and Tesla's junk.

With each generation the old generation hates the new phase of vehicles.
Horses hated gas powered.
Gas powered hated v8s
Hot rods hated muscle cars
Etc.
 
I have seen racers say the same thing (the hobby is dieing) for many years, it's like a mind set to believe i think.
It has grown, social media and new tec turning of these new small engines in Cadillac's to 4 cylinder in Fords.

Life does change out there, but my old Plymouth is still giving to me and my world :thumbsup:
We have three times the drag strip up and running then we did in the 80es or 70es in my area of northeast Arkansas.


Just wanted to say :D thank you for reading
 
The hobby is changing as well as the entry price to get started. The changing entry price may also be changing the age range of new participants. Or the younger driver of today may not be interested in our vintage of cars much like I had no interests in model T’s.
 
Among my age group (60+) I would bet that I am among less than 1% with a classic car and considerably less than that with two. Nearly all of the guys I went to school with (and knew around this area) that were "into cars" lost interest in our 20s. We have never been the majority, not even close. The hobby is not showing any signs of dying, but it may always fluctuate. Value means very little to me as our cars are unlikely to ever be sold as they are going to our sons, who want them.
 
The car hobby in general is not dying, it is evolving. Think about it. Most of us are older, and we are buying, fixing, restoring and enjoying the cars of our youth. The younger folks who are into cars now (let's say 30-50) will likely be more interested in the cars the enjoyed in their youthful driving. Just because a different generation of people are interested in a different generation of cars, that does not mean the car hobby is dying. Add to that the fact that different people have different car taste. For example, there are lots of Low Riders around. Several years ago, I was at a cruise night and I started talking to a young black guy about his car. It was a very nice Cutlass Highboy. Highboys are the cars with wheels and tires so large that the car needs a lift kit. His was very tastefully done. It had a nice silver paint job with some nice maroon graphics and a plush maroon interior in some type of crushed velvet. It was on 20" (if I remember right) wheels. Like I said, it was tastefully done, and it looked really nice. He told me all about his car (in great detail). I was quite interested and complimented him on the car. Then he asked me if I had a car there, and I pointed out my Cuda. Then he came over to look at my car, and we chatted for quite a while. It was a good cruise night.
 
The problem that worries me is: in 10-15 yrs time when all the cars are electric, will we be able to get petrol. I bought my car to drive & enjoy; not to sit in a garage with an empty fuel tank. I don't see oil companies maintaining hugely expensive refineries for cars driven on weekends only.
 
200px-Mad-Max-2-The-Road-Warrior.jpg


oh no, we'll get the gas....
 
Funny when I bought my Charger in 1987. I was told the Hobby was dying. Didn't make a difference to me then, that was the car of my dreams and I was driving it every day.
 
I have lots of young people comment on my cars.
The thing about muscle cars is they are modern enough in their drive and handling , fast , easy to work on , stylish and have that sound and feel unlike any other generation of car.

Can you imagine doing a resto on a clapped out 2015 Challenger or Vette ?
The components are too complicated and there are so many that the aftermarkert will not be able to supply them in 30 yrs. Our parts are easy to manufacture and turn a profit on .

We have a special niche...
 
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