Unpopular opinion. I'm so frustrated I hate car shows/cruises.

-
pittsburghracer said:
55 years ago I would go to the yearly car show in Clarion during the Autumn Leaf Festival. Wow so many years ago. Then I discovered drag racing and could count my car shows that I go to every year on one or two fingers. Everyone gets a trophy crowd kills me. Lmao.
Click to expand...
ALF is right around the corner.
 
heres something I never "got"
free spectator admission, while the participating car owners have to PAY to park their cars in the "show"?
For someone's "group of buddies" in the (admitted for no charge) crowd to "fix" the voting?? people come to look at these cars that (usually) have had lots of blood sweat and tears put into them.... and those are the guys that have to pay to be there? seems backasswards.
The last show I entered my car in ( an all mopar show, "late B" class) there was a super nice 71 charger with the hideaway headlights, a 71 road runner, a 74 ratty 4 door coronet with evidence of at least 3 paint jobs not very well masked, overspray on windshield, etc, and a very cobbled BB swap, and then there was my 78 fury 2 door, at the time around 50k original miles, original paint, clean interior, just a wee bit rough on rockers, no rust thru (PO lived on gravel road) The pair of 71s definitely deserved to win. won't ever question that.
but the ratty 4 door guy had all his "buddies" there to stuff the ballot box... I understand that in a class of 4 cars, 1 has to be the odd one out.... that wound up being me.
there were so many cars in the spectator lot that weren't entered, that would have been welcome in the class my car was in..... much nicer than the ratty 74, 4 door....
cars of which I would not have minded being that "odd one out" to.... but this was ridiculous.... this 74 could have taken the cake for biggest POS on the show grounds (spectator lot included) this particular day... several of my friends were pissed about this as well but nothing could be done... I do get the "host car club vehicles can park within the show area but not to be judged" when club members provide the voting.

also on the music... I can deal with 50s/early 60s....but not when that's all they play. My preferred musical era would be Woodstock era to early 80s, when they get to guns n roses and def leppard I leave. Can't stand them, or anything newer.... the police, John Cougar, Bob Seger, hall n Oates, the Cars, Journey, etc is where I draw my line. that stuff is great.. anything that came after I cannot stand, makes my ears bleed... along with country, rap, heavy metal.... and for the record I graduated high school in '85, Im 56 yo.
Now a days Id say a DJs job would be easy at a car show... Sirius "classic vinyl"....... if it wouldn't be played there, it's out.
 
volaredon said:
heres something I never "got"
free spectator admission, while the participating car owners have to PAY to park their cars in the "show"?
For someone's "group of buddies" in the (admitted for no charge) crowd to "fix" the voting?? people come to look at these cars that (usually) have had lots of blood sweat and tears put into them.... and those are the guys that have to pay to be there? seems backasswards.
The last show I entered my car in ( an all mopar show, "late B" class) there was a super nice 71 charger with the hideaway headlights, a 71 road runner, a 74 ratty 4 door coronet with evidence of at least 3 paint jobs not very well masked, overspray on windshield, etc, and a very cobbled BB swap, and then there was my 78 fury 2 door, at the time around 50k original miles, original paint, clean interior, just a wee bit rough on rockers, no rust thru (PO lived on gravel road) The pair of 71s definitely deserved to win. won't ever question that.
but the ratty 4 door guy had all his "buddies" there to stuff the ballot box... I understand that in a class of 4 cars, 1 has to be the odd one out.... that wound up being me.
there were so many cars in the spectator lot that weren't entered, that would have been welcome in the class my car was in..... much nicer than the ratty 74, 4 door....
cars of which I would not have minded being that "odd one out" to.... but this was ridiculous.... this 74 could have taken the cake for biggest POS on the show grounds (spectator lot included) this particular day... several of my friends were pissed about this as well but nothing could be done... I do get the "host car club vehicles can park within the show area but not to be judged" when club members provide the voting.

also on the music... I can deal with 50s/early 60s....but not when that's all they play. My preferred musical era would be Woodstock era to early 80s, when they get to guns n roses and def leppard I leave. Can't stand them, or anything newer.... the police, John Cougar, Bob Seger, hall n Oates, the Cars, Journey, etc is where I draw my line. that stuff is great.. anything that came after I cannot stand, makes my ears bleed... along with country, rap, heavy metal.... and for the record I graduated high school in '85, Im 56 yo.
Now a days Id say a DJs job would be easy at a car show... Sirius "classic vinyl"....... if it wouldn't be played there, it's out.
Click to expand...
I read your first paragraph and hit the agree button. Well said.
 
The only exception I don't mind paying is when it's for a good charity.

But I certainly agree it's backassward.
 
The people wouldn't show if you charged admission, but they get them elsewhere the food drinks and flea market etc.
 
I have a buddy in Butler Pa that I swear advertises 4-5 car shows a week. Gotta be the same group of guys.
 
My opinions:
I enter a few car car shows a year, thats if I find the time. I graduated HS in 1980. The reason for the older guys turning out is that we probably have the time and money invested at this stage of our lives.
I bring my son who is 13 and loves Mopars too.
He details our car the day before a show.
We both don't care for the 50s music, gets annoying after an hour.
We keep to ourselves, answer peoples questions, listen to their stories, if we happen to snag a trophy, he goes and gets it.
Some car show awards are legit, some are obviously rigged, it's easy, even for a kid to figure that out.
I appreciate the younger guys bringing their rides to the show and I usually have a positive comment for them.
We don't get in too deep with the drama, especially from the Chevy and Ford guys. Lol
That's about it.
 
The music, I personally like the American Graffiti soundtrack but, do I listen to it all the time? nah...I'll watch the movie once or twice a year. That's not a complaint of mine but I can see

where the people who run the shows may want to consider a format change. Who is alive that was 20 in 1962 that goes to car shows? how old would they be now? they have to be the

minority. Like most things ran by humans people are in "wash rinse repeat" mode it's probably because the people who run these events never switch out. Have you ever volunteered for

anything? they get your number and call you every year, after a while its like "hey aren't you supposed to be recruiting new volunteers, I been doing this 5 years now..." people get lazy

is my point. If you go to the same local shows every year yes it will be the same cars, I never stick around for the trophies Its probably BS anyway when someone can buy a car ready

to go... whats the trophy for having the $$$ to buy a car? :D
 
My buddy just towed his car from Pa to SD on an open trailer. A car he drives almost daily and some dickwad car show guy tried his hardest to nitpick it.

60BDA4F9-DBC6-47F3-89F7-2AA82B2552F6.jpeg


2C6A9BBA-8B5B-47EF-9114-6BCCC50FB2D1.jpeg


18156742-5C71-47D9-9264-71A5A42DA095.jpeg
 
Dartswinger70 said:
The music, I personally like the American Graffiti soundtrack but, do I listen to it all the time? nah...I'll watch the movie once or twice a year. That's not a complaint of mine but I can see

where the people who run the shows may want to consider a format change. Who is alive that was 20 in 1962 that goes to car shows? how old would they be now? they have to be the

minority. Like most things ran by humans people are in "wash rinse repeat" mode it's probably because the people who run these events never switch out. Have you ever volunteered for

anything? they get your number and call you every year, after a while its like "hey aren't you supposed to be recruiting new volunteers, I been doing this 5 years now..." people get lazy

is my point. If you go to the same local shows every year yes it will be the same cars, I never stick around for the trophies Its probably BS anyway when someone can buy a car ready

to go... whats the trophy for having the $$$ to buy a car? :D
Click to expand...
It's just a game and often not played well.
 
I may take my dart to 3 shows a year. Last few years she has been parked. Trophies? If I win I never pick it up because i never looked or stayed long enough to care.

I don't stay around my car as I am checking out other stuff. People don't like how I did something I usually tell them to go buy their own or shrug them off.
I built to cruise and have not done much of that lately. I prefer the building process.
 
On the other hand though I like a small local car show /cruise its smaller not as crowded as say Carlisle and it isn't an all day thing. I was ta one earlier this year and got roped into a

conversation with a guy with a Fox Body Mustang pace car, I think it was a 78 or 79 Mustang. He would not stop talking I said my goodbyes and started walking away and he was still

talking, the wife had already moved on I was like "I gotta go..." But the guy must have dumped alot of coin into the resto and he wanted to tell me all about it...LOL!
 
dodgedifferent2 said:
I may take my dart to 3 shows a year. Last few years she has been parked. Trophies? If I win I never pick it up because i never looked or stayed long enough to care.

I don't stay around my car as I am checking out other stuff. People don't like how I did something I usually tell them to go buy their own or shrug them off.
I built to cruise and have not done much of that lately. I prefer the building process.
Click to expand...
I agree . I'm in the process of getting my paint work finished but when done I want to drive it. I wont nit pick stone chips too much, I may save some "touch up paint" though...:)
 
volaredon said:
heres something I never "got"
free spectator admission, while the participating car owners have to PAY to park their cars in the "show"?
For someone's "group of buddies" in the (admitted for no charge) crowd to "fix" the voting?? people come to look at these cars that (usually) have had lots of blood sweat and tears put into them.... and those are the guys that have to pay to be there? seems backasswards.
The last show I entered my car in ( an all mopar show, "late B" class) there was a super nice 71 charger with the hideaway headlights, a 71 road runner, a 74 ratty 4 door coronet with evidence of at least 3 paint jobs not very well masked, overspray on windshield, etc, and a very cobbled BB swap, and then there was my 78 fury 2 door, at the time around 50k original miles, original paint, clean interior, just a wee bit rough on rockers, no rust thru (PO lived on gravel road) The pair of 71s definitely deserved to win. won't ever question that.
but the ratty 4 door guy had all his "buddies" there to stuff the ballot box... I understand that in a class of 4 cars, 1 has to be the odd one out.... that wound up being me.
there were so many cars in the spectator lot that weren't entered, that would have been welcome in the class my car was in..... much nicer than the ratty 74, 4 door....
cars of which I would not have minded being that "odd one out" to.... but this was ridiculous.... this 74 could have taken the cake for biggest POS on the show grounds (spectator lot included) this particular day... several of my friends were pissed about this as well but nothing could be done... I do get the "host car club vehicles can park within the show area but not to be judged" when club members provide the voting.

also on the music... I can deal with 50s/early 60s....but not when that's all they play. My preferred musical era would be Woodstock era to early 80s, when they get to guns n roses and def leppard I leave. Can't stand them, or anything newer.... the police, John Cougar, Bob Seger, hall n Oates, the Cars, Journey, etc is where I draw my line. that stuff is great.. anything that came after I cannot stand, makes my ears bleed... along with country, rap, heavy metal.... and for the record I graduated high school in '85, Im 56 yo.
Now a days Id say a DJs job would be easy at a car show... Sirius "classic vinyl"....... if it wouldn't be played there, it's out.
Click to expand...
There's a 66 Ford Galaxie in my area that has a nice repaint on it, but every panel doesn't line up, and I mean it sticks out like a sore thumb. I don't say anything to the owner but I always say it to my wife but its like "how can the owner live with that?" I assume they paid someone to do it and just accepted it or they bought it that way but someone didn't line the fenders up and the doors aren't lined up, the body lines are all over the place gaps off etc. It sad all it takes is a few hours of work to get it right. Alot of people quit or don't ever see the finish line .
 
I only take my stuff to local free events, “pay” events that fund a good local cause, or a special event where they are used as eye candy to attract attendees (local ball club fund raisers, etc).

I did not and will not rebuild mine for someone else - and I’m good with that. I’m not a fan of trailer queens (TQ’s) that are only driven from the trailer to a show space. Wallet rebuilds and TQ’s should be in a class of their own.

I’ll look at the other vehicles, and discuss things with family or friends I see after we walk away… UNLESS the car is for sale. I have no problem critiquing cars for sale as I would expect you to nit-pik mine if I were selling it. At that point, it’s a business transaction.

Went to a show a couple of years ago. HS kid had a ‘74 Barracuda he did in school shop and at his grandpa’s barn. Rebuilt junkyard police 360 with summit cam replaced the 318, paint and body done by the kid (and it showed), and he installed the dash cap and legendary interior. Car was a 30 footer - and he was proud. My family looked it all over, he told us what all he had done and what he wished he had done better. We voted for his car as the “Best of Show - Crowd Favorite.”

A different show the same year. All the TQ’s and wallet cars in the best locations at the front. A 58 Dodge with a Ford Coyote engine, entire car inside a plexiglass box was awarded “Best in Show.” A TQ 1946 GMC that was a total wallet build was awarded “Best Original Truck.” But it had 12v electronics and a 235 six. If you just wanted a GM, there was a ‘51 Chevy barn find truck that the new owner polished the old paint and drove it 100 miles to the show. I was impressed, and I am not into GM’s.

Put the wallet cars and the TQ’s in a separate class.
 
It's fun to drive this 4 hours north to Mopars in the Park. It attracts a lot of attention. Sometimes more than the higher dollar cars. I'll pay to get into that show.

2.20.22c.jpg
 
Another way to look at the voting, you state that the two 71s deserved to win. They probably did have a good number of votes,but were split between them, making the total number for each car lower
volaredon said:
heres something I never "got"
free spectator admission, while the participating car owners have to PAY to park their cars in the "show"?
For someone's "group of buddies" in the (admitted for no charge) crowd to "fix" the voting?? people come to look at these cars that (usually) have had lots of blood sweat and tears put into them.... and those are the guys that have to pay to be there? seems backasswards.
The last show I entered my car in ( an all mopar show, "late B" class) there was a super nice 71 charger with the hideaway headlights, a 71 road runner, a 74 ratty 4 door coronet with evidence of at least 3 paint jobs not very well masked, overspray on windshield, etc, and a very cobbled BB swap, and then there was my 78 fury 2 door, at the time around 50k original miles, original paint, clean interior, just a wee bit rough on rockers, no rust thru (PO lived on gravel road) The pair of 71s definitely deserved to win. won't ever question that.
but the ratty 4 door guy had all his "buddies" there to stuff the ballot box... I understand that in a class of 4 cars, 1 has to be the odd one out.... that wound up being me.
there were so many cars in the spectator lot that weren't entered, that would have been welcome in the class my car was in..... much nicer than the ratty 74, 4 door....
cars of which I would not have minded being that "odd one out" to.... but this was ridiculous.... this 74 could have taken the cake for biggest POS on the show grounds (spectator lot included) this particular day... several of my friends were pissed about this as well but nothing could be done... I do get the "host car club vehicles can park within the show area but not to be judged" when club members provide the voting.

also on the music... I can deal with 50s/early 60s....but not when that's all they play. My preferred musical era would be Woodstock era to early 80s, when they get to guns n roses and def leppard I leave. Can't stand them, or anything newer.... the police, John Cougar, Bob Seger, hall n Oates, the Cars, Journey, etc is where I draw my line. that stuff is great.. anything that came after I cannot stand, makes my ears bleed... along with country, rap, heavy metal.... and for the record I graduated high school in '85, Im 56 yo.
Now a days Id say a DJs job would be easy at a car show... Sirius "classic vinyl"....... if it wouldn't be played there, it's out.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top