Hot Rods Are we a dying breed?

I haven't read every post on this, but I've noticed that at most of the car shows/cruise-ins I go to, I am one of the youngest ones there. And I'm not that young.

To me, one of the biggest hurdles to this hobby is that the prices for project cars and parts has gotten very high. My younger brother expressed interest in this hobby for awhile, but quickly gave up on it when he saw that rusty 4 door cars were going for 4-6k. Two door projects that need complete restoration for north of 10k aren't that uncommon. How in the world is a broke young person supposed to get into the hobby with prices like that? Heck, even I have considered throwing in the towel at times when I see the prices for parts I need.

 

Maybe not,
This was on another thread here just today......

 

Your post made me think about the first "rod runs" that started in my area back almost 50 years ago.... It then dawned on me that I just don't recall any older people back then with rods.

in my area now..... most guys (large majority) with rods are 65-80 years old. I know that you never saw any rod owner in that age group back then in my area,...not even one, that I can recall.

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This comment is right, "Let's just say thinning out"

There will always be car guys just not as many as there were in the past 25 years.
Is it getting harder to sell old cars? The answer I believe is yes because of a lack of interest and simply fewer buyers.

I understand not everyone agrees with what I said but that is just the way I see it!

I for one hate to see change but it is steering us all right in the face everyday in so many different ways.

I happen to sell reproductions of great old racing decals and right now there is less interest then there was just 3 years ago in for certain old drag racing decals that back in the day everyone wanted.

The Old Saying "Change is inevitable is True" but I still don't have to like it.

Just my opinion. Jimbo

 

Ever see those guys in the motor cycle (HD) groups, you know those old guys, the guys that pass you going 70 MPH on a cold raining day with the wind blowing a 100 miles per hour. I am not talking about the kids with the "rice burners" but the old guys, that is what a majority of us are.

 

I went to Cars and Coffee in Portsmouth, NH last Sunday. Huge crowd, so big in fact they are moving from Southgate Plaza to the bigger Fox Run Mall next month. In that sea of automobiles, my '40 was one of the few traditional hot rods there. As I hung around my car, it seemed you could divide the crowd into two segments. In few numbers were the "old timers" who said things like "great to see a real car here" and the myriad youngsters (I'm 75 so that encompasses a lot of participants) who were politely interested in asking "is that a kit car" or "what is it". Most of the latter folks seem to drive small turbo charged compacts with exhausts that remind me of sewer pipes. Having a 16 year old grandson who drives a used 2009 turbo WRX, I guess I understand. He got into the car for $4k. A kid today is hard pressed to get into a driver hot rod, even an odd rod, for that kind of money. The times are changing and I am glad I am one of the generation who grew up with Chuck Berry and hot rods. Don't fret about the future, you can't change it anyway. Enjoy what we have today before your ticket to ride expires. Oh by the way, that grandson took my '40 to the Junior Prom rather than his WRX (see '40 Ford thread). Genes will always will out!

 

I think goes hand in hand with the throw away society that has taken over. Yes the heard of real men is thinning and being overtaken by little boys with soft hands and cant change a tire even if they wanted to.

Think about it like this, we live our lives a different way than the mainstream society does, we don't fit in any mold, we know the value of hard work, perseverance, learning new things (not always cause we want to but have to). But with all this said, when a kid lights up when I let them sit in one of mine, or seeing kids point and smile while driving down the road, seeing kids play with toy cars, it lets me know that what were doing is still strong.

Someone said racing events earlier..... Id rather put the 200bucks toward a project than blowing it at a race. But that's just me.

Something I have to tell myself is that everything evolves, there are tons of bandwagon jumpers, most of them are on the whole jeep kick again or big ATV's. So don't fret the jumpers are just on to the next thing, they will screw it up and hop to the next after. I'm still waiting on morals and respect to be a thing again, but wont hold my breath.

 

Not sure we're done yet. I'm in the EU and the shows I go to attract younger guys too but don't expect them to be driving muscle cars, kustoms or trad hot rods if they're into US cars, again because of the price of anything from those eras. But we have a bunch of OT cars in the under €10k bracket (examples are 80s-90s Caprices and similar) and the realities of life mean that's what they'll start with, and I won't criticize them for that.

 

I agree. It seems like all the big car shows/rod runs participation is down by 30% or so from the 90's. Most young guys that I know are into the tuner or S 10 type vehicles. Thank goodness there are still some younger hard core rodders out there. I think we will always be around but not like it used to be.

 

It may be thinning out now, but that's ok. It will always come back. And hopefully it will keep the prices down for my two boys. I couldn't make them not want old cars if I tried.

 

It looks like the real traditional stuff is going on in other countries more than the US. The Race Of Gentleman has helped get some younger guys into it. I go to several shows that are true to tradition. Silver City Shakedown , White Wall Rama, Rumblers and The Fall Out come to mind. Most other shows are mostly Glam and Billet or new junk. At the Silver City show I felt like the oldest guy there at 71 in a week. So yes some younger guys and gals are picking up the slack. But things do change and I feel lately that I am glad I am the age I am. When you are young you worry about dying. When you get old you worry about living. Where have all the values gone?

 

I believe that there will always be an attraction to all kinds of hot rods, customs, and classics. The numbers will dwindle as more legislators, environmentalists, technocrats, and others wage war on the performance parts and modified (messed with in any way) business.
Mufflers to loud, carbon footprint to large, NOX/particulate matter to high, endangering our youth, will win out in the end.
Yes, we are a dying breed but not through our choice, just evolution.

 

What made and makes our hobby is the ability to take spare parts from a variety of places and make a unique vehicle. They were inexpensive and with what we made when the passion was higher, they had to be. To "save" the hobby, SEMA went to bat (?) for the hobby and came up with a smog legal engine to pacify the politicos. So how many kids have the money for these engines? Where are all the inexpensive parts (think about it hoarders)? You start and build on a passion when you're young, so since we have succeeded in making that passion unattainable, the writing is on the wall. We've made working with your hands a sin, taken away the activities (cruising is a crime now) that build and bond kids and wonder why it's in decline? What ELSE could we have done to kill off the hobby quicker?

 

Hello,

The older we get, obviously, the less of us will be around much longer. It is a fact of life. We all need to stay youngish, involved in as many ways as possible, and pass along drag racing, hot rods, custom car stories from the good old days. The topic of hot rods was a big part of our culture, but for most, it was the rebels of our society and therefore, only a small portion.

The old hot rod shops, speed shops were scattered all over So Cal. But, as the interest wains, the total number of those specialty shops drops numerically. They were handy for just about anything related to cars. Today, as retail goes, it is much easier to shop from the comforts of your home and computer.

Mail order or now, internet orders surpass the walk in purchases. So, many retailers are suffering the consequences of those online stores, even the big name multistory structures at shopping malls. They are guilty of creating their own successful online presence at the demise of their own, walk in stores.

Hot rod shops were small in numbers, they popped up all over the USA. But, families, school, just growing up takes a lot of time, money and energy to keep up. Hot rodding is a hobby that is number 1 for many families. So, realistically, it is limited in numbers.

Even though the big name shows like the LARS, Goodguys or even the small venues are crowded with enthusiasts, it is a dying breed. We are all guilty of spending less if it can be shipped to your door step within days, at a fraction of the cost. The shows? The small/large events are specialty shows that happen once a year, for the “die hard, hot rod enthusiasts” gathering.

Jnaki

The young teenager whose dad or grandfather was/is involved in hot rods sees, hears and remembers the dinner table topics. But, times are changing and other family needs come first, before spending time, money and sweat every night/weekend in the garage. Do we see a hot rod for the teenage driver these days? Look at the local high school parking lots to see the story of hot rods in the future. It is sad, but true…economy, reliability and cost is forefront, these days, no time to tinker.

To the ones still involved…more power to you and your dedication to the old hot rod scene. Your family will have something to talk about for years to come. But, yes, you/we are part of a dying breed. To many, hot rods are neat, but smell like oil and gas, look interesting, but they aren’t as reliable as the modern cars, trucks, small/large SUV vehicles.

It is hard to increase the numbers when the numbers were a small specialty group in the beginning. If it were baseball, that would be another story and not dying as the future approaches. But, nostalgia and the "good old days" is on our side. That should keep Hot Rod scene growing or getting other people interested, slowly, if at all. IMHO

Spread the history... it will light up in somebody...Isn't that what happened to us? a spark?