Todays youth NOT interested

I have found out that it skips a generation, my nephews don't know a valve stem cap from a valve cover. My great nephew is 4 years old and wants to wrench on the pedal car I gave him. So maybe there is still hope.......I hope.........

 

I'm 18 and my dream car is a hemi/nailhead powered A coupe on 32'
rails. Current project is a 1963 Chevy c-20. Im the oddball in my age group because everyone else is obsessed with the lifted diesel trucks and imports.

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OK, I'll be the one silly enough to point it out. People are using an internet forum to complain about how technology has ruined things. Think about how much sense that makes.

I'm a young-ish builder, and I build my car in the daylight hours until it gets too dark and I can't continue without annoying the neighbors. Then I go inside and fire up the computer or a video game, sure. But that video game is usually car-related, and the computer is used to hunt for more car parts, mock-up photos of my project plans or to talk to others about the cars we're building. If anything technology just allows me to delve deeper into my passion. On top of that, people on here can still share period photos and stories that I wouldn't possibly know about without technology. Technology isn't the enemy, it's all in how that technology gets used.

 

it was fathers day today and as i pulled into the oldmans drive way i spotted a battery
connected to the start button of his freshly rebuilt 8ba flatty. within 5mins there was four generations standing around it for its first fire. it was great,my two kids 8 and 5 smiled and said oooh hotrod engine.oh no theyve got the disease too

 

I am 45 and have been into cars as far back as I remember. I picked it up from my Dad who always had a car or 3 that he was tearing down or rebuilding. In my teens I liked hot rods, but considered them more an old mans car. I spent my 20s and 30s building mustangs and my tastes evolved to primarily hot rods in my 30s. A lot of that was financial - this is a pricey sector of the car hobby and many young guys with a family just cant swing it.

Looking back, none of my friends growing up shared my interest in hot rods. Kids in high school, if they cared about cars at all, were into late model camaros and mustangs. I dont think that the level of interest from kids has changed in my lifetime - the ones that are into cars today are most likely into tuners or late model muscle. I do see a lot of young guys in the local hot rod scene and have seen several talented young builders in the Austin area.

 

I've been into cars forever, but through the early married little kids days... there was no time or money for old cars!!!! this thread made me think about the car shows/cruise ins through the years. I have a lot of fun with little kids, letting them sit in my cars and have mom take pictures ect. In the last 10 years i DON'T remember a 16 to 20 years old kid looking at my car or even walking by

 

They're listening to the politicians tell them that owning a car is greedy and bad for the environment. It's not a symbol of American freedom and innovation anymore to young people and many of them that do have cars have been brainwashed by the previous generation that foreign cars are better.

On the flip side, I'm young-ish and there are plenty of gearheads in my generation and the ones behind me around...probably proportionate with the availability and affordability of hot rodding these days which like it or not is no longer cheap or easy.

 

I was at the Minneapolis Messaround this morning, there were a bunch of us greybeards there but I'd guess half the attendees were under 30 years old.

 

Too bad this thread wasn't worded differently. It has created a lot of interest and the simple fact that today's youth really is interested!
I am slightly non-youthful and still remember back when I got bitten by the old car bug. I'll bet there are more kids interested in older cars now than when I was a kid. Everyone is not into the same hobbies. Hell I've never played golf in my life. But some people do! It's the same with this old car hobby.
Sadly what started out as a cheap way to have fun and learn how to build and repair cars turned into a money making rich man's game. It really ain't that way and doesn't have to be. A young gun can still find good buys and build his own car just like it was done in the 30's and beyond.
It's our duty to get kids interested and help them along. Show them that there is still old iron out there rather than tinkering on a mini truck or used Prius. But as stated, that mini truck or Rice Burner gets them to school, work, and play. Much like our beat up Model A did in the 50's.

 

Hmmmm there has been a lot said about the "kids" not being interested in "our" cars but when was the last time you took interest in one of their cars. Ever walk over and ask a kid to open the hood and show you what he has done? Ever ask one to take you for a ride?

Some of These kids are pretty smart and understand forced induction and fuel injection programming as well or better that we can talk about cams and compression ratios or adjust a carb.

My son is into supercharged mustangs and his friends have Neon SRT'S, they are a good group of kids. They are in my garage every night and using my tools and I would not want it any other way. We share stories and I learn as much from them as they learn from me.

My friends it works both ways, they hang in their comfort zone we hang in ours, try reaching out engaging the kids, you may like me, find a bunch of capabile volunteers to help you add a blower and fuel injection to your old hot rod.

Scott
1956 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer
1976 Corvette Stingray

 

No "Hi Buck" paint work on my 40 pickup,.....I let the little kids touch and look up close. They will never forget, and neither will the parent with them.
It only takes one crabby old fart raising hell about their paint, to turn 'em off forever.

4TTRUK

 

I agree totally. The same skills my students develop when they work on their tuners, 4x4s, ect are the same skills used on classic cars. One of my students asked me why the old guys never came to check out their stuff at the local cruise night. I told them they were to busy holding down the lawn chairs they keep in the trunks cause they only drive these cars once a month and they probably know your little civic will suck the paint of their car. Another student asked why do the older people on this site, the ones with trillions of posts, complain about how much young folks play games. Isn't that kind of hypocritical?

 

I'm 44 entered the hobby about 2 years ago and got to the point where I got into a shop and a few cars. I love model A roadsters and hope to get a '34 some day. But until my boys and I have a blast running around in our '28 chevy roadster and soon will have a '28-29 ford to bomb around in. One is a traditional highboy and the other a ground up lowboy with more money in it. I'm hoping they will keep enjoying it and maybe take over from their old man someday. Also we make the hobby what it is. Folks can get in my cars, run them around with me and I run the shop pretty open so if our customers want they can work in the shop with us. As long as people are safe we try to have fun so more people keep getting involved.

 

My son is. 3 and is extremely interested in our 36 "hot rod", as he calls it.
We had a 50 shoebox before selling her for the 36 and he was so upset to see that empty spot in the garage.
Yesterday we attended Lead East in NJ and he was blown away by all the cars.
I'm hoping that he & I have a few more cars to build together in our future and he can carry the torch until he's ready to pass it on to his kids, GOD willing, some day.

 

I'm pretty lucky. I have three sons, ages 14,15, and 16. They all like old cars and do not have much interest in the 4 bangers with fart cans on them. My two oldest have their classic's they like and want. My youngest likes old cars, but he doesn't have the desire to work on them.
I know people (some are even car folks) with kids that really don't care what they drive or if they drive. They are pretty oblivious to the whole auto world.
I guess there to much other stuff to give their attention too.

 

It's because their "helicopter parents" will drive them anywhere and do anything for them and they know it. These kids are the same graduates of the "everyone gets a participant trophy" little league sports teams. It drives me nuts.......
Want more info on this subject? Go here:http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...ghlight=no+one+cares+about+the+things+we+love

 

true, but if it sounds like a lawn mower it should be able to cut grass....

 

I get more young guys interested in my '80 Datsun wagon (for drift purposes) than I do in my Fairlane. I hear, "Wow! an actual DATSUN!" a lot more than anything about the Fairlane..........from the younger guys.

I still have lots of older guys comment on the Fairlane because they remember Fairlanes from their youth.

Nostalgia drives our hobby quite a bit and folks tend to want what they remember and I can't think of any American car made in the last thirty years so memorable that it has the same following a deuce coupe had in '62 or a '57 Bel-Air had in '87, etc.

On the other hand, I see more young people (in magazines, TV, net) interested in Model As, Ts and '32 than I did in my youth in the late '80s so I think the hobby will survive.

Personally, I think social media divides us or causes us to divide ourselves along personal taste in cars. I like cars - all cars - and will talk to anyone about any vehicle but I have known lots of folks who box themselves in.

 

Well said!

 

since when does a supercharged mustang sound like a lawn mower?

 

Everyone has their own taste in cars im just as much into flathead powered model a hot rods as I am a 11 second foxbody......

 

It's all relative
kid down my road taking this baby out from 50cc to a whopping 70cc and going to put custom paint on it. That makes it a hot rod custom in my books. His mates are all tinkering
He even said it had patina. I told the boy to paint it

 

Interesting topic, to say the least, but truely a problem that faces alot of hobbies. There probably isn't a "one standard fix" to it, either.
I know I may echoing some earlier postings, but here are my thoughts:
1. The youth today do have many more distractions than the youth of the '50s and '60s. Some of the distractions are education mishaps within state and local school systems, high expectations of peers to perform in electronic and digital handhelds plus the usual teen problems.
2. There are fewer youth involved in hot rodding maybe because of the cost is much higher than it was when I was a teenager. The $200 drive-it-home old car is long gone. All we have to do is to price a set of original Strombergs for a flathead Ford 2 or 3 carb intake to know this is true.
3. I'm also involved in the antique radio hobby. If you think there are few youth in hotrods, I can tell you some stories of the radio collections that will chill your hill.
4. However...in 2013, I believe it's up to us to excite the youth. It's not easy to speak to a group of, shall I say, wild looking young guys and girls with their hair everywhich way and color and them texting on cell phones continuously. It was just yesterday that I had the '47 Willys Jeep sitting out. A young guy and 2 girls walked by using their cell phones. I spoke to them making some casual small talk. They seemed to respond somewhat and as they continued by, the boy turned around and said he liked the truck. Courtesy and respect on our part is required.
5. Finally, I take my 13 year old grandson with me on occasion to car shows. I've tried to involve him in what I like (radios, fishing, old cars) and he surprised me with the question, "Grandpa, do you suppose I would ever be able to have a '50 Ford like yours and Grandma's?" He may end up with a imported car or some non-traditional type of car he likes. But I realize the seed has been planted about the old cars. It's up to us.
Well, off my pulpit.
Thanks for listening.
Dave in James Dean, IN

 

yeah , I go to a few shows just to look and I like the older cars, but some of these people are so ANAL' with the look but don't touch signs, I mean if they're so freakin worried about them put em in a museum under glass , otherwise show and shut up ..........................

Afterall they drive them and touch them etc etc , what's the difference ..........................

 

You hit all the nails on the head with your post , the reasons listed pretty much sum up the problem, they youth just don't have the $$$ like we used to back in the day ..................................

 

A lot of the younger set that does have an interest yet seems to be broke usually have their financial priority messed up. That $100+/mo I-Phone/internet/facebook expense? High dollar shoes that get trashed faster than a speed shifted Model A trans? $200 concert tickets?

That's just a few observations, and those who have that priority that have even a passing interest might not be as all in as many of us have been for life. Perhaps bigger than anything is what they have at home. The youthful outcast from the past might have spent the night with his pals building a hot rod, but I'd bet a new set of spark plugs that the majority of "kids" have never been exposed to it. A lot of em are "protected" from getting rust under their nails or having to clean undercoating from the frame. Who's had the "...eew, I wouldn't do that..." from a kid? How many moms shiver at the thought of their baby getting exposed to something getting welded? Most of us love the life, love a shop environment. We think slingin lead is an enviable talent, mom thinks it exposes "junior" to potential death regardless of the safety measures.

Complicated, regional, but most of all, E X C L U S I V E. Imagine how hard it would be to enjoy a big indoor car show like the Detroit Autorama if every kid in the tri-county area was all in. Imagine standing in line for your turn to enter the grounds of Billetproof. Careful what you wish for...

 

I was listening to a track promoter talk about how hard it is today to get people to come out to a local Saturday night circle track to watch races.

He made a lot of good points such has today people have so many other forms of entertainment to choose from such smart phones, Ipads, Laptop computers and all kinds of different car shows on TV to watch for Free at home.

He said years ago people looked forward to Saturday nights at a local track but today there are just so many other things to do that are easier and faster to do right from home.

As we were talking a family walked into the diner and sat down and he said watch what they do next and sure enough they each took out smart phones and started either texting or emailing or just surfing the web and they were not really talking to each other and he said this is what all promoters across the county are dealing with today trying to get people to come to their race tracks.

I believe to a certain extend the same thing is happening to all forms of car building and racing in general.

Years ago we did not have all these distractions to deal with.

Jimbo

 

There,s a few but our hobby is pretty much doomed tv computer and super stars from tv ........oh I for got money ! it is all about money! all of it think about it alot of the fun is gone hope fully the resourceful ones will keep it goin there a few out there