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Why are there car shows?

idrivejunk

idrivejunk

New member
I don't have a show car but do work on them often, and in my efforts to better understand my occupation... I keep looping back to this question. So I think I may benefit from hearing a lighthearted cross section of car guy opinions on why we have car shows. All input is of value and theres no strings attached.

Thanks,

Matt
 


cause we are addicts........

i look at it like preserving history too. as well as a who got a bigger dick swinging contest.
 
I agree with Scotty on this one. I like going to see the older cars the most. I really like it when you see people restore them themselves. Or original owners who just them in the family and try to keep them clean. But also like seeing the newer rides all custom like seeing the different ideas people come up with.
 
I like the history and seeing back when, when things were just simple. But who am I kidding I dont ever go to them!
 


Id rather goto a track and see cars being used. Kinda at that point in my life that car shows bore me unless its a car meet
 
How about why are new cars being shown at car shows?

I only go to cruise nights anymore, I can show up at anytime, leave at anytime and no cost.

I am usually the only one with a Buick GS at any cruise night that I go to.
 


What should be the cutoff for it being considered a new car? 20 yrs? 30 yrs? Even going back that far, cars have been so mass produced they still seem new because they are still on the streets. My 97 GP almost qualifies for antique plates. Is that considered too new? Would I take it to a car show? Maybe, if there was a specific class year represented at the show. My mechanic inspected it last week and was admiring it. He said you don't see many like this any more. Yeah, they are not head turners like the 50's - 70's muscle cars, but as long as you have the passion for cars you can appreciate what is out there. I do agree something off the showroom floor should not be in a car show unless it is some type of exotic, custom or limited production vehicle.
 
I just saw you are from Bucks County. I'm just across the border in Lehigh county. What cruise's do you go to? Did you go to Macungie last week?
 
Woops, didn't know there had been other responses. An old rodder riddled with cancer set me straight since I posted the Q and now he's dead, OD'ed. I've drawn my own conclusions on the subject.

Like mars, I don't "get" shows. I like to drive. What is the difference between reasons for a car meet and car show, aside from eliminating variety? I don't think there is any. All events are meant to keep out certain people. Everyone will of course insist that it is about bringing people together to pat each other on the back for charity. More power to 'em. I'm happiest when me and my car are the only ones in sight. Nobody needs to approve of me or it and I'm not really into looking at other people's stationary cars, so shoot me.
 
I like to see them as bringing together "like-minded" people, or those with a similar interest. That can further whittle down to only including people with "X" vehicle type/years, or be a more open-ended welcome.

Personally, I always used them to meet the local gear heads as I moved to different parts of the country. Initially, it was just 3800/GTP/etc. meets with local GP clubs in the early 2000's. As the market shifted away from our style of car (3800/W-body ending), modding got expensive/"all been done before"/limited manufacturers/etc... I was sure to expand to larger community shows as we all see them. Even when I was in an unknown area for 3mo (Cleveland, OH suburbs, spring 2003), I roamed the local cruises as a hobby, even though I got sick of seeing the same stuff.

TLDR: Gives people something to do alongside people with whom they have a common hobby/interest. Limitations may be placed on participant vehicles, but search for what goes down in your area, and find what you feel like checking out.

Example: Moved to Central VA for work, and knew zero people, initially. Obviously got to know neighbors, co-workers, and such as time went on, but didn't know the car scene for seeing what people had for classic/modern/custom/etc. vehicles I felt like seeing & hearing (will eventually do the same at local 1/4mi strips, too). After a quick search, I found the following and use it to fill a free afternoon when I'm thinking about going out for a windows-down cruise:
CAPITAL CRUISIN'-- Cruise Ins
CAPITAL CRUISIN'-- Events & Shows
Free Listing of Cruise-ins And Car Shows for Antiques, Classics & more - Shenvalleycruisein
(just Google to find your own listings)

- Dave
 
I personally dont give a **** about other peoples cars. But some cars I want to stick my cock into the exhaust. Couldnt give a fck about the owner LOL
 


Well, I guess it's pretty tough for you to deal with being in a message board, too. Can't help with whatever you have going on there, but hopefully someone gets a positive idea from the rest of this chat.
 
Well, I guess ItHurtz when someone doesn't get the joke...

Personally, I prefer seeing cars that are "halfway"... They're running and driving, but they aren't fully restored and so perfect that it would be a travesty to drive it every day and risk damaging the work you've done...

Something that you wouldn't feel bad about getting rock chips in the paint (if there's any paint left), or maybe blowing up a rear end, or transmission, because they both needed replacing eventually... Because getting anything sideways in dirt or gravel is always more fun than sitting and staring at a perfect 70 Challenger or 69 Camaro or whatever and never driving it.

Don't get me wrong, seeing a car go from a rusty hulk to perfection is one of the most amazing things to me... But once it gets to the "perfection" stage, it's no longer worth it to keep a car like that to me.

You can't do anything with it. If you did take it out into a field and found a big rock with the front bumper... It would be heartbreaking to see the amount of work that went into that front bumper now wasted...

But, if it's a 75 Plymouth Roadrunner (the ugly one) that's got nice big holes in the quarter panels from rust, the rear window is missing, and the interior is well ventilated floorboards and seats from some mid-90's toyota... With a 360 big block and 727 stolen from an old dodge truck and a 7 1/4 rear end that would explode immediately if the engine actually made any power, but if it does explode you don't really care because there's an 8 3/4 in the same truck, but you don't want to crawl under it again because you found a snake nest the first time...

None of that is from personal experience BTW, regardless of how many details I can remember. :th_mischievious:
 
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