Street scene not like it used to be

[zSHOWTIMEz]

id sell both my cars for that Fesler 70 Chevelle and my old man would never hide the fact that im his son lol

[DRKS1D3]

My Dad tells me about this all the time. He says that era was the epitome of muscle cars. He graduated high school in 1976 and these were the cars him and friends drove to school: Dad--1969 Nova SS 396, My Uncle--1970 Roadrunner, Dad's friend Tim--1970 GTO Judge, Dad's friend Rege--1970 Plymouth Superbird (yes, he still has it) and many more. He said it was nothing for them to have these cars. They all worked hard and bought these cars themselves. Drive 'em to school during the week, find a back road and line 'em up on the weekend. I wish I could've seen this era.

[meissen]

Originally Posted by 1BADLS3

They are? Are you sure about that? A quasi-sports car from two automakers that are the kingpins of boring family sedans and econo-coupes?

A note about the original post... It's true. People are less interested in automobiles overall...a bad economy with a high price of gas doesn't make driving and automobile "hobby" as cheap or accessible as it once used to be.

A recent study was done on the sharp decline on young, eligible drivers foregoing getting their license, putting it off sometimes until their late teens or early 20's. Car culture isn't what it used to be.... getting your license used to be the first real piece of freedom...a doorway to adult life. Now, not so much.

But that doesn't surprise me with the last two generations which have essentially grown up through not one, not two, but possibly 3 major gas crises, and a time when the automobile market streamlined its production to the extreme edges of platform-sharing, model-consolidation, maximum economy....all with huge pressure from regulatory firms to comply with new standards.

The result? There's kind of a fringe of automobile enthusiasts these days. A lot of people who like older cars because they don't really conform to the boringness of new cars; and those that are still awake and alert to the modern trends and opt for the performance option of new models. From my general "seat of the pants" perspective, it doesn't seem like today's young drivers or even today's middle-aged drivers are enthused about their vehicle, or modifying them, or even driving them.

It kind of sounds like a doomsday picture, doesn't it? Automotive enthusiasm is still alive and well in many circles, but I run into more and more people who just don't care about cars or have those long-held prejudices about certain automotive makes, i.e. "Ford versus Chevy" or "Mopar is king". It seems like most people don't care if it's a Honda, Chevy, or a Subaru, as long as it gets good mileage and comes in gold or silver, doesn't need to be shifted, everything is cool. And the foreign automakers have certainly surpassed their colleagues in many ways, and then again, every automaker produces some absolute crap.

All this reminds me...I need to go to our local drive-in theater. It's been in jeopardy of being closed down for years...developers want the space, and the owners aren't exactly rich. Drive-ins were kind of going by the wayside during my time growing up, but my folks still took me sometimes. It's a great way to experience automotive culture of the past and also see some cool cars and catch a pair of good flicks.

Someone works for the General and reads Socrates

Originally Posted by ResQtek

I think that a majority of the newer generation has been robbed of the childhoods of spending all weekend in the garage with dads or granddads, learning not only how to do basic maintenance, but any form of modification. More and more families are two income families where both parents work all the time to provide for their children. Like the quote from 1BADLS3 it is not as cheap to just cruise around town, and it is very impractical to have a car that only gets 8 miles per gallon of gas. Then when you add in that almost every car is computer controlled it almost takes a rocket scientist to modify a new vehicle.

I have seen it in the Fire Department for sure. Guys we get now that are 21-25 have never driven a manual transmission, or changed their own oil even. It seems like the older veterans of the service are the only ones that can diagnose a problem with the truck and maybe fix it.

It is just my opinion of course, but that is where I see the downfall of the car society. I think that our nation is going more and more to the public transportation because of $4.00 gas. People have to sacrifice something because we can't all afford to fill up a car and cloth and feed our families.

Agree with both of your guys opinions 100%. All I know is my son or daughter will know how to wrench.

[SSBlack]

People get sentimental about the "old days". I grew up during the same time-frame you did, OP.

It wasn't like a Mecum or Barrett Jackson auction. Every car coming down the road wasn't a Super Bee, or a candy apple red Vette.

There were plenty of boring, ugly, dogs then, like there are now.

True, now the one's that stick out from the crowd (like our Camaros) are rare. On that point, I agree.

But, when people think of the 60's and 70's, they forget about the Corvair, Vega, Chevette, AMC Pacer, I could go on.....

Still, better eras for cars? Sure.

But, in some ways, we are fortunate to have the technology and cars we have now, too.

[ZED SLED]

LOL, thought this thread was going to be about the Street Scene body pieces sold by Stillen.

[STW]

Originally Posted by shrinkdoc

I stopped today and I took look around me. I noticed how boring the strEets looked of car...ugly boring cars. Sure cars are better today but extremly boring, even the 4 bangers running turbos are quick but boring even if they are 150 mph. Sure I grew up as a kid in 60s and 70s cars were not as good because tech is always evolving but the streets were really cool back then. Cars had style they were quick and they left a legacy. People knew cars were cool. Today most cars seem to be built for soccer moms and stuckup yuppies. Even cars from the 50s were cool back then. Today there are just the camaro mustang challenger and charger the rest are run of the mill cookie cutters. Am I really so wrong to feel this way?

I agree. Car I see the most often, Nissan Altima. Here in Chicago it is rare to see american cars. Look in a line at a light. 2/3 will no doubt be Foreign. When I lived in Detroit, that was in reverse. Maybe 1/10 are imports.

Other thing I notice is I am the last of the Mohicans when it comes to seeing someone else in a V8 2 door. Majority of the Chargers, Mustangs and Camaros I see in Illinois are V6.

I bought a SS Chevelle when I was 19. Drove it as often as possible...to work, stores, wherever I was going. I have owned multiple cars, yes, some foreign (SAAB 93T, Volvo 940 Turbo wagon) however, always owned a second car with a V8 and character. THAT IS HOW I ROLL!

[DarkneSS]

I'm going to have to disagree entirely. The internet has connected those of similar interests. Before the internet it would have been 10x harder to do anything enthusiast related. Checking out other cars, seeking help/advice, researching and learning new modifications/fixes, all of this stuff is much more involved thanks to the internet.

Look at this site for example!

I say the street scene is bigger, and more widespread. It may just appear smaller because small, local car groups have been replaced by much larger, more regional car clubs. Meaning, instead of having a small group for your town, its more like your entire state or county or whatever.

It is a more mature scene as well, because car ownership costs have dramatically increased. This is a good thing. It means less kids can afford to get on the road and be irresponsible. Its better than they must wait until late teens/early 20s to be more financially sound, then they can afford a car.

It keeps the whole scene more mature.

[Rocks RS]

I agree. Most cars look the same and are boring.

NEVER AGAIN FOR ME!!!

[INTIMIDAT3R]

Originally Posted by shrinkdoc

I stopped today and I took look around me. I noticed how boring the strEets looked of car...ugly boring cars. Sure cars are better today but extremly boring, even the 4 bangers running turbos are quick but boring even if they are 150 mph. Sure I grew up as a kid in 60s and 70s cars were not as good because tech is always evolving but the streets were really cool back then. Cars had style they were quick and they left a legacy. People knew cars were cool. Today most cars seem to be built for soccer moms and stuckup yuppies. Even cars from the 50s were cool back then. Today there are just the camaro mustang challenger and charger the rest are run of the mill cookie cutters. Am I really so wrong to feel this way?

Count the Charger out. It's just a Magnum with the back chopped off and I don't care how big the engine is, it's still a 4 door granny car.

[shrinkdoc]

Originally Posted by SSBlack

People get sentimental about the "old days". I grew up during the same time-frame you did, OP.

It wasn't like a Mecum or Barrett Jackson auction. Every car coming down the road wasn't a Super Bee, or a candy apple red Vette.

There were plenty of boring, ugly, dogs then, like there are now.

True, now the one's that stick out from the crowd (like our Camaros) are rare. On that point, I agree.

But, when people think of the 60's and 70's, they forget about the Corvair, Vega, Chevette, AMC Pacer, I could go on.....

Still, better eras for cars? Sure.



But, in some ways, we are fortunate to have the technology and cars we have now, too.

The Corvair was not the prettiest car but it did break ground. And got a bad rap by Ralph Nader, he picked on the Corvair but mentioned nothing about the VW Beetle which was a lot worse that the corvair regarding steering issues. I was driving a beetle and turned wheel and it kept going straight simply because the front end had no weight. The corvair handled a lot better than a Beetle.

[shrinkdoc]

Originally Posted by INTIMIDAT3R

Count the Charger out. It's just a Magnum with the back chopped off and I don't care how big the engine is, it's still a 4 door granny car.

I am not a 4 door guy but the new charger looks good.

[usnatclee]

Gas prices going crazy is what killed the street scene. I for one refuse to ever not have a Truck and a sports car. I also refuse to not take care of my vehicles. I have always loved cars and always will. Nobody taught me about cars as a kid so I am learning everything by just doing it myself. I am currently building myself a 1973 CJ5 offroad vehicle.

[Bonanza7]

The bean counters and social reformers have taken over the car companies and the media, to vilify anything that is unique and fun. We are not supposed to be individuals, according to them. Just cogs in a machine.

[Bonanza7]

Originally Posted by shrinkdoc

The Corvair was not the prettiest car but it did break ground. And got a bad rap by Ralph Nader, he picked on the Corvair but mentioned nothing about the VW Beetle which was a lot worse that the corvair regarding steering issues. I was driving a beetle and turned wheel and it kept going straight simply because the front end had no weight. The corvair handled a lot better than a Beetle.

Nader hated the American car giant. That is why he picked on the Corvair