Millenials and Classic Cars

[ksurfer2]

So I was out the other day for a drive in my 69 RR and needed to stop for gas. While pumping a young guy (I'm guessing 19 or 20) came up and complemented me on my car, and politely asked if he could look inside. He walked around the car for a minute and then asked...."is this an 82 or an 83?"

He was shocked when I told him it was a 69.

 

[rumblefish360]

There young and don’t know.

Just be nice and school them with a smile and soft spoken kind words.

1 sure way to drive future classic car owners, hot rodders and racers away from the hobby is to act like a dick.
Don’t show your disbelief, astonishment, speak rudely or arrogantly but just tell’em with a smile what they want to know and maybe a tid bit more.

When they ask why this that or the other thing, just smile and say because that’s what I wanted to do. Something besides a cookie cutter car. The average build up, just different. And tell them, it’s only money, you can always make money. A waste? Never a waste if you enjoy it. So just do it because you only live once!

Then give’em a pair of stretch marks!!!!

 

[Scatpack]

There young and don’t know.

Just be nice and school them with a smile and soft spoken kind words.

1 sure way to drive future classic car owners, hot rodders and racers away from the hobby is to act like a dick.
Don’t show your disbelief, astonishment, speak rudely or arrogantly but just tell’em with a smile what they want to know and maybe a tie but more.

When they ask why this that or the other thing, just smile and say because that’s what I wanted to do. Something besides a cookie cutter car. The average build up, just different. And tell them, it’s onky money, you can always make money. A waste? Never a waste if you enjoy it. So just do it because you only live once!

Then give’em a pair of stretch marks!!!!

Totally agree. I give them rides and the smile on their face, priceless. But on the other hand, I get people who are in their 60’s telling me “I used to have a car just like yours, it was 1964 super bee with numbers matching motor”

 

[Sixpactogo]

Totally agree. I give them rides and the smile on their face, priceless. But on the other hand, I get people who are in their 60’s telling me “I used to have a car just like yours, it was 1964 super bee with numbers matching motor”

I too agree. Educating the less informed is part of the enjoyment of of owning and being out in the public with our old iron. I've had lots of those kinds of questions and remarks over the years. Just last year at a show, a couple in their 40's were looking at my Charger and the wife asked her hubby, "What is a heemee?" He answered "I think it has something to do with the engine"
Young, old.........it don't really matter. We were all where they are at one time or another.
Ain't this a fun hobby?

 

[91r/t]

I hate being a damn millennial.....Wish I was born 30 years prior. Being 30 yrs old, my age group doesn't enjoy the old cars or even know how to run a push mower most of the time!

 

[6PKRTSE]

I get the same from the younger generation also. However, some at least know it is a Charger thanks to the F&F movies.

I had the opposite once time at a gas station. While I was pumping gas an older couple in their 70's maybe even 80's where getting gas across the pump from me. The older gentleman says he bought a brand new 69' Charger but in green back in 1969. He said he loved that car & wished he never had sold it & still had it. I offered to take them for a ride. When we got back they both got out of my car with tears in their eyes & thanked me for making their day & making them feel young again. Made my day also. He then told me he had parts left over from another old Charger. If I wanted it all I could have it for $25.00. Went to his house & picked up a bunch of tan interior parts & trim pcs. Everything but the seats in tan.

 

[Moparstyle]

Ive had a few kids look at my car while im working on it in the garage that are just amazed that im building it from the ground up dont mind at all talking to them at all my son is turning 21 this year and asked me if i was going to put a LS in it wtf hes lucky after a very long talk hes making it to 21

 

[the mississippi madman]

If he was only 19 or 20 he's not a millinial (1981-1996) born after 96 and you are part of the next generation

 

[TxDon]

I take my cars to two cars & coffee meets in my area plus the occasional car show. Mostly greybeards like me but I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of Millennial and Gen X "kids" who are there and very interested in all types of cars. Some are car owners and started with a modern musclecar then branched into older stuff. A lot of them like major mods and the big wheels that I know us oldies squint at, but we need to encourage and accept them to keep the hobby going.

 

[moparmarks]

When driving my 72 SSP I get the most complements from teenagers and middle aged women.

 

[SteveSS]

I showed a millennial the difference between a 67,68, and 69 Camaro. I was thrilled he knew which was which on the starting line. i dont think they are dumb they just didn't learn on the streets like we did.

Short story. My son was/is a car guy. He could indentify any car by the age of 5. We were in toy store and some older boys about 10 years old had a collection of Hot Wheels and didn't know what some of them were. He went up and told them what was what.

 

[rumblefish360]

I get people who are in their 60’s telling me “I used to have a car just like yours, it was 1964 super bee with numbers matching motor”

Myself as well. I hate it. Why?
Because it often goes like this;

Them; Nice Camaro! If s it LS powered?

Me; It is a ‘73 Plymouth 4spd Cuda.

Them; Sorry to hear that. (Walks away...)

Then there’s!!!

Them; I had a Rambler just like yours!

Me; Ummm, cool, by the way this is actualllly......

Them interrupting me while speaking louder just Incase of ....
“It had the Ford 428 Super Jet in it!” Only ran on the old real gas back in the day. You know right, real gas is purple right! 110 at the pump baby!!!!!

Me; Whaaaaaaat? Are you...

Them interrupting me again and speaking louder yet;

“Sorry to see you have .. ad various insults... and a small block! What is that? A 283 or something!!!

Me; Ahh NO! It’s a..

Them
“ Hey Harvey, look at this poor saps POS with the under powered .....”

Me; Exxuse me! It’s a 3...

Them practically yelling... Hey I bet you wish.....


Me thinking, “OMG! Someone shoot one of us! Ether one of us!”

So a female walks up:

*itc# says, “My boyfriends are is faster than yours.

Me; UmmGood for him and so lucky for you huh. Go away please...

Calmly, I remind myself that arrogance & stupidness runs rampant in the general public very deeply and boldly. Often making its way into the world from the bubbling boiling pit of chit it lives in just to release more toxic gas from both of its big blow holes.

Sadly I forget that it must be the shinny cars and chrome that attract the morbidly stupid to the meeting area and the smell of exhaust that makes them think there is a party for them underway.

In droves the retarded asses show up spouting there vast wealth of knowledge and correctness as if it spilling wine at the factory on New Years Eve.

Yes! You must be correct that Chevy has the 383 first in production Camaro in 65.!!! I can see your confidence in you speaking! YOUUUU KNOWWWWW WHAT YOUR SAYING!!!!

It only gets worse with the resto NAZI’s that won’t go away. Feeling there duty to point out what doesn’t belong or is missing from your ride.

Me; It’s a hot rod drag car and nothing is original about it. Why are you such a dick? Go away!

Them; But that doesn’t belong on the car.

Sorry, do you have a crayon handy?

Them: Umm, no, why?

Yea, it gets fun from there but it is amazing how they stick around. Still feeling the need to point out what is wrong on your resto even though you tell’em it’s not a resto!

 

[Scatpack]

Well said rumblefish. I had a 70 challenger before I sold that to buy my super bee. I was fueling the challenger up and a tool came and asked if it had a hemi. I told him “nope, just a 318 two barrel” he then said “oh that sucks, it would be way cool if it had a hemi” I said “Do you have a 1970 challenger?” Guess that was the end of that conversation

 

[Tori]

Imagine what it's like to gauge the year of Model A's/T's ..... that's what this reminds me of. I've been into cars for the past 35+ years and i couldn't tell you the year of the early cars from say the teens thru 35. I imagine it to be about like that for them.

 

[Scatpack]

I hate being a damn millennial.....Wish I was born 30 years prior. Being 30 yrs old, my age group doesn't enjoy the old cars or even know how to run a push mower most of the time!

Same boat haha, still rockin the push mower when all my retired neighbors are trying to sell me a rider

 

[ESOXER]

I work at a university and these kiddos don't know anything but Facebook, Snapchat and Amazon. I helped a student with a broke down moped, she was putting 10w30 in the gas, cause she said it takes mixed gas. I had one guy who couldn't figure out how to open the garage door on our shed cause the wasn't a button. He still didn't know how to open it after I opened the latch. I try to teach life lessons as I can and I'm only 36.

 

[PeteBell68]

Not really a millennium story but the best car show story happened to me last summer .
The show was ending so I started the car and while we sat ideling waiting for a friend a younger guy with two small boys around 6 and 4 circled the car 3 times with the 6 year old pulling around us .
The dad came close and said my son absolutely loves your car and how it sounds .
Can he look inside ,I said sure opened the door and said put him in the seat .
Told him don't touch anything but the wheel and closed the door the smile was priceless .
That made my night probably more than the boys my son and I still laugh about that ..

 

[Darter6]

"I used to have one just like it,but it was different"

 

[Hwy145]

The sad thing is that these kids have a world of knowledge at their fingertips, and most of them (yes, I’m stereotyping) would rather get into arguments with strangers online and look at ******* pictures of cats.

 

[Budnicks]

I have younger people {millennial's, Gen X or Pepsi Gen. ?}
usually people new to the community, usually family types,
lots are just walking by & see or hear my RR in the garage
or in the driveway or when I'm cruising the neighborhood, back roads etc.
that ask about my car, I'm usually more than happy to explain it...

Great thing about small communities people are really nice...

Many are very curious, some want to sit in it,
some want to go for a ride, sometimes I will oblige too,
depends on my mood
I believe some don't get it or understand "why"
or that think it's a fossil fuel nightmare too I'm sure,
but they still look interested, still asking about it...

It's the Tree huggers/eco-Nazi's, Prius, Subaru &/or Honda pricks that bother me...
They usually don't even make eye contact if they can help it
some have to be SF style {liberals} idiots & say something derogatory...
We are a smaller rural town, so we don't have all too much of that crap...

I can't park in a parking lot without getting some kind of onlookers...