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Jan 15, 2012 15:48:33 GMT
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Good evening,
I would like to discuss car clubs. I am hoping to get a better understanding on what makes clubs successful and how they can operate so as to be beneficial to the members.
Are you a member of a car club? Why? Is it because it provides to be a useful source of spare parts and technical advice or is it because you like to meet fellow minded enthusiasts? What do you see as the biggest benefit from the club? Do they produce a newsletter and is it any good?
What about club merchandise. Many clubs see this as the best way to supplement their subscription income but they need to have a range of appealing items. In a world where you can have pretty much anything made up over the internet without leaving the comfort of your house, what can an owners club offer that’ll make you part with your cash?
Or are you a hater? Do you think they’re an idea assigned to the past and in this day and age hold no relevance or appeal. Do you find them too stuffy and not worth the hassle and expense? RR is a great example of what I would consider “new-age” car clubs. There is no membership fee, there are no rules, agreements or commitments, just a bunch of people with a shared interest and an internet forum to share said interest; and look at how successful RR has become.
What do you think?
Personally I think there is space for both in this world. I think RR is a great place and I wouldn’t be without it, but I am also a member of two car clubs which I also wouldn’t be without. I do think they can coexist. I see the car club as a more specialised arena where you get your car marquee fix.
I look forward to hearing other’s opinions!
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crazymonkey
Posted a lot
ummm....what was I doing again???
Posts: 1,981
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Jan 15, 2012 15:59:15 GMT
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not a member of any car clubs but am part of a couple bike/scooter clubs. basically I see it that they're great for advice and inspiration. If you want to change something but don't know what to do others provide inspiration, if something's broke and you don't know how to fix it then the answer lies with someone else in the club. Its the fact that they know the vehicles pretty well owning one themselves plus as you say there's a social aspect making friends with likeminded people who share the same interests as you
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whoever said dogs were man's best friend....obviously never heard of cable ties
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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Car Clubs - are you member?Davenger
@dminifreak
Club Retro Rides Member 140
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Jan 15, 2012 16:14:56 GMT
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I'm a member of ASOC They're good for advice and support. Great for sourcing parts too. Gets me a discount on insurace too, when I finally finish the damn thing
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Jan 15, 2012 16:40:52 GMT
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There was a very similar thread last year from somebody who was thinking of starting a "self-hire" workshop but I can't find it now From memory of that one - beware insurance if you are setting up a "tool hire car club" (if the club is members only insurance is *lots* cheaper, and you won't shoudn't have problems with strangers walkng off with your tools) Anyways, Yep. I'm a member of non-marque specific club. www.n-e-r-c.co.uk/htdocs/how%20it%20works.htmlFairly local for me. Ex-factory/warehouse. Well equipped machine shop, lots of very knowledagable folk willing to help if you're stuck, on-site 4 post ramp, and dedicated bays in the workshop (short-term for up to 8 weeks, long-term for major rebuilds, and a "clean" spray room). They recently put up a shed for sand & shot blasting which will take a full Escort shell if needed. Also has a small brew room and the kettle is always hot ;D Has been ideal for me, welding new cills on the Estate (working under cover in the workshop instead of in the front street at home), and also to take the glass out and paint the roof before fitting new seals - all stuff I would have struggled (or not had the confidence) to do at home, If you let us know why you're asking I can maybe give a better answer for you
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Jan 15, 2012 16:48:18 GMT
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I have been in the Imp club for about 16 years. Its a great club, really useful for advice and spares and has some great get togethers. I have also met some great friends through the club. I can imagine that some clubs are stuffy. The Imp club is not one of them. So it depends on on the club. Maybe it depends on the car.
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Last Edit: Jan 15, 2012 16:48:47 GMT by ImpJimbo
BS Nymph Singer Chamois Coupe Series 3 Landy
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Jan 15, 2012 16:58:18 GMT
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I'm not a member. Yet. Before last year, before I bought the Tea, I've been for years tied into the Mini scene. I was in contact with a lot of clubs - but to be honest, I never saw any advantage of joining. People could benefit from my help without being in the club - and I didn't find anything I could benefit from when joining the / any club... Hence I had no interesst at all in any sort of club...
But... Since I'm getting into the scene of classic Mercs... I'm about to chnage my mind about car clubs. Those Merc (classic Mercs up to the W123) clubsare realy organised... They have large barns full of tad for club members, they organise spare part reproductions, they have teams in the US collecting spare parts, Mercedes is involved, you get discounts on spare parts at Mercedes's, access to online parts cataloques etc. etc. - there's something that I CAN benefit from when joining. And with joining and paying the fee, I feel I'm helping to finance all that.
My opinion is now: depends on what club... ;D
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Jan 15, 2012 17:06:31 GMT
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I've been in the Dolomite club for about 3 years now. The insurance discounts they've negotiated with a few insurers were the first major incentive for me, the spares service a close second. The bi-monthly magazine is now pretty good as well. Technical advice and access to the forum is free to all, apart from one members section, which makes it a very open club. In fact, some of the most knowledgeable forum users aren't even members. Merchandise wise, I'm not really all that big on "Look at me! I'm in a club!" type things, so haven't actually bought any of it. I might get the overalls though, I'm sick of ruining hoodys and jeans. ;D
I've made some genuine mates through that place. Even with being more youthful than most of the other guys on there, though that is starting to change quite rapidly, I don't feel belittled or looked down upon at all.
While it's useful to be in the club, as soon as anyone hears I'm in it there suddenly seems to be a large space appear around me... I think car clubs have a bit of a flat cap and slippers image associated to them still, or that might just be due to what my car is...
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chevazon
Posted a lot
1939 Chevrolet 2 door coupe, `67 `Zon estate, `87 Ragtop Cavalier, 4 x 800 Drifters,(!) 1500 Drifter
Posts: 2,259
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Jan 15, 2012 17:08:01 GMT
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RR, VDOGUK, SDCVC, Blue Knights LEMC, Chevytalk, Vulcan Forum, UKDOG, Dutch Drifter forum, Kawasaki forum, Mk2cavcom, VOC, etc. etc. The more forums you visit the more info and inspiration you get. As for actual membership the SDCVC gives me insurance liability, handbook to all local events and discount at some places. Chevytalk opens up the USA and I have meet some goood folk there.
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Jan 15, 2012 18:06:53 GMT
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Ignoring forums as they aren't really clubs....
I'm a member of the Mopar Muscle Association. I get discounted entry to the MoparNats each year and I get a % discount on stock items at US Automotive. There is a magazine but I'm not really into it and a members-only forum which I drop into occasionally but not often.
I used to always join the owners club for whatever car I owned as a matter of course, but some are a bit snooty, some are OK, but generally I can find same info I need for free on the internet these days. I'm not really into one-marque shows and all.
I think a lot of people who badmouth owners' clubs do so on what they think they are like not what they are like. Most clubs are fairly open to modified cars (some are famously not though) and are fun and so long as you are into same cars the club is for its all good with them.
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Jan 15, 2012 18:45:27 GMT
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The success and worth of a club depends on the club membership. A club is only successful if members (not just the 'committee') make an input. I've seen it for myself where members leave it to (unpaid) officials to organise everything. Fair enough, we can't all contribute all the time, but after all it is a 'club' : it's supposed to be run by, and for, the benefit of all members.
I was a member of the Ulster Kit Car Club for a number of years, including some official duties, and I always believed in making an input into the club. If members are prepared to make an input (and sometimes that might only be turning up once in a while) and feel their input is included, it usually works.
I originally joined for the aspect of meeting up with like-minded enthusiasts, and that's probably what inspires the creation of most clubs.
At the moment I'm a member of the Reliant Scimitar and Sabre Owner's Club. There are no club events over here, but I joined to pay dues for the advice and information I get from their forum.
On the subject of tools, the UKCC had/has a 'Tool Pool'. From the club accounts, various tool were bought, the sort of thing you'd otherwise buy yourself, but might only use infrequently. So there was a pool of good tools that any club member could freely borrow : engine hoist, transmission jack, cylinder bore hone, braking pipe flaring kit, etc.etc. This was a very clever initiative and was a great benefit to club members.
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bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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Jan 15, 2012 18:51:04 GMT
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Well I'm a member of the Triumph dolomite club.
Membership is usefull as it gives access to the club spares scheme, insurance discounts and the clubs good neighbour scheme. I,e a list of members who are in a postion to help you out should you break down in their area.
The magazine is good and its generally worth being a member.
I used to be a member of DAF owners club but have not renewed my membership for a few years as I find there is not actually that much benefit to membership and as the only DAF I own is in peices and looks to be staying that way for the time being. Once I get it back on the road I may reconsider because it is a very friendly club. But probably to their disadvantage they are quite willing to help out non members as much as members
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44 1974 VW Beetle 1303s 1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV 1988 VW LT45 Beavertail 1998 Volvo V70 2.5 1959 Fordson Dexta
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chaseracer
Part of things
If you have to ask why, you will never understand...
Posts: 597
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Jan 15, 2012 19:30:29 GMT
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Been in 2CVGB for ever and I'll keep that going, but the Citroen Car Club membership is going to become an 'austerity measure' quite soon...
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86mike
Part of things
Posts: 453
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Jan 15, 2012 19:43:26 GMT
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I'm not in any clubs although i used to go to SIDC meetings with my pal. I think the best car club would provide events, support and parts. The MG club must be quite a good example?
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Jan 15, 2012 20:28:11 GMT
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I'm a member of two clubs, for very different reasons.
ClubPolo - £5 per year, annual newsletter. It's a varied member base, though usually members gravitate to the newest model or cheapest/easiest to get old model (currently the mid 90s version). There's a lot of the usual nobbery here but the longer I've been there the more I've found there are people with a love for the Polo beyond being part of the popular crowd. Mainly I'm in ClubPolo for the discount to my insurance: £5 per year membership reduces my insurance by £30 annually. However, now that I've started to do more mechanical things to my car, it's been a useful source of information for model specific stuff. RR has filled in the gaps for me.
Motornutz - £10 per year. I joined this group as it's my local club, or was before I moved. I'm here because of club meets and events and the camaraderie. It gives me more than ClubPolo and reduces my insurance not a jot *but* I feel it's better value for money for what I want from a car club. I enjoy being a Motornutz member, it helps buoy my enthusiasm for car stuff.
RR - Free Not technically a car club in the traditional sense but as skoda_norman points out, very much the new age of car clubs. An invaluable mine of useful information, useless information and motivation. I'd happily pay to be a member of RR on the merits of the forum and the members as a whole.
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Last Edit: Jan 15, 2012 20:28:46 GMT by Deleted
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,555
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Jan 15, 2012 20:54:45 GMT
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Been in 2CVGB for ever and I'll keep that going
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,784
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Car Clubs - are you member?Dez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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Jan 15, 2012 21:16:16 GMT
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ive got far, far, far, far more 'out' of R-R than i have have any other club or forums- friends, work, inspiration, cars, parts, etc.etc. ive simply never needed[/] to go anywhere else.
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Jan 15, 2012 21:21:41 GMT
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Thank you for the responses. It is interesting to see different perspectives on the same matter. There is obviously a great many car clubs out there and all are different in their own way and successful (or not) accordingly!
I was asking because it is something of interest. One of my favourite owners clubs (albeit for motorcycles) has an ageing membership with a much smaller number of younger people picking up the hobby which I think is a shame. Is it fault of the club or a lack of interest in the machines? In the Skoda Owners Club we facing tough competition from clubs and also face the undesirable task of trying to appeal to those with a 2012 Roomster diesel and those with a 1974 110L. Two very different demographics with different requirements but at the heart of the club is a deep routed passion for the cars. I think car clubs are great. To have a passion and love for particularly car isn't "normal" and so its good to be able to celebrate your interests with like-minded people.
Keep the opinions coming!
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Jan 15, 2012 22:03:23 GMT
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Since I'm getting into the scene of classic Mercs... I'm about to chnage my mind about car clubs. Those Merc (classic Mercs up to the W123) clubsare realy organised... They have large barns full of tad for club members, they organise spare part reproductions, they have teams in the US collecting spare parts, Mercedes is involved, you get discounts on spare parts at Mercedes's, access to online parts cataloques etc. etc. - there's something that I CAN benefit from when joining. And with joining and paying the fee, I feel I'm helping to finance all that. thats what I thought 8 years ago when I joined the main UK MB owners club. I soon got a shock when I went to the annual concours show, funilly enough in a 123 200T. it wasnt mint so they werent fussed, I don't have £50 notes falling out of my ass so they werent fussed, I had dyed red straveller hair and tattoos so they werent fussed. I approached one guy to compliment him on his splendid seB and ask some questions and he blatantly walked away from me. I didnt fit their clique, so they werent fussed. the online forum was no better, anytime I asked a question regarding fixing a problem I had I was greeted with the same response of "take it to a dealer, you cant fix it". i got a quote for the members discounted insurance too, it was £250 more than what i was already paying at the time, which i recall was around the £300 mark. I gave up really soon and let my membership slip when it was due. it may be differnt now, I don't know, or care for that matter, the other online forums are full of very helpfull members, so il continue to use those. theres also a mine of info here too, as we have quite a few benz mafia to question, should the need arise. it may be different on germany, I hope you can let un know. the only other clubs ive been a member of are aircooled VWs. politics and inbitching put me off those after a few meet ups. in summary, my experience of owners clubs is pretty poor.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,784
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Car Clubs - are you member?Dez
@dez
Club Retro Rides Member 34
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Jan 15, 2012 22:41:29 GMT
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all that rivet counting/little hitlerism and they cant find a spelling nazi to proofread their advert for em
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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Car Clubs - are you member?Davenger
@dminifreak
Club Retro Rides Member 140
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Jan 15, 2012 22:45:04 GMT
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A lot of owners clubs can be like that. I ASOC because most of the cars are modified in one way or another. It's about cars, not museum pieces. I only joined to get access to thier spares stockpile
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