task
Part of things
Posts: 374
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I've been asked to speak at the DLOC board meeting tonight on the topic of why the DLOC and Daimler/Lanchester ownership seems to be less attractive to a younger generation. I have a few theory's on this myself; - Cost of purchase
- Ability of car
- Availability
I would guess a further issue is image, does anyone else have ideas? Have a few Daimler photos for reading this far DB18 - Charlesworth Consort SP250 Cheers
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I had a Daimler a few years back but the deerstalker hat in the glove box that came as standard just didn't suit me. Definitely has a rather staid image. Only upside I can think of to make me think of buying one is the hemi V8.
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'71 Arrocuda.... '71 Sunbeam Rapier Turbo (The Grim Rapier).... '63 Hymek D7076..... Audi GT5S
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I find that classic car enthusiasts tend to favour cars that they remember from their youth, either from seeing them about or having been in one that a family member or friend owned. That rules out all but badge-engineered Jags for most people under 50!
The other angle is that people have a preferred marque and follow the lineage back as they learn more. For example, you might start out with a Corsa when you pass your test, go to a few Vauxhall meets and find that the older stuff like Vivas starts to appeal. Which leads us back to the same issue...who gets a Daimler as a first car in 2012? Or anytime in the last forty years?
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MrSpeedy
East Midlands
www.vintagediesels.co.uk
Posts: 4,789
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I'd hesitantly suggest cost is an issue.
You can quite easily get something like a Herald/Dolomite/Viva etc in usable condition with ticket for a grand.
For that money I'd suggest the only Daimer you could get would need a dustpan and brush to move it
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crazymonkey
Posted a lot
ummm....what was I doing again???
Posts: 1,981
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insurance lets face it when younger people think of "insurable" cars they don't think of daimlers. the big engine, fuel economy and "grandad" appearance give it more of a retirement feel as well. Personally I cant think of anything Id like to do better than swanning about in a gas guzzling sovereign but I'll be honest anything older than that doesnt appeal to me, probably because I like cars that look like they can be driven daily and not afraid to be driven, whereas the older daimlers and lanchesters seem to me weekend show cars
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whoever said dogs were man's best friend....obviously never heard of cable ties
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task
Part of things
Posts: 374
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Cheers guys, some food for thought and nice to see suggestions confirming what I thought already.
Rmad, that's an angle I hadn't thought of but it makes a lot of sense. Something suggested was the lack of younger community but certainly hadn't linked it to lineage.
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g40jon
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,569
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why daimlers don't appeal to da youth 1. I don't think they were ever aimed at the youth when new, let alone now. So the image doesn't appeal unless you want street cred when you roll up to visit your nan in the nursing home. Having said this though the later jags in drag could be pretty cool VIP'd up 2. Cost would be the other big factor. Costly to buy, run and insure if your under the age of 25 3. Unless your mad into cars, its probably a bit of a forgotten brand. I can't remember seing one on the road in the last 15 or so years (a few might have driven past and I might not have recognised them as anything other than an old classic car)
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,538
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I reckon this is going to be a growing problem for clubs with a major interest in this sort of upright '40s-'50s car. They're not talking about new teenager drivers not getting into this stuff because that's just not realistic. The problem is attracting 30-45 year olds where the insurance and cost is likely to be less of an issue. But what they can't change is the image of an old man's car that I and I suspect many others would automatically assume with a Lanchester or Daimler of that era.
I would have thought that there is still reasonable demand out there for SP250s and I'd exect there to always be a market for sportscars like that, for those people who don't want to join the MG/Triumph crowd.
The later XJ6 type cars probably do attract people of the age they would like (following the rmad principle) but then perhaps these owners are not really interested in joining a club that may be dominated by older owners of the older cars?
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Steve
Posted a lot
Making progress in small, easy to handle chunks of awesome
Posts: 2,034
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^^^^ All of the above I only bought my Lanchester cos it was close to home and cheap........i doubt i will be welcome at any OC meets when its finished ;D
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I find that classic car enthusiasts tend to favour cars that they remember from their youth, either from seeing them about or having been in one that a family member or friend owned. That rules out all but badge-engineered Jags for most people under 50! The other angle is that people have a preferred marque and follow the lineage back as they learn more. For example, you might start out with a Corsa when you pass your test, go to a few Vauxhall meets and find that the older stuff like Vivas starts to appeal. Which leads us back to the same issue...who gets a Daimler as a first car in 2012? Or anytime in the last forty years? This. Another factor worth considering is whether the younger generation even know about these cars, as they don't seem to get much magazine coverage. Yet more factors are things like the cost of restoration / parts availability, and also performance, brakes and handling compared to other cars of this age. E.g. I quite like the look of several Rootes cars that are the same age as my Amazon, but the parts back-up doesn't even get close.
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burns
Part of things
Posts: 373
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I would have said storage could be an issue. It doesn't strike me as a car I would want to park on the road and drive through grit and general wintery ming. Many younger drivers do not have the luxury of a garage. I guess this is all part of trying to protect a reasonably expensive investment in the first place as well.
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An active, friendly and open to non-members club forum is also a good way to open up interest to younger enthusiasts
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I still REALLY want to build Mk2 Jag... given the prices though it may be cheaper for me to do the equivalent Daimler, I do suspect I'd be somewhat frowned upon by the owners club for a pan scraping Daimler though, so I guess they wouldn't get see it.
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MWF
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,945
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does anyone else have ideas? IMO the key issue is the fans are making noise about their passion in the wrong places, mainly places new blood doesn't exist. Marque, genre and period based groups often fall foul of putting barriers up around them without even realising. Expecting new fans to come find them, when really it needs to be the other way around. This is why a lot of car clubs end up consisting of mainly families and close friends. This problem tends to be further compounded when you have groups which tend to be socially awkward and thus unwelcoming. New blood will join an older fan base if the attractive benefits are presented and the fan groups accessible.
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New blood will join an older fan base if the attractive benefits are presented and the fan groups accessible. Agree with mwf but new blood often brings new ideas and we don't want to scare the horses now do we old chap!
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'71 Arrocuda.... '71 Sunbeam Rapier Turbo (The Grim Rapier).... '63 Hymek D7076..... Audi GT5S
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Do I like Daimlers? Yes. Do I want a Daimler? No.
This is mostly due to the image of them. It is not the sort of car you could drive in jeans and have a reputaion for beardy old men with their concourse examples and I feel that if I did what I want with it rather than stuck to the original then I would be frowned upon. The poor dynamics, fuel consumption and names like 'Charlesworth' and 'Consort' back this up. Its the sort of car for 'special occasions' where you dress up and wear driving gloves and only head out on a Sunday afternoon, not the sort of car you can use and abuse. And have you seen the parts prices. I got a bootlid for my Fiesta for 99p and Daimler bootlid would be atleats 10x that price. Image, Fuel consumption, price. The three main reasons why young people do not buy them.
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New blood will join an older fan base if the attractive benefits are presented and the fan groups accessible. Agree with mwf but new blood often brings new ideas and we don't want to scare the horses now do we old chap! That happens with many car clubs focusing on 1 marque or modle. I have found it with clubs focusing on much more modern and main stream cars and have been hounded out by the established members for upsetting the apple cart with suggestions when they are complaining that no-one new is joining the club.
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stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,926
Club RR Member Number: 174
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The scene and Daimlersstealthstylz
@stealthstylz
Club Retro Rides Member 174
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I'd love a Daimler but would never join the owners club. IME one marque owners clubs are without fail the most up their own groups of people in existance. Matt
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