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It's always nice to see the younger generation get involved in the classic / retro scene although it's a rare sight - other than them adopting their parents passions for older vehicles I don't really view our hobby / passion has that easy for the younger generation to get into - ask any car club committee what the largest concerns are and attracting 'new members' will be readily up towards the top of the list change the phrase to attracting 'new younger generation members' and you have trebled the task ahead. For some years I have had some thoughts that they ought to be some type of support scheme that encourages the classic car insurers to have special rates that helps / assists younger classic / retro drivers. I recently came across a scheme and I can only but applaud the club 'The Morris Register' that is promoting it - so they have a member that has loaned a suitable classic and devised a scheme to enable the car to go on loan to a suitable new young member - they have organised the insurance for it too - details here: morrisregister.co.uk/ymi/ It's already lit a fire within the club that I am member of and we are currently researching the possibilities of introducing a similar scheme to the 'Jowett Car Club' Elsewhere The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs have been hard at work within the classic car trade to promote an apprenticeship scheme in order to address the skills shortage in a ever expanding market. So how else do we enthuse our younger generations with our pastime - do we encourage the kid at the bottom of the street who likes your motor to come and have a proper look at it or do we leave him to go play on his I pad ?
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2018 10:38:20 GMT by Deleted
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This site fired my lad George up to build his own personal taste retro Won a trophy at its first show George is now almost 15 and works Saturdays at my mates garage His passion and enthusiasm is incredible, and he has no interest in hanging out on the streets The help he has had from members on here has been superb Only problem is the next build is on the horizon now he earns money every Saturday! And working in the garage mot failures seem to be readily available
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2018 14:05:57 GMT by Mercdan68
Fraud owners club member 2003 W211 Mercedes E class 1989 Sierra sapphire 1998 ex bt fiesta van
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It's always nice to see the younger generation get involved in the classic / retro scene although it's a rare sight - other than them adopting their parents passions for older vehicles I don't really view our hobby / passion has that easy for the younger generation to get into - ask any car club committee what the largest concerns are and attracting 'new members' will be readily up towards the top of the list change the phrase to attracting 'new younger generation members' and you have trebled the task ahead. For some years I have had some thoughts that they ought to be some type of support scheme that encourages the classic car insurers to have special rates that helps / assists younger classic / retro drivers. I recently came across a scheme and I can only but applaud the club 'The Morris Register' that is promoting it - so they have a member that has loaned a suitable classic and devised a scheme to enable the car to go on loan to a suitable new young member - they have organised the insurance for it too - details here: morrisregister.co.uk/ymi/ It's already lit a fire within the club that I am member of and we are currently researching the possibilities of introducing a similar scheme to the 'Jowett Car Club' Elsewhere The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs have been hard at work within the classic car trade to promote an apprenticeship scheme in order to address the skills shortage in a ever expanding market. So how else do we enthuse our younger generations with our pastime - do we encourage the kid at the bottom of the street who likes your motor to come and have a proper look at it or do we leave him to go play on his I pad ? Whilst it's laudable that such a scheme has been pioneered I think the term 'young' is dubious at 30+ years old and it strikes me that there is such a checklist of exclusionary criteria that it would rule 75% of would-be potential candidates out.
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I know what you mean about getting the younger generation enthusiasitic about cars. It seems to me that they're just not that into them for the most part. Theres a little lad in my youngest daughters class at primary school. He is quite into cars, adn every day when I bring my daughter in he asks what we've driven there in, and can he go for a spin in it. I've taken him for a run around the block a couple of times, and according to his dad it makes his day, especially if I smoke the tyres (which I'd never do on a public road obviously!) He asks me questions and I try to answer them, or find out the answers for him. He tells me he wished his Dads car was as cool as mine, which makes me chuckle a bit. His Dad drives a pretty hot, and fairly new Focus ST, although it's not in ASBO Orange or anything like that! But anyway, out of the class of twenty odd kids, He and my daughter are the only ones who have any interest in cars, but I guess thats 10%. My older daughter goes to secondary school and yesterday she asked me to pick her up for a change, so I picked her up in my 1980 Pontiac Trans Am, now in the car park ther was quite a few cars, mostly fairly new 4x4's because obviously you need a 4x4 when it gets a bit leafy on the city streets! However hardly any of the kids that passed me while I was waiting for my eldest daughter in the car park took any notice of my car. Infact, for the most part none of them took their eyes off their phones as the walked through the car park. I think that kids today, they're just not interested. I hate to say it, but I think most of them have adopted Homer Simpsons philosophy to life, If somethings hard to do, then it's not worth doing! Further more I'm not sure it's the children who are to blame, as I sat in the school carpark yesterday I was looking around, and all the other parents were just sitting in their cars glued to the screen of their phone, so thats where the kids learn it from. What gets me is how kids of today don't really want to do anything other than lounge around the house. They don't want to go out, or anything. When I was a kid if I wasn't at school, or asleep I was out on my bike, skatebord, skates, or go-kart. I was never home, if the streetlights hadn't come on, then I was out! But this is not what kids do any more. I find it quite strange, and a little bit concernning if I'm honest.
Anyway, I think i'm getting away from the point, my advice is if you see even the smallest hint of a spark of interest in a kid, fan it hard until its a big flame!
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I have 2 boys 12 and 7. The youngest will come out the garage with me and make things will I'm playing cars. Ok he's not working on cars he's drilling holes in wood and bending scraps of metal in the folder, but he's outside not on the iPad. Perhaps his interest will grow. My eldest is in to car games on the Xbox but doesn't want to work on cars. I've got him a micra and a Ka that he drives around the field, but I think he would rather play Xbox. If I had that opportunity as a kid I think my brain would have exploded. He has started navigating me on our local motor clubs Motorkhana events ( think giant autotest). He thoroughly enjoys. But still I think he'd rather play Xbox. In 2 years he will be old enough to compete himself and in my experience all the juniors usually stick with it even when there not being dragged to the event by they're parents. I suppose I got my interest in cars watching my father work on the family cars trying to keep them going - Renault 12, pink Avenger estate, Vauxhall Chevette etc. Most family cars are reliable and get serviced at the garage so kids don't get the opportunity I suppose. I don't know if my offspring will end up like me playing cars as an adult . I don't suppose I can make them like cars but I'm having a good go. Me and the eldest completing just before Christmas
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2018 15:18:55 GMT by jonsey
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i ve tryed with all my boys ,tiny is the only one with the interest ,ive built each one of them their own cars ,sold them put the money in their credit union account and bank account
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It's always nice to see the younger generation get involved in the classic / retro scene although it's a rare sight - other than them adopting their parents passions for older vehicles I don't really view our hobby / passion has that easy for the younger generation to get into - ask any car club committee what the largest concerns are and attracting 'new members' will be readily up towards the top of the list change the phrase to attracting 'new younger generation members' and you have trebled the task ahead. For some years I have had some thoughts that they ought to be some type of support scheme that encourages the classic car insurers to have special rates that helps / assists younger classic / retro drivers. I recently came across a scheme and I can only but applaud the club 'The Morris Register' that is promoting it - so they have a member that has loaned a suitable classic and devised a scheme to enable the car to go on loan to a suitable new young member - they have organised the insurance for it too - details here: morrisregister.co.uk/ymi/ It's already lit a fire within the club that I am member of and we are currently researching the possibilities of introducing a similar scheme to the 'Jowett Car Club' Elsewhere The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs have been hard at work within the classic car trade to promote an apprenticeship scheme in order to address the skills shortage in a ever expanding market. So how else do we enthuse our younger generations with our pastime - do we encourage the kid at the bottom of the street who likes your motor to come and have a proper look at it or do we leave him to go play on his I pad ? Whilst it's laudable that such a scheme has been pioneered I think the term 'young' is dubious at 30+ years old and it strikes me that there is such a checklist of exclusionary criteria that it would rule 75% of would-be potential candidates out. Believe me - in the vast majority of car clubs a member that is under 50 years old is considered young (certainly in the less favourable car clubs i.e. the non sporting badged / non in scene type vehicles) - I am 56 and I am certainly considered young in a 600 strong member club -probably about 5% of our membership are under 50 years old - with the vast majority of our membership being retired - whilst every member counts it's the lads like George that we need to support & enthuse
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My older son, now 21, didn't show much interest in getting involved until he passed his test at 17. He was always interested in mechanical things and making stuff though. He decided that he wanted a Triumph project and ended up with a basket-case MkIV Spitfire because we couldn't find a reasonably priced Herald (or Vitesse) which was what he really wanted at the time. He restored it, including much welding and fabricating, with some "consultancy" from me over two years and now it's his daily driver. He had extreme difficulty insuring it at a half-sensible price in spite of having 3 years no claims and a clean licence due to being only 20 at the time - even though plenty of older drivers would struggle to produce the clean licence or the 3 years NCB. The insurance industry and their miss-use of statistics - you'd really think that 3 years driving record would be enough to sort the sheep from the goats..... Last year, I was finally able to get older son temporarily on the insurance for my Vitesse so we could do the Club Triumph 10CR together. 1 week cost 40% of my whole year premium and the terms were that he could only drive it with me (no one else) sat beside him. Pretty insulting I thought (and I said so) but at least they did it. Younger son (now 18) would also like a Herald (he thinks!) but I suspect lacks the mechanical aptitude and focus to complete a lengthy resto! Rightfully proud owner and little bro..... it started like this (actually less complete than it looks, it just stacked best on the trailer as car shape!) I would have to say that apart from the difficult going-on impossible insurance situation, the other rising issue for 60's and 70's stuff is the way prices are inflating, putting them out of reach. Can't bring myself to pay 4 figures for Herald that is mostly holes....... Nick
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1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend) 1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing) 1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)
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IME some clubs are their own worst enemy, the 'Rivetcounters' don't like the younger generation much, and we've had instances of them at several car shows, 'You've got the wrong grille on that' etc etc, and even worse, a member (maybe even the technical officer!) of a large 4x4 register insisting to my RRc obsessed son that there were only certain kinds of mirror wiring plugs fitted (like we cared?) and refusing point blank to admit he was 'mistaken'.
I do think that there is no real interest in the majority of younger drivers too, but as I've said before, if my kids Grandfathers Merc C class estate breaks down he only needs one tool.
Its called a mobile phone, its impossible to do anything apart from changing a wheel yourself.
If you can't fiddle, you can't learn about it.
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Also with the younger people getting involved We need to realise most grew up in the late 90s early 2000s and like cars from that era.....we need to encourage it Point in case was at the show where George won best car An old boy with a hot rod moaned it was a “modern car” His face was a picture when the public votes were read out!!......fair to say most of the car owners and public there read the car build story and appreciated the boys enthusiasm and work At least this forum embraces this ethos fully
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2018 17:11:14 GMT by Mercdan68
Fraud owners club member 2003 W211 Mercedes E class 1989 Sierra sapphire 1998 ex bt fiesta van
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If the kids at school show any interest, I try to point projects that way. There's probably only one per class though.
My own son in only 2 but he's car mad. I have deliberately NOT encouraged him because I don't want him to be interested only because I am - I want him to be genuinely interested. I took him over to my unit a few weeks ago and he saw a Beetle door up on the wall - he correctly identified it as "daddy car door"!
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1968 Cal Look Beetle - 2007cc motor - 14.45@93mph in full street trim 1970-ish Karmann Beetle cabriolet - project soon to be re-started. 1986 Scirocco - big plans, one day!
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Very good story in a copy of 'Ratrod' magazine, the only copy I've ever seen in our local barbers, about a lad with special needs at a rod show, where that family were following him around apologising for his behaviour. The author picked the lad up, dumped him in his ratrod and proceeded to 'run in place' (american mag) shouting 'wait for me!'
The lad was delighted, and proceeded to ask all sorts of very sensible questions about the car, way beyond his years, to the point where the author took him around several other cars.
Now I know from experience that many of these kids have fixations over one particular thing, and this was obviously what these guys had triggered. I heard the parents were over the moon, and I hope they carried that on.
Maybe all everyone needs is that 'trigger'
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When I sold my beetle recently it was the guys first car. Hadn’t even passed his test yet! When I took him out for the test drive he was giggling! Was great to see. One of my other cars is the latest Focus RS he had a look but didn’t seem interested in it all! I would have happily taken him for a blast but his sights were on the beetle!
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Roach
Part of things
Posts: 717
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Mine will probably inherit whatever is in my cave when I’m done tinkering. Now they just get in the way.... (not all mine btw) :lol:
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,243
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Communication and respect. These are the two biggest things keeping younger people OUT of clubs. It's not a lack of interest in the cars, it's not a lack of willingness to do the work, it's a lack of communication and a lack of respect.
It's too easy for the older generation to forget what it's like starting out with cars at any age, learning how things work, learning how things break and trying to put things right on a small money and time budget. Some clubs I've been involved with are great at being supportive and respectful of new members but the ones with a larger number of older owners and older cars give they impression that they don't want you there.
Imagine facing the obstacle of really WANTING to get into something and being dismissed as being an optimistic, foolish upstart who doesn't know anything about anything. Imagine asking questions and being met with disdain, or worse, a complete wall of silence. Many car club members are LAZY too. They're happy enough to polish their finished article but they won't spare even a minute to offer useful advice.
It's no good imagining that the young folk are going to sit around wide eyed and marvel at your experience and wisdom and not touch any of your precious tools and vehicles. You need to interact, be patient, be tolerant, accept that sometimes the initial enthusiasm from a new person can fizzle out or burn so brightly you'll need to get your welding mask out. It can be disheartening and overwhelming. As an enthusiast, if you really want to involve new people, don't shut them out. It's difficult to do, you'll hate your hobby feels like a job suddenly BUT there'll be that one person that makes the effort worthwhile eventually.
If you really care about the survival of your hobby, about introducing new blood and all the rest, GET INVOLVED. Don't sit in your comfy armchair and complain about it on Facebook. GET INVOLVED. Help with problems. Share your knowledge. Look to the challenges of the younger enthusiast as something to be embraced and overcome. Exercise the old brain mush.
It'll be worth it. I'm not an older member, I'm a sprightly thirty-something, and I've seen a far better reaction and long term interest from people of age 8 upwards purely and simply by letting them ask stupid questions and doing my best to answer them. By trying to find the answer if I don't know it. By showing and telling and keeping build threads.
Most of all, do not be complacent.
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,243
Club RR Member Number: 146
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Another thing that can help is videos. Not cheesy badly edited nonsense, more candid "this is how this works" and "this is a weird thing about this old car" type videos. Informative, informal, not too long. No daft music, no daft fades. Do comparison stuff, show what you can buy for X with a second hand car and a classic, aim it at the younger driver. Not all younger driver want speed and performance, some want an interesting car that's affordable (£2000 or less annually) to insure. They want to know what's out there, what their peers might like, what pitfalls there are.
Video and vlogs are one of the most consumed media formats now, they bring the hobby to life. A car is a thing you interact with, after all, and it's so much more alive and interesting seeming in moving format than just some photographs.
A club that did a video digest of what's going on with member's cars and projects and adventures may well have an audience where you don't expect it. Decent tags, keywords, cover images, etc. could get you out to that wider audience. You have a product you want to sell so you need to find out how to sell it to your desired audience. That means figuring out how to make it appeal to someone that isn't you but also not trying to ape who you think they are. Don't try to get down with the kids, it's never a good end result except for when it's unintentionally hilarious.
I would really like to do some halfway decent quality videos of the stuff I've seen and work on and put up with on my cars. I'm hampered by a lack of recording and editing skills, software and equipment given that my youngest recording device is now about 15 years old. I'm also short on spare time... but, the willingness to do it is there!
This reminds me too of another bad classic car club habit. Have you noticed when they promote their club to younger people they do it in the same old venues they always have? Get your classics driven, do an event where you convoy through town, raise money for charity... there's so much you can do to get to a larger audience.
Classic car shows didn't get me into classic cars. Seeing classic cars on their way to a show, or just randomly in traffic, that's what got me into them. Even the most mundane classic can look exotic when seeing against an everyday backdrop only to look mundane again when it's at a show.
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I grew up around classic cars, authough this was in thew 80's and 90's I considered 50's-70's cars 'normal'. When I went to school no one else was into cars, it was all football and computer games, if anything it was f1 and that was about it. I found this quite strange as my weekend involved being around old cars and old stuff in one way or another. I guess this was also why I was one of very few that was actualy interested in history because I was more aware of stuff that was on this planet before I was. My neice and nephew are constantly being shown anything old at any oppertunity, they now know what an old house looks like, and they point out old cars when they see them. Kids need to have these things pointed out to them from a young age so that they grow up with the feeling that it matters, that its something worth being involved in. Fashion has a way of making things resurface, making them trendy again, people will want certain things because of this but it rarely lasts. Sometime enthusiasm 'bug' can hit, and last a long time, but in most cases any sign of interest need to be nurtured, and that takes time.
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I have to say that although The Jowett Car club is made up in a majority of elder members we have always been a family values club, the kids, younger members have always been well looked after when they attend any club event and it's great to see it, sometimes 3 generations all attending and taking part, we have a Jowett Juniors section whilst several of the now adult members have grown up knowing nothing else other than Jowetts and now own a nice example of the marque (if not several in some cases) - it's the family values that I have witnessed over the years that has retained my membership but there is so much more that we could be doing to encourage the younger generation.
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2018 21:00:00 GMT by Deleted
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Isn't club membership just an older generation thing anyway? (Hence the appeal of sites such as this, Facebook groups, etc.)
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Last Edit: Feb 3, 2018 20:49:22 GMT by MkX
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