Mclaughlin-Buick club in Canada folding

Discussion in 'Classic Buicks' started by 68 Wildcat, Feb 22, 2019.

  1. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

  2. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    Unfortunately happening to more and more clubs, car clubs aren't the only ones. In Ontario a lot of coin clubs have amalgamated into a larger one and they still are devolving into an oldtimer's "kaffeeklatsch". It's the same reason; they've all failed to find a way to attract younger people, and younger people nowadays don't care for the same stuff their fathers did. Car clubs and the like are products of our generation; the younger generation wants nothing to do with it, they have the internet and video games to keep them entertained. It's a shame. There are exceptions to the above rule, of course, and some of them are here on this board, but they are few and far between. Even in my age group it's amazing how few people do anything hobby -wise or volunteer-wise, most are absorbed with their kid's stuff or couldn't care less about anything except themselves.
     
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  3. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    I wasn't sure if I should've "liked" your comment as sadly it's true. I've been a member of a Mercedes club for 10 years that is slowly fragmenting and it's really hard to watch.
     
  4. gsfred

    gsfred Founders Club Member

    It's happening with the Buicks as well. Twenty years ago there were a dozen chapters of the GSCA. Now there is only a couple. The Northeast Chapter is still going pretty strong because they have a great director and his wife that keep things going.
     
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  5. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    Yeah, it's not a surprise. I'm the president of the coin club here in Edmonton and we're one of the most progressive clubs in Canada and we're struggling. We've built a good online magazine and updated the website, and now we're looking to make some YouTube videos and see if they get any hits. But it's a long shot. We've studied the problem and tried to come up with innovate new ways to attract people, but it's just not happening. And my coin club membership is a good deal older than the car clubs ever were. So we've "opened" up the collecting fields, there's still coins and banknotes, but younger guys are looking at credit cards, Pokemon cards, Geo-caching, and gambling tokens along with "collectible" mint products or Franklin Mint garbage. We have to evolve with the times, and ours is passing us by.
    I've belonged to 2 car clubs that have completely folded, one of them was at one point in the 90s the largest car club in Alberta. I went to the biggest swap meet in Alberta last year, it used to be huge (back in the 90s you needed to go around with a wheel barrow) and now it barely fills 2 of the 3 halls and it's all junk. And, there's no one there.
    The funny part of it is, about 50-60 years from now these kids will all be old and complaining about how the hobbies and things that influenced them in their youth are dying; - it's part of a cycle.
     
  6. John Codman

    John Codman Platinum Level Contributor

    As I have found, younger folks are more into "experiences" then in "stuff". This is particularly true of automobiles and similar hobbies. Most of us grew up working on our old cars (my first was a '51 Buick). As the emission controls came in, and cars became more and more electronic, the young kids today really can't work on them any longer. With little or no automotive experience, younger people are not drawn into these types of hobbies. I would bet that most members of this forum are north of 40, and there are a fair number of geezers like me. I'm on the Ford Model T forum and most of the photos show older folks driving the cars, and an occasional young grandchild in the car. Doggone few 30 or 40 year olds seem to be into Model Ts. I suspect that is true of most old car groups.
     
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  7. 2manybuicks

    2manybuicks Founders Club Member

    I suspect it is much like the retail business -- the internet is what's killing off the clubs.

    I mean, if there were no internet, I'd still be buying Hemmings every month and I would HAVE NO CHOICE but to belong to a car club to get the info / guidance and leads on parts that I need.

    Nowadays, why bother? Yes, comraderie and all that, but a majority of the motivation no longer exists.

    -- Steve
     
  8. 68 Wildcat

    68 Wildcat Dash Riprock

    I would have to respectfully disagree with your last statement. I always made a living turning wrenches, working at garages or the dealership and later having my own shop for 25 years. In those days, "car guys" came to me. Now retired and recently moved back to Montreal, I have no "car guys" in my circle of friends and without this site, I would never have even considered attempting to resurrect an old Buick Wildcat
     
    Dadrider likes this.
  9. 2manybuicks

    2manybuicks Founders Club Member

    That's what I'm saying -- sites like v8buick.com have kinda made local car clubs obsolete. So we actually kinda agree.
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2019
  10. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    This would be the modern replacement for a car club, sure. It does fulfill a lot of the same functions, just without the one-to-one personal contact. It also has the advantage of being international, whereas most clubs are lucky if it goes national. The added advantage is that here we can use multimedia to explain a point or show something, where at one time you'd actually have to sit down and describe it.
     
  11. sriley531

    sriley531 Excommunicado

    ^^^This^^^

    And a lot of clubs are kinda "old school" and set in their ways. They think all cars should be a very certain way, and if you have one outside their traditional tastes, whether it's radical or just somewhat modified you are shunned and disparaged. Ask me how I know...
     

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