16 year olds plastidipping their wheels with 1 can and having 2 layers is a canon event. We need to let that happen otherwise people will only build what they see on the internet :( Subscribe if you haven't ✅ - bit.ly/3kXgWr0 Looking for car parts? 🙆Mod your car at MartiniWorks here - bit.ly/3mJVoCD

@dieseladdictryan9511

7 ай бұрын

This the reason I'm going my own route. Not following trends.

@jmccarsnmore1025

7 ай бұрын

Indeed Alex. Something really bad in the car community is when people who can afford a lot, criticize other’s builds not realizing that’s probably all they can afford.

@HSan1503

7 ай бұрын

With all the vloggers constantly showing off hyper cars and super cars, I knew the scene was dead when I would hear kids saying they wanted their first car to be a twin turbo V10 this and that.

@TheKyotu

7 ай бұрын

I intended on using my Instagram to learn and work with other classic chevy guys...i use it to keep track of milestone mods now. Im not in a race and dont care about clout so 🤷‍♂️

@JamieWalker-pc6nd

Ай бұрын

I knew it was dead when a kid asked me how much power I was getting out of my evo. My proud answer “600whp” they went “oh…less than a thousand” It’s the fastest evo in the uk! (At the time 😂) Man I been in cars with 260whp that would burn almost anything (see caterham R500)

The car scene is just clout chasing and inflated egos. I barely post my car online anymore (like once every six months) and don’t go to meets anymore. Seems so serious now and fewer and fewer people are genuinely enjoying themselves anymore.

@GearsAndGains1

7 ай бұрын

YES THIS COMMENT IS GOATED! 🐐 FACTS!

@spideym35i

7 ай бұрын

Part of my problem. I still enjoy going to meets, but very very specific ones. But it's also becoming building to build, and not for the passion of it and wanting to make something your own.

@ChrisPBacon9

7 ай бұрын

Yep, the only involvement in the "car scene" for me is just going to autocrosses or hanging out at track days. I dont see much point in going to meets all too often

@mtnman1984

7 ай бұрын

It started at H2Oi and spread like a virus. Even the Cars & Coffee stuff isn't immune.

@garagers6667

7 ай бұрын

Yup. This is literally it

Had a dream of owning a Viper. Finally bought an 06 GTS and then upgraded to a 16 ACR. I don't go to car meets anymore because I'm tired of the first question being asked if whether or not it's one of the 3000hp 300k Calvo builds and then being met with disappointment. I definitely just enjoy it by myself at this point. I've had way better conversations with strangers in the Kroger parking lot than any of these dedicated events.

@PatrickGotHands

7 ай бұрын

I want a 96 GTS but I almost paid off my C5. I love vipers. But agree I def swipe left on today meets now. It’s too ghetto.

@kuan098760

7 ай бұрын

Funny thing is all the 17-18 yr olds with no license asking those questions 😂

@EmoDKTsuchiya

7 ай бұрын

Sounds like you're in Atlanta 😂

@blue72nova

7 ай бұрын

As a person born and raised in the Houston, TX car community, it is very much the same. Every Lamborghini is expected to be an Underground Racing Build. Every 5th Gen viper needs to be a Calvo or Nth moto setup. Luckily the scene is so large that we still have plenty of fun options for meets to drive to and enjoy a nice morning/afternoon with the buds. I know your feeling though as my ZR1 is only making 600 RWHP and not 1000 RWHP. I have been there and done that and I am quite over it. Right now it is more about building cars with my friends in my shop.

@invictusaeternum

7 ай бұрын

@@blue72nova I could imagine my experience being so much more realized owning a Lambo. Everyone thinks your bank account is 8 digits when you have something "truly" exotic. It'd be fun to line up against you one day.

I think that there's a number of reasons for the change in the community 1. It's just more popular now. I don't think the idea of being a car enthusiast has ever been more romanticized. With that new popularity comes an influx of people and companies who aren't in it for the passion of the hobby but for clout and money 2. The insane costs of cars. New cars are marked up by dealers to a point that stops the average person from owning them. Older enthusiast cars are expensive too having been bought up by the aforementioned clout chasers. And classics are simply unobtainable to anyone who has had a full time job for at least 20 years. 3. It feels like there's less people building authentic cars. Everyone is chasing those high horsepower numbers or that insane widebody setup so that they can impress everyone. No one is building a car for themselves and the result is a lot of shallow, cookie cutter, and passionless cars With all that said I don't want to sound all doom and gloom. There will always being incredible people and companies with a genuine love for the car scene. You'll find that those people are the ones who are the most friendly and helpful and will be the ones to carry the hobby onwards

@Thinginator

7 ай бұрын

One little counterpoint to classic cars being unobtainable: Only if you're seeking perfection and/or one of the garden variety popular classic cars everyone's heard of. There are a gazillion less well-known classic cars out there that are just as interesting and fun in their own ways, which if you buy a less than perfect but serviceable example, are actually quite affordable. Like, you might not be able to afford a '64 Impala, but a '64 Buick Electra is going to be a pretty darn similar experience and just as pretty to look at for a lot less money, and nobody's going to turn up their nose at it for not being a car they've heard of before - most people with a passing interest in cars will smile when they see it because it's "an old car." And I know because I've done this... back in 2017, I bought a '66 Thunderbird as my first car, in running and driving condition, for $5,500. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough to have fun with and experience classic car ownership, and you can still find similar cars for similar prices today. There are a ton of classic car projects out there for good prices if you just look around a bit, go type "project car" or "classic car" into FB Marketplace and start clicking on anything that looks interesting to you, and you'll discover a bunch of neat classic cars you've never heard of but suddenly want.

@paxhumana2015

7 ай бұрын

Here is the thing, the high horsepower happens because of people simply desiring to be in places faster, and due to roads having higher speed limits. Moreover, unless you have a few screws loose in your head, no one wants to go at a snail's pace on a road. Also, in many places, a person can actually be charged with fines for going too slow, as well as for going too fast.

@pointyscroll1325

7 ай бұрын

@Thinginator Oh yea there's definitely some hidden classic gems out there. I own one myself! But if you want anything like a Charger, Fastback Mustang, or Camaro you're screwed. $15k for a rusty rolling shell ain't it

@tigermedz

7 ай бұрын

Idk about classics being top expensive. I got a 79 MGB for 5,850 put the door. And she runs, just needs a little love. She's not super fast. But so much fun to drive, and rewarding to work on.

@30hours51

7 ай бұрын

@@paxhumana2015 average person never uses more than 250hp a day on their commute, ppl dropping money and chasing horsepowers sometimes aren't doing it for themselves anymore. People lost passion and ability to understand cars, these days it's all coming down to "ur car doesn't have 400hp so it must be bad"

My car scene life is like my gaming life. I play solo.

@Treaxvour

7 ай бұрын

Bro, same.

@benjaminwatson7868

7 ай бұрын

What is this an action movie one liner

@treblemix_

7 ай бұрын

Facts when I lived in a “small” city in Texas it was all clicks and yehaw trucks. The onesie twosies that did go to meets were either dicks or just wanted to illegally race/hang with their friends. Being there for a few years turned me off enough to where I’ve had no interest in Utah 😂

@autoteleology

7 ай бұрын

@@benjaminwatson7868you are literally the kind of person we are trying to avoid

@benjaminwatson7868

7 ай бұрын

@@autoteleology oh im sorry i was joking

The car community has felt pretty fake recently, and I gave it a break. Spending time with friends on the strip in Pigeon Forge during Slammedenuff was the closest thing I’ve felt to the car scene I originally fell in love with.

@0Heeroyuy01

7 ай бұрын

🤢🤮 slammed cars. that aside, TN has very few from what iv seen actual car clubs or events outside of like a small town car show once every 3-4 months

@TheSundown2010

7 ай бұрын

In Eau Claire its fubar. Menomonie and Stout suck as well. The whole thing has degenerated to the point where i have had stalkers to my home for two years now. Im a builder and have both latemodel and classic muscle. I also own a 9 second car so i know the fast scene when it was good. Im out and heading to Florida... The scene is completely divided. The tuners are complete assholes now and the redneck builders have completely ruined it. Then you have the bullies in Eau Claire with only a handful of builders besides the old men. The no country for old men crowd has separated from the crowd and mostly stick to their crowd and shows. Im one of them and our show scene is the best organized both here in Menomonie and Eau Claire. The BK nights in Eau Claire ate a complete shit show of shit talking and slow junk that no one wants to be around. The college kids at Stout fucking suck period. They cant build and fuck it up for everyone in the town. WCEC has died except for the page. TBH... it is over now. Everyone hates each other. No one is cool. There is no respect. Builders are rare. The drivers are too aggressive on the road. And the rest of the normal communities hate us and now target us... It sucks... im heading Florida. It rocks there.

@KSwapTheWorld69

7 ай бұрын

Yeah Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge is a vibe! And I'm so glad I'm just an hour away!

@soldierbro4

7 ай бұрын

One or 2 groups in Knoxville is worth going to. Not many. If anything it’s just a bunch of clout chasers and people tryna start stuff online

@alexbarn3841

7 ай бұрын

@@0Heeroyuy01you’re the problem Alex is talking about in the video.

You still feel that sense of community at autocross and track day events. I'd recommend it to anyone trying to find that spark again. The autocross club i race with is a bit small and chill (about 100 racers per event) but everyone is friendly, and even though they might get competitive they'd still have your back if something happened. Theyve towed broken down cars free of charge, helped with repairs on-site when possible, etc

@bcyr-CO

7 ай бұрын

The vibe at the rally cross organization that I drive in (CO-RX) is amazing. Everyone is so chill and just there to have fun throwing dirt around and hitting a few cones. You can talk to anyone and they’ll be happy to tell you whatever you want to know about their car, or recommendations for technique improvement. If you blow a tire there’s always like 3 different people that’ll rush out from the paddock to help you get back on course be it tools, resetting a bead or just lending a whole wheel.

@andrewfoster1804

7 ай бұрын

My local SCCA is where I go to get my fix of that feeling for sure. Made so many friends over the past couple years. Just a bunch of people who love cars, coming together to have fun. No one cares how much your car costs.... In fact some of the most popular cars at the autox events i've gone to have been the total POS's that show up and have a blast. That's what it's all about.

@ChrisPBacon9

7 ай бұрын

@@andrewfoster1804 yep the attitude is so much different and big egos typically get put in check real quick. I think everyone should try it at least once, especially people who feel like the "scene" is dying. Cars were meant to be driven anyways lol

@fireblow6842

7 ай бұрын

meets are easy to attend. but I imagine that actual racing events are a lot of hard work, which should keep the clout chasers at bay for a little longer

@migsmigs87

7 ай бұрын

Very true. I'm in my late 30s. I don't have time to go to meets where silly things happen. But at the track it's great to see everyone's build and connect with them.

as a person who just got into cars around 2019, the amount of people that have told me to just google it when i had a question was incredible. I wouldnt be asking if I already found an answer i understood on google. Between that and the general judginess of people in my area in the car community have made it so i basically love my car outside of the community and when i asked, i never say I am a car person.

@EduardoRodriguez-ml7bn

7 ай бұрын

Google it

@Samus5164

7 ай бұрын

to an extent they're right - if you're having an issue on a project car that probably isn't brand new, you're extremely likely to not be the first person to have that problem. Forums, like Alex mentioned, are still around and are a gold mine for all the trial and error that's already been done with your platform of choice. AudiZine, ClubLexus, Rennlist, Miatanet, VWVortex, HondaTech, Bimmerworld, the list goes on.

@blerst7066

7 ай бұрын

I feel the same way too. And it's not just when I'm asking questions about cars. You can't even ask people to help you with electronic kiosks at restaurants without getting that look.

@DroneStrike1776

7 ай бұрын

It's because the youth do not know how to communicate anymore. Their lives revolves around their phone, short video clips, and texting. They think Google is the answer to all and not realize you can get answers by talking. They don't know how to properly socialize. Go to anyone under 20 and see if you can actually have a solid conversation. All this will get worse with AI, stuff like metaverse, and the politicians and school boards lowering academic standards because "RaCiSt" isn't helping anyone.

@Law19157

7 ай бұрын

2019? Jeez, and here I thought we were talking about 1999. I must be old.

Hey Alex, your opinion is not wrong. Coming from Appleton as well (I’m the bimmerolla owner), I’ve seen how much the car community has changed as well. I got into the car community around 2018 and got heavy into it around 2019. Cars were my life. As social media has grown the car community I think it has also pinned the car community against each other. I’ve seen how creativity of builds were completely crushed and how there was requirements to even attend hangouts, which pissed me off. The car community has also become highly competitive leading to an environment where 35 year old men are talking shit about 20 year olds. Since 2023 I have sold a majority of my cars and no longer affiliate myself with car culture, despite still owning a 1988 foxbody mustang. Maybe I’ll get back into cars someday, but that’ll take a maturity increase from the community as a whole.

@TheSundown2010

7 ай бұрын

In Eau Claire its fubar. Menomonie and Stout suck as well. The whole thing has degenerated to the point where i have had stalkers to my home for two years now. Im a builder and have both latemodel and classic muscle. I also own a 9 second car so i know the fast scene when it was good. Im out and heading to Florida... The scene is completely divided. The tuners are complete assholes now and the redneck builders have completely ruined it. Then you have the bullies in Eau Claire with only a handful of builders besides the old men. The no country for old men crowd has separated from the crowd and mostly stick to their crowd and shows. Im one of them and our show scene is the best organized both here in Menomonie and Eau Claire. The BK nights in Eau Claire ate a complete shit show of shit talking and slow junk that no one wants to be around. The college kids at Stout fucking suck period. They cant build and fuck it up for everyone in the town. WCEC has died except for the page. TBH... it is over now. Everyone hates each other. No one is cool. There is no respect. Builders are rare. The drivers are too aggressive on the road. And the rest of the normal communities hate us and now target us... It sucks... im heading Florida. It rocks there.

@aidoist

7 ай бұрын

Same, in my area, it’s all about who’s got the biggest wallet instead of how we all love cars, I still have my 2016 mustang GT, but I don’t even want to go to mustang week anymore or even go to meets anymore since too many regards start attracting police by doing retested crap

@flacjacket

7 ай бұрын

I find it odd that you are allowing your enjoyment to be mediated by the scene. I have been dyed in the wool since I was old enough to talk (my first word was vroom, no joke), I am in my 30s now and own 7 cars and beyond organized car shows at the local ice-cream place and H2Oi (once) I have never been to a car meet in my life. I have a couple close friend who are into cars, we enjoy them together/ wrench together but otherwise I just enjoy them for me. I don't think I have ever posted any of my cars on social media, your hobby should be about you and what you enjoy, not what other people think, the second you start throwing your car online looking for likes you've lost the plot (and I say that as someone who owns some seriously cool and rare cars ie a fully built 3dr sierra cosworth in the states). Stop caring, start enjoying.

@blacksunshine489

7 ай бұрын

Wow, you been in the scene for 5 years………😱

@LuckyCharms777

7 ай бұрын

Why do you need to be part of a community to enjoy cars? Just do it for yourself. Stop trying to find friends.

It’s hard to be an enthusiast when new sports cars are starting at 30k and used cars consist of un-fucking the previous owners mistakes

@hiromitsukanzuki9137

7 ай бұрын

Tell me about it... Trying to find a unmolested, clean title, decent mileage, '07-'09 350Z coupe with a manual is ROUGH. I hope to get one before the summer, they will become even more rare as these idiots continue to blow them up.

@urmilpatel1721

7 ай бұрын

That's not changed. You think we were modifying new $15k Mustangs back in the 90s? No...we couldn't afford that. We bought the $3000 used Civic and modded that. If we bought a modded Civic, guess, what, we were un-fucking previous owners mistakes. Same game, different era.

@Wild_Danimal

7 ай бұрын

@@urmilpatel1721no. Just no, not even close no

@briannaa5612

7 ай бұрын

Uh yeah "new "cars are always expensive , if you buy cash and used you'll have 1000s just get a used gt 86 for like 25k everything depreciates eventually

@RarestParrot

7 ай бұрын

@@urmilpatel1721 The thing is you can't find a $3000 civic anymore without a chassis that's about to fall apart. $10k to even start a project car these days is highway robbery and is the main reason why I have said fuck even trying. $10k should be what the cost of everything you do, not the starting point.

I started a car community out here in Raleigh during the pandemic. It was amazing seeing different walks of life become forever friends through a passion. But we were a severe minority. The majority of the people who show up are there for selfish reasons. Sometimes, it was hard to tell why they showed up in the first place. The thing that ended it all was that too many people wanted to see something good burn down. Aggressive driving in parking lots, swinging, litter, trashing the meet locations. Everything has to be private now.

@jeengyim3072

7 ай бұрын

I’d love to join your private car meets..I live an hour away from there

@carfarmsocial

6 ай бұрын

Sorry it imploded due to idiot behaviour. I started a UK meet in '21 that gained popularity too fast with the 'racers' leading to dangerous behaviour. I decided to lay the law down in no uncertain terms, threatening to close it down if people didn't stick to the strict rules I set. I could do this without fear of losing income as I've never charged a fee. Overnight everything changed resulting in a better crowd and a tighter community. The few that still disrespected the rules were permanently banned without hesitation. We get an eclectic mix of people and machines, anything from hypercars to £300 TR7s everyone is non judgemental and friendly. I'd encourage you to try again, this time make sure you get help from friends to marshall the get togethers as they grow, setting strong rules from the get go If you do, I wish you all the luck in the world Cheers Adam

@car-nivores

6 ай бұрын

@carfarmsocial thanks, man! That's my plan for this year! I miss my community

@carfarmsocial

6 ай бұрын

@@car-nivores great. Go for it

It´s not so different here in Brazil, the car community changed a lot. When I got my driver´s license back in 2014 we gathered a small group of friends with simple econoboxes with loud mufflers and coil springs, we used to go canyon runs, help to modify cars in garage days and respect other builds. As the time went by, the group kept growing up, but no more with friends, and things started getting weird, people started competing to see which car was fastest or coolest and looking down at each other to the point that I left the group that I created after people talking shit about me and my car. Nowadays I modify and restore the car by myself and won´t go to car meets anymore, It doesn´t make sense to me leaving my house to meet people who would talk shit about my car in the moment that I turn around.

Im from chicago and this is spot on. Not to mention those who can afford nicer cars, or exotics or the latest parts usually look down on those who dont have said parts. Im glad i also ride motorcycles because thats a way more welcoming community compared to car community.

@MarkTrades__

6 ай бұрын

yep this was the first & biggest negative here in the midewest I experienced too

It’s also very difficult when someone is proud of what they have, but when you go to a meet, there’s so many other vehicles that overshadow yours and it can put a damper on the enjoyment. People love the typical stuff, but they rarely enjoy the things that made those popular. You also have the group of people that are so popular, that it’s damn near impossible to join in. It’s almost like high school.

@DhirC35

6 ай бұрын

Just dont go to meets and enjoy the car. Building my car for 300hp. Should be more than enough to have fun

@rambolambo007

6 ай бұрын

I also think it depends on how much people take other opinions into account. Especially seen in the euro and Japanese seems from what I am have seen there is so much comparing and one upping. That's why I prefer the classic and survivor car scene as it's pretty much just talking about what someone has rather then comparing

Same in Europe. It's all about the likes on instagram. And the gap between people who done everything and people who don't have the money, but still love cars is huge. It seems most people turned into asshats to be quite honest. My thoughts on why this happened: Shitty parents raising shity kids, social media and the addiction to likes, and the biggest of all: No more forums.

Good stuff bro, I'm almost 45 and live in Missouri. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s it was excepted to take whatever you had and build it with quality. To be unique was embraced more. Now days you have to fit into this box. Also Im a car show person at heart because meets got to the point like you said to where if you didn't fit into the already established click your on the outside. Plus car meets people pulled up with dirty/raggedy things. Take pride not matter if its a show or meet

@jimjones-pz1tt

7 ай бұрын

You're 45 years old and bro is in your lexicon?🤣🤣🤣

@LuckyCharms777

7 ай бұрын

@@jimjones-pz1tt You must be very young to not realize that “bro” has been around longer than anyone in this thread has been alive, and according to the etymology for it, it’s older than our combined ages too, bro.

Let's all be the change we want to see and lead by example in the car community.. The car community is beautiful and most thriving community to be apart of to be honest.

Totally agree with this. I wish people were more open when at car meets. It seems like recently no one wants to talk about the build or car:(

I think the worst problem of the car community are the high prices of most enthusiastically relevant cars nowadays. Especially the japanese ones, but there it has only been the most extreme and therefore most obvious. All the other ones like US, European, or South Korean cars are affected aswell. Another problem is, that most newer produced enth. relevant cars depreciate a lot less too, as they are held up by the prices of the legacy cars. I really have to search for relatively obscure cars, which don't have that scene reputation (yet), to find something cool for an appropriate price.

@luk4s56

7 ай бұрын

the one i personaly felt was e30's... back in mid 2000's you could find a solid one for like 500$ now you probobly cant even get rusty shell for that amount

@JohnDoeWasntTaken

7 ай бұрын

Yup, nowadays there's so many bland "carboard" type cars that aren't meant for anything but driving a to b. That when an actually fun car for enthusiasts DOES come out, it's expensive as fuck and hard to find because they don't make many of them. The whole "eliminate gas cars and replace with EVs" bullshit is another big contributor for why enthusiast oriented cars are rarer now.

Social media makes people all about themselves instead of other people. Actual socializing has been replaced... great video, agree 100%

For me as an 18yo going to college soon, the thing that’s stopping me from getting into the community is the overwhelming cost of everything car related: parts, gas, maintenance, repairs, and the cars themselves have gotten way more expensive. The fact is that if you want to be a car enthusiast, that has to be the only thing you do because you don’t have money for anything else. It does feel too like the scene is just a flexing show and it’s hard to find real authentic people who aren’t bent on showing you how much money they have.

@timparke607

7 ай бұрын

I'll weigh in on your comment since I have first-hand experience with this. When I was 18 back in 2006 and got my first car, I remember spending the majority of what little money I had making my Honda Civic unique and a reflection of my taste (which in looking back now was absolutely appalling lol). The lack of funding caused me to do a lot of things the wrong way - but taught me a priceless lesson: save up longer and do things the RIGHT way. Once I learned that lesson, and started making more money, I started modifying my cars the right way, with quality parts - and the hobby became more and more fulfilling. In the process, I skipped a LOT of opportunities to travel and vacation because of my lack of funds; it was all going towards cars. It wasn't until a decade later did I start having money for other hobbies or interests. And it wasn't until my early-mid 30s did I really even begin traveling or vacationing regularly. Car enthusiasm takes a lot of commitment. You have to be all-in at times to make it work and to make it fulfilling. Much like career advancement, being into cars takes networking to make the right friends who can help support you with your automotive endeavors, and it takes skill building to be able to stay as self-sufficient as possible with the hobby when you want to make a modification or perform some maintenance, or help a buddy out with his or her car. Knowing this, you'll have to make the decision for yourself. Is this asking too much? Or is this something you can see as an enjoyable experience for you? For me personally, I couldn't imagine my life without this hobby. Cars have taught me so so much about myself, and have rewarded me in ways that non-car-people can't even wrap their heads around. It honestly made me a better, more skilled, more knowledgeable, more ambitious person. Things that I couldn't have become by any other means but through my passion for cars.

Thank you for talking about this Alex, as someone who has been growing up viewing the car scene from the sidelines for most of my life, and only within the past few years actually being able to enjoy cars (driving, autocross, meets, etc), I have noticed ever since I've been able to get behind the wheel, it seems like the car community isn't there anymore for what it used to be. I grew up watching many car youtubers and seeing how awesome the community looked, but once I was finally able to get a car of my own, it seems like it all just vanished. Almost every single time I have gone to any automotive event including meets (of various kinds), autocross, races, drift events, and more, mostly across Wisconsin, it seems like all the people there are just too stuck up to care about a new young guy with a 2006 Saturn (Yeah I know its not exciting) who is trying to enjoy the community and hobby, including haven gotten smack talk several times about the kind of car I drive from others. Sure I've met some cool people over the past couple years, but the vast majority of people I have tried to talk to just don't want to talk to new or young people if they don't have a desirable car or aren't already in their group of friends. Just puts me off for the future of the car scene as someone who just wants to learn more and enjoy it.

The ae86 is the only car community besides my local non 86 car friends that are amazing and feel like a thriving community. They don't care about what kind of build your going for... Drift,drag, restoration, autocross and more all they want is to keep these endangered species alive and on the road. Everyone is always hooking someone up with knowledge without being pretentious like other car communities or parts and help in anyway. I've had so many parts donated or hooked up on my car that so many ppl are the reason for it running on the road and I've done the same and it makes me happy to see the cars I've helped and gave parts to alive. The aspect of community in the ae86 world is real and another main reason I love that car. Respect all builds from all tiers alot of it is time and money and some ppl have more of one or the other, all builds may not be my cup of tea or drivers but we should just respect bc we don't know the situations for why ppl do it or buy certain parts at the end of the day it's not mine ( as long as your not trying to pass fake as real). I just use other ppls cars as inspiration or see certain products that I want to see on a car (parts,paint,tunes,Etc.)

You captured my own thoughts better than I could have myself. There’s no sense of community or positivity or togetherness anymore. Everything is a competition. Everything is about “me”. It makes me sad that my kids (I’m almost 36) won’t have the experience I did growing up being a part of things that I was.

I've kind of felt like a bit of an outcast in the local car group, in that my first car was an automatic 2019 GT86 (brand new off of the lot, a little over 4 years ago) that I used to get shit for being an automatic. I'll admit, I got my license much later than my friend group (literally, I was 26; family issues, don't ask), but I loved that car with every fiber of my being, simply because of how easy it is to drive, and the opportunity to drive what I wanted to drive. I'd always come out to support the local taco truck that came out to the commuter lots on Tuesdays, but I'd always feel a bit out of place. I had that handful of friends, and the encouragement of them to just learn everything about my car really spurned me to go on, despite driving the "inferior version of a car that was always meant to truly be manual". I've always liked cars, even from a younger age. Dad (r.i.p.) had a 1970 Ford Torino GT that I've recently picked up as a project, and I'm super hyped to get that thing running again, but my first true love was my GT86. Even on a simple Flexfuel tune, UEL header, custom headlights and tails, people loved the way it looked, even if it was a very conservative build...it was just when they asked if it was manual or not that I kind of cringed away and didn't say much else. I lost her in November, and my heart still hurts thinking about it. Was just shy of 70k miles, and I loved her with all of my heart. Recent car culture in this area, when compared to when I started, just...doesn't interest me anymore. 30 now, ended up hunting down yet another GT86 (unfortunately used, but the same color, same trim, a model year later, and with the parts that I wanted from the beginning, notably the full factory Brembo kit and 18" rims)...and I ended up getting it to be my next daily, my first manual, and hopefully a stepping stone for what comes next. I was able to save my Verus/FTSpeed rear LCAs and toe arms, but my header, front pipe, and FF kit were unsalvageable. I'd have gotten a GR86, but with the issues that the block seems to have, coupled with the fact that the dealership local to me wants $43k for the manual? It's ridiculous, man. Recent health issues are unfortunately making it difficult for me to drive the current car, but I know that when I walk out to my garage and see her, she's waiting for me. While I'd like to go back out to support the lady that runs that truck, it hurts to see that nobody wants to follow her rules and they just want to antagonize police and be a public nuisance. Kind of hoping that it changes soon. Until then, I think I'm sticking with my personal car group and doing my own thing. The spirit of this car, even if it's slower than a lot of the others that the kids are driving around, will always live on for me. Once things calm down around here, I might go back out, but otherwise...yeah, it's the competitive nature, outright disobedience, and clout-chasing that's really dragging down my opinion of everything these days, especially since I tend to prefer a more conservative build plan. Not out here for power, I just want a chill group that's genuinely passionate about their builds and can teach me things, even if I tend to be one of the older ones these days.

@Treaxvour

7 ай бұрын

GR is worth it. Congrats for stepping up to manual.

@L3RK

7 ай бұрын

Exactly the same experience. Just turned 30, was able to finally afford a used '17 86; probably the only 'attainable' dream car I could realistically own. But at meets, you're basically invisible with a stock/lightly modded 86. I love it so much though. Don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of it.

@jonf2009

7 ай бұрын

Understand completely, just had a lady total my Pontiac solstice and it's a driver's car like the 86, slower but nimble glued to the road and high feedback experience. Do what I'm doing, save and buy another one to work on later👍

@pentilex4338

7 ай бұрын

I'm in the same exact boat right now, AT 86 that I'm not too keen on modifying to intensely, and I love the car too, it does literally everything I want from a car, both fun and somewhat practical. luckily I've found a group that's not judgemental, but it's hard going to meets by yourself only to get snubbed cause it's got paddle shifters in the wheel by a guy whos lying about having 700 hp on a ""rebuilt"" FA (real occurrence if you couldn't tell)

@ghoulbuster1

7 ай бұрын

@@jonf2009 "Lady" every time 😂

Even when online forums were the go-to there was a level of individualism even among 8,000 people who all celebrated the same chassis. Zilvia is a great example of that, the term “style biting” started showing up there around the same time wheel fitment started becoming a big concern. I’m also of the opinion that making poor choices is a part of the growing process but the concept of “respect all builds” doesn’t encourage anyone to move past the poor choice stage, they get happy there then inevitably end up trying to sell a musty dented rolling shell (if you bring your own wheels) on marketplace for $9k.

I’ve been watching you since I was a freshman in high school. Besides fast and the furious you were the first one to introduce me to cars, their strengths and their weaknesses and the beauty of a build. At 16 the content you produced and put out had me excited to step into the world as an adult and made me excited for when I was able to work on my own car. Grown up now, As I keep watching you, I appreciate the conversations you share with us. You always give the reality of a situation and factor both sides, neutrally delivering your opinion in a world where so much is hammered onto us making us think one way is correct over another way. Sitting here now with my s2k, whether I agree with you or not, my teenage self and present self say thank you Alex, as you’ve continually and timely always delivered society driven content that’s been tailored to how a lot of us are feeling, especially my homies out in Cali. Ik everything you stand for is growing and it will just continue to get bigger. Im excited to be young and working on my car, and I have hope; I believe the car community will eventually get back to how my first meet was in 2017, just gotta wait it out a bit! The community here really brings me comfort as I scroll through these comments. Videos are amazing, thank you for taking the time late at night to deliver us high quality content! Excited for the next one

Man that was depressing 😅 but you’re so right. I miss the days where you could buy a decent sports car for $5K in high school

I think it's just social media. It connects people with exactly the sames tastes so they think everyone is like them. It pits your build against the best in the world instead of just being the best in Eau Claire. It burns out any new trends before they have a chance to really develop. Pandora is out of the box. Plus, you don't need to ask people in the community for advice on popular cars. I signed up for all the forums before my first ever full car rebuild (260z) - never had to ask a question because everything has already been answered or there's a specific KZread vid.

New cars are getting boring for us working stiffs

@AlexMartini.

7 ай бұрын

That's why I keep buying older cars instead lol

@luk4s56

7 ай бұрын

but older cars are now harder and harder to find back in the 00's my brother got a solid e30 for 500$ now i dont think you can even afford a shell of one for that price

@arctictruck10

7 ай бұрын

@luk4s56 I bought a clean 87 325e for 3500 in 2012 and swapped a S52 in and won't let it go for less than 12k

Hilarious that you said DSM owners lol. That was my first intro into cars (this was mid to late 2000s). My cousin was a DSMer and introduced me to a lot of his car buddies. They were very inviting. We would hang out in grocery store parking lots shooting the shit all night, no one did anything dumb, and the cruises were fun. I didn't have a fast car around that time so I often rode shotgun. Like with everything else in life, we all got older and drifted apart. The nights used to start at 10pm, now I get tired and want to be home before 9pm most times.

I am from Puerto Rico and I was waiting for this long time. Back in the days people enjoy build common cars like Corrollas, Mitsubishi Mirage, little Civics. Today only you see is a súper expensive cars. Nobody builds anymore, just buy.

The real question is, is social media ruining call culture. Where instead to doing your own thing, you do what pleases others.

@Fade2BlackSS

7 ай бұрын

This is it.

@AlexMartini.

7 ай бұрын

I'll do ya one more; would it be as big and healthy without it? Or would we see the demise of affordable car building because the niche gets too small?

@Reaper3088

7 ай бұрын

@@AlexMartini. Lets one up this again, are we sure car culture has actually grown due to social media or did social media just bring more events into the light? (x factor being car movies did help grow the culture a lot). I mean your really successful Rally event, gold rush, gumball all did well without social media. Some of the best events are the ones not advertised.

@Reaper3088

7 ай бұрын

@@AlexMartini. I will say Martini Works is a fantastic idea and does take advantage of the best of social media

Prices went crazy around that second stimulus check. My parts list freaking doubled in price. Used to be a carbon fiber drive shaft could be had for a bit more that what a foam filled aluminium shaft goes for now. Only saves 2lbs for a $750 or 100% price bump.... wut? When it was $450 and $825 yeah ok that's still 100% but it didn't hurt the soul to think about. Way prices are might as well just do grown up stuff with that money like start a 401k... they got me messed up

People (especially car “influencers”) just keep chasing the next higher end car without any limits, so it’s more a consumerist mindset ("look what I’m upgrading to next and can afford") than an enthusiast one.

Started getting interested in the car scene back in 2009. The forums were a big part of that as they gathered people with similar interests but different walks of life. If was immensely fun until about 2013ish when I felt it got very "elitistic" as Stance works appeared, insanely lowered cars became... the norm, and everyone with a different build, or a shitbox that they were slowly building up got excluded. Have had a build in a shape or form always, but have not gone the extra mile in a while. The new car scene is basically rich kids with mom and dad bought cars that treat them like crap but have cool wheels on. So yeah, for me, the car scene is dead and has been for a while

Yeah now days there's less of the normal car meets now there's so much takeovers. When really normal meets are the best and plus for me as a 2023 car enthusiast prices are unbelievable high 😐

@AlexMartini.

7 ай бұрын

Where do you live by?

@rbxviperyt9454

7 ай бұрын

@@AlexMartini. I live In Georgia like 30 minutes from Atlanta and there's a lot of takeovers going on in Atlanta it's not even explain able the cops have Gotten even more serious with them

@SlickDisaster26

7 ай бұрын

@@rbxviperyt9454 I kinda agree, I also live 30 minutes outside of Atlanta and there are not any good "normal" night meets that aren't takeovers and cops around the area have really harden up on cars. But here in the Metro Atlanta area we do have Caffeine and Octane which is a big mouthy meet that's great and we do have a decent amateur motorsports scene with drifting, circuit racing/track days. They did take our drag strip which still sucks but its not all doom and gloom, our scene is still at least stable if not thriving.

@rbxviperyt9454

7 ай бұрын

@@SlickDisaster26 that's good atleast

Really liked how you put this and agree. I really hope MW can help change that since gatekeeping is rampant everywhere, not just the car scene.

@mrsoisauce9017

7 ай бұрын

I feel like most of that has to do with the internet, especially because these giant corporations like Facebook and Google basically give you recommendations that put you in a massive echo chamber where you only hear the opinions you agree with and see only the things you want to see, nothing of what you don’t. People are therefore less tolerant of anything they don’t like or agree with

Nobody also wants to talk about how a lot of KZreadrs also ruined the car scene as well. Imo the ytrs who just put 1000hp car here and 1200 hp car there.

Thanks for telling the truth about the increase in price not correlating to an increase in production costs. Obviously there was pandemic and other events that caused production costs to rise or just become more difficult. But people don't realize how expensive stuff is just because they know they can get away with it. It makes complete sense. Why would you not take more money for less product and work if you still get customers.

Yes, scene is in the shitter. Current scene is there to appease the social media platforms, it's like the post F&F era when people with money got into it to build magazine cars. The scene stays alive by all those truly passionate about building for themselves and what they like, not for likes. They say "B is for build", but no...."Build is for U". Let all the jewelry/badge collectors do their thing until they exhaust their resources....these are the ones that buy and build for likes, then when the likes drop off, they move to another platform. They'll move on, trust me. Life gets in their way, their lack of uniqueness gets exposed, lack of passion shows up in low quality, etc. Real recognizes real, and those of us that are real, will turn our backs on them if we haven't already. *Personally, the best era of all scenes were just before F&F. Those of us into it, were all on a "team" where we competed with others on other teams on the street, or at the shows, or with sound....yet we supported each other, we helped build each others' cars, we lent parts just so our competitors could compete...we did fight over girls though. :D #TeamCityLimit

@eastcoastken

7 ай бұрын

I was a 16 year old kid when F&F came out. I watched it 6 months after it came out because that's when it hit the theaters on the Militart base in Okinawa Japan. It struck me odd at the time because I didn't understand that the cars in it (which were very common for me) where "rare". It changed the scene over there and actually brought attention to the late nate drift scene in the warehouse district.

I feel in MN the community seems to be pretty tight. Car clubs all intermingle as well as having their own events.

@danielbalto1233

7 ай бұрын

Didnt use to be that way though. Part of why MNCEC was formed actually was to solve the infighting that existed.

@MidwestCedric

7 ай бұрын

I suppose that makes me happier I joined the scene when I did. It's been positive vibes only from what I can tell. I mean, I don't see what you, Alex, or other organizers see so I could certainly be wrong but I'd say we're in a good space 🖤

@tigermedz

7 ай бұрын

Yeah but car meets in the cities are dangerous in MN. People get shot at them.

I'm an old guy stuck working in DC on a long term project for the gov. The best I can do considering my circumstances is to buy something new and hang out. So I purchased a 2023 Mustang GT, 6 speed, all black w/chrome badging. So I'll do the cars n' coffee and occasional weekend meet. I'm glad I can still participate!

@AlexMartini my name is Maverick. I run the biggest Cars and Coffee in the state of Ohio. We should talk sometime. I agree with what you are saying. I see the same types of issues in my own community. Car Culture is dying but it doesn't have to. Unfortunately, a lot of the comments below are a reflection of that statement. I think we know the problem, the question now I think is what are we going to do about it as a community? You have a voice like I do. A bigger one for sure haha. It's our job to remind everyone why this whole culture started in the first place and pass it on to future generations, pick people up in the process, have openness, and support our local communities and car shops. There are plenty of us still around in the Midwest. We just all need to connect and find each other.

THIS IS WHY @nightride is One of my favorite KZread channels ACTUALLY feel like TRUE car community. Just some dudes with awesome vibes, and a community goal of whatever task is at hand.

This hits home and I couldnt agree more. The community aspect of cars has come and gone - I dont think forever, but theres been a very clear shift and its been a sad reality to come to terms with.

Join an auto cross or rally cross group. Everyone is usually pretty chill and the ones that aren’t don’t seem to stick around very long. It’s probably one of, if not the best ways to feel connected with other people who like cars. Everyone is just there to have some fun throwing dirt, going sideways and taking out some cones along the way.

I love watching your videos because even through you’re talking about cars and the car community you can also apply your observations to society and how we all act now versus then and I feel like it’s important to bring these things up. We aren’t learning from the past enough and I’m glad there’s people like you out here

Why can't more people understand this problem like him😢

I have to agree with you. It doesn't have the same feeling it used to have. Everything must have 1000hp, flawless paint and ,everything name brand just to be sorta relevant. I remember when it was about the stuff you did yourself. Bragging about how you wired your SAFC in by yourself, or your crazy unique to you mods. It was definitely more fun and way more reliable to most of us.

I was a fellow wisconsin car-enthusiast around the same time & locations (milwaukee). I even used to have your WCEC stickers. I remember when I started trying to get involved in the scene. I got flagged down in my subaru one time and that got me involved & hung out at a few subaru meets. The part that turned me away pretty quickly was the pervasive judgement of other people cars. These groups still had community respect at least & kept driving chill. Not everyone has tons of money & loving car's shouldn't be about that anyways & it seemed mainstream in tahat community to almost laugh at people who did inexpensive mods, even if they were done well "oh they have fake wheel hurdurr". Its a shame. The love for cars that I think we all have circles around wrenching on them, trying to build YOUR dream with your friends, and going out on cruises experiencing those thrills & memories. I still live & breath cars but I found alot more enjoyment in car meets that target older crowds. They never stopped doing them right lol.

Pick any hobby where people can buy their way to the nicer equipment and it usually sucks when you get involved with that group of people. Those people tend to care about the price or value of things, they don't care about the cool mechanical things going on, so there's not much real stuff to talk about. The guy wrenching on his 98 Sentra while prepping to send it down the track is the guy you want to talk to.

It's 2024, stop creating goofy ass car club names, goofy ass brands that sell junk Chinese merch, everybody and their brother sells hot wheels, make car shows fun again, build a car and take it to the track, learn an actual skill and stop clout chasing

I've been a car enthusiast since 1990 and I can tell you, I don't want to interact with people at car meets any more... ever. They're so toxic in so many different ways. Same with most forums. You go places to talk to like-minded people and sometimes to get help, but you won't find that at any place where "car people" are congregating. You'll find the "find out for yourself" people and the "I don't like YOUR mods, so you suck" people and the "I want everything stock, so you suck" people. It's ridiculous.

The joy IS in the journey. I've restored 3 cars and built one race car during my life and the fun was in the hunt. My fondest memories are of that moment in a junkyard when I found a rare part and I bought it super cheap. When the car was done, I lost interest and moved on to the next one.

social media made the car community bigger but it didn't make it better, theirs a lot of fake people, I joined a car club on discord and met some awesome people, but I also watched the whole thing just kinda devolve into another twitch streamer discord as the owner of the club got more and more full of themselves, I find myself spending less and less time in the main club server and more and more time in group chats with the people I've met up and cruised with, genuine people still exist you just gotta find them.

Alex, my friends and I. Had a car club over 20 years ago! It wasn’t a big club just 10 of us, but out of the 10. Seven of us are still friends, even though we live in different states and have different hobbies ( influence by our kids). But the cars is what brought us together and a bond was created. I will always be a car guy no matter how old I become.

My wife tried to become a car enthusiast and bought herself a 4 cylinder Camaro. Everyone made her feel insecure over the fact that she had a I4 Camaro instead of a V8. Even passive aggressive comments like, “it’s okay it’s not a V8.” Fortunately the 4x4 community has been super awesome since we’ve transitioned. They’re still all about community and they celebrate all builds. My wife bought an entry-level Wrangler and due to her experience as a Camaro owner she went in with the fear she’d be judged for not having a Rubicon. That’s when we learned the off road community still cares about building their own trucks and respect entry-level models even when they’re not modified.

The car community in my area is huge, but nobody wants to go out to the weekend meet because all the cars there are "regular traffic". Meanwhile dudes talking smack, split their rent four ways, still on their parents car insurance, driving $40k+ cars but won't line up anywhere that requires them to do more than mash the gas pedal, or start on a roll.

So i started a car magazine almost 4 years that covers all car enthusiasts. I dont care if its built or bought, i just want to know what makes you love it. I meet a lot of people across the US and im still new to the car scene technically but a few things ive noticed. (1) Even though it is a bunch of car clubs, people roll in cliques within the club. (2) the younger generation only respect people mainly by how many views their social media accounts have even though most of it was purchased at some point. (3) the old heads do not really like the young crowd because they dont feel they understand the true origins of the car scene. (3) At car meets people will only talk to people who has a following (back to popularity). (4) Everyone hates takeovers not understand that it started from people judging peoples choice of car and acceptance they would not give. (5) It is all about sponsorships, people seriously buy cars to get sponsorships or social media popularity again. Not just to own a dream car anymore. (6) Many people chase trophies or chase ego boost. (7) Everyone feels they better than someone else for whatever reason and some will let you know about it in a crowd full of people. I watched a guy film a video talking trash about this guy's build that was seen over 15k times. Imagine getting tagged in a video of a bunch of people stating how trash your prize and joy is. Thats just from what I see from my opinion

Coming from the motorcycle scene riding motocross, it’s a side effect of the industry growing. What once was seen as fun with the friends relaxing in the garage sharing stories. Everyone rather focus on the most extravagant builds and the most attention. The more popular something gets, the more the people who join without the right intentions. I’ve had multiple friends of mine who don’t care for either motorcycle or cars feel discouraged because “ their style doesn’t fit a mold” which I personally think is anti what modifying cars are about.

Back in the 80’s the import scene was just coming up. Every week someone was breaking out 510’’s 200SX’s, Sentra’s, Celica’s, BMW’s and them VW’s. The 90’s is when everyone jumped on the bandwagon. And it became all about civics, and Acuras. Toyo’s, 190E’s, Eclipse’s and mini trucks. Back then no kid could afford any of the Legendary JDM 90’s cars. You brought what you could afford and made it so badazz Hollywood had to make a movie about it.

Car shows used to be about the cars. Now it seems like it's more about status. In its simplest (and imo best form) car culture was about buying something affordable and customizing it into something that reflects your personality. This created heaps of unique builds, which you don't see nearly as much. The dynamic seems to have shifted to being a competition of who has the newest, unnecessarily expensive car. I recently went to a Cars and Coffee where this kid (early 20-something) had shoehorned an LS into an E30 BMW, somehow without having to trim any of the engine bay. It was not a gorgeous car but it was the coolest thing there, by a long shot purely because of the audacity of such an idea. He got comparatively little attention because the guy with the brand new M3 Competition had like 15 people huddled around him. That guy did nothing beyond writing a giant check. Yeah, that M3 Comp was cool but I lost interest in after about 5 mins. I stared at that E30 for what seemed like a half hour. I get that car culture is (at its core) purely subjective, as it should be. People like what they like but it seems like it's less about creativity and uniqueness, now.

I haven’t done anything car scene related in like 10 years. It’s so cliquey. I’m introverted as well but I LOVE small quirky cars and bright colors so I’m always the outsider and I just get weird looks. Just isn’t fun as it used to be back in 98-2012. Especially if you can’t afford big $$$ brand named items.

Car meets are a big part of the spring and summer here in Illinois. Theres a cars and coffee almost every Saturday and Sunday. The meets in the mornings are pretty chill. As I've gotten older, I've stopped going to a lot of night meets. The crowd there is mostly a bunch of try hards that usually result in events getting shut down early. Cops nowadays have zero tolerance for noise disturbances. Someone here stated that social media is the real reason the car community is so shitty nowadays because everyone wants attention. That's why takeovers are so popular nowadays. I also feel like builds are far less common than someone just having an expensive ass car with a wrap and nice wheels. People get more excited about seeing a Hellcat opposed to a twin-turbo R/T with all the supporting mods.

When I finally was able to get my first sports car (98 C5 corvette convertible auto) I was so stoked. I'm still young and haven't had a way of learning stick yet. The amount of crap I get for it being an auto has now made me not want to take it to any more shows. This sucks as I usually go to a lot of WCEC shows since I live in Janesville. People just aren't happy for other people anymore and it really sucks.

I always wondered why guys would disappear from the "scene" as soon as they hit around 25-30, and what you realize is 95% of the guys who show up to meets are either 16 year old kids (which is fine, but I'm not trying to be a grown ass man hanging with 16 year olds), or it's guys simply looking to have their meat stroked by a bunch of other dudes. Guys can talk about how meets and shows are all about "community" and meeting people, but that's a total crock of shit (maybe they all started that way, but they all end up inevitably devolving). most of the people there don't want to truly talk to you to get to know you, they already have their group, and odds are you don't want to talk to them either, they just want to hear those words "Hey dude, I love your car." All of the "builds" aren't built out of love, but around what gets the most clicks on the internet and the most attention at shows. The amount of turnover with vehicle types, wheel choices, etc. it's all about clout. Growing up is realizing that cars are about personal enjoyment, not about having other people enjoy it for you.

Not sure about general car meets but subie meets have been the same friendly and enthusiastic people attending and chatting :) since the first time I’ve gone to one!

I kind of just do things solely for me now. The remaining forums are a cesspool of venom, and people attending car meets stick to other people driving the same type of car... like some kind of gang. Thankfully, my wife and best friend are long-time enthusiasts, so we just go on our own cruises.

Think you hit it on the head, but it's more than just the car scene anymore. Feels like we take so many aspects of our lives and seek self validation out of whatever it may be instead of finding pleasure in it being part of something bigger than just ourselves. And even if we do give that little bit to recognize a group, we still gravitate towards those who act/look/feel the same way as opposed to talking with those who don't. I get where you're coming from that it didn't used to be that way, and *thank you* for continuing to try to bring all aspects of the car community together the way you are.

Alex, love the videos! I'm so happy to see your honest uncensored opinion now that you have started your own personal venture. I actually just recently moved to Appleton a couple months ago for work and coming from Arizona which obviously has no "off season" for car meets I was honestly concerned that there wouldn't be much going on here. If you see this comment I am hoping you can point me in the right direction of the "good" non-toxic car clubs/meets. I am already a part of WCEC on Facebook but would like to know about more shows, meets, cruises, and rallies. For reference, I have a turbo 5.0 Mustang that I've spent the last 3 years building. Thanks in advance and please keep up the amazing work!

I live in a small town in northern Ontario, the meets we have every Sunday are honestly great, mostly cuz the people showing their cars have had them for a while and some have put serious time into them, what I find great is I’ve seen s13 sitting next to Plymouths and older mustangs, there’s a couple “beaters” with no hoods and blowers and everyone just looks at it impressed, there is a spot for the boy racers with their ricer builds but I haven’t heard any disappointment as everyone is aware the Canadian economy and car parts are hella expensive, I’m aware that I’m pretty isolated in terms of in-person community and I have a feeling I’d feel the same if I was in a bigger city like Toronto or Ottawa

The same thing happened with mountain bikes. Kind of interesting. When I was a kid in the 90’s you could custom build a top of the line bike for a couple thousand dollars. These days that bike would cost over 10 grand. It’s as if every single component has tripled in cost. It’s too much for me personally to get back into the hobby. I’m not willing to pay for the least expensive bike I could be happy with.

As someone who was all into meete 5-10 years ago and just loved cruising with a random group of cars. The community is budget racing series and autox events seems to be the closest thing now. Ive seen someone bring a clapped out old american sedan to an event and get more attention than a gt3 because its funny and enjoyable. If you are new to the scene please go to your local autocross. Drive whatever you have there. people will love it

As a Elantra N owner (yes Alex and everybody reading this, I own one). I have always loved cars ever since when I was a little boy, my dad brought me into the car scene since he owned some amazing cars throughout his time (EK9 Type R, S2000, 997 Carrera 4, NSX Gen one and two, and a C63 AMG W204 four door). It only made sense that me, his son, would follow in his footsteps. From my perspective, yes I do get shit for having a Hyundai but I don’t have money to blow on a FL5 Type R or M2 Competition. The car scene in my option got increasingly toxic and ego driven which led to my decision to enjoy my love for cars in private. There are two sides to this from what I’ve seen so far, young cringey “shitbox” owners (yes coming from a Hyundai owner) that stick 3am autozone exhausts and call it a build and how it cures their depression, then on the other side of the spectrum there are elitists with a superiority complex. But every once and a while, I’ve had positive interactions. Some examples would be a little kid holding his dad’s hand pointed at my N and said: “dad look a race car!”, I gave him some light revs and which earned two smiles, reminded me of when I was little looking at cars. Another would be GR Corolla owner and I playing around on a empty road after spotting each other during the twistys. Not all is lost but unfortunately the car scene isn’t perfect.

As a car guy. I never went to car meets. EVER. i work on my cars to make them better and hit the back roads. Only two people were ever down to run with me. One crashed and the other, we just grew apart. Now i just do speed runs on my own. So my passion has never died. But I've never been very open about my "touge" racing. P.s. i drive shitboxes because parts are usually cheaper.

i think after covid the way we interact with each other changed a lot. It's more everyone for themselves. Its a more combative situation rather than a cooperative one.

i made my own physical car group, made my own logo. printed my own stickers. then i moved and locked up my really good stuff, like i still import my parts from japan JDM stuff. not this unstretched hyper lipped air dumped its all in california. like real racing setups and care for how the vehicle is setup. not just dumping it but definetly feels like im playing TXR3 and intentionally reference that in my design of my build.

I feel it's more of a generational thing. My local car meet is mostly older guys, and they are very down to earth. All in all I have a blast hearing stories and learning things. It usually the younger people that have a "social media" expectation on others, majority of them not owning a car for themselves. It's matter of maturity, because If you think about, we've all been there in our childhood, the honeymoon phase. where we think the coolest car, is the fastest, most expensive car.

Alex, would love to do some sort of podcast with you or an interview. I've lived in PHX, LA and now in Chicagoland and experienced car culture in all states. I've seen the changes your describe occur maybe 10 years ago when cars became faster and faster for cheaper and cheaper. Kids went from getting 150-200hp cars to now getting 300hp G35s (my first car) for pennies followed by 335s getting dirt cheap with an n54 and getting them to 4-500hp when that was unheard of. Then taking those same cars and doing this like takeovers or street racing, burnouts or endangering those around them to show off. I stopped going to meets when those people showed up. LA had an amazing cars and coffee mid day called Super Car Sunday in woodland hills. The turnout was great with mature people coming out. Even saw Jeff Dunham out once just enjoying the cars and talking to people. It was great. Every time car meets happened later in the day, you had kids coming in to ruin it. I also unfortunately got to see meets near my house in Chicagoland by drivers putting others in danger and getting us kicked out. We had a sunday morning cars and coffee in barrington. Generally you had Ferrari, Porsche, BMW and other higher end cars show up on Sunday. What happened saturday night is Mustangs, Civics and Chargers would park, rev engines and piss off the local businesses. The end result? The sponsors of the car meet were not welcomed back and lost privileges despite not being associated with any of those activities. As cars get cheaper and cheaper and performance higher and higher with DIYs posted on the internet, the individual doesn't need to learn from others and instead is seeking an outlet to show off a car. And most of us as we get older don't want to be associated with those folks. I do speed when I drive. But I don't want to be associated with 3-4 other cars doing stupid shit and getting my license suspended for something that isn't worth it.

@Holozaur

7 ай бұрын

Closest meet I went to last season was EP3 season closer/opener (forget which it was) and enjoying time with many BMWs that showed up and other VAG cars that behaved well in a well organized event. It was amazing. Talked to some of the guys at IND and some other members there about our builds, plans for the cars etc. It was an amazing show. But it took a lot of work from EP3 to put the event together. Sadly events like that can also be ruined in a heartbeat by someone's lack of judgement doing stupid things like revving unnecessarily, burning out or putting others in danger and not using common sense to safely join and leave the event. And I sound so much like a broken record but cheap powerful cars lead people to getting themselves in big big trouble.

I'm from the UK and I agree with your points for the car scene over here too. Social media is pure cancer nowadays, the worst thing the internet has given birth to and "the algorithm" ruins my experience, as I hardly see any posts from the people I follow nowadays. Some of my closest friends have been made from the car scene, some from the motorbike scene... but that was all 8-10 years ago now! Feels like everyone who you meet through social media now either only talks to you because of your car or to get something out of you, even if that's "exposure".

I find it funny that you guys say 2012. I started in the early '80s working with my grandfather. Many of the people from that time have already passed away. The '90s were meets and muscle cars and then 2000 happened, The Fast and the Furious, Gran Turismo, Midnight Club, Mischief series and a ton of other stuff. I started completely different businesses and with my skills doing computers as long as cars I was a Power Seller on eBay and other areas, but by 2006 the steam had dried up and big brands go out of business such as StreetFire and CarDomain and the world lost its path. Now as we pass into 2020 and kids can't even drive stick anymore. In 1983 80% of 18 year olds had their driver's license to 60% in 2021. 16 year olds dropped to 25%. So only a fourth of kids even drive. Laws that want to ban and crush cars, I've seen it all. I remember seeing kids I saw grow up racing against us on Midnight Club 2 online and making long lasting friendships for people who now own wide body FRs and are professional racers. I wonder what the future holds for these folks in a world that is trying to destroy their future. I fight for it every day and I hope that it's not a lost cause because I, simply put, can't give up and I never will because people like you see it and you remember and one day I want you to stand where I'm standing and say, I'm glad we fought for this. It will always be worth it.

Speaking from the car comminity in the city of Adelaide, South Australia, we don't really have a "car scene" anymore. All the spaces that could be a valid space to run car culture events refuse us, we need permits to take up a shopping centre car park at 10pm at night when nothing is open, partly because the car scene in Adelaide is demonised on the news, media and just about any other form of MSM that you can think of, saying all of us are hoons, illegal drivers, or street racers, but also partly due to the stress that comes with driving your modified car. We get defects over here, which run us off the road and require a full safety inspection, it's a multi thousand dollar process that takes months, the whole car needs to go back to stock, and even then they might fail you because the paint has worn off on your chassis rails. People don't risk it because we are targeted. Its's hoons that screw us over. They do skids, burnouts and excessively rev when people just wanna enjoy the vibe, police swarm to block off exits and profit 10s of thousands of dollars because of 3 cars out back being one wheel warriors in their $1000 skid pig that they hold no emotional attachment to, and the people that sit and enjoy get to suffer when those 3 idiots run from the cops, while the respectful bunch get pinned for it and fined, defected and bullied by the law enforcement for no real reason. The car scene here is either private clubs that refuse access to anyone that doesnt meet their criteria, or the people that are dumbasses and run those street takeover style events. There is no middle ground, and it's because the whole city has shut down the idea of a safe car culture, by refusing access to even an empty carpark for us to sit in and talk to our buddies. Long story short, car culture in Australia as a whole is dead, it's not worth driving the car you built and love, because you'll be targeted by law enforcement, even when the 70 year old granny next to you who hasn't changed her brake pads since the 90s is squealing her tits off next to you, the cop will always choose the modified car cause they can pin more fines and pull more money out your pocket.

I gave up on the car scene. I just have a small tight knit group of friends into cars and we just hang out together, no club no meets just getting mcdonalds or fixing a broken car. I've had a mix of everything euro, tuner, Italian, muscle but now own a very conservative and yet still sporty '84 Crown Victoria Coupe.

Semi recently me and some friends went to a sonic car meet and it was kind of both sides of the coin. I met and talked to a lot of cool people, many different walks of life and many different cars. I met a dude who recently sold a mustang and replaced it with a brand new 370z, complimented some owners cars, a dude in a 911 giving pulls to strangers. It was a pretty good time but I feel like I saw some of the kind of people the comments section brings up. Not a lot but I got the vibe from some people who would pull up, hang around for a little bit, then leave. Another cars and coffee event i regular has a bunch of older folks but very friendly and fun people. I remember a dude came by with his Miata, and I was pretty excited cause it was someone more my age, but he was very quiet and didn’t stick around to long. I’m sure he meant well but it was still a shame. Maybe all the VW/VAG talk I was having with one of the older dudes I met scared him away 😂

The car community has been devastated by 2 things and they tend to reinforce each other. The first is the ever-tightening restrictions faced by people who want to personalize their cars. In the 80's and 90's you might catch flak for being too loud, but in the wrong jurisdictions today, you'll get slammed for improper lighting, improper stance, noise, visibility, emissions, etc. And while I'm no fan of a lot of automotive trends (squatted trucks...), the govt really shouldn't be involved in regulating the vast majority of the things they try to restrict. And then you've got the toxic drivers/owners who use their cars to mess with other people's lives. Whether it's a street takeover, rolling coal, etc. I really don't care if you want to drift in an empty parking lot, etc. but you've got to understand that in an increasingly crowded world you're going to draw attention from the wrong people and they're gonna try and shut you down - and the best way to do that is get the govt on your ass. Furthermore, a lot of current or potential car enthusiasts will want nothing to do with groups who are so socially toxic, because they often have to live and get along with the people you're pissing off - they don't want to be grouped in with the outcasts. It's a deepening spiral that is slowly constricting the life out of the aftermarket and enthusiasts, and it sucks.

Social media definitely has changed a lot of communities. Not just the car but also the motorcycle community. A lot of people get into the scene for attention and when they see others getting the attention over them it creates bitterness. And you start to see people rather talk crap than approach that other person and ask how they do it. Whether it's about a car build , modification or repair.

@jorgealvarez-rangel8334

7 ай бұрын

I used to do the motorcycle scene, alot of clout chasing, i ride solo

It really is sad, those cruise nights were awesome for a while, I met some of my best friends in that o'reilly parking lot, we'd hit up McDonalds for some shakes after making the loop. Some of the best memories. I don't know what happened but they really went down hill right around the time you went to Appleton it seems like. Without that group of people and all the people who attended the WCEC meets I don't think I ever would have become passionate about cars or bikes or motorsports. I hope the next generation gets to experience what we did.

I don’t do meets anymore and I’ve been in the scene since the 90s. It’s been amazing until it turned horrible in the 2010s I’d say. I go to cars and coffee now instead of doing anything in the evening. Besides the cost, I stay away from the majority of those that can’t handle just having fun around others.

subscribed half way through the video, so well spoken yet taps into my emotions perfectly. i completely agree with all of what you say and tbh the last real place where car guys gathered and actually helped each other was forums and when I enter forums abandoned from 5-8 years ago I almost get emotional seeing the difference between it and the current car scene. (the best place to go to irl to get car advice is probably cars and coffee because ain't no clout chaser is going to go to something that starts at 6 am lol)

I don't really talk to people when i go to meets, i just appreciate, take some photos and bail, like i legitimately will be there only as long as it takes me to see all the cars, average about an hour. So that being said i am kinda disappointed when the turn over is not what i was expecting, but that actually doesn't happen that often, i guess i am lucky to live where i live, i mean it's only the 2nd biggest city in Illinois, so you betcha the car community is huge around here lol

Changing* of the guard lol. You have a day job, with a 458… you’re office space, but with goals. I like that. Lol. Love the journey for you dude

The crackdown on street racing and cruising is what killed the car scene. I get it, but it is what killed the scene. We used to cruise main street on Friday nights, try to meet girls, and maybe do a little stoplight racing, then someone would let you know of some racing at 1am on a secluded road somewhere. Look back at the first Fast and Furious movie; it was ridiculous with floorboards shooting off and playing Gran Turismo at the starting line, but it's remembered fondly for the different cars and street racing. The off-road community is strong, even the rivalries between makes, because they/we meet up at a trail and use our builds.

I have recently got in to cars properly, as I couldn't actually drive until June 2023 (late bloomer I passed when I was 26)... But *immediately* I realise just how expensive everything is... I have a Seat Leon Mk2 and I try to do bits and pieces but bottom line I can't afford a project car that I like, so that I can have the freedom to tinker and truly learn myself without breaking my daily driver and being in a bad way! It just doesn't feel attainable in the way that I hear it was back 10 or so years ago. Because of that, I watch from a distance and like to watch videos, but I've accepted the fact I'll probably never be able to own a dream car or anything like that because do you a) put a decent deposit on a house with your wife or b) buy a Toyota Supra...

10:08 man in the back rocking that turquoise top and Jean shorts 😂

Well said, I started in car community when I bought my Z in 2006. The car community was all forums, late night meets, and weekend cruises. There were various ways in to learn without really any money or extreme effort. But the sense was always about the community and friendship. The Zcar group was a bunch of old guys in 240z's back then, so a few of us created our own VA Z club. We had no money so we met a parks and other free places and cruised the local twisty roads. It wasn't about having the best, it was about helping each other. Some of my best friends were made there, and for many years we alot of things outside of cars together. It fizzled out around 2016 just because most of us had kids by that point, but we still try to have some thing every once and awhile. I think the issue currently is social media created a culture of "look at me." It's now always about one upping everyone else. And Car culture has been infected with the drag racing curse: whoever has the most money wins.

Just ignore the clout chasers, don’t compete with them. It’s pretty easy to spot chill people, just don’t try to force yourself into groups of people or stand out too much. I love cars and I have never had issues with other car guys. I just stay away from the people who want to race me and that alone pretty much eliminates the toxic car guys.

I think this is one of the better critiques but I also think it's tough to understand when you get to the level you are at, there are more cars and coffees than ever before, there are pop up meets happening all the time, and imo car meets are more inviting than they were 10 years agom

Man I remember running into you and some hotel at automation, wanted the pink WCEC hoodie and you had none. On the truck so you grabbed one from your personal stash in your room and gave it to me. Probably 2014? I'd say, your cool shit man, keep up the amazing and solid work

Here in central Ohio a friend of mine (who I met by going to his meets) started Kaido Car Meets and its been amazing. Park and Chill with kids around and people with cameras learning/practicing photography. And also the friends I've made there becoming one of my new friends groups I hangout with every Saturday meet or not.