CONFESSIONS OF A “JOINER”

Unfortunately I have many bad habits: eating junk food just before going to bed, procrastinating on everything, getting irritated when other drivers don’t drive as well as I do and, worst of all, joining car clubs.

Since high school I have been a member of at least 20 car clubs, with a level of commitment ranging from never attending meetings, to being a founding member and three term president. These clubs ranged from rowdy gatherings of car nuts to meetings run like a military drill team. Most car clubs have the same thing in common: they are proud of their club and their cars. Every club provides the opportunity for various levels of participation, from active leadership roles to occasional attendance at club functions. A club’s personality is usually a reflection of the cars. Hot rod & custom clubs are very casual and fun loving, clubs with high value classic cars are well organized and active, and sport compact clubs place as much value on the sound systems as the motors. I’ve belonged to clubs that had no dues, and one club that cost over $1200 per year for membership. With this background I’d like to make a recommendation to you: join a club. It will provide you with additional sources for parts and advise, expose you to likeminded people, give you many choices of events and social gatherings to attend and, best of all, help you maintain enthusiasm for your car.

Helping to start the Steeds Car Club in 1962 was a wonderful early experience in organization and building self confidence. The Ford Owners Association provided 11 years of going on road trips together, attending parties at each other’s homes, and helping to raise money for charitable causes. Three years in the Heartland Vintage Thunderbird Club provided hands on training in T-Bird repair, and my current membership in Mustangs Northwest has resulted in gaining additional knowledge and appreciation of Mustangs. Is there a dark side to belonging to a club? Read on.

There was the go-kart incident when the Ford Owners Association held its yearly go-kart race. The night before the race my fellow members made arrangements with the track owner to alter my kart to assure a last place finish. That plan worked until I decided to intentionally drive across the grass infield to re-emerge in first place. The track owner aggressively suggested early retirement from racing for the day. The other racers finished out the day by barricading my motel room door with patio furniture, resulting in not being able to open the door. The Rusty Relics asked me to step down from my long held car show emcee position due to some attendees not appreciating the sterling sense of humor being emitted from the stage. The Rat Pack Car Club’s weekend drive resulted in a bent piston rod as my six cylinder 1952 Chevrolet tried to keep up with the rest of the V8 pack. A Corvette Marque Club event resulted in drinking a bee that had landed in my margarita because, at that point, I no longer cared (Don’t worry: we were done driving for the day). An Avanti Owners Association event resulted in a woman going out of her way to walk up and say “I can sure see why they stopped making these. You own the ugliest car that I’ve ever seen”.

If you join a club the worst thing that can happen is you will be out $25. The best thing is you will be provided the opportunity to enjoy every aspect of owning a special interest car. One of the best sources of club contacts in your area can be found by logging on to www.hotrodhotline.com and going to “Clubs”. Join!

Program Note: The “Vintage Vehicle Show” is now broadcast on 46 TV stations across the nation, available on streaming video and Comcast On Demand, and is being sold in stores in the boxed sets titled “America’s Classic Cars” and “America’s Automotive Museums”. Log on to www.vintagevehicletv.com for more information about America’s longest running hot rod, custom and classic automobile TV show.