The Ford Barn

steven321 · 11-30-2014, 10:41 PM

I'm a newbie to the Model A hobby (31 Tudor) although I have owned many many other classic & muscle cars. I may be somewhat unusual in the Model A hobby in that I am a Baby Boomer yet have close ties with the Busters, Gen Xers, and Millenials, both at work and socially. I have also been involved in bringing change to old, entrenched institutions that didn't particularly want to change, yet were forced to by the changing culture.
Now it's not rocket science for those concerned about the future of the Model A hobby to understand that most of those involved are in their 60s and up, and that younger folks MUST become involved or the end of the hobby is only a matter of a few years passage.
Here are some random observations upon recently getting involved in the Model A hobby that may (or may not) be useful. I hope they are at least interesting and will provoke discussion.

I joined both of the major Model A "clubs" (MAFCA & MARC) by signing up online. MARC took 3 weeks and two additional phone contacts by me in order to confirm that I had in fact joined and paid the dues. Both times the respondent acknowledged that my info was there but they had just not acted on it. MAFCA sent a "snail-mail" letter about a week after I joined. Several months down the road I have yet to get either magazine, and have had ZERO contact electronically (e-mail, text, etc.) from either organization. I see that only one of the clubs has any presence on social media.
My point? Folks of my generation will MAYBE tolerate this kind of response to a new member....the newer generations most decidedly will NOT. They will invest their time ad money elsewhere.

All the forums that I have looked at so far (including this one) follow this pattern; someone makes a comment or asks a question, and the discussion devolves into personal attacks, name-calling, politics, etc. or it is dominated by the same few experts talking to each other. Or, there are endless discussions among the same few about minute and obscure details that almost no one cares about.
A few in my generation and older enjoy this kind of combative interaction, but most do not. Younger generations most assuredly do NOT, and will quickly back away.

Now, I enjoy my restored 31 Tudor. However, it's no secret that original cars are slooowww, hard to drive and shift, have no sound system, vibrate a lot, are somewhat unsafe, etc. etc. Very little there to attract newer generations without some kind of revolutionary changes in the way the hobby operates. Probably changes that are going to be unacceptable or at best uncomfortable for most in the hobby today.

These are just my impressions and opinions, for what they are worth. Certainly not the last word on the subject. I hope I can provoke some discussion and ideas about the future of the hobby.

11-30-2014, 10:41 PM	#1
steven321 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 2	Can the Model A hobby survive? I'm a newbie to the Model A hobby (31 Tudor) although I have owned many many other classic & muscle cars. I may be somewhat unusual in the Model A hobby in that I am a Baby Boomer yet have close ties with the Busters, Gen Xers, and Millenials, both at work and socially. I have also been involved in bringing change to old, entrenched institutions that didn't particularly want to change, yet were forced to by the changing culture. Now it's not rocket science for those concerned about the future of the Model A hobby to understand that most of those involved are in their 60s and up, and that younger folks MUST become involved or the end of the hobby is only a matter of a few years passage. Here are some random observations upon recently getting involved in the Model A hobby that may (or may not) be useful. I hope they are at least interesting and will provoke discussion. I joined both of the major Model A "clubs" (MAFCA & MARC) by signing up online. MARC took 3 weeks and two additional phone contacts by me in order to confirm that I had in fact joined and paid the dues. Both times the respondent acknowledged that my info was there but they had just not acted on it. MAFCA sent a "snail-mail" letter about a week after I joined. Several months down the road I have yet to get either magazine, and have had ZERO contact electronically (e-mail, text, etc.) from either organization. I see that only one of the clubs has any presence on social media. My point? Folks of my generation will MAYBE tolerate this kind of response to a new member....the newer generations most decidedly will NOT. They will invest their time ad money elsewhere. All the forums that I have looked at so far (including this one) follow this pattern; someone makes a comment or asks a question, and the discussion devolves into personal attacks, name-calling, politics, etc. or it is dominated by the same few experts talking to each other. Or, there are endless discussions among the same few about minute and obscure details that almost no one cares about. A few in my generation and older enjoy this kind of combative interaction, but most do not. Younger generations most assuredly do NOT, and will quickly back away. Now, I enjoy my restored 31 Tudor. However, it's no secret that original cars are slooowww, hard to drive and shift, have no sound system, vibrate a lot, are somewhat unsafe, etc. etc. Very little there to attract newer generations without some kind of revolutionary changes in the way the hobby operates. Probably changes that are going to be unacceptable or at best uncomfortable for most in the hobby today. These are just my impressions and opinions, for what they are worth. Certainly not the last word on the subject. I hope I can provoke some discussion and ideas about the future of the hobby.