Are we car enthusiasts being weeded out?

[HULK_I6T]

With the commodore and falcon being retired, i cant but think that car enthusiasts are also being thrown out with the bath water.

The younger generation seem to have a diminishing interest in cars with many of their car choices not really supported in the aftermarket modifications. The younger seem more content with styling over substance, cars being throw away items when they are not cool in their social circles or in the carpark at work.

Then there is us... we recognised falcon and commodore for many years for their substance and unique style, not afraid to be labelled hoons or bogans. But with no falcon or commodore many of us will likely grow up and mature our tastes into something more credible on a social level (amongst non car enthusiasts). Still fast cars but likely to leave them in factory spec due to lack of aftermarket support, or excessive cost to custom modify.

So do we just down tools and move on? Im pretty disappointed about the state of affairs but it seems inevitable, find a new hobby? Just evaluate cars on their specification /performance off the factory floor.

where do you see car enthusiasts in 10 years?? Live on or will we be weeded out?

[Express]

Car enthusiasts are not just confined to Ford and Holden or modifications.

End of story.



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[HULK_I6T]

Originally Posted by Express

Car enthusiasts are not just confined to Ford and Holden or modifications.

End of story.



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In this country the aftermarket by far supports falcon and commodore over anything else, maybe wrx is a distant 3rd and then there is clear daylight to anything else.

Where are the car enthusiasts going to go? (Overwelming majority support falcon and commodore)

[UberKnee]

Car Enthusiast does not equal Falcon/Commodore driver. Sure if all you want is a cheap, basic car with a big motor thats great in a straight line they're good. But for outright overall performance the Evo X and WRX makes mincemeat of them especially on a track. Drag racing is a different story of course. Then you've got Supra's, BRZ's, Skylines, etc.

Hell even alot of the hot hatchbacks are great performance cars. Aussie enthusiasts need to realise that Holden/Ford aren't the be all and end all of performance. You can get V10 M5's for $60,000 thesedays, AMG V12 powered cars for similar. An 06 Audi RS5 is about the same price too.

Holden and Ford did well enough, kitting out their Taxi's with powerful motors but they were never the be all and end all of performance.

And I think you'll find that with the demise of Falcadore more performance workshops geared towards Euro and Jap cars will spring up. Anyone pretending that their isn't a huge aftermarket for BMWs, Mercs, Jags, Subaru, Toyota, etc. are fooling themselves, its just that in Australia Ford/Holden have held most of the attention.

[TC200six]

You don't need to be into modifying to be an enthusiast.

[UberKnee]

And cant forget the Mustang, that comes with what is possibly the biggest aftermarket of any car in the world.

And there's nothing wrong with just stancing and wrapping a car, making it look good instead of chasing power you cant use. While its impressive to have 1000hp, unless you regularly race whats the point? Making a daily look like a nice car is probably money spent smarter.

[Express]

Originally Posted by UberKnee

Car Enthusiast does not equal Falcon/Commodore driver.

Anyone pretending that their isn't a huge aftermarket for BMWs, Mercs, Jags, Subaru, Toyota, etc. are fooling themselves, its just that in Australia Ford/Holden have held most of the attention.

F6_benito needs to get out more.


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[stevz]

Originally Posted by f6_benito

With the commodore and falcon being retired, i cant but think that car enthusiasts are also being thrown out with the bath water.

The younger generation seem to have a diminishing interest in cars with many of their car choices not really supported in the aftermarket modifications. The younger seem more content with styling over substance, cars being throw away items when they are not cool in their social circles or in the carpark at work.

Then there is us... we recognised falcon and commodore for many years for their substance and unique style, not afraid to be labelled hoons or bogans. But with no falcon or commodore many of us will likely grow up and mature our tastes into something more credible on a social level (amongst non car enthusiasts). Still fast cars but likely to leave them in factory spec due to lack of aftermarket support, or excessive cost to custom modify.

So do we just down tools and move on? Im pretty disappointed about the state of affairs but it seems inevitable, find a new hobby? Just evaluate cars on their specification /performance off the factory floor.

where do you see car enthusiasts in 10 years?? Live on or will we be weeded out?

I hear you. I can't see how any straight Australian male can look at the direction motoring is headed in this country and be happy about it.

Once locally made Holdens and Fords are gone, my passion for cars will die.
The closest replacement for our rwd sedans would be a high end Euro, but at 3 times the price combined with all the associated ownership costs put that out of the question.

The loss of our great cars to me is like somebody sticking a knife into my heart and twisting it around. With nothing on the horizon except a sea of generic, soulless rubbish, our car culture will slowly die and the only car enthusiasts remaining will be ones of older cars.

Sad times ahead.

[Nikked]

Yes, the government stopped car manufacturing here to stop hooning.

[Express]

Originally Posted by stevz

Once locally made Holdens and Fords are gone, my passion for cars will die.

It won’t have any effect on enthusiasts who are only into old school.


Plus there are many Forums catering for car enthusiasts outside of just new model Ford and Holdens


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[HULK_I6T]

Agreed that enthusiasts exist anywhere but in this country the overwelming majority are falcodore enthusiasts. Decades of models to confirm this support. Decades of selling at number 1 on the sales charts. A proud history and heritage to support. The au model showed that drastic change would not be well received. (Despite how good the au is)

to go cold turkey on them? They dont just pick another model and carry on.

[UberKnee]

Originally Posted by stevz

I hear you. I can't see how any straight Australian male can look at the direction motoring is headed in this country and be happy about it.

Once locally made Holdens and Fords are gone, my passion for cars will die.
The closest replacement for our rwd sedans would be a high end Euro, but at 3 times the price combined with all the associated ownership costs put that out of the question.

The loss of our great cars to me is like somebody sticking a knife into my heart and twisting it around. With nothing on the horizon except a sea of generic, soulless rubbish, our car culture will slowly die and the only car enthusiasts remaining will be ones of older cars.

Sad times ahead.

Funny I was in an Evo X the other day, generic, soulless rubbish was the last thing that came to mind. If you're a true car enthusiast and not just a one brand, one model fan a car like that ticks practically every box.

Ford are bringing the Stang, GM will bring in something, More people will buy WRX and Evo, etc. E92 BMW V8s are getting cheaper, modern AMGs are getting very attainable second hand. Workshops will spring up to cater for these cars in the aftermarket. If anything the car enthusiast scene may get more interesting. Gets boring going to a car show and just seeing 95% Falcodores.

[HULK_I6T]

Originally Posted by Express

It won’t have any effect on enthusiasts who are only into old school.



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true but old school enthusiasts will get old too. With no new supporters will slowly be extinct. How many people get excited about the old valiants from the 60s and 70s?

any species who dont reproduce will become extinct.

One day someone with a genuine xy gtho phase 3 will be spruking that they have a original gtho and noone will bat an eyelid, noone will know what hes on about nor will they listen, they will tell him to shush up and sit still.

[Nikked]

Ahhh...stevz...the resident bleeding heart...

[stevz]

Originally Posted by f6_benito

Agreed that enthusiasts exist anywhere but in this country the overwelming majority are falcodore enthusiasts. Decades of models to confirm this support. Decades of selling at number 1 on the sales charts. A proud history and heritage to support. The au model showed that drastic change would not be well received. (Despite how good the au is)

to go cold turkey on them? They dont just pick another model and carry on.

Well said. The majority of us have never known a world without Falcon or Commodore in it. Our pride and heritage is being throw away and we are just expected to lap up the garbage that they are going to shove down our throats to replace it?
The ironic thing is that people keep harping on that the car makers are responding to markets by giving people cars they want to buy, when in reality they are taking away what is the only choice for many of us and giving us cars we don't want.

[UberKnee]

Old Pontiacs still fetch top dollar in the states, they still love the GTO's and Cuda's. Young people are always buying old school muscle cars because of the heritage and looks. This wont change that. As long as there are still LS powered Holdens and I6T/Miami powered Fords on the second hand market people will buy them and mod them.

[LeadFoot81]

Originally Posted by f6_benito

any species who dont reproduce will become extinct.

Any species that doesn't evolve becomes extinct. There will always be car enthusiasts...existing ones will stay with what they consider classics or come to understand/respect/love the new types of performance cars being released. The next wave will have plenty of hero models to lust over; they'll just be different to what we have now. And someone, somewhere, will tinker with a car, irrespective of whether it's an 8, 6, 4, or electric.

[Express]

Originally Posted by f6_benito

true but old school enthusiasts will get old too. With no new supporters will slowly be extinct. How many people get excited about the old valiants from the 60s and 70s?

any species who dont reproduce will become extinct.

One day someone with a genuine xy gtho phase 3 will be spruking that they have a original gtho and noone will bat an eyelid, noone will kniw what hes on about nor will they listen, they will tell him to shush up.

Stupid me, I was drawn into something not worth commenting on in the first place.

You win, I’ll leave you to it.



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[stevz]

Originally Posted by f6_benito

true but old school enthusiasts will get old too. With no new supporters will slowly be extinct. How many people get excited about the old valiants from the 60s and 70s?

any species who dont reproduce will become extinct.

One day someone with a genuine xy gtho phase 3 will be spruking that they have a original gtho and noone will bat an eyelid, noone will kniw what hes on about nor will they listen, they will tell him to shush up.

They will be too busy doing up Hyundais and Kias to even care

[UberKnee]

Originally Posted by stevz

Well said. The majority of us have never known a world without Falcon or Commodore in it. Our pride and heritage is being throw away and we are just expected to lap up the garbage that they are going to shove down our throats to replace it?
The ironic thing is that people keep harping on that the car makers are responding to markets by giving people cars they want to buy, when in reality they are taking away what is the only choice for many of us and giving us cars we don't want.

Heres the thing though, Falcon/Commodore sold in very small numbers and lsot money on every car sold, so obviously not that many 'enthusiasts' were buying new. Therefor not many enthusiasts will actually be affected. Only a fool keeps trying to sell what cant be sold. The Jap car scene, Muscle car scene, offroad scene, minitruck scene in Australia are huge and none of them rely on Falcodore. You dont have to drive a Falcadore to be an enthusiast.

[HULK_I6T]

Originally Posted by Express

Stupid me, I was drawn into something not worth commenting on in the first place.

You win, I’ll leave you to it.



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Im not about winning anything, i think us car enthusiasts many cut from the same cloth will be defunct. Thats the sad part.

have your say, there is no winning or losing.

[UberKnee]

Originally Posted by f6_benito

Im not about winning anything, i think us car enthusiasts many cut from the same cloth will be the losers. Thats the sad part.

Car enthusiasts; No. Falcodore enthusiasts; yes they're losing their treasured car. But car enthusiasts as a whole are just losing a model of car, there's a world of other cars available for a true car enthusiast.

[stevz]

Originally Posted by UberKnee

Heres the thing though, Falcon/Commodore sold in very small numbers and lsot money on every car sold, so obviously not that many 'enthusiasts' were buying new. Therefor not many enthusiasts will actually be affected. Only a fool keeps trying to sell what cant be sold. The Jap car scene, Muscle car scene, offroad scene, minitruck scene in Australia are huge and none of them rely on Falcodore. You dont have to drive a Falcadore to be an enthusiast.

This is only true for the last couple of years. Prior to this Falcadore enthusiasts made up the overwhelming majority and you are making a mistake by underestimating this.
I have zero interest in Jap or other car scenes. I cannot change what is in my blood.

[OCTANEBOSS]

Originally Posted by f6_benito

The younger generation seem to have a diminishing interest in cars with many of their car choices not really supported in the aftermarket modifications. The younger seem more content with styling over substance, cars being throw away items when they are not cool in their social circles or in the carpark at work.

There is many of the current generation that are part of the throw away society, there the ultimate consumers, they rarely complain if it does not work, they dont care how it works or how to fix it & don't really have any loyalty to brands except maybe for phones & tablets etc. They haven't even got enough time to become car enthusiasts. A Perth cop said to my young bloke in his FG XR6 the other day at an RBT, " you young fellas in Kal must get paid a bit here as you all seem to have flash cars, he replied he stole it .
The cop had a chuckle. We still got plenty of exhaust crackle & shiny Aussie cars here but they are slowly dwindling away for the imports. It would be interesting to see how much money it cost & how much greenhouse gas is produced if I keep my beloved cooner for 20 years in top condition or the alternative of a new car every 5 years.

[UberKnee]

Just because you dont care about other cars doesnt make everyone the same. If they no longer sell in huge numbers then obviously people have already moved on to other cars. What was true 10 years ago is not always true now.

Times change, Falcodore is no longer king of the hill in this country.

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by f6_benito

true but old school enthusiasts will get old too. With no new supporters will slowly be extinct. How many people get excited about the old valiants from the 60s and 70s?

any species who dont reproduce will become extinct.

One day someone with a genuine xy gtho phase 3 will be spruking that they have a original gtho and noone will bat an eyelid, noone will know what hes on about nor will they listen, they will tell him to shush up and sit still.

Younger generations generally are interested by cars of their time,
pre license dreamtime!
Go to an MG car club meet and see how many grey heads there are.

[stevz]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Yes, the government stopped car manufacturing here to stop hooning.

Heaven forbid if the Greens are given any more power, we will all be forced onto bicycles and public transport and cars will become extinct altogether.

[XW-BAXR6T]

All i care is that i have my falcon Xw fairmont & my BA falcon XR6T, what happens to everyone else's cars or what car they choose in future i don't care.



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[BadMax]

Originally Posted by stevz

I hear you. I can't see how any straight Australian male can look at the direction motoring is headed in this country and be happy about it.

What's the issue or are you trying to project your one eyed insecurity as a threat to us?

Originally Posted by stevz

Once locally made Holdens and Fords are gone, my passion for cars will die.
The closest replacement for our rwd sedans would be a high end Euro, but at 3 times the price combined with all the associated ownership costs put that out of the question.

Yeah, because a well refined, well sorted and extremely high powered Euro is rubbish in comparison. Or are you one of those who call it rubbish as it doesn't fit into your budget?

Originally Posted by stevz

The loss of our great cars to me is like somebody sticking a knife into my heart and twisting it around. With nothing on the horizon except a sea of generic, soulless rubbish, our car culture will slowly die and the only car enthusiasts remaining will be ones of older cars.

Sad times ahead.

I guess the old blokes around here said the same 30 years ago. Times change champ, best you either move with them or just keep at being miserable.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by stevz

This is only true for the last couple of years. Prior to this Falcadore enthusiasts made up the overwhelming majority and you are making a mistake by underestimating this.
I have zero interest in Jap or other car scenes. I cannot change what is in my blood.

...and what's stopping you (or others) from remaining to be a Falcon enthusiast?

Zilch...


This is the stupidest dribble I've read. Perhaps its time to tell P76 owners to stop be enthusiast while we are going?