What will Ever Happen to our Hobby !!!!

It's Occurred to me from time to time ... that Your Kids ... Grand Kids will never drive a combustible fuel vehicle ... Wonder what will ever happen to them ??? Will you need a special permit to operate them at some point ..... I don't get to sit in a new car very often ... But boy How things have changed !!!!!!!!!!!! they pretty much got you were they want you when you buy a new car .... your almost a Hostage to the Car manufacture !!!!!!!

I feel the same way Bill. I've never owned a "new" car in my lifetime. My wife gets one, drives it for a few years and then I get the hand-me-downs to use as a daily driver. I really don't feel the need or desire to have a new vehicle.

Buying this van has given me something that's hard to explain to most people but that most everyone on this site can relate to. It's a feeling I used to have in my younger days of driving something that has it's own "personality". Something that I can put my own personal stamp on and something that is relatively cheap to work on in comparison to muscle cars or sports cars. It may take me a while to get things done but I'm in no big hurry and I'm just happy that it's finally here with me.

My van gets attention just sitting in the driveway. Last weekend, my wife had a yard sale and she told me that all the couples that came up to the yard sale, the man would ask if the van was for sale cause they would love to buy it. My wife told them she would love to sell it but I would NOT let that happen! As much as she teases about selling it, I think that she "gets" why it makes me so happy, especially when she see's how much interest it sparks with any guy that comes by the house.

Thanks Bill!

Eventually it will die out. The electric car will win out in the long run. They will push it on us very slowly---first electric fans,then electric water pumps, soon electric brakes. I realize that we already have those little hybrid doo-hickeys, and then there's Tesla. I have always felt that the American automobile was the greatest art form ever created. When a guy with a pencil and pad created a device that met the needs of everyone. In days of old they were all different---each brand and style unique. Now they're created in a wind tunnel by a computer. You cant tell the difference between a Chevy or a Toyota. It's getting so you can't tell a car from a truck. People have become complacent about cars---they've become tools not an expression of identity. That's when the hobby dies. Sure, I meet young guys into old cars, but I meet 100 times more people who could care less. To me, collecting new cars would be like collecting hammers. And when Mother Nature returns these beauties back into rust, there will only be pictures of a time gone by.
Mike

I wonder the same thing..!!!..I see a interest with the younger crowds but most don't know what to think..When I was growing up in NY back in the early 80's you were what you drive if you had a Chevelle or a big 4x4 you were Cool if you drove a pinto or gremlin you were a Nerd..Most of the Next generation will rather have AC,Power Steering, 40 miles a gallon,Electric everything,than one of theses Hot Running Old Vans we are a Dieing Breed I am Afraid some may end up in a museum 20 years from now but most will be Long Gone..I Own A brake and Tire Shop Est 1987 and every couple years they come out with something New anti lock brakes,parrell park them selfs,censored wipers,automatic braking control.Hybreed cars,witch is All Great until the computer tells the car to parellel park it self on the expressway going 70 mph..!!!.. we are Driving computers on wheels pretty soon you can just get in and push a button and the car will take you where you want to go...They are fazing out the average mechanic and in 20 years the dealer will be your only option..Thursday we had a Major Wreck in front of out Shop a guy with a New Toyota was approaching the red light at a 4 lane highway tried to stop and the gas pedal went to the floor and of course the ABS kept him from locking up the brakes so it would not stop so after clipping a dump truck hitting a large sigh and doing 2 dough's nuts in the media  decided to put it in reverse to get it to stop it  witch only changed the direction of it being out of control went across 2 lanes of traffic down the 4 foot embankment across our parking lot hit out shop puts it back in drive back up the embankment across the side walk hit another pole and 3 mailboxes and wound up 3 buildings over all wile the Ignition was "turned of" lucky the light was Red or we would have had some people seriously Hurt or killed..!!!..It looked like a scene from a movie with all the plastic bumpers splash shields and fenders scattered for a block...I will take the Older Cars And Trucks You have to Drive and not the New ones that Drive them selfs.......JMO....And if they go to 15% ethanol in our Fuel you wont see anything on the road made before 2000 unless you buy Race gas that's $10,00 a gallon... ..Years ago you had a choice 6 cly or V8, auto or stick, bench or buckets,heater or ac ,radio or delete, Now A Days about the only choice you have is what colour you want.!!!!..And they ALL look the same to me you don't know if its a Buick or Kia or Nissan,Hyndi.....Its like the commercial where Everyone is running up and down the street in Card Board Boxes...  

As long as there's oil, diesel fuel & kerosene there will be gasoline as it is a by product of refining oil. Gas, Oil, Diesel fuel and kerosene will continue to increase in price but as long as there is oil to be pumped out of wells all oil based products will continue to be in demand by the consumer.

HandiVanMan wrote:As long as there's oil, diesel fuel & kerosene there will be gasoline as it is a by product of refining oil. Gas, Oil,  Diesel fuel and kerosene will continue to increase in price but as long as there is oil to be pumped out of wells all oil based products will continue to be in demand by the consumer.

           I Agree 100% But how much are We Willing or can We Afford to Pay for it.!!!. they are talking  $5,00 a gallon for Gas here in Florida by July..Everything is going Electric or Solar..Check out on face-book about all the Solar Highways and Side Walks they want to Build....  .I just spent $145,00 to Fill my 91 Chevy Van's Gas Tank at 12 miles a gallon it wont last long...

HandiVanMan wrote:As long as there's oil, diesel fuel & kerosene there will be gasoline as it is a by product of refining oil. Gas, Oil,  Diesel fuel and kerosene will continue to increase in price but as long as there is oil to be pumped out of wells all oil based products will continue to be in demand by the consumer.

I agree with that. We will not see a nation without for a long time to come. Lack of funding for infrastructure to support any major changes is a long ways away if ever the way things are going. Our government has proved to be ineffective in promoting anything that would truly lead us to self sufficiency. Lack of long term tax credits for solar,dumb planning on crops to ethanol you name it it ain't happening anytime soon unless there is a magic bullet out there waiting to appear. What is more likely to happen is what Vanished mentioned. Getting taxed or regulated to a point of being totally unaffordable and then they will call that progress. As far as the younger people go that's a tough call. The "Dying Breed Syndrome" is something that is happening across the board. Not only in hobbies but vocational skills or wanting to learn them as well. If it doesn't have buttons on it forget it.

O yea we also need Vaseline more than ever for all kinds of use these days expecially when buying gas.  Sadly it is also a petroleum based product!

RF Man wrote:Eventually it will die out. The electric car will win out in the long run. They will push it on us very slowly---first electric fans,then electric water pumps, soon electric brakes. I realize that we already have those little hybrid doo-hickeys, and then there's Tesla. I have always felt that the American automobile was the greatest art form ever created. When a guy with a pencil and pad created a device that met the needs of everyone. In days of old they were all different---each brand and style unique. Now they're created in a wind tunnel by a computer. You cant tell the difference between a Chevy or a Toyota. It's getting so you can't tell a car from a truck. People have become complacent about cars---they've become tools not an expression of identity. That's when the hobby dies. Sure, I meet young guys into old cars, but I meet 100 times more people who could care less. To me, collecting new cars would be like collecting hammers. And when Mother Nature returns these beauties back into rust, there will only be pictures of a time gone by.
Mike

The all electric car will charge as you drive from induction strips in the roadways, this will solve the battery issue and they already have prototypes for buses in Europe doing this, once that happens, they will take off and gas power will be a thing of the past, maybe 50 years from now, most of us won't be here to see it....and the cars will drive themselves, that's already here too, but they have to change the laws for that one, but they will....and my .02 on the new generations, all they know is computer games and buttons, hands on hobbies are dead, they can't even put air in their tires or change a bulb...its destroyed social skills, the stuff you learn from playing with other as kids at a young age, now they get frustrated and only know how to kill each other from the video games and shut in lives they all lead, you think all these mass killings just happened? and its gonna get worse.....

eventually the combustion powered car will go the way of the horse. people will own and drive them but not by necessity.

The future is Magnatomic Energy!

That's it----I'm starting on my new Nuclear Powered Econo. Now, where can I get a Flux Capacitor?
Mike

If I live to see that day Vanish, I'll convert her to electric and all will be good, electric can be awesome.

Seth G wrote:If I live to see that day Vanish, I'll convert her to electric and all will be good, electric can be awesome.

ive had the oportunity to ride an electric motorcycle, electric torque and almost no noise is a lot of fun.

I think along with everything said above, the most damaging thing is the 12 to 20 year old guys today have little to no interest in "cars" the way we did. I am pretty sure most of you did the same stuff as I did as a young kid. Model cars, WWII plane models, aurora race tracks for Xmas, hot rod magazine, going around to the older kids house who had the neighborhood hot rod, schwinn sting ray with slick all signs of future motor heads.
I know someone will say I know this kid that is like we were but most don't care anymore they are all wrapped up in video games, social media etc. If they are into cars at all it is jap stuff.
God forbid if you dropped them 20 miles from home, they would never make it back without GPS.
They don't have to worry about breaking down and being stuck so they don't have to be able to fix their cars. Help is a cell call away. They never broke down far from home and had to walk to a phone booth!
We and our cars, vans, hot rods will die off like dinosaurs that we are.

gotta' confess to you guys... my interest is not just a hobby, but a necessity! my van currently is my work vehicle with  thousands of dollars of tools in it and my potential home if necessary! if worse comes to worst i'll run it on propane or get one of those Kubota 3 cylinder diesels and cook up my own biodiesel! (any advice is appreciated. couldn't do it w/out help...)

Donn---your a man of my own making. I lived Schwinn StingRays, model cars, Aurora race tracks, neighborhood older guys with hot rods. I walked everywhere or rode my bike. As a kid, I would pack a sack lunch on Saturday morning and ride my Schwinn StingRay to a huge salvage yard 10 miles south of town---then I would spend all day crawling around on the cars dreaming of my future builds. I bought my first car at 12 years old and drove it home---my dad about had a heart attack. That kind of passion for cars does not exist in young people of today. I love old cars---all brands, flavors, and colors. I could buy anything I wanted to drive, but I still drive old cars I find on Craigslist and repair for daily drivers. My family thinks I'm crazy, but my friends always smile when I pull up in my new clunker I'm working on.
Livin' and Lovin' Cars Mike

There are already plenty of electric cars out there. In 20 to 30 years time there will be plenty of old electric cars for sale that can be salvaged for parts. This would be a great project for a vintage van. I already have a couple of massive batteries under the floor, there is plenty of room under there for another 20 or so.... This would be an easy conversion, although expensive for the batteries, and the brake recovery system might be tricky to adopt, but the basics are pretty simple.
People are already doing it, so who knows....?

If this guy can do it...  you can too.   The instant torque of electric is pretty amazing, if you haven't ridden in an electric car. It is the future.  And when the hackers get their hands on the operating software of today's electric cars, we will see a new breed of gear head emerge..

With today's (and tomorrow's) gas prices, what is more limiting? Big V8 +/-15 miles to the gallon, or 100 miles per charge?  Maybe we best start planning a conversion, rather than a motor build...




speaking of hacking... I say electric motor? sure. But mechanical/hydraulic steering and brakes are the ticket.

Electric sounds Great but in reality how many of our Van's can carry a Extra 1,000 pounds of Battery's on Stock Springs..!!!.. ....Just Look at the Weight difference on a "Golf Cart" from a Electric One and One that is Gas Powered....

Yeah. I'm not spending my $ on any of this stuff. But its'a comin. that's for sure.

Everyone has a different opinion... I work on these Hybrid cars all the time and they are nothing but problems plus when you need New Battery's they are about 3k..All Electric is defiantly Coming but I will hold out as long as I can and use Race gas if I have to and hopefully be Retired before all this goes Down because I want Nothing to do with Electric Cars or there Problems...JMO....  ..Maby by then we wont need Mechanics it will be a Robot that fixes our Cars...LOL...