Is Our Hobby in Trouble???

[RodKnock]

Reckoning Day is coming...Daimler just bought a piece of Tesla, announced yesterday.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/19/news...n=money_latest

Also, the US will be introducing a trade-in program, similar to Germany's, in order to get all your gas-guzzling cars off the road.

Don't worry guys, the aftermarket will be full of companies competing to get your "battery replacement" business so that your Cobras will be running like tops (literally) well into the 22nd Century.

[427sharpe]

Originally Posted by ZOERA-SC7XX

Way too much money in the car hobby and the gun hobby to be restricted any more than it is now. These zealots have nothing better to do than pick on seamingly small interest groups. They'll yell and blow steam until the next battle arises, then they'll go on to that. There's more pollution in ONE shuttle launch than all the Cobras in America running all year. I think Obama's newly announced emmissions/restrictions will fail in congress because the auto companies cannot afford another setback.

Man, YOU are an optimist!
It is obvious that Obamunism wants the guns...they don't hide it.
They point missed here I think is that BO and his 'green' crew..esp the witch in EPA...HATE cars, and see car enthusiasts as something to be wiped off the sole of a shoe, or worse. They are convinced that humans are the lone cause of planet destruction and believe with demented monomania. I don't see a frontal assault on the hobby, but a back door rampage of gasoline sin taxes, registration taxes, etc. that will effectively kill the hobby and leave BO's pickaninnies glassy eyed and content.

[Ron61]

Originally Posted by 427sharpe

Man, YOU are an optimist!
It is obvious that Obamunism wants the guns...they don't hide it.
They point missed here I think is that BO and his 'green' crew..esp the witch in EPA...HATE cars, and see car enthusiasts as something to be wiped off the sole of a shoe, or worse. They are convinced that humans are the lone cause of planet destruction and believe with demented monomania. I don't see a frontal assault on the hobby, but a back door rampage of gasoline sin taxes, registration taxes, etc. that will effectively kill the hobby and leave BO's pickaninnies glassy eyed and content.

They only hate cars that the people can afford and drive. You won't see Pelosi or any of her bunch giving up their private jets which use as much fuel in a week and spew out more emissions on take off and landing than 100 cars will in months. Of course, Pelosi isn't intelligent enough to realize that once she and her group of idiots make cars to expensive for the working people, there won't be many working and they won't be able to collect the taxes to keep raising their overpaid salaries.

Ron

[SCOBRAC]

Huge trouble. Just my .02 but anyone with a car that doesn't get 50 mpg within a few years will be considered insensitive. Anyone with a car that gets less than 35 mpg will be an eco-terrorist.

[race-it]

Rebuild the Alamo!!!!!!!!!!! Get ready for guests!!!!!!!

[zrayr]

I've never seen a group of supposedly grown men engage in such hysteria before. And laying it all at the feet of the Democrats as well.

Does anyone remember which President brought us the 55 mph sped limit ? Republican Dick Nixon.

Z. Ray

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by zrayr

I've never seen a group of supposedly grown men engage in such hysteria before. And laying it all at the feet of the Democrats as well.

Does anyone remember which President brought us the 55 mph sped limit ? Republican Dick Nixon.

Z. Ray

Hysteria? Where?

I wouldn't throw the blame for 55mph speed limit all at Nixon's feet. Before enactment, 21 States already had 55mph or even 50mph limits and it was also in response to the 1973 oil crisis. Additionally, in May 1974, the US Senate defeated a proposal by Senator Robert Dole to raise the speed limit to 60 mph.

[Rick Parker]

The EPA has entirely too much power IMO. For crying out loud we've got catalytic convertors on weed eaters and chain saws in California. It's all about MONEY!

[cobra bill]

I have to agree about the hysteria, this has been an amusing read, I can't believe how simple minded people are, no one's taking your guns, and no one's taking your cars away.
your all getting worked up over nothing, actually you are safer with the dems in power, they can't decide what to have for lunch, let alone all be in lockstep to overturn gun laws or anything else, Hell they have an almost filibuster proof majority and still can't all get together to push Obama's agenda. No the republicans on the other hand are a scary bunch, they will fallow in lockstep right over the cliff and don't have the sense to think for themselves, whatever Fox and friends say is good enough for them!

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by cobra bill

I have to agree about the hysteria, this has been an amusing read, I can't believe how simple minded people are, no one's taking your guns, and no one's taking your cars away.

Surely, no one will be taking guns away from anyone. An example, somehow a gun amendment got attached the new "Credit Card" bill.

Cars on the other hand...no one is taking them away, but "functional obsolescence" on the other hand...

[cobra bill]

Well I do believe the days of the v8 are coming to an end, it's amazing the power that can be had from a 4 cylinder, that said I don't think the cafe standards will hurt the hobby in anyway.

[Ronbo]

Originally Posted by cobra bill

Well I do believe the days of the v8 are coming to an end, it's amazing the power that can be had from a 4 cylinder, that said I don't think the cafe standards will hurt the hobby in anyway.

Yep, remember hearing that about 30+yrs. ago... (for a while it looked like it would actually happen)

[Ron61]

Didn't Ford quit making V-8s about a year ago and go to the V-6s? I know the V-6s can be built to put out as much power as most of their V-8s would.

Ron

[zrayr]

their "new" engine product is called the eco-boost. A V-6 w/ turbocharging. However they are still making a V-8

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/02...lant-to-build/

http://industry.bnet.com/auto/100015...-fuel-economy/


Z. Ray

[Ron61]

Z. Ray,

That is one nice GT-350 that you have there.

Ron

[poboy427]

I think the interest for our cars will die off before legistlation takes over. Look, the original model T and A Fords (not to be confused with the T&A that will never go out of style) are falling to the wayside as the the guys that lead that hobby are dying off. Interest has just gone away with time. Yeah the streetrod thing keep them alive in a differant form ,so to speak, but that will cycle too.

My young sons are the exception as they are into Mustangs-whereby all their buddies are into ricers and 4 cyls.

Look at the predominate age groups of the Cobra hobby today.
You will see guys that grew up in the era of the originals and younger guys that sort of had the baton passed to them, but beyond that most young guys under age 40 would much prefer a Corvette to a Cobra or even a WRX to a Mustang.

I am most curious as to what the future market will be for my 66 Shelby GT350. My best guess is it will become a museum piece or strickly for parades in the next 30 yrs. Insurance and car values will probably dictate that more than legistlation.

Support SEMA and its work while we can. Other than that the young kids will decide the future of the sport as we know it. I think.

[zrayr]

Originally Posted by Ron61

Z. Ray,

That is one nice GT-350 that you have there.

Ron

thanks Ron. It's a real driver, and will be as long as I own it. I'm driving it as often as possible. So far 24,000 miles over 8 years.

Z. Ray

[REAL 1]

Wayne: The main problem with CAFE standards is that we are avoiding the main issue. Becoming energy independent. We have enough oil off shore and in Alaska to carry us for decades and make us far more independent of the Saudis and other oil Arabs until alternate fuel sources can be perfected.

Make no mistake the Arabs are not our friends and if they can hurt us through economic policy they will.

Making cars more energy efficient doesn't really reduce the true demand for oil. We are still a captive audience. With smaller cars we still need their oil but we use it at a slower rate. I don't think the CAFE standards will help with the ulitimate solution. Its a temporary fix. Cars have steadily increasing efficiency over the years yet the price of gas has steadily increased.

While I agree decreased demand decreses price thats typically in an economic model where you have alternatives and can buy elsewhere or just do without the product thereby demand can surely decrease price. Where you are a captive audience and you still need the product but are consuming it now more efficiently to reduce your expenditure over time thereby in turn reducing the sellers sales and profit over time I see the seller just uping the price to make up the gap. Its a no brainer. Your Smart Car needs gas just as much as your 427 Cobra. It just sips fuel instead of guzzling it. Its a vicious cycle. When they raise the oil prices to make up for the lost volume of sales are you going to stop filling up your Smart car? No I don't think so.

The true salvation is oil independence. Period.

Obama campaigned on developing clean coal technology and he even began taking about offshore drilling to garner votes and pander.

Now that he is elected he is again going the direction of all his greenie and eco nut jobs and backing away from these solutions. What a surprise. His solution is to mire a crippled auto industry with even more stringent regulations which will drive the cost of vehicles even higher and do nothing to control oil prices.

Sounds like a sound economic strategy to me. But hey, what the hell to I know I'm not a messiah.

[zrayr]

you want what saw as a kid,what your older brother had, or what your "cool" uncle had.

A lot of great cars of the 1930's thru early 1950's are dropping in value as the pool of interested fans shrinks. It will happen to cars of the '60's also, but to a lessor degree as many '60's cars are cultural icons. The Mustang, Cobra, and Sting Ray are least likely to fade.

Z. Ray

[Bernica]

My Cobra is bought, paid for, and locked up. As are my guns, which will be the next thing they will come after.....