Question about Good Guys...

As a kiwi who has had one brief visit to your amazing country, I'm confused (it happens very easily) by some comments here regarding Good guys. It seems the general at***ude here is one of slight disdain. Am I right, and what is the reason? Excuse my iggerance, I've not been paying attention........ too busy chasing sheep.....

 

I liked the old days when you went to NSRA for rods and KKOA for customs. With good guys you get a few good customs and rods with a ****load of air conditioned wagons that have American 5 spokes.

 

THe good thing about good guys is that some big names show up some cool cars,, the bad part about good guys is the other 75% of the cars, not to mention the gold chainer attatudes, crybabie dolls and lawn chairs.

 

The coolest thing I like about Goodguys, ownership is NOT mandatory. It allows guys who are car guys to join and get involved, thus keeping the lifestyle alive. I became a Goodguys member many years ago after a local show. I used to have a really nice '56 Chevy 2dr wagon. At a local hang out there were many ASRA (Arizona Street Rod ***ociation) guys that hung out there. These guys wouldn't piss on me or my car if we were on fire. A month or so later, April bought a rolling turd 46 Dodge truck, but because the numbers fit in their lil group, all of the sudden "I was in". Screw that. They nearly **** when they found out the tooling I have.

Goodguys also does shows with varied years. Here in AZ the show is up to '72, yea, not my cup of tea, but many of my buddies get to go and we benchrace all weekend. Now the West Coast Nats are 54 and earlier, more my style, but unfortunately many of my hot rod buds can't bring their cars, but doesn't stop us from going. Take the good with the bad.

 

A car event is a car event and I have a good time at them all. It's all in what you make of it. I don't normally stop and look at a car I'm not interested in but on the other hand I'll stop, look, and chat with the owner of a car I really like if the person is around. I like GG Shows. GG employees seem to be alittle more "hip" then the average NSRA employees. GG shows are changing with the times, NSRA shows are the exact same thing time after time, year after year.

With all that being said, I do enjoy the independant events ALOT more then both the GG and NSRA shows combined. The Hunnert Car Pileup, Jalopy Showdown, BilletProof, and the HAMB Drags are the type of events that suit my style better. Hopefully GG and NSRA will begin to realize what they need to do to change with the times. In the meantime, if I want to head outta town for the weekend I will go to a car event no matter who puts it on.

 

I decided that as of now I will only go to shows that have Denise's chocolate chip cookies.

 

What SHE said!!! If you don't like the event, stay home and don't ***** about it...and don't berate some one, some organization or some club for making money from it...that's the American way. If you don't like it, put on your own show an see how "easy" it is.

I go to all of them...and it IS you get out of them exactly what you put into them! Fun is fun, no matter whose name is on it!

R-

 

OK. I'm getting a grip on this now. Thanks for being patient with me!

 

Thanks sweetie Ya know, I was thinking about you last weekend. Of all the folks in the midwest, especially with your families racing background, I couldn't fingure out why you have never attended the HAMB Drags.

 

It's the latest trend to be anti-everything.....

It's so underground it's mainstream.

 

if there's a bunch of cars somewhere and i can get there i'm going. i leave the politics at home. most car people are good people whatever they drive._________dan

 

I like cars, period. GG Indy, the lats time I went, had too many cars to see in the three days I was there. I like it.

 

Greed. All of the big ***ociations,that I know of , keep jacking prices up both for spectators and participants. Of course, the fairgrounds and other places where these events are held are guilty of it,too.

 

What I've heard from a few of the vendors (Spoke to 1 for an extended time) Is that after they pay their fees and get set up, Then they get hit each day from someone from the state, city, fairgrounds that requires more fees in order for them to do business. When the GG rep in charge of vendors was asked about this by my father (DeMoins, IA event) he became an A-hole and went off on the fact that there were more vendors than ever before. I guess that he counts hot-dog and funnel cake wagons because the car part guys were down. The GG rep then went to the vendor that was talking to me and my father and chewed him up one side and down the other and told him to keep his mouth shut (more subtle than that but that was the main point)

The event is good for the spectator or to bring your family but I think it would be even better if there was car stuff everywhere to look at, get ideas, or buy. I don't sell anything, I'm the buyer. But it looks to me like the vendors are getting screwed.

 

Good call!! I think I gained another ten pounds just thinking about them

JayD

 

If the vendors actually thought that they were getting screwed, they wouldn't be there. They are there to make money. Some of course make more then others and sometimes if it rains or whatever a vendors sales might be down more for that weekend but in the long run, the vendors are making money.

I do know for a fact, from a number of vendors that I personally know, that they prefer doing GG shows over NSRA because the GG staff treat them better. I'd go into details but it's not my place.

 

KIRK!...you have some insight into the goodguys machine...

 

It's funny, I'm one of two guys in my club that doesn't hate the GG events. The only one I've attended is the annual Del Mar show. It's cool to be swimming through billet and finding the stuff I actually like! I always find at least one innovative or cool thing in the huge vendor areas too. It seems to me, if you REALLY like hot rods and your near a GG event you would go. It's not all gold chainers, just 90%

 

i say to hell with the good guys show.

as soon as i moved to tallah***ee they canceled all the good guys shows here.


how is that for luck?

 

I like taking the family when I take a car because GG is really kid oriented....under 12 get in free (I think its 12) and you can take all the kids friends for free too...........until they want ice cream cones..then its about 5 bucks a ****ing cone....either the GG's are charging the ice cream guy too much to set up or they vendors are gouging.

I don't walk in anymore....$6 to park (or is it $8 now) then about another $12 at the gate (maybe more) plus any kids or wife.Plus the drive to get there and back is gonna be another 20 bucks..then eat anything or buy a drink and it adds up pretty fast. Yea intertainment isn't cheap but walking around looking at cars isn't as much fun as building them and driving them...so I spend my cash elsewhere.

 

Roothawg is absolutely CORRECT.

The bandwagon jumpers who got into RAT RODS because they were wanting to be REBELLIOUS... HATE the Goodguys.

Old FARTS who are BITTER and could **** up a wet dream... and have this need to point out all the flaws in anything... hate the Goodguys.

They are the largest car show organization in the world... they bring their show all over the US... and at the shows you can see EVERY kind of car, from mild to wild... from ratty, to showy...

Their are some people who have legitimate gripes about the goodguys... they've done some doozies over the years... like when they didn't want people to have cars for sale in their parking lot... at the P-Town show, the parking lot was drawing more people than their cars for sale area... well, they sent a scout out to pull all the "for sale" signs off of all the cars, and... on the cars that had signs in the windows, they stuck THEIR signs over them... that read "For Good Deals on Great Cars, go to the Goodguys Cars For Sale Area".

Cl***ic...

It kinda made me peeved... but, not enough to deprive myself of all the other great things they have to offer... and now... years later, when I think about it... they had the right to do that, and... if it were MY business, I would have done something (maybe not so forcefull) about it myself.

Drag Racing... the fans want to see fast cars... so, over the years, they have eliminated the slower cars from their show. They eliminated the flathead and inliner cl*** a bunch of years ago... guys were furious. They also required all cars to run at least 12.99. I had a problem with it when they first made the descision... but now, I can see why. You go to one of their races... and there are like 350 cars in the Hot Rod cl***... it's a pain in the ***! They need to weed it out a little more even... like make the cars run at least 11.99 or faster to compete... that would be my suggestion.

I felt the squeeze when we tried to enter the BFD in their Hot Rod cl***... and was turned away. Seems they decided that "center steer altereds and roadsters" should "step up" to their 9.60 cl***. Well, we don't have the cash right now to step up to a bigger motor, so we've sat out for the last two years. While sitting out, I've often thought about it... why would they do something like that. Well, it's for the spectators. It's a fine balancing act between the people who ARE the show and the FANS that pay to see it.

Which... is the way to run a successful business. You have to have a balance between the two.

The bottom line is... there will ALWAYS be a certain percentage of people who get pissed off at a show... doesn't matter WHAT kind of show it is... it's gonna happen. Also, when an organization gets bigger... it's harder to police the people who work for you... and the rules and regulations of the fairgrounds that you rent.

Take for instance the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton... This is Goodguys Country... THEIR town.

Well, a few years ago... the fairgrounds was CHARGING the people entering the car show $8 to get through their parking lot and in to the show where they payed $30 to show their car!!! WTF???

Most people got their $8 refunded by Goodguys once they were inside... But at the time, I was helping JimA out with articles... and I had a season p***... sheesh, EVEN I HAD TO PAY THE $8 TO GET IN!!!

This was by no means the fault of the GG...

All in all... I think they put on a damn good show, after all... it's people like you and I who make up these shows. Their swap meets in Pleasanton are the largest and best in California. The cars are always top notch... and as someone once said:

"Would you rather there not be a Googuys at all?"

I think not... and thank Gary for stepping up, and risking his *** to give us a place to gather.

Sam.

 

I love GoodGuys cause,just as soon as they need some MORE MONEY, the are going to open up all their shows to include the 1989 models......
That way I can just drive my work truck into the show.
Thats great ,cause people are getting tired of those "older" cars......

 

I have gone to the Scottsdale goodguys since it rolled into town and have not missed one of thier gettogether shows or the SW nats yet .Right down the road and had a blast every year .I have been to march meet and wish i could go every year ! Went to the 1st Co . meet too that was awesome !
Will i ever win an award showing any of my cars ? NO
Will there be people not havin fun at the show ? YES but it wont be me .
Will i have ta spend some coin ? Duhhh and if you ever put on one of these shows you will get a better understanding .
Will i find cool stuff at thier swap meets ? YEAH but i gotta be there before jerry!
Point is- show is what ya make it, and its supposed to be fun .If 5 buxs is going to wreck your whole weekend -Spending tooo much on a cone for a kid -spending too much to get your car on the grounds ?LIGHTEN UP have fun , that is all lil **** .
I had ta go to chuckie cheese this week I started to hate it pizza ****ed , place was loud , curtain climbers everywhere ,money going outta my hand .BUT when i saw those kids light up over winning silly lil tickets ,dancin w/ a guy in a rat suit and have'n a blast ,laughin eattin pizza , then turning in those tickets for a take home prize . well took my own advise from above i guess .
GoodGuys is what cha make it .Seeing i have to save up to go to a show down the street i would prefer to make it fun for me and anybody else i take .

 

I have always had fun at all the goodguys shows i have atteneded and they were very lenient when i was acting like an idiot and doing things i shouldn't have been doing.

Always enjoy the lonestar nationals here in dfw.

The first time i went was probably my first big exposure to hot rods in the flesh. It really got me going.

I think Goodguys is a great way to get people exposed to a wide variety of cars and gets alot of new people involved in this hobby that never felt any connection to it before.

 

You hit the nail right on its head.

 

I hear ya' brother... we have one of those places here in the Tri-Valley, I swear the DEVIL himself invented those places...

But yea, the kids DO have FUN!

Sam.

 

Anybody can win an award at a GG show. You wouldn't believe some of the cars rolling through the "parade" this season.

Everyone does have a chance...especially with the Suede & Chrome area.


And nobody beats Jerry to the swap, that's a given.

 

Way back in the middle of the last millenium, when we had ONE car show a year; no rod runs; no cruise ins; no NSRA; no KKOA; no GOODGUYS; no gold chainers, no rusty chainers, or billet vs traditional, paint vs no paint bs to whine about, all we had was the beginning of the NHRA. At that time, our biggest concern was selective, heavy handed police attention and laws that were attempting to legislate our cars illegal and unsafe. NHRA'S efforts and all those that supported NHRA can be thanked for what we have today. NHRA created the basic pattern for NSRA, SEMA, GOODGUYS etc. If not for those organizations, our hobby, sport whatever and us wouldn't be enjoying the success, funtimes, commercial success, public approval and governmental legislative support that brought us into the new millenium AND WHAT IN THE HELL WOULD THE DRAMA KINGS HAVE TO WHINE ABOUT?

My basic outlook is "ANYTIME, ANYONE, commits their time and money to entertain me or cater to my specific interest I'm there, if, at all possible. If, I don't like it I don't go back BUT they will have my support AS LONG AS THEY ARE TRYING THEIR BEST".

 

Roy at a drag race ? He doesn't even know what "the Big Go" is.....

 

Yep.
And they wouldn't be where they are today if they weren't doing their best.

And now... with Brandon there... you're going to see some Krazy **** go through the winners circle... hahahahahaha!!!

Sam.