Car Shows, Am I just out of touch?

When I built my first roadster, I had intentions from the beginning to show it. In the late 70's when it was finished, I showed it very sucessfully. Now that I have finally finished my latest car, I thought I might show it before it gets too many miles on it. I contacted the powers to be at a local big time car show and they exspect me to pay an entry fee. Now the $30.00 entry is not the problem and It would not be an issue if this were a free to the public or a charity fund raising car show, but why should I have to pay to display my valuable car so they can make money from it? We entered our cars for free back then and actually won a little money to help defray the cost of showing it. Today my car would not be compe***ive in a car show because it was built by me to be driven but I feel it would be a complement to any car show to have it on display. Should I just stay at home or am I completely out of touch?

 

That's pretty much the way it is now, everywhere.

 

Doesn't make since does it? Pay someone to use your vehicle to draw people so they make money. Guess it is to give away them nice plastic trophys. I don't mind it if it is going to charity, but some of the shows back home were to raise money for the club to have bashes with, so I p***ed. How bout posting some pics of your newly finished project.

 

I agree.
I have gone to the effort and EXPENSE to build the car and I have to PAY to put it in a show???
They make money by charging admission to spectators


If I am willing to allow the show promotors to use MY car so they can MAKE MONEY, I damn sure aint gonna pay them!

Same thing with charging admission to a swap meet.
Thats like charging admission to go shopping at Walmart.

I do not want any cheap plastic trophies either.

If I did, I'd go over the trophy store and get a nice one.

 

$30 seems high for a show...

I can't remember the last show I took my car to that they just let me roll in. OK... Ya the Friday night drive in and hang out at the auto parts store is free but haw many decent shows are free..????

 

I won't do it, it smacks me in the face, we do all the work of building, then we got to pay them to show it, and with out our car thet ain't a show. Some thing is wrong with that. We need to get our stuff together and stay away and the shows will dry up. When I lived in Sarasota, Fla. we had one of the largest shows in the state and you only paid if you was selling. OK with that, thats fair. But Me wash the car, fill the tank, drive to there show, wipe it down, chase the fender pounders away, and for this I have to pay, DON'T GET ME STARTED. Ice man

 

And how many of us have bought tee shirts or some other piece of clothing with a major car maker or other corporate giant's logo plastered on it. Shouldn't they pay US for wearing them? - y'know some kind of advertising commission? Go figure. I guess it's just the way it is anymore. Kinda back***wards ain't it?

 

Hit home really hard for me when I saw a few hundred folks in an auction tent bidding on a nostalgia dragster at a Goodguys event, and the "founder" Gary was bidding against everyone with the money he made off of everyone in that tent!

 

Our show's only $10, you get to look at half naked chicks.

 

Yep, crazy when you think about it! Before entering a car, find out what the promoters are doing with the cash. Shows like the Czars HCPU give alot back to charities. Remember too that it takes alot of money to put on a good show. Don't even get me started on how much work it is 'cuse it eats up alot my free time and I just help put on a small little charity event (455 cars)

 

So the great swindle continues?
I like living under a rock.

 

kind of fallin' in line with the promotors at your local drags, or circle track, chargin' the guys puttin' on the show a bunch of $ at the pit gate so that they can be the show for the spectators who also paid at the front gate

 

age old story.......its not cheap to put on a event,and your $$ helps defry the expense Ive done a couple of shows and shown for years,it aint cheap.You might check if its a ISCA show that might help you make $$ at the show-maybe not.however look at most events it cost to enter welcome to the 21st century.......

 

the hcpu isn't a show, it's more of a party. there's no trophies.

 

Best thing you can do, in my opinion, is skip the show and drive it lots. A lot more people will get to see it that way. I don't mind a good car show, but the thing that gets me is I never see those cars on the road where they should be.

 

Doesn't bother me when it's a big event like the GNRS or a Goodguys type show. Why? Because I feel I am getting some value for my money, a couple of days entertainment, things to see and do, and I know that the people that come to look at the cars also paid an admittance fee so they actually care enough about our hobby to have paid to get in.

It does bother me when it's a local show and they want to charge for my car to be there but then let every drunk booger eater with their grubby little kids who want to climb on the cars while the parent's say "What's your problem dude?" in for free.

It would be like telling Metallica (or insert your band of choice) they have to pay to play a concert and we're gonna let everyone in for free!

 

Thats why I prefer to go to cruise-ins rather than "shows", and in most cases, don't have to put up with ***holes!

 

At least there's some incentive

 

You don't want to pay then stay home....easy as that.

 

I ran a show for years in my town. There was no fee to enter a car AND we gave each owner a coupon for $10 worth of food/drink/beer as a "thank you" for coming. Oh, and we also had four awards of $50 each for different cl***es.

I gave the whole thing up after three years because of all the *****ing. Some *****ed 'cause there were no trophies. Some *****ed because the trees dropped stuff on their paint (although THEY wanted to park in the shade).
.....and, on and on.....

UGH!

 

I help promote a o/t truck show in S.C we turn around and put the money back in the show because the place we hosted it at charged us 5,000 to have the show there plus we have to pay for a certain amount of cops per entrant

. I wish we could do it for free we cant get anyone to donate us a parking lot big enough for 1,000 trucks

 

Yeah, I pretty much gave up on the actual shows and just stick to "cruise ins" now. There used to be one cruise night here on Long Island that was great, it was 10 bucks a carload to get in, but I went with three of my buddies, so for 2.50 it was a great night! Naturally, the town started complaining about "traffic and safety issues" and closed in down. I used to justify paying the entry fees because I got a nice plaque or something, but after a while, how much of that **** can you have laying around? Now my garage walls are devoid of plaques and plastered with Varga girls and old cigarette ads!

 

So then don't go to the show.

Try putting on your own show....not some weekend cruise night.....a real car show. Rent a space, or pay for permits from the city. Want t-shirts? I bet someone will donate the art for free and the printing, then you can just sell the shirts for $5 to make your money back.....even though you'll probably only sell half and be stuck with the rest you can't get rid of but have paid for. You want a band or some entertainment? Yeah, thats probably going to be free too. Did the show have trophies? Someone probably donated those too.... Is it going to be out doors? Better have some place for everyone to take a ****, but you got port-o-johns for free too. Planning on having a bunch of people show up? I hope you know every single one there, just in case something happens and they get hurt so you don't have to buy insurance to cover your ***.

Point is, it costs money to put on a car show. The general public isn't going to pay to come see a traditional car show that they don't really care about. It would be great if we could all afford to put on free car shows out of our pockets.....but mine aren't that deep.

I don't know any shows that pocket the profits, if there are any. Most clubs take a loss, especially in the first few years of the show. If not, they put the funds back into next years to make it better.

 

I don't go to the big shows, I attend local events like our first Billetproof last year. I payed at the door, and so did the entrants. The fairgrounds cost some money, I'm sure, as did insurance for the event and other things. If there was money left after all that, then I hope that it was enough for them to bring it back this coming year.

Every little town around me has car shows all summer, and I attend each one for free. Maybe they don't attract the big fancy names and gold chain cars, but I enjoy them because they attract people that I see pretty much everyday. I'm not going to rip on the big events, they're for people with a different interest than myself, just as the people that attend home and garden shows are not like me either.

I guess what I'm saying is this: if it's not FUN, then don't do it, and remember, those local car shows, the ones held in parking lots and closed street areas? Free to the public. You will also have the opportunity to infect someone with our rust bug that might not go to the paying show...food for thought.

 

When a show is put on for the participants, NSRA, GG etc.,no problem. When the show is a charity fund raiser, no problem. When a show is a freebe to all in an effort to draw traffic to a business or city event, no problem. When it is an honor to even be accepted into an event (GNRS, Fresno Autorama, Detroit,) no problem. When there are bought in headliner cars to a for profit car show, I'm bowing up.

 

As stated, it is a crazy thing to do-pay to show your ride and people pay to look at it, etc. But, whoever is putting on show usually has a lot of overhead expenses, as stated before. Even most "rat rod" shows are not free to show/look. The way the world is. If you think it can all be done for free then do it. Don't just *****, but set up a freebie show for everyone and spread the word.

 

We refused to pay at a show last summer, and parked outside the cones and ribbons. The lady in charge of the show was furious. We told her to call the cops, have them arrest us for tresp***ing in a public parking lot. An hour later, there was a dozen cars parked with us. Let the Egos pay, I'll sit back and smile.<p>I still Drive the only old car in town....Monday thru Friday....my '41 Dodge Shop Truck...rain or shine !

 

i could really never figure this out. we spend thousands building the car, and they want to charge us to let people see it? went to a show in n.y. , had three other people in the car, they wanted 10 bucks a person more for each of 'em, i asked what the spectator admission was and he said it was free, i backed up 10 feet to the street and told all 3 to get out! they walked in for nuthin' and the look on the dudes face was priceless! he was pissed! **** 'em!

 

the left half or right half?

 

Traditional thought for today: There is no free lunch.