There has been a lot of talk about attracting "younger Healey enthusiasts".
As a "younger Healey enthusiast" - I am 31 and my wife is 27 - I have to agree
that the primary factor preventing many younger people from joining the hobby
is the cost. Many of us are paying off student loans, starting families,
trying to buy a house, etc. Many of us are just happy to have a job. The
luxury of purchasing a second car, let alone a collector car, is just going to
be out of reach at today's prices. Not to mention the cost of restoring it
and/or keeping it running. There's not much that can be done about that.
To
continue to promote the hobby, my advice would be to keep all of these great
cars on the road, and don't under estimate the impact of that "thumbs up" or
"nice car" you get when you're out on the road. Eventually, more of us will
be older, have more money, have more time on our hands, and will be looking
for something to do. If these cars are still around, we'll buy them - they
have a timeless appeal.
Just a quick note about how my wife and I got
started. About 5 years ago, my then girlfriend (now wife) and I saw a old
english white 3000 in the parking lot of the Equinox hotel in Manchester, VT.
I remember walking over and admiring the car for about 15 minutes, hoping the
owner would just happen to come out and offer us a ride. The owner never came
out, but I was hooked. Fast forward to this past summer, my wife and I got
married, and decided that we wanted to buy each other a unique gift that we
could enjoy until we're old and gray. We decided to "buy each other" an old
english white BJ8, just like one we had seen before. We were able to get a
good loan, and agreed to put off getting a new primary car for a couple of
years, but has been worth it so far. I'm a novice and am probably in way over
my head - but I enjoy a challenge - as I am sure this will be.
All this is to
say, if I hadn't seen that car in that parking lot five years ago, chances are
I wouldn't have become involved in the hobby. Keep the cars on the road, keep
them at the shows, (for those of you in CA, get them in the movies and music
videos!) and the hobby will continue. Of course, lists like this are also
great to keep the hobby alive. Long after we're all gone, the years of
knowledge, experience and advice reflected in these pages will continue.
Best,
Dana
'65 BJ8
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