how many guys still have several local car buddies

[SHO-Z]

I have not seen more than 1 older Z a year in my part of the Phoenix area, far west valley. All if the older Z people seem to be in the other side of the Valley so I am really on my own. In fact there aren't any car guys in my neighborhood that I know of. I guess it is just too hot in AZ.

 

Heck my Z has not been on the road in over a year anyway, maybe that is why I do not see any.

[Zinpieces]

I am in North Jersey. I have a core group of everyday friends who are car guys, even a couple of car gals. We are all in our fifties or early sixties. Some work in the trade most not. One thing that binds us all together is we are builders, not buyers. Between us we have all the tools, toys, and skills to cover each other's needs. And yes, I know how lucky I am.

[aplyedmind]

I got a couple buddies I meet from here and other forums , even a few craiglist car guys and me hang out now, and help each other with our cars. Didn't know the craigslist guy at 1st I just went to buy some rims from him, He bought some turbo parts from me , He has a 510 l28 4brl carb'd .I'm in CA if anyones ever down to help me or wants my help by the way

[Tony D]

I guess one, maybe three at most from my 20's survive. This past April I went 600+ miles round trip and spent 3 days rescuing one of them when their internet purchase broke down in the middle of the night (that hasn't changed since he was 20something---not listening to someones advice and run run running to get something done instead of THINKING about it and starting out a bit later, but in better shape...)

 

Thing is he lives in DE, I'm in CA. Another is in PHX, and probably the closest is 70 miles away.

 

And that is it. Guys who would, if I called, would help.

 

Most of the rest are leeches on legs wearing lipstick or sunshades looking for a lot with nothing in return but my blood and time...

[260DET]

Yeh I think some people justify using someone to fix their car for free by saying 'Oh he likes doing that sort of stuff'. Like they were doing the favour

[z2go]

I had a couple of mechanically inclined buddies that would come over and work until all hours of the night on the Z with me when I was starting the tear down last year, but since we are in the military, inevitably they have both been reassigned elsewhere. I do still have one buddy who will come over whenever I'm doing anything on the Z, even things that are complete nightmares, like scraping undercoating or an equally crappy job. He is married but doesn't own a house or have any other projects, so he enjoys having a hobby-by-proxy. He's the kind of guy that would come over all day to help you scrub oily crap off of suspension parts, and not expect anything in return. Of course, I would do the same for him. That kind of person is few and far between, it seems.

[Michael]

This is a profound topic which merits detailed discussion.

 

The great trouble in our automotive hobby (and really any hobby that requires skills, parts and talent) is the lack of steady, reliable interaction with fellow-hobbyists. In the small towns this is difficult because there isn’t a critical mass of enthusiasts, especially those who would tolerate our oddball cars. In the bigger cities the problem is the increasingly non-mechanical nature of most residence, and a pace of life that precludes the “traditional†pastimes such as backyard auto mechanics.

 

It also seems that there’s an “age bucketâ€. There are many fellows on this site in their teens and early 20’s, and also many heading towards retirement. But what about in between? It seems that a guy would become interested in cars in his early teens, haggle with dad to get that first car, drive/enjoy it through high school and maybe pursue the hobby through college, despite dearth of funds and time. As college winds down, one gets to thinking that upon joining the “real worldâ€, with a real paycheck, there will a garage, good tools, and time in the evenings and weekends. Except instead “life happensâ€, and by 25 so may of us drop out from the car scene. Then guys reappear again in their 50’s. This seems to be true not only for cars, but for R/C model airplanes, competitive chess, you name it – any craft/hobby/sport that requires skills and commitment. Whether it is raising a family or further one’s career or some other avocation, it seem to me that in prior generations, there was more continuity from teen years to retirement years; there wasn’t such a bucket between 25 and 55. And it’s because of that bucket, I think, that we find ourselves isolated and frustrated by a lack of like-minded comrades.

 

What definitely needs to happen is a finding of common ground among all vehicular hobbyists… whether you like Harley’s, Datsuns, boats, muscle cars, “riceâ€, mud trucks, Lotus 7’s – no matter, they all operate under basically identical mechanical principals, all are held together with bolts, and all require wrenches. It’s a shame that the car magazines and other automotive venues tend towards brand parochialism (evidently this increases advertising revenue?). As mechanical skill in the general populated deteriorates, our best strategy for maintaining the collective memory of how to turn wrenches is to broaden our interests.

[m4xwellmurd3r]

I have one good car buddy that i've known for years before either of us got deep into working on cars outside of general fixups. He's been a real good friend too. He saw how balding my old balloon tires were, and let me burn out his tires, got me new tires on my rims, and said I could pay him back for it (I still owe him 100 for them >_>) I saved him from selling his V8 280z by giving it the tune up it needed to wake it up and in the process, destroyed his diff (it now makes loud popping noises when hit hits something like 75-80mph) and now he's mostly willing to help me pull the trans out of my Z to replace the flywheel and clutch. Problem is his roommates 300zx is in teh garage getting fixed, and this week he's got a guy coming over to replace the turbo and other bits in his engine. It's a good 50minute drive but its' worth it over handing the parts over to some guy at the shop and forking over 300 bucks instead of just paying back my friend the money I already owe him (and probably a case or two of beer lol)

 

Seriously though, i remember years ago hanging out with my dad and his friends just tearing apart and old vw fast back to prep it into a drag car, eating bbq and watching car video's while tinkering/tearing apart whatever. What happened to those days?

[Robrob]

I've had numerous car buddies over the years. Many of them moved on to less expensive hobbies or gave up cars altogether. I still have one friend that I call with questions and vice versa, but due to getting older, married and kids, we no longer have a whole lot of time to hang out and just wrench. His free time is spent being a dad to a 2 year old, and if have any time to myself I go mountain biking with my bike friends instead of working on the Z.

 

The Z, for now, has taken a back seat to work, married life and bikes. If and when I do get the motivation to finish it I'll call up my friend and ask him if he wants some free beer and invite him over. For now, my friend's and my Zs are sitting under tarps in our respective backyards waiting for us to adjust our priorities.

Edited October 12, 2010 by Robrob

[jakeoster]

I have a few buddies that dont know anything about anything and would never even consider a Z because they are too old. Does that count lol? All they ever seem to talk about is when Im gonna have my RB swapped again so I can show up _______ friend of theirs who has a G35 and thinks they are the cats meow.

Edited October 12, 2010 by jakeoster

[EvilC]

Dave lies! I see him and his family for free! =) I would have to say my car buddies are Dave, Joe and an another z32 buddy who isn't on this site. Mainly I spent a lot of time @ Joes working on my car or just hanging out. In one sense all of my car friends are older than I am so I usually have more time on my hand then they do. I just moved back to NYC so I am a little further now but we are all friends and stay in touch weekly..cars or not.

[garvice]

I have a good number of car friends. In fact one mate had my Z stored at his shed for a good 4 months while I was building my shed. His shed became the workshop for my engine swap while I got my shed together. I am also going over another mates place on friday night to help him wire up his ford. I think once I get my shed/hoist powered up I will miraculously have a lot more friends coming to see me then I did before. HA.

 

I got to say though, it is hard to find the time when marriage and especially kids come along though. Some of my mates are considerably under the thumb and trying to catch up with those guys for car speak is very difficult.

Edited October 13, 2010 by garvice

[cygnusx1]

Dave lies! I see him and his family for free! =) I would have to say my car buddies are Dave, Joe and an another z32 buddy who isn't on this site. Mainly I spent a lot of time @ Joes working on my car or just hanging out. In one sense all of my car friends are older than I am so I usually have more time on my hand then they do. I just moved back to NYC so I am a little further now but we are all friends and stay in touch weekly..cars or not.

LOL.  Well then how come I am out a P90A head, a hydraulic to solid lifter conversion kit, a Z32 trans converted for S30, oh yeah, and an FG hood?   J/K I know I can count on you guys if I need some spare parts removed from my garage, and I am guilty of raiding Joe's and Clive's stash as well.          

Edited October 14, 2010 by cygnusx1