Zane

First you will need that huge blower sticking out of your hood with that cluch operated blower wheel. :D Then the 12gage shotgun and a nasty dog. Then you will be set to live the legend. :lol:

paso

You sucked me in Paul I couldn't believe this was you posting Until I got to the except :lol: :lol: :lol:

rod73vette

"...Tires spitting gravel, I commit my weekly crime!"

Hahahaha! Neil Peart of Rush was predicting the "hobby car future".

Rod Hisle
Louisville, KY
:flag

rod73vette

Everyone has good points. I do think that eventually we might be taxed to operate "gas burning" cars in an attempt to force us to junk them (10-20 yrs from now?, sooner?)

I think, as well as most people I know, that these state "emissions test" are a crock. I see cars with their little sticker and VISIBLE SMOKE eminating from their exhaust. What a joke!

I think that most hobbyist cars are better tuned than a lot of people's 5-6 yr old cars. In fact I always passed my state's legal requirement with ease!

The beginning of the end would probably be heralded by taxing "gas hog" cars, requiring all cars have a CAT convertor, and perhaps a closed fuel system (aka fuel injection).

Rod Hisle
Louisville, KY
:flag

SBR

I do not think it will happen.

fontking1a

I'm still young and naive enough to believe that all politicians aren't the same. The truth is, if we keep electing liberal Democrats, our rights and freedoms will be gone sooner .....rather than later. We just can't have it both ways and who you vote for really does matter. Here is California, with people (and I use that term loosely) like Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and Gray Davis holding high office, our future looks dimmer than ever. Cars, guns and just about any topic you name is on their hit list. We've even got one complete lunatic by the name of Don (Pistol Packin') Perada who wants to tax EVERY BULLET SOLD.....5 cents. Not a box of bullets, but each bullet. The answer is simple, but I'm not sure the eventual outcome won't be the same...no matter what. But, at least in the short haul....vote out Democrats and keep electing conservatives. They stand for (at least on paper) your individual rights...and owning a classic Corvette is exactly what I'm talking about. Make no mistake, even Conservatives want "clean air, clean water etc. etc" but they have different ideas on how to achieve these goals. Liberals want to take stuff from you while Consevatives want to find a solution to the problem that doesn't strip you of your freedoms. An example of a stupid liberal is that whacko ....Rosie O'Donnell. She wants all guns confiscated from the people, yet she has armed body guards for herself and her kids. In essence, she doesn't want you to be able to defend yourself, but she certain believes she has the right to defend herself. That's so typical of libs...yet so many of us just don't get it. You younger guys need to get active if you want to keep driving your pride and joy Corvette. If you just sit around, remain complacent and keep voting in Democrats....well....let's just say....when you're my age....you won't be happy campers.

Bob Turner

Right on! When Mt. Pinatubo (the volcano) erupted in the Philipines in 1991, it put out more pollution than all the cars on the earth running for 150 years. So, the whining environmentalists have NO credibility here.

Bob :cheers:


[Modified by Bob Turner, 9:56 PM 4/6/2002]

Jay M

I find that here on the left coast the law is on our side. I have historic plates on my '68 BB. With those I save about $200 in taxes per year. The purpose is to ensure that American automobile history will be preserved. http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc5050.htm
It would be crime to not let people drive classic cars in place where it only rains 5 or 6 days per year.

I think the goal of liberal politicians is to keep the junk off the roads. EXCEPT for the VW buses that their voters drive ;)


[Modified by Jay M, 10:48 PM 4/6/2002]

Robert Holtman

Living here in California all of my life, I know it's not perfect. But I get a little tired of PEOPLE WHO HAVE PROBABLY NEVER BEEN HERE whining about our politics influencing all of yours adversely. California's TERRIBLE new Senaters and Congressmen, recently passed new smog laws here. That make '73 and older cars exept from smog checks. In 2004 it becomes a rolling 30 year exeption. I personally don't think '83 Toyota's should have to pass smog checks. We should all follow Boy Bush's lead. While he was Governer of Texas, the brain surgeon came up with the idea of getting rid of Houston's oil refinery smog laws because you can always rely on big companies to cut their foul emmitions VOLINTARILY! That's why Houston now has the top spot. The most polluted city in America. I love my car. I'm kind of fond of breathing too though. :cheers:

Dalannex

You don't really think that Houston went from having clean air to having the dirtiest air over the course of one governor, or one piece of legislation do you? :rolleyes:

MassVette

In my state (Mass.), they are trying to pass a law banning ALL non-stock exhaust systems! This is just a back-door way to get rid of all older hi-perf cars.
I've noticed a large upswing in the appearance of the old 'Muscle cars' around here, too. The cruise-ins are becoming very crowded with perfectly restored '60's and '70's SS396 & 454 Chevelles, Nova's, Camaro's, GTO's, 442's, six-pack 'Cuda's, Challengers, hemi Belvederes, and other exotica.
Another factor to consider, and probably the prime one, is money. The SEMA companies, and the related 'restoration' industries, have enjoyed astronomical growth, while auto manufacturers have seen their market remain flat. They are seeing all the disposable income of the 'Baby Boomer' males going for these old cars. How long do you think it will take the Big Three and the UAW to apply pressure on Washington to get rid of the competition?
These old 'Vettes and 'Muscle cars' seem to be coming from out of the woodwork! This will not go unnoticed by the politicians. And also, everybody knows that it's against any good 'liberal' politician's beliefs for people to have fun, so it may be just a matter of time before this phenomenon will become a victim of it's own success. I HOPE not! my 2c.
:yesnod: :chevy :chevy :yesnod:

fontking1a

Robert,

As a fellow Corvette enthusiast, I suggest you seek alternative news sources and then make up your mind about "who's doing who" a favor. I've lived in this "whacko" state of California my entire 55 years and have seen it go from a paradise on Earth, to a land where everything is upside down. Without mentioning everything that's wrong with this state, I certainly hope you were joking when you defended our politicians. They are not, I repeat ...they are not seeking to make your life better....they are seeking to make their lives better. Passing smog laws will never, ever, EVER affect the air we breathe. Los Angeles...the area that you live in....was knows as "The Valley of the Smokes".....by the Indians (oops....native Americans) who lived there 200 years ago (before cars and even Corvettes existed). Every time your beloved politicians pass a law it means either (a) more money out of your pocket or (b) one more freedom you willingly give up. If you doubt this, do a little research on MTBE, the oxygenated additive in our gasoline. The story on this stuff and what it has done to our states water supply should scare you straight. Make no mistake my friend, they want us...all of us....out of our cars and into their stupid mass transit. Everybody that is...except themselves. I won't even go into the "illegal immigration" issue (oops...there I go again.....UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS....MY OH MY that sounds so much more compassionate) except to say that again, your beloved politicians aren't doing you any favors and anybody who understands the subject of economics knows exactly where that policy is leading. By law, they (your beloveds) are supposed to protect the borders and keep the people of this country safe from those who would do us harm. Had they...your beloveds...done their job properly.....we would have had no 9/11 trajedy. The funny thing is....protecting the borders is only one of the few responsibilities of the federal government. Do you have any ideas what the others are? The outrage, and you will be outraged if you seek and find the answers, is that if they would do what they are supposed to do, all of us would be the better for it and topics like banning someone's car wouldn't even be a topic for discussion.

SteveG75

George W. Bush in 2004
Jeb Bush in 2008

It's either that or Hillary. :U

Pete79L82

That is the great thing about the Bush family. They do every thing in a big way. Especially when they are on the receiving end of the money.
Remember Neil, Jeb and George senior with the Lincoln Savings and Loan. The largest taxpayer paid bailout in history with the money going to a selected few.
Now George Dubba with Enron. The largest enery bailout paid for by investors in history with the money going to a selected few.

The Bush family and the raping of America.

Dalannex

Would you care to tell us exactly what the Bush's had to do with Enron? Probably not, because you won't find anyting. The Bush white house was asked by Enron for a bailout. They didn't get one. Doesn't sound like much involvement to me. The only money that exchanged hands was campaign donations, and I haven't heard anybody making mention of how much the Clintons got, or how much SD communist Tom Daschle got, or Al Gore for his campaign. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to listen to more than one source for information.

Tom73

Thought this topic was about collector cars. But....who is this George senior you refer to? Are you talking about the two Bush's that made it to President? If so you had better check you history. They are father and son but not senior and junior. George Herbert Walker Bush and George Walker Bush. Seniorand Junior's have the same name. It help to get your facts stright befor popping off. As for Enron, check out Clinton. His involvement was 100 times more then the Bush administaration.

No back to collector cars. I personaly feel that there will always be "collector cars". May not be much future for "old" cars that are not collector. But for history, there will be collector cars.

tom...

gerry c

There will always be collector cars. The cost of owning them will go up though. That cost will go up because the parts to keep them running will go up as the parts become less and less common. Our vettes share many parts with the common Chevies of thier time. That keeps many parts prices low because of volume. As smog laws get tougher the more common Chevies are going to be scrapped and removed from the replacement parts buying counters. Scrappage programs will help raise our costs the same way.

What you may not see in a few years are Vettes like many of you own with 383's headers, cams and intakes. Those cars are not really collector cars anway, they are hot rods. The only way you will see hot vettes are by way of motor/computer transplant from newer cars or by way age exemptions. I think age exemptions are the way to go but feel 25 or 30 years is too long. I think 20 years is long enough to get most of the old "beaters" that create smog due to lack of maintiance off the road. In Kalifornia, you will not find any cheap cars like you used to. When I was younger (I hate to ay THAT!) you could find $25-$50 dollars cars. They were not much but the ran. I owned a few my self. I would buy one and use it for a week to a month while whatever other car I had was down for modifications or when I sold onw car and had yet to find/buy another good car. Now about the cheapest cars you will find out here in the peoples republic are close to $1000. I feel the reasons for this are scrappage laws and smog laws. When the state was paying $750 for any registered car, people did not want to bother with selling when the sellers have to pay to make a car pass smog.

The air in Los Angeles is much cleaner then is was when I grew up there. While the USA uses 75% of the worlds energy, we do not produce anywhere near that amount of air pollution. When they talk of the USA making 80% of the pollution, they are including things like disposable diapers and such.

killain

Well this thread is about collector cars, however i mean, and I'll say it once more that the current mindset in politics is to get rid of all cars over fifteen years old. That would be fine if they were selective about what gets junked and smashed into little square blocks of metal, but that is not reality. in the real world all cars fifteen years or older are lumped together and smashed is smashed. If you doubt this I suggest you stop by a wrecking years and see for yourself. Junk yards arn't saving old 70 and 80 chevy's incase someone needs a part. They are junked along with whatever else is getting 'blocked' that week. After all the rebuildable parts are gone, along with a million little parts as well, you and I will be charged prices that will continue to go skyward till the cost of repairing these old cars is beyong sight. at that point the other side will have effectively won. Cause if we ca't fix them, we can't drive them. Very simple. I only mention this as I'm fifty and in just the last ten years I have seen the field of rebuildable parts almost dry up. Again if you doubt me, go price a part for a seventy five Vette and see what it costs, if you can locate it. The situation will more than likely be Ok for the rest of my life but I doubt it will last much beyond that.

And lastly, while I'm not the biggest Bush Family backer, The Bushes had nothing to do with Enron. They did have a lot of dealings in energy but that is just a way they have earned a living. I work in medician, doesn't mean I had anything to do with the hospital crisis. Sh&^ happens !

Robert Holtman

fontking1 or whatever your name is, you're right. I live very close to LA. I just jump on I% South and about 600 miles and I'm there.

Pete79L82, better watch it! They don't take kindly to folks that don't warship at the Brain Dead, Criminal, ex doper, retarded, in the oil companies pocket's (oh I could go on and on) Boy Bush. I guess they are just too damn honest to release Cheny's notes on those ENRON meetings.
I think most politicans are currupt. But to say Bush is so wonder full is funny.

fontking1a

<<fontking1 or whatever your name is, you're right. I live very close to LA. I just jump on I% South and about 600 miles and I'm there.>>

It takes me hours to get to I%.....but once I'm there I can go to #@&^$ in a matter of minutes.

I thought you were in Valencia, not Corning. Corning must be somewhere near Sacramento.....? Either way....IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER. The Dems want your car off the road...that's all you need to know. The way they go about it is to make it difficult...or impossible to register your car. They can do that with SMOG LAWS and have done so already. Fortunately, Quentin Kopp saved our collective asses a few years ago, but hear me brother....people like Feinstein, Boxer, Davis, Willie Brown.....etc.......are relentless. I'm not your enemy....I'm just telling you the truth. You will untimately decide which way it goes and that's the beauty of our system. You will have choices to make and if you are informed and still want those SMOG LAWS....then so be it. Big government is not your friend and even though you may think it is.....there will come a day when you realize how silly that idea is and how silly it is for anybody to believe that government has your best interest at heart. Instead of assuming I'm nuts, do some research on MTBE, Smog II, automobile confiscation and oxygenated fuel. In fact, just do a search on MTBE and spend about 20 minutes reading about this stuft....then if you still think the SMOG LAWS are about clean air....get back to me.