I just mailed a renewal for 2 years 6 months early. Check enclosed.
I just mailed a renewal for 2 years 6 months early. Check enclosed.
I am having difficulty with setting up on Patreon but I'll work on it later tonight.
edit: Nevermind, I just signed up with a different e-mail address.
I remember in the late 80s when all the brick and mortar specialty parts suppliers started drying up. I could go into any parts store in the country in 1985 and they had parts on hand for an Opel or Datsun or stuff with flatheads and fins. Then those things had to be special ordered. By 1994 I had to order a batch of 50 key blanks or valve cover gaskets to get even one.
Then the internet and Ebay happened and even though they weren't making stuff what was out there still was suddenly available, and it suddenly got easier to own weird cars.
Then as the internet matured, cross referencing and upgrading and restomoding became things because we figured out that we could do things because we had evidence that someone else had already done it.
Then, with access to niche markets, hyper specialty stores starting popping up, catering to small batch of enthusiasts on a global scale. Group buys and such turned into full time jobs for marquee providers, and things got almost as good as they once were, albeit perhaps more expensive due to less competition. Some of the big names in mail order didn't adapt to the internet and got left behind, like PAW.
Then 2008 hit, and the fragile industries that were relying on the disposable income from car enthusiasts took a hit, because the income wasn't there. The barely hanging on small providers failed.
Now this hits, at a time when the whole industry was already struggling with a generation that doesn't really want to drive hitting their prime. I suspect that we're going to see lots of smaller players disappear. Then we're going to see the fringe cars, 4-doors, off-years, lesser suported makes, start flooding the market, especially in project cars needing that one piece of glass, chrome, or whatever that just isn't available. Value will plummet, dragging the next most vulnerable down too, and we're going to see auction values dropping for anything not perfect.
I think the day of using a car as an investment are over, and I don't think we'll ever see the kind of variety we once did again, on the street, at dhows, or on the track.
AngryCorvair (Moar Legendarier than Patrick Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Patrick ($2000 Challenge Legend) :
oh yeah? well check out *my* title!
What? I can't hear you over the sound of the crickets in your garage
I think there was mention of somewhere to put one's username or GRM email in the Patreon process, but I missed it...
Sometimes it feels like I spend too much time here, but there's no denying this forum and the magazines (and the folks behind them!) are big deals to me!
Patrick (Angry is a Wanker) said:AngryCorvair (Moar Legendarier than Patrick Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Patrick ($2000 Challenge Legend) :
oh yeah? well check out *my* title!
What? I can't hear you over the sound of the crickets in your garage
Would you say they are noisy crickets?
Ransom said:I think there was mention of somewhere to put one's username or GRM email in the Patreon process, but I missed it...
I didn't see where so I just shot them a direct message.
Thanks Tom for all you guys do. I just picked up a short sleeve from Classic and a long sleeve from Grassroots.
Bought a shirt and some merch. Signed up for Patreon.
Don't know what I would do with out this place. We have been gifted such a great place to play and must be sure it survives.
Just got my first GRM shirt (I know, I know), a set of those sweet diecut GRM stickers, and became a forum supporter. I'm glad y'all started that option. I'm on here all the time so it's nice to give back.
The only problem is that I don't know where to put the stickers. There isn't a lot of glass on a Miata, so maybe my truck will masquerade as a race car...
Just renewed my subscription for 2 years. You guys better stay in business or my wife will divorce me for wasting the $35.99. On second thought that may be worth it.
In reply to thatsnowinnebago :
Cars come and go, but your toolbox is forever.
I just re subscribed a few months ago but I could use some new t shirts and I didn’t know we could get back issues from the store! Now I’m about to spend some $$ there to fill in the gaps of my collection of GRM Challenge and UTCC issues. I keep those ones after reading but I think a bunch got lost when we moved.
Javelin said:In reply to thatsnowinnebago :
Cars come and go, but your toolbox is forever.
Toolboxes, cabinets, air tanks, laptops, garage windows. The possibilities are endless!
I would classify myself as more of a 'heavy lurker' than active participant, but I suspect that there are quite a few of us out there. This site is a great source of entertainment for me, and I love living vicariously though the different projects. As such, I'm happy to show both encouragement and financial support.
I have yet to find another forum that spans such a broad cross section of the automotive space. But what's truly remarkable is the respect that permeates this site. Something about hiding behind a keyboard brings out the worst in people, yet this forum is one of the most friendly places on the internet. I feel like GRM has captured lighting in a bottle. To loose that would be a tragedy.
Cheers!
JG Pasterjak said:You guys are unbelievably amazing. I feel like I should be hand-printing tote bags for everyone.
jg
only if you WASH YOUR HANDS! :)
I've been meaning to finally subscribe to Classic Motorsports but I'll get online and subscribe to both publications.........I've been abusing this forum as a non subscriber long enough.
Long time lurker. Signed up for Patreon and bought a shirt. This is easily the best forum of which I have been a member. You guys are civil and always offer good advice (even when the truth is hard). Paying monthly for forum support is an easy way to keep this great community going.
I tacked on another year to my subscription (I'm now good to 2023) and said to keep the shirt to save you guys the cost. I wish I could do more, but I'm not in a position right now where that's possible.
Please stay safe, everyone.
Bought a couple t-shirts and a couple stickers (since I don't have many of those) and even chose to pay for shipping.
I also need to throw my name in the hat for UTCC since the date has changed to something more suitable for my schedule.
Just signed up to be a Patreon supporter -- with my limited funds, I just wanted to contribute straight to your bottom line. Anything else is good in normal times, but I wanted to avoid adding to your future cost of operations.
IMHO, GRM has done more to integrate and elevate the amateur motorsports industry than any other entity on earth. GRM is the glue the binds racers with sanctioning bodies, tracks, OEMs, and the aftermarket.
GRM: Please relax advertising prices, which I know are key to your business model. I know that your advertisers' marketing $ will be cut quickly to preserve their payrolls, yet this action sacrifices their future revenues to keep them afloat for now (like coasting with the clutch in to save gas). As a mediocre racer and mechanic of questionable ability, I believe we all need those businesses to stay afloat. We benefit from their organization, innovation and scale of operation, which reduces our costs and enhances our experience. As one example: a Wilwood aluminum front hub for a Miata is cheap in "low volume production", yet exorbitant (and possibly unsafe) if the R&D costs can't be shared with other racers. I was at Thunder Hill a couple of years ago when their shop Miata lost a hub, from which they learned it was a common source of failure and pain, and vowed to fix this for others. Since then, Miata maniacs more safely and consistently enjoyed our hobby than we could have if we tried to individually solved such common platform problems with custom solutions.
GRM: If you need more dough, please let the community know! Stay safe, sane and well!
- Capt'n, Yellow Submarine CRX Racing
My subscription lapsed last month, this thread was just the motivation I needed to fix that problem. Also looking forward to wearing a sweet GRM hoodie! Thank you for this awesome community you have created!
Greg Smith said:JG Pasterjak said:You guys are unbelievably amazing. I feel like I should be hand-printing tote bags for everyone.
jg
only if you WASH YOUR HANDS! :)
/Died
In reply to thatsnowinnebago :
Put the stickers on a sheet magnet, trim and cut out holes, and it can live on almost forever.
In reply to bobtms :
I wish I could say that slashing prices would solve things, but it's not a conversation about price. Budgets aren't being lowered, delayed, or anything else: They're being removed. Simply put, companies don't want orders while their employees are at home.
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