car show rant
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 29
From: northeast Ga
car show rant
Maybe its me,but I just got a flyer from the suppernats,It looks like a great show and I am thinking about going.My problem is paying to put my truck in the show.After 1000s of $ and 100s of hours to get my truck done it rubs me the wrong way to be expected to pay to park my truck in the show.If it was not for the owners there would be no show,and the fact that you are charged $25 to enter compared to $10 to spectate just burns me.My truck will be a driver and I dont excpect to win any prizes.so why do I pay? If I park in the parking lot ,I can pay $10 and see all and go all,so is the extra $15 just to stroke my ego ? Maybe I am looking at this wrong. Whats your thoughts on this?
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 258
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From: Hurricane, West Virginia
My guess is the only reason they do this, is because they know you don't want to park your prize possession along side a minivan or Suburban ,where it may get scratched or dinged. Not saying everyone is disrespectful , but I have seen it at some bike shows I have been to. And I like you, rode my old shovelhead to the show, then had to clean it when I got there. (shovelheads tend to leak a little.) But I knew better than to just park it in the lot .Just my .02
Posting Guru
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,002
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From: Midland, Texas
A bum deal indeed. Makes me think of the folks who buy a shirt advertising the shirt makers shirt. ?? What? I remember buying a Moon Equipped Tee shirt in high school. It was one expensive tee shirt in those days. No one knew why I would wear such a thing (I wanted to identify myself with the hotrod crowd.) Girls thought I was a dork and after washing the thing twice, Mom told me it was too thin to even wear anymore.
Scarred by this lapse in my coolness program, I have resisted the impulse to buy anything that overtly advertises itself. If they GIVE you a car craft hat with a subscription... well, that's a gimme cap. Gimme hats are just that. You just say gimme and they GIVE you the cheap hat with their logo on it. OK. I've debadged my truck and the other cars and trucks I've had. I guess the Mooneyes shirt ruined me and brand loyalty.
My children and grandchildren do enough to support hip designers like Hugo and Ralph and Yves. How did we ever get to the point where WE have to pay to show our rides to folks who have to pay to see them? No wonder we have the greatest economy in the world. We'll buy anything.
cheaply, himmelberg
Scarred by this lapse in my coolness program, I have resisted the impulse to buy anything that overtly advertises itself. If they GIVE you a car craft hat with a subscription... well, that's a gimme cap. Gimme hats are just that. You just say gimme and they GIVE you the cheap hat with their logo on it. OK. I've debadged my truck and the other cars and trucks I've had. I guess the Mooneyes shirt ruined me and brand loyalty.
My children and grandchildren do enough to support hip designers like Hugo and Ralph and Yves. How did we ever get to the point where WE have to pay to show our rides to folks who have to pay to see them? No wonder we have the greatest economy in the world. We'll buy anything.
cheaply, himmelberg
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,190
Likes: 2
From: Riverside, So Cal
$25 to enter the most prestigious F100 show in the world seems high? You probably paid that for shipping on some of the parts you bought. Sheesh! Get a real problem.
Man, your truck is ready and you're going to the Supernats! Dig it!
Man, your truck is ready and you're going to the Supernats! Dig it!
Moderator
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 97,442
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From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
I don`t like entry fees if they`re too big, most of our area cars shows are free to enter with afew free give aways like dash plaques, drinks, etc. I like that. 
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Elder User
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 532
Likes: 1
From: Athens, GA, USA
Well, the prize money has to come from somewhere. The security. The venue. The people working the show. Entertainment. The liability insurance for the thousands of people. The list goes on and on and on. Putting on a show like that is extremely expensive.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 29
From: northeast Ga
cost
I understand thats there is a large cost involved in putting on any show,and my complaint is not with just this show.I have gone to a local fire department show where you had to pay to put your ride in it but the sprectators get in free. And if you want to pay for the cost ,why not make the spectators pay more than the pepole that are bringing the cars to show.Also nobody puts on a large show without making $,Do you realy think the good guys go all over the country putting on shows if they are not making big $/
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 532
Likes: 1
From: Athens, GA, USA
Originally Posted by DR Smith
I understand thats there is a large cost involved in putting on any show,and my complaint is not with just this show.I have gone to a local fire department show where you had to pay to put your ride in it but the sprectators get in free. And if you want to pay for the cost ,why not make the spectators pay more than the pepole that are bringing the cars to show.Also nobody puts on a large show without making $,Do you realy think the good guys go all over the country putting on shows if they are not making big $/
I feel your pain, brother, but that's the sad reality of the Barrett-Jackson, sub-prime mortgage, over extended credit world we live in.
Really, just my two cents, for what it's worth.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Northwestern PA
When I paid the $25 entry 2 yrs ago that covered gate fee for all three days for me and my wife plus I didn't have to pay to park, grant it I was driving my '01 f150, not really showing it but I just drove up to the gate they waved me in, it was all good and thought I got a pretty good deal.
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Adams,CO.
All the above makes good sense. I believe we all hold the option of voting with our feet. I pick and choose the shows that I put my truck in. I WILL pay any price when it all goes to a good cause or charity. I will NOT do car shows that have roped off rides. I will NOT do car shows in hot parking lots with no shade or shows sponsored by bars, strip clubs and stores trying to get "new biz" or hustle you into buying or signing up for more crap.
I WILL drive far away to shows just to see old friends. I WILL let kids sit in my truck and have their pics taken. I WILL answer questions from the participants and spectators. I NOT ever trailer my truck to a show. I will NOT pay 65.00 to Goodguys. I DO say **** on trophies.
I like that we are all free to decide what our truck means to us and what venue we want to be a part of. For me, Good causes and the Weekend cruises to Sonic and Burger Haven and Dairy Delite. Fun building em, fun driving em. In Colorado, way way too many to do most anyway.
Whatever you decide, have a great time.
Jon
I WILL drive far away to shows just to see old friends. I WILL let kids sit in my truck and have their pics taken. I WILL answer questions from the participants and spectators. I NOT ever trailer my truck to a show. I will NOT pay 65.00 to Goodguys. I DO say **** on trophies.
I like that we are all free to decide what our truck means to us and what venue we want to be a part of. For me, Good causes and the Weekend cruises to Sonic and Burger Haven and Dairy Delite. Fun building em, fun driving em. In Colorado, way way too many to do most anyway.
Whatever you decide, have a great time.
Jon
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 950
Likes: 3
last summer at a car show there was a trail 56 chevy ,row out the trail rope off. The can owner never touch his car with his hands ,just soft cloth, he won first place. The car would not start ,he never drove it .best of all a big bird s--t on it .. What a joke can't drive ,can't touch with a soft cloth in your hand and he was so mad watching all the people help push the car back in the trailer
First Place car
First Place car
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 16,867
Likes: 3,100
From: SE Wisc. (the Rust Belt)
I, like CIAF , going to the cruise ins better. They're usually free, sponsored by the restaurant that their at. Sure you tend to spend a few bucks buying sodas and a burger or two but you're going to eat anyway. What I like best about the cruise ins is it seems the vehicles owners usually hang around their rides so if you see something you like you can usually talk to the guy to find out how he did this or that.
The worst car show I have ever gone to, and once I got there and saw how it was set up I just parked on a side street 20 feet away, was a show hosted by a local car club. They have the participants park their rides on the main street, along the curb. They don't close down the street, traffic just keeps flowing through. Just what a I want, a bunch of gawkers being distracted by the cars, not paying attention to where they're driving within two feet of my truck. Also, the spectators could only actually see the passenger's side, the cars were parallel parted like normal parking without much in between them. They couldn't walk around them because of the traffic. They charged $10 to enter, this was about ten years ago so they might have even raised the fee since then.
The worst car show I have ever gone to, and once I got there and saw how it was set up I just parked on a side street 20 feet away, was a show hosted by a local car club. They have the participants park their rides on the main street, along the curb. They don't close down the street, traffic just keeps flowing through. Just what a I want, a bunch of gawkers being distracted by the cars, not paying attention to where they're driving within two feet of my truck. Also, the spectators could only actually see the passenger's side, the cars were parallel parted like normal parking without much in between them. They couldn't walk around them because of the traffic. They charged $10 to enter, this was about ten years ago so they might have even raised the fee since then.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2005
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I love this thread. I have had the pleasure of being a part of a car show commitee that has put on a show for the last 7 years and have had a ball doing it. Of course, its for charity and we charge 20 bucks a entry and 15 for a prentry. I agree that without the entries we would not have a show, so last year we started charging admission for spectators. It was a great idea and made good money but the lovely spectators would not pay the 2 dollars admission and started walking about 1 mile out of their way to sneak in. We hope to be better staffed in that area this year. We have always stressed our entries, we have tried top 25, classes, crate motors, dash plagues, and hats. What we have found that works the best is cash. We give away over 5000 dollars during the show and plenty of tool door prizes. We still do classes and trophies ( for the trophy hunters) but if I had my way, I would take that money and feed all my entries. Whatever we done, we have grown the show from 12 the first year to over 454 in 07 and raise over 90,000 for the local high school.