The Car Culture is dying.HUH? There are numerous very popular car related shows on cable and even new copycat shows popping up all the time.
Then there's this custom car/hot rod/jalopy builders site: The Hokey Ass Message Board with over 200,000 (a few yrs ago it was around 30,000) members from all over the world. One thread there called Vintage Shots From Days gone by (not car related) has over 20 million hits.
Televised car auctions that are spread out over several days and have expanded to multiple times a year from different locatons around the country.
The car culture is not dead or dying it's growing.
The older cars were simpler to work on and modify. Ignition systems were simple, straight line rear drives, no electronics, and many middle class and below males actually were able to do their own repairs and maintenance.
Today's vehicles one of a dozen or more sensors located who knows where can cause a complete engine failure and takes a $200 trip to the shop where they can run computer diagnostics. I really miss the older cars.
I inherited a 95 F-150 from my dad a couple years ago. I decided to tune it up. First thing I noticed was you had to stand on your head just to get to the plugs. My old 76 F-100 I could climb up in the engine compartment, sit down, and work on the engine with lots of room. Both were 302 CI engines BTW. Fuel Pumps used to be a 30 minute job. Now you have to drop the gas tank and pay out $300-$400 for a pump you put in. It's just not the same. In high school and up till the mid 90's models I did my own repair work. Now to even change a tire you have to call a tow truck because some Dork at the tire store torqued the lug nuts down to the hilt. I've broken many a socket and even twisted lug wrenches trying to break them free.