One of the great things about the car community is that there are countless different ways to get involved with it. Whether you choose to start a blog about your Mazda MX-5 project car, attend a regular meet once a month, or simply engage with relevant content on social media, there is a lot you can do to be an active member of the community.
Chevrolet
Founded in 1903, Chevrolet is one of America’s oldest remaining legacy automakers. Acquired by General Motors in 1918, Chevrolet is the core GM brand responsible for the bulk of GM’s US sales. As a mass-market manufacturer, Chevrolet competes in multiple key segments, primarily the SUV and truck segments, but also sports cars and mainstream sedans and hatchbacks (until recently). Core models for the brand include the Silverado, Colorado, Suburban, Camaro, and Corvette.
- Founded
-
November 3, 1911
- Founder
-
Louis Chevrolet, Arthur Chevrolet, William C. Durant
- Headquarters
-
Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
- Owned By
-
General Motors
- Current CEO
-
Mary Barra
If you’re looking for a way to be a more hands-on gearhead, attending events and building connections with fellow enthusiasts in real life, joining a car club can be a fantastic choice. You might choose to go for a single-model club (such as the National Corvette Owners Association for Corvette enthusiasts), or a club with a wider scope, such as the Antique Automobile Club of America (with a focus on pre-war cars). Here are ten reasons why a car club membership could be good for you in 2025.
Not everyone is into social clubs, but there are great benefits to getting involved with a like-minded community. Are you part of a car club, and what do you love most about it? Hit us up in the comments below.
1
Taking Part In Meets And Events
One of the most fun aspects of joining a car club is all the events you get to take part in. Car clubs pack their schedule with all types of events, from casual meets to long-distance road trips; you’re bound to find something that suits you and your car, especially if you live near a city or in a densely populated area.
Participating in a car meet is a chance for you to get creative and show off your pride and joy. If it has an interesting backstory, you can make a sign for people to read; if it’s a project car, you can showcase your hard work with progress photos, and tell people all about the repairs you carried out in order to be there.
2
Finding Out More About Your Car
Joining a car club can be a wonderful opportunity to discover more about your car. You may think you know your car inside and out, but there is always a new detail or quirk that you might not spot until someone else points it out. And these kind of clubs are filled with people passionate about cars, and your type of car in particular (whatever your club focuses on).
Add CarBuzz to your Google News feed.
If you own a classic car, there is also the history aspect: being part of a club means getting recommendations for reading material, historical images and documents that tell the history of your car and its manufacturer. In a single-model or single-make car club, it can be interesting to compare cars with someone who owns a different spec or a different model year, tracing the history of your car’s evolution throughout time.
3
Sharing And Following Project Progress
Are you the kind of person who thinks of cars as a permanent work-in-progress? Do you have one or more cars that have been static objects for so long, they’re now officially part of your garage furniture? If you’re a project car enthusiast, joining a club can help you make progress and stay on track. While keeping yourself motivated on your own can sometimes be demoralizing, especially if the project car isn’t quite moving (literally and figuratively) at the pace you would like it to, having other people follow along with feedback, advice and encouragement can be a real godsend.
Discussion
What old Mercedes makes for a great project car?
Buying a used car with the intention of upgrading, fixing, or modifying it sounds like a good long-term project. Which models would you recommend?
4
Making New Friends With A Shared Interest
Of course, one large and fundamental part of the benefit of joining a car club is the social aspect. Shared hobbies are a fantastic way to meet new friends, and car clubs by their very nature encourage social connections.
Joining a car club can also be an amazing opportunity to socialize for people who are more awkward, introverted or struggle to build connections in other situations: they are generally friendly, low-pressure environments, with an endless supply of car-related conversation topics. Car meets don’t require you to be a hyper-charismatic extrovert to take part: all you have to do is show up, sit next to your car, and wait for someone to come up for a chat and to admire your vehicle.
5
Finding Parts
This point on our list is especially relevant for those who inhabit the more obscure corners of the automotive world. Rare classic cars, or modern cars that did not sell many units, can turn into an absolute nightmare when it comes to finding replacement parts.
If you want to avoid searching through every scrapyard in the country looking for an elusive part needed to fix your car, a specialized club can be an excellent place to turn to. Fellow owners of the same model can advise on where to find parts, or they might even have a spare part themselves: the goal is to help each other out and keep the cars on the road for as long as possible.
6
Discussing Common Issues And Sharing Repair Knowledge
Are you stumped by a problem on your car, which Google inevitably thinks no-one else has ever experienced? Are digital resources and manuals not helping you get anywhere? This is where a car club comes in: here you will find there are plenty of people with relevant expertise, who can give you helpful advice as well as share their own experiences.
The contributions of club members can form an invaluable collective knowledge base; this is especially true for older classic cars, which may come with little or no documentation forcing the owner to “fly blind” when attempting a DIY repair.
Car ownership is falling out of favor with young people. A recent study by Deloitte revealed that just over half of people between 18 and 34 would be open to giving up on owning a vehicle altogether, preferring alternate mobility solutions instead.
Related
Car Community Buys Young Autistic Photographer His First Car
And it’s a good one.
However, there are still some young people who do enjoy owning and running a car, as well as young enthusiasts (who are unfortunately thin on the ground, especially in the classic car world). For these people, it’s more important than ever to be given the opportunity to be active in the car community, receiving knowledge and skills passed down from the older generations. This is how the car community can ensure its long-term survival in an uncertain future; car clubs are an excellent way of fostering intergenerational communication and encouraging the gearheads of tomorrow. There’s a lot to be said about the sense of community these clubs encourage.
8
Access To Offers And Freebies
Several car clubs include offers and benefits as part of their membership package: these could be things like discounted car insurance, breakdown cover, or a coupon for a local garage. This is especially true for larger clubs, who are in a better position to negotiate deals with companies and obtain member privileges.
As a club member, you could get your hands on some freebies as well: merchandise goodies, such as tote bags and T-shirts, have rapidly gained popularity in recent years. Many car clubs also have access to an exclusive members’ newsletter, blog, or printed publication included in the membership fee.
9
Professional Networking Opportunities
If you’re not just a weekend enthusiast, but are also involved in the car world in your professional life, car clubs can be an excellent place to connect with like-minded professionals.
Many car people have successfully turned their passion into a job; although car clubs are mainly about fun, they can also give you a chance to do some networking for work purposes. You might just find the next step up in your career has been unlocked by the person you had a friendly chat with about your car a few weeks earlier.
10
Can’t Find Your Tribe? Start Your Own Club
If you can’t find a suitable club for the make or model you’re looking for, or you simply live in an area where car clubs with a local presence are scarce, you can always decide to start your own.
Of course, this is a fairly complex operation: raising awareness of a new club, attracting members, and running operations early on can be a fairly daunting task. You will also be dealing with lots of paperwork, making sure the club is registered and operating as a legitimate organization. However, if you think your new club has what it takes to be successful, go for it: the sky’s the limit.
Sources: Wild Apricot, Deloitte, Antique Automobile Club
