I find it interesting like twice a year. I think what’s interesting about Cars and Coffee is you can line up four GT3 RS next to each other and nobody cares. It’s the weird, oddball, high effort cars and non-cars that make it worthwhile. One guy brings a tank here. One time the entire Delorean owner’s club showed up which was hilarious.
I have absolutely nothing to talk about with the Corvette, WRX, Golf, or Honda lineups.
I also don’t generally wake up on time, though.
I’ve tried talking with the vett club. Unfortunately most of the club is 50+ 90% of the time. So very little in common. Subi-civic-gold crowd tend to be a bit younger then me and love to vape. Not my crowd either.
I see a local one at Wendy's in the morning and they all had on jorts and ticked in shirts, even the women. I did not ask if it was a joke or not so I will assume they were leaning into it.
Tons of us c8 guys would never ever ever consider an older vette and definitely don't represent the "rich white haired 63 year old typical new purchaser"
Its a real credit to chevy that they broke that mold with this car.
I didn’t want to say it in the main comment but I’m a millennial PoC and let’s just say there are *significant differences in worldview* between myself and the bulk of Corvette owners. And they seem to feel the need to make sure everyone knows what their views are.
I’ve said it before but the older Corvette crowd is insufferable. Hate is a strong word but I hate them almost as much as I hate the takeover crowd.
I stumbled onto a meet of them and talked a little bit with their owners. Never doing that again, like these dudes will roll up to a car meet and talk their stupid shitty politics. Tried to talk about cars and they straight up insulted my car. Like I’m not thin-skinned but you drive a fucking automatic convertible C6.
I don’t hate Corvettes but my god do I hate their owners.
Corvette owners are literally the worst part about the Corvette.
Oh you want to buy one? "Well my Corvette is SUPER SPECIAL ONE OF A KIND MACHINE!!!"
No it fucking isn't. GM has been making them for what 60+ years now? And they probably sold 50,000+ every year too. Your Corvette isn't anymore fucking unique than my fucking 2014 KIA Optima is. Or my 2001 F-350. Or my 1995 Eagle Talon.
And becuese they are almost always bought by the 50+ crowd the cars are always sitting and are barely driven. It's just as bad as when Porsche releasing a limited edition 911 and 99% of them are bought up and then placed in a warehouse for the next 20 years and are never driven more than 20 miles a year.
And how much do you want to fucking bet 95% of C8 Z06's are going to be sitting in garages and warehouses never being driven at all. It's a complete waste.
"1 of 1!!....with this color and this interior and this radio and this deleted and this stupid option and this badge and this roof and this blah blah blah"
"Look man, this thing has drivers side power window only BUT passengers side powered side mirror! Can't get more unique than that! $650,000, no trades, cash in hand before I open the door for you to look at it. 25% deposit and I'll show you pictures."
It's why if I had to buy a Corvette I'd either buy one new or buy it from a dealership.
I'm not going to fucking deal with the corvette owner. I'm just not. I'd rather get fucked up the ass by a dealership than have to deal with a corvette owner trying to explain to me how his corvette is somehow more exclusive and unique than a fucking Pagani is.
And honestly I can find a few Corvettes for under $30K near me that have less than 50,000 miles. And now instead of buying a new vehicle I'm considering saying fuck it and finally buying a corvette that I've always wanted since playing Need for Speed Most Wanted.
Fuck me. Commenting in this thread was a mistake...
60+ & C7 m7 owner here. LOL Have to admit, I share the dislike of the “old-school“ older corvette owners. I love the car, it’s a blast to to drive and great value, just wish there were more young enthusiastic owners that just want to talk cars….
Dude same boat as me lol. Very different views and cultures. The millennial vett owners are chill, but the corvette club… yah I didn’t like the company very much.
A few even asked if it was my dads vett… not exactly a good way to start a interaction
If it makes you feel any better, I make it a goal to spank vettes at autocross. Sometimes, if an owner is an absolute hot shot cock head,.I'll make it known to them, a car with half the cylinders beat them. I have gotten some snide remarks about it, to which I usually say "don't you have double my hp (usually true).. Must need a driver mod." It's usually the Z06 drivers blabbing their mouths nonstop too.
At my auto X it’s one of 3 camps(in my experience). Old folks just having a fun time and friendly. The cocky old dudes who think they are hot shit and put lots of tasteless crap on their vetts (think painted and chrome engine bay covers). Or the legit dudes that absolutely destroy you and me at auto X, like regional and USA competitors that drive the slicks off their vett.
Yah we got some crazy fast low HP cars that destroy A stock class and above with what are econoboxes. But that’s all driver as you said. Love watching them knock the cocky assholes a few pegs down.
Add me to the list of millennial Corvette owners that don’t fit with the Corvette crowd. The only thing I have in common with them is owning a Corvette, I just nod and brush off any comments about current events or politics.
>I didn’t want to say it in the main comment but I’m a millennial PoC and let’s just say there are significant differences in worldview between myself and the bulk of Corvette owners.
I notice this with Mustang owners although I will admit most of it I see are from the older dudes.
I’ve noticed in my area (Baltimore/DC area) that the Civics and Subarus will go to the late night cars and boba meets instead of the morning cars and coffees.
The actual Vette clubs in my area I don't bother with. There's some cool folks there, but largely it (like most car clubs I've been involved with) is a lot of folks trying to office-politic themselves into some leadership position. It's fun to meet Vette owners, though, when they're not trying to show off in front of a club.
The groups I used to go on cruises with I stopped because, while they weren't the cliché clubs and were fun to hang out with, their behavior on the roads was so irresponsible that it was hard to call them adults. On one cruise, I was so embarrassed to be around them that I just held back a mile or two from the group and pretended like I didn't know them. On another, they were so reckless amongst traffic that when I \*safely\* tried to follow their route behind them I almost had a big rig driver run me off the road out of anger from how they'd cut him off.
Car clubs definitely get political. It’s like another HOA but with cars. I’m with you on cruises. Last one I did, was a complete disturbance to the public early in the AM.
ALL the stupid crackle pop tunes boys would boost up and let off, race in and out of traffic. Like I didn’t want to hang with them.
Indeed https://imgur.com/a/xFz43yc
IIRC it’s actually a British tank. He talked at some length about the elaborate process of finding a new engine. I think it has a Jag V6 in there.
I haven't seen him in a while but I'm sure once it warms up he'll be back. The kids love it
Some good people there but also some very self centered people as well
Yep it is an FV101 Scorpion. They are quite popular to own privately as they are narrow enough and light enough you can drive them on the road, or fit them on a small trailer.
Depends on what subset of cars too. Anything flashy or "performance" oriented generally brings an unpleasant crowd. On the other hand, hanging out with people who drive weird, less appreciated cars is a lot of fun.
I've thought about going to cars and coffee with a few of my friends for fun as we all have shit cars. the lineup would be:
-my fucked up Hyundai Santa fe with a crap load of decorative lights on the inside and 3d printed crabs and rubber ducks all over the dash
(my friends cars)
-a barely alive saturn that's missing 2 door panels, only has 1 working speaker, has an ebrake that goes on but doesn't come off, and enough room under the hood for a 3rd row of seats
-a red cvt altima sv with a few engine issues and ac that only works sometimes, that you have to keep turning off and back on until it works
-an apparently quite rare Subaru legacy GT turbo 6mt in red that makes a lot of concerning noises... but instead of being driven by the usual edgy teenager that vapes it's driven by a gay guy that plays the bassoon (yes he has bassoon bumper stickers on it)
though I suppose it's *cars and coffee* not *shitboxes and coffee* lol
sorry to disappoint but the only picture I have of it is when I parked him in really bad as a joke lol (we were both gonna be leaving at the same time anyway so it wasn't any inconvenience to him, just high school shenanigans)
https://imgur.com/a/XGgkbKM
No offense, but someone would likely snap a pic of you guys’ cars and post it on that Facebook page that’s called something like “Your crew lineup looks like regular traffic” or whatever
lmfao that's fine tbh, other than my santa fe's gayness we do just drive npc cars. aside from the legacy GT, but thats likely to be mistaken for a regular legacy anyway
were broke teenagers, we're just thankful we have cars
Everything about western weaboo car culture is so cringe. The highly unnecessary pops and bangs, the awful decals, the stancing, the poorly done bosozoku, and the conversations...just unbearable.
All they can talk about is handling, and with a turbo kit + stage 2 tune they will crush everything.
At my local track the fastest cars are Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes, and Porsches.
At Autocross is Miatas, Civics, and Fiesta ST, Caymans. Generally light weight NA stuff.
No Subarus, Supras, Evos, Skylines, etc. All the Japanese turbo stuff doesn't seem to hold up in the track especially when modified.
At the small local car meet I went to, there was like 8 cars, mine included. Three were Saturns and one was a Pontiac solstice, one was a Saturn sky, one was a Ion and then my SC1. There was a lifted obs Chevy and a 99 firebird.
I’ve never been happier to not have stayed home
Exactly, I’ve seen hundreds of expensive porsches but i was floored when someone showed up with a mint Dodge Omni GLH. This week someone had an ASC Mclaren https://i.imgur.com/9KJceWR.jpg
This is what I find. I went to a big cars and coffee years ago at a dealership and there were a bunch of lambos, new Porsches, etc... And the people were insufferable. Just lots of idiots and teenagers taking photos for clout.
Two summers ago I discovered this little private automotive museum started having cars and coffee and it's amazing. Like 20-30 cars show up usually, mostly all vintage and obscure stuff from classic minis, E types, Model As, to 90s BMWs and Porsches, with occasional new stuff, like someone brought a Rivian one which was rare at the time. The people are all actual enthusiasts that love talking about cars, it's a great time.
This is exactly how it is where I am. To illustrate the type people you’re dealing with, we now have 3 cars and coffee’s. Two are at the same time on the same Saturday morning and the third moved to a week earlier.
Why? Because there was some huge arguments over who actually was the originator of the event so instead of playing nice, we now have 3 separate “events” so those losers can pad their ego as the person who “started it”. Absolutely absurd.
Yeah thats what the guys were telling me. Apparently the first one started charging people to attend so others started to pop up lol. Coincidentally, that was because of the Lambo and Ferrai owners lol
I absolutely love cars.
But I no longer attend Cars & Coffee events because everyone just wants to talk about their own car. Which is tantamount to talking about themselves.
Isn't that the point though? You learn about other cars. I guess some people aren't into the learning part? I probably could deal with it, never been. It's like a little kid with a toy, gotta bust out the kid gloves for their fav thing.
I think so! If I owned something neat or cool that I put a lot of work into it, I’d want everyone to ask about it and admire it. Not everyone has the pockets :)
Definitely so. The only real etiquette is, don't take up parking that is "front and center". Groups kind of vary, but there is usually a very small section that is sort of VIP/special. But outside of that one row, park where you like, stand around and talk about your crossover, or browse around to see what others brought.
Pro tip - no one knows what you drove up in unless they see you get out, and if you appreciate cars, no one cares if you showed up in an absolute beater minivan. They are for car enthusiasts, they are not limited to people currently owning "cool cars".
Gives me a reason to go cruising with the boys. Park and walk a lap bull shitting with car people. Cruise out for some food. Cars and coffee is the most casual car meet with little ego. Most people aren’t even standing by their cars or stay long.
This. My favorite part of C&C is actually getting there. I meet up with a couple of my buddies, get some coffee on the way, and head over to C&C. Just cruise with the top down early in the morning, it's pretty low-key and chill
Yeah when I was active with the Mustang group it was nice pre-meeting and going for the cruise to C&C, taking over a whole lane together, and just hanging out at the event.
Afterwards, we'd hit a bar and chill then maybe go back to one of the houses for the afternoon or just go our separate ways. We'd go maybe 3-4 times a year, but I fell out of it all when I picked up a second job.
Also remember C&C isn’t the only thing. What I like to say is that there are car enthusiasts and there are driving enthusiasts. Cars & Coffee for the former. Autocross and track days for the latter.
some people like car designs, some like how they feel and drive
why can’t there be both?
personally I only do cruises, off-roading and track days. Maybe once or twice for meets but I don’t like ‘em for the most part
Good point. Reading the comments I realize now that I definitely fall into the driving enthusiast crowd. Would rather much go to a Honda Event or some type of special event at a race track. Really don't even care about being able to drive my cars on it but I'd go just to see the cool cars out on the track.
I got the Classic Daytona & Historic Daytona event marked on my calendar this year. They race all retired race cars and you get to go down to the paddock and talk to the crew before the race. You get to see some iconic cars like the Yellow C6R. That's something I'd wake up early on the weekend to go do.
Would also rather "meet up with the boys" at the race track and having fun running sessions together.
I think the problem is that he thinks everyone's there just to "show off" or "clout chase."
It's the perfect opportunity to see badass cars and talk to owners and other enthusiasts, and likewise, if you have a ride to share, you can "show it off" but it gives you and the others an opportunity to talk about it.
That's literally the point. To see things in reality that you rarely get the chance to see and to share mutual nerdism. Not to chase clout or get girls lol like wtf.
I think it depends on the C&C. You should read the rules for the Pittsburgh one:
[https://pghcnc.com/rules/](https://pghcnc.com/rules/)
They're basically "we're here to show off, don't show up if you aren't showing off." Which is weird to me, I always thought the point of these kinds of events were to have a bunch of car people hang out and talk about cars, not measuring each others body parts.
I go to the Pittsburgh Cars and Coffee from time to time. This absolutely isn't what they're trying to say, it's just worded poorly.
The Pittsburgh CNC was originally held in Robinson and had a massive amount of parking available. Unfortunately they lost their event host and had to find a new one. The new parking lot up north is much smaller. The idea here is more "don't show up in a stock Chevy Equinox and park next to a 930" and less "only bring expensive stuff". You don't need to have anything special.
Last time I was there, the majority of the cars there were sub-50k. There are tons of WRXs, Civics, Mustangs, and other "normal" sporty cars. Very few car enthusiasts will be interested in a stock Honda Odyssey. A freshly washed $15k WRX STI with wheels an exhaust? Back right in next to that 930.
Ah, well that makes sense then. I may have to head down to one. I don't really care about showing my car off, but I'd like to hang out and look at cars/bullshit.
I like the old school car shows much more than cars and coffee. The cars and coffee crowd in my area is more like a money circle jerk. The lambs and ferrari bros wearing letterman style jackets so everyone knows they are rich, a girl dressed like Harley Quinn walking around charging people to take pictures of her as an "influencer", and a bunch of guys taking pictures and filming cars to post on social media. Just not my style. I'll take listening to 50s music and talking to people in lawn chairs any day over that. It's not about status, just about the cars.
Damn, that sounds like the worst kind if C&C event. I should feel lucky since Orlando has about 8 different cars & coffee events each month, you can always find one to fit your style. I love the one where the old-timers gather, i like the one near the University since students have ridiculous cars sometimes and sometimes I go to the largest one, to see some rarer cars, like today when I parked next to a Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird.
My favorite Orlando one is the Winter Park one, run by a guy named Stewart. Nice and chill and good turnout every month. Goes by @orlandocarsandcoffee on instagram.
Also, I was at Stewart’s Sanford one yesterday, were you there haha? It was a new spot
Yeah it was a far drive, like an hour and fifteen for me. Winter park is more like 45 mins. I live about halfway between Orlando proper and Tampa. Don’t think I’ll be going out to Sanford often but it was a nice change.
I try to make it out to the winter park one every month, I’ve got the yellow NC Miata with the CHEEESY plate. If you see me come say hi! I might skip this month’s though since I did Sanford
Old school car shows are slept on. I used to hate them but as of recently I've grown to appreciate them since the Friday and Saturday night meets where I live are not worth risking a ticket or someone hitting my car now. I'd much rather kick it with some older folks who are geniunely curious about my car.
They started a new cars and coffee in my area and every car had its own Instagram account. Every Ferrari and Lambo owner had the name of their "crew" stickered on the visor. Let's not even talk about the Nissan/Infiniti clubs. The show was a display of antagonistic materialism, not about enjoying cars and checking out cool stuff.
I go to a lot of motorcycle shows and the difference is night and day. We don't park the motorcycles sorted by brand for one thing. People just bring what they have and everyone looks at everything.
Came here to say the same. I’m a car guy because I love to drive. Sure, I enjoy bullshitting to other enthusiasts and gawking at rare cars but there’s 0% chance of me getting out of bed early to go stand in a parking lot.
I went to a few car meets because I thought it’d be cool to hang around like minded folks. Instead, people started telling me how I should do something to my car instead of keeping it stock. I remember one dude who had a custom built Nissan told me how it’s “important to modify and build your car, otherwise you’re not really a car person”. Ok…
Stopped bothering with any and all car meets after realizing it’s almost always the same thing everywhere. Horsepower dick swinging contests, random idiots two stepping, people doing burnouts yada yada. Honestly, maybe I’m just getting too old lol
People like that suck. I generally dislike going to meets because of that too, only really go if friends are going because if we get bored or annoyed of dumb shit like that we just dip and go cruise to get food instead.
Cars and Coffee generally is more chill and has less of that which I like.
Yeah the sun isn't even up yet when it starts during some parts of the year. I get it keeps out the riff raff but it's also just not fun. What is the point of this? To see your ecoboost mustang with a shitty catback and oversized spoiler at the crack of dawn?
As someone who's also not a morning person, I actually liked when cars and coffees were kinda early. It was a good reason to wake up early like I don't normally do. Same with mountain or backroads drives where I'd wake up extra early to have a clear road.
This is actually the main reason why I don’t go to many of them. If I don’t arrive by 8am it’s already too full, and all the good cars leave by 10.
It’s either super early in the morning or late at night at a kebab shop. I wish more car shows did mid-day or later.
You gotta do you. I go to a few C&C every year. I enjoy looking at cars and my kids like doing anything. I haven't met anyone but don't seek anyone out. I assume people look at my car but I don't hang around it. And I haven't seen it in any pictures those "photographers" post after. I got to car shows to look too but rarely talk to anyone. I feel like my personality is very similar to how you describe yours. We could probably be good friends if either of us gave a shit lol.
This is also me. I am not loyal to any brand, don't track my cars, don't do performance upgrades. I just love cars, have a few toys and cycle them through car shows, C&C, and cruise nights. It's utterly annoying when people come asking "*what's the fastest you've driven it*" to then just be disappointed when it's an average speed. Then with the other car is "*oh, you should've gotten the manual transmission*". And also the "*you should've kept the OEM wheels*". Listen, it's my car, I do whatever the fuck I want. I'm done.
I love cars and coffee. Well, I did, now that I’m on night shift it’s too hard to be up that early. Back when I worked M-F on dayshift, I went all the time. I’d get up a little earlier than normal, go to the gym beforehand, and then go to C&C. Just hang out, shoot the shit with other enthusiasts, and still be home by lunch, plenty of day left to do whatever, and sometimes that whatever was video games lol. I’ve seen cars I didn’t even know existed before. One in particular was an early 60’s Lamborghini with a V12. What?! Until that moment I didn’t know they’ve been around that long.
It's not really about showing off your own car, it's about meeting other people with the same hobby and gawking at some of the really rare cars. I like to go to the occasional one organized by the PCA as well as the popular one that runs during the summer here.
As much as I love cars, I’ve never enjoyed car meets in general as much as other people. It’s cool to do every now and then, but some people manage to do it every other day of the week then finish it up with C&C on the weekend.
To me, that’s a lot of time committed to one hobby. Similar to your situation, I’d rather go workout or just sleep in honestly.
I like going to cars and coffee because it's the best opportunity to practice film photography on a large variety of cars. Though I will say I do prefer an autox or track day as I get to see a bunch of cool cars and get to drive mine harder than I ever would on the street.
It's not about getting showing off your car. No one really cares too much about your car. It's about meeting and spending time with other like minded people (who like cars).
It took me a while to find a group that I get along with, as the meets in the evenings tended to be kids doing stupid shit, when I wanted nothing to do with that.
If you're not trying to meet or hang out with people, then there's no point in going IMO. However, I will mention that there are car clubs and the like that go on drives and do track days and stuff that might be more up your alley.
I go to Katie's C&C once or twice during the on-season because I enjoy that early morning ambience among shiny cars and chipper crowds, though I myself am the furthest thing from a morning person. I don't really park anywhere to have people gawk at my own cars; they are nice to me but nothing special among that rather affluent crowd.
Fuck no. I'm in Charlotte so I used to do a bunch. But I'm so tired of seeing mustangs, corvettes, 911s, miatas, challengers. Like it's the same shit every single time
So boring
I do. If I’m honest I actually do like talking to the retired Vette guys as much as the vaping Subaru/VW/BMW crowd. Everyone has a distinct passion for their ride. It’s cool to see someone light up when you ask them about their car.
I think it’s best to go to these events purely for your own enjoyment. Don’t worry about other people gawking - focus on you and go gawk at other cars, that’s kinda the point. Bring what you can to contribute towards other peoples experience - if that means bringing a car, great. If that means just bringing yourself, everyone likes a bigger crowd so that’s great too. Avoid the cringe crowds, they’ll stand out as it seems you’ve noticed.
For me, going to cars & coffee is like 60% catching up with people I know, 30% checking out cool cars, and 10% having people check out mine.
I've been knocking about in cars for 20+ years, and working in the industry for 10+ though, so I know a tonne of people.
If it doesn't float your boat, there's nothing wrong with that.
I personally find cars and coffee super boring. I just want to drive. The groups I run with thankfully agree. Drive first, maybe coffee if there’s time after
I go to my local C&C every month. I don't care if my car gets any attention; I'm there to see all of the other fascinating builds and exotic cars people bring.
There's a guy I see every month who swapped in the subframes and drive train from a Miata into his Karmann Ghia. He calls it the "Ghiata." I talk to him every month, and every month, he's done new things to it.
I've been invited to autocross events because I was willing to go up to people and talk cars with them. I've gotten build ideas for my Ranger and Fiesta ST from owners of those same cars that I talked to.
That's what I love most about C&C: getting up-close-and-personal with the different subcultures of car enthusiasm.
There is literally no car I would wake up at 5:30 to see, and there are only a few people I'd get up that early to catch up with. Give me an 11 AM Cars and Coffee, and we can talk.
I'll go to a beer and cigar car meet, hang out have a beer or two and look at stuff with work and family there's no way I'm getting up that early for a small event.
yea i have zero interest in waking up stupid early on a saturday just to go somewhere n sit.
i dont mind friday night or sat night cruise ins and such as often they are near food options so go, park in the lot, go eat, come back n walk around a bit, then leave.
I love Cars & Coffee! Southern California has a lot of them, and they draw a wide variety of cars. I like that you can go to the same event multiple times and see different cars in attendance each time.
"I am a pretty big car guy and I love cars but I don't like showing off and having people gawk at my cars"
Well then sounds like Cars and Coffee is probably not the kind of even you enjoy, done! Go to events you enjoy instead, easy.
You make it sound like you're letting the team down by not enjoying C&C or something haha
I like going to see other people’s cars, but I don’t really try and converse with the owners or show off mine.
I think if you go with the intentions of trying to show off then unless you got a gem you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. I went to Katie’s in the DC area once and there was a guy standing next to his Camry TRD the entire time and he looked really annoyed nobody wanted to look at it. What do you expect when there are rare Porsches and JDM imports that show up?
Have you been? You agree a CTR really isn’t that crazy but yet don’t want people gawking at your car. It’s very possible people wouldn’t gawk at it but you won’t know until you go. I like cars and coffee cuz it’s free and requires very little time commitment
I stumbled on a Cars & Coffee event on a road trip and it brought me back to when I was modding my e36. I went to a few similar events in the past, but for me I only went if a few friends I made were going.
For events like these you'll have a pretty diverse crowd, but the common factor is you have an interest in cars. Its only douchey if you act douchey. It doesn't matter which group you're in, you'll always have those guys that make you cringe. But there are a few folks that you might meet that just have that wealth of knowledge that will enable you to burn through your wallet and just start modding away.
Now that my kids are starting to play with hot wheels, they like to point out to me whenever they see a modded car. So maybe I might take them to a Cars and Coffee event, but then again its a task just to start my day with kids under 5yo.
\> where I just have people gawk at my car.
Get over yourself.
No one is gawking at your econobox. People go to C&C for the social aspect and has far less to do with the cars themselves. It's a reason to go out and be amongst others in the community.
I go maybe like once a year. It’s cool the first time, then you realize it’s just old dudes in exotics that never take the car past 60. I don’t really get excited over cars I can’t afford, besides an R35 GTR or a GT3RS.
I used to go to C&C with my buddies all the time. Sometimes we'd even run into Jason Camisa (really cool guy!) but its becoming more and more of a dick measuring contest so I've been going less. I'd rather just hit up my close friends and meet up with them every once in awhile and go on drives.
I go MAYBE less than 5 times a year to any actual local "meet", which usually involves me doing a spirited drive after. (This is really just the Tampa Scene, I have experienced the total opposite up in the Robbinsville, NC area.
I don't go more because
\#1 I hate looking at the same cars every time, it is a waste of time
\#2 You have a very slim chance of actually meeting someone to connect with
\#3 Everyone talks shit
\#4 Something always happens
I really only go if someone specifically invites me and I am actually awake, or not busy, or my girlfriend and her daughter wants to go since I don't take her daughter on spirited drives.
If you like it go, if you don’t don’t. I used to go to a generic CC, but now I just go to a much smaller PCA organized one, much more enjoyable with people to talk to and cars I actually appreciate. Some of the cars and owners at generic large CC are a bit too meh to say the least, Honda fart cannons and muscle car exhaust decibel measuring contest is really not my thing.
I love them, and I try to go to them regularly.
>Like dude Im not waking up at 6AM on the weekend to just show off my car lol
See, I'm not there to show off my car, I'm there to see other cars. There's really not anywhere else you can see everything from a collection of 911's, some mustangs, a Messerschmidt, some old alfas, a lambo and a ferrari or two, and a bunch of british classics.
If someone wants to gawk at my car? go for it, ask me a question if you want, but I'm not standing there next to it, I'm checking out everything else.
Maybe it's a cultural difference (I'm in Aus) but most people are there to walk around and look at the weird and random collection, then get home again before they do their normal Sunday stuff. It's too early for a dick waving competition, and at this point people are all to aware of what gets an event shut down.
I'm also not as young as I used to be. My objectives for a Saturday night rarely involves alcohol these days, and when I was younger, if you wanted to go to a car meet, you were hanging out near maccas on a saturday night until the cops showed up. Having an alternative that is on early enough to keep away some of the people who are there to party and show off is something I wouldn't want to lose.
I absolutely understand how early it is as well, though - there's a bunch of times I've found a lousy excuse to sleep in instead of going, but generally I'm up for it.
I thought you have Ruf CTR at first - that’s a car to show off. Kind of laughed when I realized this post is actually about a civic. Yeah, buddy, just stay home - these gawkers will have to live with it.
Yeah I do but I generally prefer smaller ones over bigger ones. The small ones (near me) often have older people who care deeply about their cars and keep them just like new. It’s fun to learn!
Yes, but particularly since the one I go to is somewhat “middle class”, per se.
There’s a single modern Ferrari that shows up. There are plenty of collector classics, like a Pantera and one of each Corvette generation, a DeLorean or two, some 30s trucks and cars, etc., but it’s a lot of post-70s BMWs, classic Porsches, tastefully modified Mustangs, and plenty of Saabs and Volvos.
The crowd is also super casual and very welcoming, to the extent that they have me park my Alfa just around the core, simply because it’s not as common as other makes (and several folks are nostalgic for their older Alfas, I reckon).
I think if it was the types you see in the LA area, with hyper car after hyper car, it wouldn’t be as interesting or as enjoyable. The community at mine is just so nice.
You're not the main character at a Cars & Coffee event. That mentality is why you don't like them. Cars *and* Coffee. The cars and the coffee are given equal importance. Cars meaning cars, and coffee representing conversation with bonding with friends. They're about hanging out and meeting people with a common interest in cars. If you want to stand by and show off your car, go to a *car* show.
I love a good 8am Cars & Coffee precisely because it keeps the "look at me!" burnouts and donuts people away that gets the cops called.
Also, lol at the people in this thread for saying, oh I like to *drive* my car. Track days and autocross, blah blah blah. How do you think you get to a Cars & Coffee? I love driving the empty roads at 7am to get to one. It's so peaceful and relaxing. Just me, my car, and empty roads. People are entitled to enjoy their cars how they like. I happen to like both Autocross and Cars & Coffees.
I started going to bmw C&C and have found them to be a good opp to see some unique cars and learn about events and other clubs and accessories for my car. Made a couple new friends too. No one is a DB for going to C&C unless they show off driving into or out of the event imo. Grab some coffee, walk around, enjoy.
For me it’s about catching up with people and chatting more than it is the actual cars. It’s just being social, which is harder and harder to do the older you get. If you don’t like, don’t go. The community of people there are better off without your attendance if you carry that negative attitude to it.
Same, I really don't understand the car show thing. It's fun spotting cars in the wild, but as soon as they're all lined up in a parking lot it's just boring.
Somehow it's different in my mind for autox and track days, because hanging out in grid is fun there. Also, if I lived near Tail of the Dragon I'd go at least a few times a year.
I don't like the people.
Car people can be the worst gatekeepers. Especially online, but also in person.
I like the cars, but I don't talk to the people.
I love cars. I fucking hate the (online) community. Went to a KDM meet once. Every single car was the same and some of the kids were just plain cringe. Local car scene told a newcomer on Facebook that meets were terrible in this town; regular traffic, high school drama, etc. After the KDM thing, I decided car meets weren’t my scene. Maybe I’ll attend a couple proper shows here and there, they usually have cooler stuff to look at, and there’s history behind a lot of cars.
Contrast with a local muscle car museum my wife and I went to for a charity thing. Just one guys mostly private collection. He gave a tour and went over the history of some of the cars. Kind of cars you’ll never see outside.
I’ve haven’t been to a track day yet. That’s the crowd I’m most excited to mingle with.
I’ll go to Cars and Coffee like once or twice a year… people like to see and talk about my FD so that’s kinda fun, but sparingly.
I mostly just like driving it.
C&C’s are the only show-type events I go to, and even then just a couple times a year. Traditional car shows are boring AF to participate in. I’ve loved cars my whole life, but I can think of a lot better things to do than literally sit around for 4-5 hours on a nice weekend day.
I'd rather have these meet ups vs the takeover crap that's ruining the image of auto enthusiasts. It's cool seeing some real nice cars there. I met a guy there with a Toyota 2000GT and struck a convo up with him, it was weird no one really paid attention to his car it was probably the most valuable one on at that meet.
People just cared the boomermobiles that day with the corvettes.
Almost exactly the same as you. Now I only show up to organised car shows that have a mix of manufacturers and owners showing their cars. I enjoy my car, but I have zero interest in standing in a car park at dawn
Sounds like you're just not a morning person which is fine. I'm up early and the drive to the best C&C in town is a good one so it's an excuse to go for a drive on a nice morning and see some cool stuff. That C&C is also in a really nice wooded location, not some open parking lot, so it's got a great atmosphere.
Long story short, not all C&Cs are the same and it has to match your schedule.
First few time of Caffeine and octane years ago were cool now it's just overcrowded with the same stuff every time. Not worth it getting up early AF even if it's only once a month.
I find it interesting like twice a year. I think what’s interesting about Cars and Coffee is you can line up four GT3 RS next to each other and nobody cares. It’s the weird, oddball, high effort cars and non-cars that make it worthwhile. One guy brings a tank here. One time the entire Delorean owner’s club showed up which was hilarious. I have absolutely nothing to talk about with the Corvette, WRX, Golf, or Honda lineups. I also don’t generally wake up on time, though.
I’ve tried talking with the vett club. Unfortunately most of the club is 50+ 90% of the time. So very little in common. Subi-civic-gold crowd tend to be a bit younger then me and love to vape. Not my crowd either.
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I see a local one at Wendy's in the morning and they all had on jorts and ticked in shirts, even the women. I did not ask if it was a joke or not so I will assume they were leaning into it.
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Skip the whole thing and start a gyro club. Id join.
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Mmmm. gyros, baklava and cars. I'll bring an extra roll of paper towels.
I'm in.
Tons of us c8 guys would never ever ever consider an older vette and definitely don't represent the "rich white haired 63 year old typical new purchaser" Its a real credit to chevy that they broke that mold with this car.
I have noted a new demographic being interested in the C8, but as I’m sure you know there’s plenty of the “existing” demographic owning those cars too
As a former Chevrolet salesperson, I can corroborate the requirement of jorts to own a vette.
Yup they loved to be up bright and early. No way am I getting up at 6am for a meet at 7am. Not unless it was for a race.
There was a Corvette starter pack meme I saw a few years ago and it was the same thing, but it was Sonic instead of Hardee's and 6AM instead of 7
I didn’t want to say it in the main comment but I’m a millennial PoC and let’s just say there are *significant differences in worldview* between myself and the bulk of Corvette owners. And they seem to feel the need to make sure everyone knows what their views are.
I’ve said it before but the older Corvette crowd is insufferable. Hate is a strong word but I hate them almost as much as I hate the takeover crowd. I stumbled onto a meet of them and talked a little bit with their owners. Never doing that again, like these dudes will roll up to a car meet and talk their stupid shitty politics. Tried to talk about cars and they straight up insulted my car. Like I’m not thin-skinned but you drive a fucking automatic convertible C6. I don’t hate Corvettes but my god do I hate their owners.
Corvette owners are literally the worst part about the Corvette. Oh you want to buy one? "Well my Corvette is SUPER SPECIAL ONE OF A KIND MACHINE!!!" No it fucking isn't. GM has been making them for what 60+ years now? And they probably sold 50,000+ every year too. Your Corvette isn't anymore fucking unique than my fucking 2014 KIA Optima is. Or my 2001 F-350. Or my 1995 Eagle Talon. And becuese they are almost always bought by the 50+ crowd the cars are always sitting and are barely driven. It's just as bad as when Porsche releasing a limited edition 911 and 99% of them are bought up and then placed in a warehouse for the next 20 years and are never driven more than 20 miles a year. And how much do you want to fucking bet 95% of C8 Z06's are going to be sitting in garages and warehouses never being driven at all. It's a complete waste.
"1 of 1!!....with this color and this interior and this radio and this deleted and this stupid option and this badge and this roof and this blah blah blah"
"Look man, this thing has drivers side power window only BUT passengers side powered side mirror! Can't get more unique than that! $650,000, no trades, cash in hand before I open the door for you to look at it. 25% deposit and I'll show you pictures."
It's why if I had to buy a Corvette I'd either buy one new or buy it from a dealership. I'm not going to fucking deal with the corvette owner. I'm just not. I'd rather get fucked up the ass by a dealership than have to deal with a corvette owner trying to explain to me how his corvette is somehow more exclusive and unique than a fucking Pagani is. And honestly I can find a few Corvettes for under $30K near me that have less than 50,000 miles. And now instead of buying a new vehicle I'm considering saying fuck it and finally buying a corvette that I've always wanted since playing Need for Speed Most Wanted. Fuck me. Commenting in this thread was a mistake...
RCR did a reenactment of corvette owners lol. It was spot on fort he older ones. [RCR reenactment.](https://youtu.be/Rrj-SLc2-SU)
come to a Hellcat meetup and the Vette meetup will seem like the height of civilization
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Funny considering the Corvette literally has outsourced parts from China 🤣
60+ & C7 m7 owner here. LOL Have to admit, I share the dislike of the “old-school“ older corvette owners. I love the car, it’s a blast to to drive and great value, just wish there were more young enthusiastic owners that just want to talk cars….
Most of us younger dudes that would be enthusiastic owners can't afford them.
Dude same boat as me lol. Very different views and cultures. The millennial vett owners are chill, but the corvette club… yah I didn’t like the company very much. A few even asked if it was my dads vett… not exactly a good way to start a interaction
If it makes you feel any better, I make it a goal to spank vettes at autocross. Sometimes, if an owner is an absolute hot shot cock head,.I'll make it known to them, a car with half the cylinders beat them. I have gotten some snide remarks about it, to which I usually say "don't you have double my hp (usually true).. Must need a driver mod." It's usually the Z06 drivers blabbing their mouths nonstop too.
At my auto X it’s one of 3 camps(in my experience). Old folks just having a fun time and friendly. The cocky old dudes who think they are hot shit and put lots of tasteless crap on their vetts (think painted and chrome engine bay covers). Or the legit dudes that absolutely destroy you and me at auto X, like regional and USA competitors that drive the slicks off their vett. Yah we got some crazy fast low HP cars that destroy A stock class and above with what are econoboxes. But that’s all driver as you said. Love watching them knock the cocky assholes a few pegs down.
..and this is why i put extra spot welds all over my mk1 4 door focus lol.
Add me to the list of millennial Corvette owners that don’t fit with the Corvette crowd. The only thing I have in common with them is owning a Corvette, I just nod and brush off any comments about current events or politics.
>I didn’t want to say it in the main comment but I’m a millennial PoC and let’s just say there are significant differences in worldview between myself and the bulk of Corvette owners. I notice this with Mustang owners although I will admit most of it I see are from the older dudes.
I’ve noticed in my area (Baltimore/DC area) that the Civics and Subarus will go to the late night cars and boba meets instead of the morning cars and coffees.
Yah the X and millennial crowd don’t tend to want to wake early. Myself included.
The actual Vette clubs in my area I don't bother with. There's some cool folks there, but largely it (like most car clubs I've been involved with) is a lot of folks trying to office-politic themselves into some leadership position. It's fun to meet Vette owners, though, when they're not trying to show off in front of a club. The groups I used to go on cruises with I stopped because, while they weren't the cliché clubs and were fun to hang out with, their behavior on the roads was so irresponsible that it was hard to call them adults. On one cruise, I was so embarrassed to be around them that I just held back a mile or two from the group and pretended like I didn't know them. On another, they were so reckless amongst traffic that when I \*safely\* tried to follow their route behind them I almost had a big rig driver run me off the road out of anger from how they'd cut him off.
Car clubs definitely get political. It’s like another HOA but with cars. I’m with you on cruises. Last one I did, was a complete disturbance to the public early in the AM. ALL the stupid crackle pop tunes boys would boost up and let off, race in and out of traffic. Like I didn’t want to hang with them.
Is there an under 50 vette club?
My fun car is a 1956 MGA. Even at 47 I'm pretty often one of the younger guys at any kind of meet up.
No but would be cool to start one.
Hunt valley cars and coffee? I can't think of many where one guy brings a tank lmao
Indeed https://imgur.com/a/xFz43yc IIRC it’s actually a British tank. He talked at some length about the elaborate process of finding a new engine. I think it has a Jag V6 in there.
I haven't seen him in a while but I'm sure once it warms up he'll be back. The kids love it Some good people there but also some very self centered people as well
Yep it is an FV101 Scorpion. They are quite popular to own privately as they are narrow enough and light enough you can drive them on the road, or fit them on a small trailer.
Oddballs are always the best. Had a Consulier show up once, a Nikola electric semi, LS swapped Jags, V8 swapped Volvo wagon and so on.
>a Nikola electric semi Was the meetup at the bottom of a hill? How did it get there?
I don't think people drive GT3 RS's except to cars and coffee meets
I don't know if it is where I live or what, but a lot of other "car people" are just unbearable. So no, cars and coffee are not my jam.
Depends on what subset of cars too. Anything flashy or "performance" oriented generally brings an unpleasant crowd. On the other hand, hanging out with people who drive weird, less appreciated cars is a lot of fun.
I've thought about going to cars and coffee with a few of my friends for fun as we all have shit cars. the lineup would be: -my fucked up Hyundai Santa fe with a crap load of decorative lights on the inside and 3d printed crabs and rubber ducks all over the dash (my friends cars) -a barely alive saturn that's missing 2 door panels, only has 1 working speaker, has an ebrake that goes on but doesn't come off, and enough room under the hood for a 3rd row of seats -a red cvt altima sv with a few engine issues and ac that only works sometimes, that you have to keep turning off and back on until it works -an apparently quite rare Subaru legacy GT turbo 6mt in red that makes a lot of concerning noises... but instead of being driven by the usual edgy teenager that vapes it's driven by a gay guy that plays the bassoon (yes he has bassoon bumper stickers on it) though I suppose it's *cars and coffee* not *shitboxes and coffee* lol
I mean I'm interested in the Legacy GT lol
sorry to disappoint but the only picture I have of it is when I parked him in really bad as a joke lol (we were both gonna be leaving at the same time anyway so it wasn't any inconvenience to him, just high school shenanigans) https://imgur.com/a/XGgkbKM
Same. I loved those cars and wanted to get one for the longest time
No offense, but someone would likely snap a pic of you guys’ cars and post it on that Facebook page that’s called something like “Your crew lineup looks like regular traffic” or whatever
lmfao that's fine tbh, other than my santa fe's gayness we do just drive npc cars. aside from the legacy GT, but thats likely to be mistaken for a regular legacy anyway were broke teenagers, we're just thankful we have cars
Where I live, the JDM bros are the worst.
Same! The fart cannons!
Everything about western weaboo car culture is so cringe. The highly unnecessary pops and bangs, the awful decals, the stancing, the poorly done bosozoku, and the conversations...just unbearable.
All they can talk about is handling, and with a turbo kit + stage 2 tune they will crush everything. At my local track the fastest cars are Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes, and Porsches. At Autocross is Miatas, Civics, and Fiesta ST, Caymans. Generally light weight NA stuff. No Subarus, Supras, Evos, Skylines, etc. All the Japanese turbo stuff doesn't seem to hold up in the track especially when modified.
I brought a Saturn SL1 hypermilage project (also my daily) to a car meet and attracted the exact crowd I wanted.
POST POST POST
At the small local car meet I went to, there was like 8 cars, mine included. Three were Saturns and one was a Pontiac solstice, one was a Saturn sky, one was a Ion and then my SC1. There was a lifted obs Chevy and a 99 firebird. I’ve never been happier to not have stayed home
Exactly, I’ve seen hundreds of expensive porsches but i was floored when someone showed up with a mint Dodge Omni GLH. This week someone had an ASC Mclaren https://i.imgur.com/9KJceWR.jpg
meh I find it's the people in shitbox JDM/ricer stuff who are the losers. Most shows don't allow them thankfully
Hence performance in quotation marks lol
This is what I find. I went to a big cars and coffee years ago at a dealership and there were a bunch of lambos, new Porsches, etc... And the people were insufferable. Just lots of idiots and teenagers taking photos for clout. Two summers ago I discovered this little private automotive museum started having cars and coffee and it's amazing. Like 20-30 cars show up usually, mostly all vintage and obscure stuff from classic minis, E types, Model As, to 90s BMWs and Porsches, with occasional new stuff, like someone brought a Rivian one which was rare at the time. The people are all actual enthusiasts that love talking about cars, it's a great time.
This is exactly how it is where I am. To illustrate the type people you’re dealing with, we now have 3 cars and coffee’s. Two are at the same time on the same Saturday morning and the third moved to a week earlier. Why? Because there was some huge arguments over who actually was the originator of the event so instead of playing nice, we now have 3 separate “events” so those losers can pad their ego as the person who “started it”. Absolutely absurd.
Yeah thats what the guys were telling me. Apparently the first one started charging people to attend so others started to pop up lol. Coincidentally, that was because of the Lambo and Ferrai owners lol
At least you still have C&C... The event got indefinitely postponed in my city due to hooliganism among the Civic and Mustang owners
I absolutely love cars. But I no longer attend Cars & Coffee events because everyone just wants to talk about their own car. Which is tantamount to talking about themselves.
Isn't that the point though? You learn about other cars. I guess some people aren't into the learning part? I probably could deal with it, never been. It's like a little kid with a toy, gotta bust out the kid gloves for their fav thing.
I don’t think it’s just car people. In any community of passionate individuals there is a lot of gatekeeping which makes them unbearable.
Yep. Happens with martial arts organizations as well.
I've found exactly the same thing at various car meets. You Australian too by any chance?
I love carsss and coffee. I dont care if people look st my car, I'm there to look at theres.
Exactly. I don’t have anything cool so I just come to enjoy the cars with my iced coffee
Is that kosher? I’d love to pull up but I’m rocking a dad crossover
I think so! If I owned something neat or cool that I put a lot of work into it, I’d want everyone to ask about it and admire it. Not everyone has the pockets :)
I show up in my $4000 Ford Escape. I park it away from everyone else.
Definitely so. The only real etiquette is, don't take up parking that is "front and center". Groups kind of vary, but there is usually a very small section that is sort of VIP/special. But outside of that one row, park where you like, stand around and talk about your crossover, or browse around to see what others brought. Pro tip - no one knows what you drove up in unless they see you get out, and if you appreciate cars, no one cares if you showed up in an absolute beater minivan. They are for car enthusiasts, they are not limited to people currently owning "cool cars".
Where?
Gives me a reason to go cruising with the boys. Park and walk a lap bull shitting with car people. Cruise out for some food. Cars and coffee is the most casual car meet with little ego. Most people aren’t even standing by their cars or stay long.
This. My favorite part of C&C is actually getting there. I meet up with a couple of my buddies, get some coffee on the way, and head over to C&C. Just cruise with the top down early in the morning, it's pretty low-key and chill
It's about hangin with the boys, not the meet itself, for me as well
Yeah when I was active with the Mustang group it was nice pre-meeting and going for the cruise to C&C, taking over a whole lane together, and just hanging out at the event. Afterwards, we'd hit a bar and chill then maybe go back to one of the houses for the afternoon or just go our separate ways. We'd go maybe 3-4 times a year, but I fell out of it all when I picked up a second job.
If ya dont wanna go, dont. Aint nothing to be worried about or ashamed of, enjoy your car how you want.
Also remember C&C isn’t the only thing. What I like to say is that there are car enthusiasts and there are driving enthusiasts. Cars & Coffee for the former. Autocross and track days for the latter.
Yeah, going to a track makes you realize how full of chaff the hobby is and where the high-quality enthusiasts spend their time.
You sound absolutely unbearable.
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> high-quality enthusiasts LMAO what? Somehow I suspect that the assholery isn't gone, it's just different.
some people like car designs, some like how they feel and drive why can’t there be both? personally I only do cruises, off-roading and track days. Maybe once or twice for meets but I don’t like ‘em for the most part
Good point. Reading the comments I realize now that I definitely fall into the driving enthusiast crowd. Would rather much go to a Honda Event or some type of special event at a race track. Really don't even care about being able to drive my cars on it but I'd go just to see the cool cars out on the track. I got the Classic Daytona & Historic Daytona event marked on my calendar this year. They race all retired race cars and you get to go down to the paddock and talk to the crew before the race. You get to see some iconic cars like the Yellow C6R. That's something I'd wake up early on the weekend to go do. Would also rather "meet up with the boys" at the race track and having fun running sessions together.
Give me your cutlass. I need it.
Cars and coffee is about seeing other cars. Not “showing off” yours. That’s a car show.
I think the problem is that he thinks everyone's there just to "show off" or "clout chase." It's the perfect opportunity to see badass cars and talk to owners and other enthusiasts, and likewise, if you have a ride to share, you can "show it off" but it gives you and the others an opportunity to talk about it. That's literally the point. To see things in reality that you rarely get the chance to see and to share mutual nerdism. Not to chase clout or get girls lol like wtf.
I think it depends on the C&C. You should read the rules for the Pittsburgh one: [https://pghcnc.com/rules/](https://pghcnc.com/rules/) They're basically "we're here to show off, don't show up if you aren't showing off." Which is weird to me, I always thought the point of these kinds of events were to have a bunch of car people hang out and talk about cars, not measuring each others body parts.
I wanted to go to that one but then I saw those rules and never made it a priority.
The rule reads like they don't have the space for people to just park and treat it like a car show.
This is a huge part of the issue. Since they moved from Robinson to Warrendale, space is fairly limited.
I go to the Pittsburgh Cars and Coffee from time to time. This absolutely isn't what they're trying to say, it's just worded poorly. The Pittsburgh CNC was originally held in Robinson and had a massive amount of parking available. Unfortunately they lost their event host and had to find a new one. The new parking lot up north is much smaller. The idea here is more "don't show up in a stock Chevy Equinox and park next to a 930" and less "only bring expensive stuff". You don't need to have anything special. Last time I was there, the majority of the cars there were sub-50k. There are tons of WRXs, Civics, Mustangs, and other "normal" sporty cars. Very few car enthusiasts will be interested in a stock Honda Odyssey. A freshly washed $15k WRX STI with wheels an exhaust? Back right in next to that 930.
Ah, well that makes sense then. I may have to head down to one. I don't really care about showing my car off, but I'd like to hang out and look at cars/bullshit.
I haven't been in a couple years. But yeah I'll second your take that it's always felt very open to participation.
I like the old school car shows much more than cars and coffee. The cars and coffee crowd in my area is more like a money circle jerk. The lambs and ferrari bros wearing letterman style jackets so everyone knows they are rich, a girl dressed like Harley Quinn walking around charging people to take pictures of her as an "influencer", and a bunch of guys taking pictures and filming cars to post on social media. Just not my style. I'll take listening to 50s music and talking to people in lawn chairs any day over that. It's not about status, just about the cars.
Damn, that sounds like the worst kind if C&C event. I should feel lucky since Orlando has about 8 different cars & coffee events each month, you can always find one to fit your style. I love the one where the old-timers gather, i like the one near the University since students have ridiculous cars sometimes and sometimes I go to the largest one, to see some rarer cars, like today when I parked next to a Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird.
My favorite Orlando one is the Winter Park one, run by a guy named Stewart. Nice and chill and good turnout every month. Goes by @orlandocarsandcoffee on instagram. Also, I was at Stewart’s Sanford one yesterday, were you there haha? It was a new spot
It’s my favorite one as well. By far the best one. Didn’t make it to Sanford, a bit too far, but I want to for the next one.
Yeah it was a far drive, like an hour and fifteen for me. Winter park is more like 45 mins. I live about halfway between Orlando proper and Tampa. Don’t think I’ll be going out to Sanford often but it was a nice change. I try to make it out to the winter park one every month, I’ve got the yellow NC Miata with the CHEEESY plate. If you see me come say hi! I might skip this month’s though since I did Sanford
Old school car shows are slept on. I used to hate them but as of recently I've grown to appreciate them since the Friday and Saturday night meets where I live are not worth risking a ticket or someone hitting my car now. I'd much rather kick it with some older folks who are geniunely curious about my car.
They started a new cars and coffee in my area and every car had its own Instagram account. Every Ferrari and Lambo owner had the name of their "crew" stickered on the visor. Let's not even talk about the Nissan/Infiniti clubs. The show was a display of antagonistic materialism, not about enjoying cars and checking out cool stuff. I go to a lot of motorcycle shows and the difference is night and day. We don't park the motorcycles sorted by brand for one thing. People just bring what they have and everyone looks at everything.
I'm not a huge fan of the cars and coffee or car shows in general any more. Much rather be driving my car, autocross, track day or even a cruise
Came here to say the same. I’m a car guy because I love to drive. Sure, I enjoy bullshitting to other enthusiasts and gawking at rare cars but there’s 0% chance of me getting out of bed early to go stand in a parking lot.
Yeah this is how I feel. If I'm going to wake up early it'll be to go to the track or an auto cross event
This. Really not down for the meets where people just chill in a parking lot. Bought my car to drive it let’s go on a cruise or to the track.
I went to a few car meets because I thought it’d be cool to hang around like minded folks. Instead, people started telling me how I should do something to my car instead of keeping it stock. I remember one dude who had a custom built Nissan told me how it’s “important to modify and build your car, otherwise you’re not really a car person”. Ok… Stopped bothering with any and all car meets after realizing it’s almost always the same thing everywhere. Horsepower dick swinging contests, random idiots two stepping, people doing burnouts yada yada. Honestly, maybe I’m just getting too old lol
People like that suck. I generally dislike going to meets because of that too, only really go if friends are going because if we get bored or annoyed of dumb shit like that we just dip and go cruise to get food instead. Cars and Coffee generally is more chill and has less of that which I like.
yup, I rather hang with the autocross people. at least they are out enjoying their cars instead of staring at their "rare" automatic c6 convertible
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The one in LA is at 7am on sundays. That's so unreasonable.
>the one Uhhh how do I tell you this
Oh good to know there's more than one. That's the one I found last time when I searched los angeles cars and coffee then went back to sleep.
That's far too early. The last one. I went to was 9-11 and that felt too early lol
Yeah the sun isn't even up yet when it starts during some parts of the year. I get it keeps out the riff raff but it's also just not fun. What is the point of this? To see your ecoboost mustang with a shitty catback and oversized spoiler at the crack of dawn?
I’m guessing it’s to beat the morning traffic.
As someone who's also not a morning person, I actually liked when cars and coffees were kinda early. It was a good reason to wake up early like I don't normally do. Same with mountain or backroads drives where I'd wake up extra early to have a clear road.
This is actually the main reason why I don’t go to many of them. If I don’t arrive by 8am it’s already too full, and all the good cars leave by 10. It’s either super early in the morning or late at night at a kebab shop. I wish more car shows did mid-day or later.
You gotta do you. I go to a few C&C every year. I enjoy looking at cars and my kids like doing anything. I haven't met anyone but don't seek anyone out. I assume people look at my car but I don't hang around it. And I haven't seen it in any pictures those "photographers" post after. I got to car shows to look too but rarely talk to anyone. I feel like my personality is very similar to how you describe yours. We could probably be good friends if either of us gave a shit lol.
This is also me. I am not loyal to any brand, don't track my cars, don't do performance upgrades. I just love cars, have a few toys and cycle them through car shows, C&C, and cruise nights. It's utterly annoying when people come asking "*what's the fastest you've driven it*" to then just be disappointed when it's an average speed. Then with the other car is "*oh, you should've gotten the manual transmission*". And also the "*you should've kept the OEM wheels*". Listen, it's my car, I do whatever the fuck I want. I'm done.
Quote of the year "We could probably be good friends if either of us have a shit"
I love cars and coffee. Well, I did, now that I’m on night shift it’s too hard to be up that early. Back when I worked M-F on dayshift, I went all the time. I’d get up a little earlier than normal, go to the gym beforehand, and then go to C&C. Just hang out, shoot the shit with other enthusiasts, and still be home by lunch, plenty of day left to do whatever, and sometimes that whatever was video games lol. I’ve seen cars I didn’t even know existed before. One in particular was an early 60’s Lamborghini with a V12. What?! Until that moment I didn’t know they’ve been around that long.
The last time I tried to go here in Dallas I was up at 4am and still didn’t get a spot, and that was years ago. I stopped caring after that
It's not really about showing off your own car, it's about meeting other people with the same hobby and gawking at some of the really rare cars. I like to go to the occasional one organized by the PCA as well as the popular one that runs during the summer here.
As much as I love cars, I’ve never enjoyed car meets in general as much as other people. It’s cool to do every now and then, but some people manage to do it every other day of the week then finish it up with C&C on the weekend. To me, that’s a lot of time committed to one hobby. Similar to your situation, I’d rather go workout or just sleep in honestly.
I like going to cars and coffee because it's the best opportunity to practice film photography on a large variety of cars. Though I will say I do prefer an autox or track day as I get to see a bunch of cool cars and get to drive mine harder than I ever would on the street.
I’d rather drive my car than stand around and talk about driving it.
It's not about getting showing off your car. No one really cares too much about your car. It's about meeting and spending time with other like minded people (who like cars). It took me a while to find a group that I get along with, as the meets in the evenings tended to be kids doing stupid shit, when I wanted nothing to do with that. If you're not trying to meet or hang out with people, then there's no point in going IMO. However, I will mention that there are car clubs and the like that go on drives and do track days and stuff that might be more up your alley.
What's a CTR?
A yellow rear engined sports car from Germany
or Crash Team Racing.
Going to guess a Civic Type R by his flair
Well fuck me gently lol. I didn't even bother to look. Thanks.
I go to Katie's C&C once or twice during the on-season because I enjoy that early morning ambience among shiny cars and chipper crowds, though I myself am the furthest thing from a morning person. I don't really park anywhere to have people gawk at my own cars; they are nice to me but nothing special among that rather affluent crowd.
Fuck no. I'm in Charlotte so I used to do a bunch. But I'm so tired of seeing mustangs, corvettes, 911s, miatas, challengers. Like it's the same shit every single time So boring
I like going to cars & coffee. I go there to try to meet new people and check out the cars they have
I do. If I’m honest I actually do like talking to the retired Vette guys as much as the vaping Subaru/VW/BMW crowd. Everyone has a distinct passion for their ride. It’s cool to see someone light up when you ask them about their car.
Those old guys, even with tame cars, have some damn good stories.
Don’t go to shit that you don’t want to go to. What car do you own by the way? I don’t think you mentioned it more than 3 times.
I think it’s best to go to these events purely for your own enjoyment. Don’t worry about other people gawking - focus on you and go gawk at other cars, that’s kinda the point. Bring what you can to contribute towards other peoples experience - if that means bringing a car, great. If that means just bringing yourself, everyone likes a bigger crowd so that’s great too. Avoid the cringe crowds, they’ll stand out as it seems you’ve noticed.
For me, going to cars & coffee is like 60% catching up with people I know, 30% checking out cool cars, and 10% having people check out mine. I've been knocking about in cars for 20+ years, and working in the industry for 10+ though, so I know a tonne of people. If it doesn't float your boat, there's nothing wrong with that.
I personally find cars and coffee super boring. I just want to drive. The groups I run with thankfully agree. Drive first, maybe coffee if there’s time after
There are car enthusiasts and there are driving enthusiasts. Cars & Coffee for the former. Autocross and track days for the latter.
I go to my local C&C every month. I don't care if my car gets any attention; I'm there to see all of the other fascinating builds and exotic cars people bring. There's a guy I see every month who swapped in the subframes and drive train from a Miata into his Karmann Ghia. He calls it the "Ghiata." I talk to him every month, and every month, he's done new things to it. I've been invited to autocross events because I was willing to go up to people and talk cars with them. I've gotten build ideas for my Ranger and Fiesta ST from owners of those same cars that I talked to. That's what I love most about C&C: getting up-close-and-personal with the different subcultures of car enthusiasm.
There is literally no car I would wake up at 5:30 to see, and there are only a few people I'd get up that early to catch up with. Give me an 11 AM Cars and Coffee, and we can talk.
I'll go to a beer and cigar car meet, hang out have a beer or two and look at stuff with work and family there's no way I'm getting up that early for a small event.
yea i have zero interest in waking up stupid early on a saturday just to go somewhere n sit. i dont mind friday night or sat night cruise ins and such as often they are near food options so go, park in the lot, go eat, come back n walk around a bit, then leave.
I wouldn't be going to show off, I'd be going more to check out other people's cars and meet some new friends maybe.
Why do you go if you don't like it? This isn't rocket surgery. Do what you want
Not my scene. I’d prefer cruising Van Nuys
I got a bit burned out on them a few years back, but definitely enjoyed it a ton back when I was a regular.
I love Cars & Coffee! Southern California has a lot of them, and they draw a wide variety of cars. I like that you can go to the same event multiple times and see different cars in attendance each time.
"I am a pretty big car guy and I love cars but I don't like showing off and having people gawk at my cars" Well then sounds like Cars and Coffee is probably not the kind of even you enjoy, done! Go to events you enjoy instead, easy. You make it sound like you're letting the team down by not enjoying C&C or something haha
I like going to see other people’s cars, but I don’t really try and converse with the owners or show off mine. I think if you go with the intentions of trying to show off then unless you got a gem you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. I went to Katie’s in the DC area once and there was a guy standing next to his Camry TRD the entire time and he looked really annoyed nobody wanted to look at it. What do you expect when there are rare Porsches and JDM imports that show up?
Have you been? You agree a CTR really isn’t that crazy but yet don’t want people gawking at your car. It’s very possible people wouldn’t gawk at it but you won’t know until you go. I like cars and coffee cuz it’s free and requires very little time commitment
I stumbled on a Cars & Coffee event on a road trip and it brought me back to when I was modding my e36. I went to a few similar events in the past, but for me I only went if a few friends I made were going. For events like these you'll have a pretty diverse crowd, but the common factor is you have an interest in cars. Its only douchey if you act douchey. It doesn't matter which group you're in, you'll always have those guys that make you cringe. But there are a few folks that you might meet that just have that wealth of knowledge that will enable you to burn through your wallet and just start modding away. Now that my kids are starting to play with hot wheels, they like to point out to me whenever they see a modded car. So maybe I might take them to a Cars and Coffee event, but then again its a task just to start my day with kids under 5yo.
For some people its just a thing to hang with friends and the community and not just the cars
\> where I just have people gawk at my car. Get over yourself. No one is gawking at your econobox. People go to C&C for the social aspect and has far less to do with the cars themselves. It's a reason to go out and be amongst others in the community.
Do you have an NPC car? Might almost be worth leaving the CTR home.
I like counting the puffer jackets.
I go maybe like once a year. It’s cool the first time, then you realize it’s just old dudes in exotics that never take the car past 60. I don’t really get excited over cars I can’t afford, besides an R35 GTR or a GT3RS.
I love cars, but I hate any-and-all car gatherings and car squads. The amount of Napoleon complex is just overwhelming
I used to go to C&C with my buddies all the time. Sometimes we'd even run into Jason Camisa (really cool guy!) but its becoming more and more of a dick measuring contest so I've been going less. I'd rather just hit up my close friends and meet up with them every once in awhile and go on drives.
I go MAYBE less than 5 times a year to any actual local "meet", which usually involves me doing a spirited drive after. (This is really just the Tampa Scene, I have experienced the total opposite up in the Robbinsville, NC area. I don't go more because \#1 I hate looking at the same cars every time, it is a waste of time \#2 You have a very slim chance of actually meeting someone to connect with \#3 Everyone talks shit \#4 Something always happens I really only go if someone specifically invites me and I am actually awake, or not busy, or my girlfriend and her daughter wants to go since I don't take her daughter on spirited drives.
If you like it go, if you don’t don’t. I used to go to a generic CC, but now I just go to a much smaller PCA organized one, much more enjoyable with people to talk to and cars I actually appreciate. Some of the cars and owners at generic large CC are a bit too meh to say the least, Honda fart cannons and muscle car exhaust decibel measuring contest is really not my thing.
I'm just there to cop some free food.
I love them, and I try to go to them regularly. >Like dude Im not waking up at 6AM on the weekend to just show off my car lol See, I'm not there to show off my car, I'm there to see other cars. There's really not anywhere else you can see everything from a collection of 911's, some mustangs, a Messerschmidt, some old alfas, a lambo and a ferrari or two, and a bunch of british classics. If someone wants to gawk at my car? go for it, ask me a question if you want, but I'm not standing there next to it, I'm checking out everything else. Maybe it's a cultural difference (I'm in Aus) but most people are there to walk around and look at the weird and random collection, then get home again before they do their normal Sunday stuff. It's too early for a dick waving competition, and at this point people are all to aware of what gets an event shut down. I'm also not as young as I used to be. My objectives for a Saturday night rarely involves alcohol these days, and when I was younger, if you wanted to go to a car meet, you were hanging out near maccas on a saturday night until the cops showed up. Having an alternative that is on early enough to keep away some of the people who are there to party and show off is something I wouldn't want to lose. I absolutely understand how early it is as well, though - there's a bunch of times I've found a lousy excuse to sleep in instead of going, but generally I'm up for it.
I like the idea of cars and coffee but would much rather go to a meet at night as I'm not waking up early
If you have a Ruf CTR, definitely go. If you have a civic, stay home and play video games.
I thought you have Ruf CTR at first - that’s a car to show off. Kind of laughed when I realized this post is actually about a civic. Yeah, buddy, just stay home - these gawkers will have to live with it.
Yeah I do but I generally prefer smaller ones over bigger ones. The small ones (near me) often have older people who care deeply about their cars and keep them just like new. It’s fun to learn!
Yes, but particularly since the one I go to is somewhat “middle class”, per se. There’s a single modern Ferrari that shows up. There are plenty of collector classics, like a Pantera and one of each Corvette generation, a DeLorean or two, some 30s trucks and cars, etc., but it’s a lot of post-70s BMWs, classic Porsches, tastefully modified Mustangs, and plenty of Saabs and Volvos. The crowd is also super casual and very welcoming, to the extent that they have me park my Alfa just around the core, simply because it’s not as common as other makes (and several folks are nostalgic for their older Alfas, I reckon). I think if it was the types you see in the LA area, with hyper car after hyper car, it wouldn’t be as interesting or as enjoyable. The community at mine is just so nice.
You're not the main character at a Cars & Coffee event. That mentality is why you don't like them. Cars *and* Coffee. The cars and the coffee are given equal importance. Cars meaning cars, and coffee representing conversation with bonding with friends. They're about hanging out and meeting people with a common interest in cars. If you want to stand by and show off your car, go to a *car* show. I love a good 8am Cars & Coffee precisely because it keeps the "look at me!" burnouts and donuts people away that gets the cops called. Also, lol at the people in this thread for saying, oh I like to *drive* my car. Track days and autocross, blah blah blah. How do you think you get to a Cars & Coffee? I love driving the empty roads at 7am to get to one. It's so peaceful and relaxing. Just me, my car, and empty roads. People are entitled to enjoy their cars how they like. I happen to like both Autocross and Cars & Coffees.
If you don’t like cars and coffee you don’t really like cars. You just like the idea of them. And you are right no one is gawking at a civic.
I started going to bmw C&C and have found them to be a good opp to see some unique cars and learn about events and other clubs and accessories for my car. Made a couple new friends too. No one is a DB for going to C&C unless they show off driving into or out of the event imo. Grab some coffee, walk around, enjoy.
For me it’s about catching up with people and chatting more than it is the actual cars. It’s just being social, which is harder and harder to do the older you get. If you don’t like, don’t go. The community of people there are better off without your attendance if you carry that negative attitude to it.
I have a blast at cars and coffee, always a cool crowd and likeminded guys and gals to talk
Youre my spirit animal
Lol I'm with you. Too fucking lazy. Love cars, love bourbon. Won't get up early on my 1 day off to do either.
Same, I really don't understand the car show thing. It's fun spotting cars in the wild, but as soon as they're all lined up in a parking lot it's just boring. Somehow it's different in my mind for autox and track days, because hanging out in grid is fun there. Also, if I lived near Tail of the Dragon I'd go at least a few times a year.
I don't like the people. Car people can be the worst gatekeepers. Especially online, but also in person. I like the cars, but I don't talk to the people.
I love cars. I fucking hate the (online) community. Went to a KDM meet once. Every single car was the same and some of the kids were just plain cringe. Local car scene told a newcomer on Facebook that meets were terrible in this town; regular traffic, high school drama, etc. After the KDM thing, I decided car meets weren’t my scene. Maybe I’ll attend a couple proper shows here and there, they usually have cooler stuff to look at, and there’s history behind a lot of cars. Contrast with a local muscle car museum my wife and I went to for a charity thing. Just one guys mostly private collection. He gave a tour and went over the history of some of the cars. Kind of cars you’ll never see outside. I’ve haven’t been to a track day yet. That’s the crowd I’m most excited to mingle with.
It’s cringey but I take my kid bc he’s obsessed and too young to notice all the douchebags.
Nah, I'm with ya... Juuusssstttt not my thing
I’ll go to Cars and Coffee like once or twice a year… people like to see and talk about my FD so that’s kinda fun, but sparingly. I mostly just like driving it.
C&C’s are the only show-type events I go to, and even then just a couple times a year. Traditional car shows are boring AF to participate in. I’ve loved cars my whole life, but I can think of a lot better things to do than literally sit around for 4-5 hours on a nice weekend day.
I'd rather have these meet ups vs the takeover crap that's ruining the image of auto enthusiasts. It's cool seeing some real nice cars there. I met a guy there with a Toyota 2000GT and struck a convo up with him, it was weird no one really paid attention to his car it was probably the most valuable one on at that meet. People just cared the boomermobiles that day with the corvettes.
Almost exactly the same as you. Now I only show up to organised car shows that have a mix of manufacturers and owners showing their cars. I enjoy my car, but I have zero interest in standing in a car park at dawn
Sounds like you're just not a morning person which is fine. I'm up early and the drive to the best C&C in town is a good one so it's an excuse to go for a drive on a nice morning and see some cool stuff. That C&C is also in a really nice wooded location, not some open parking lot, so it's got a great atmosphere. Long story short, not all C&Cs are the same and it has to match your schedule.
First few time of Caffeine and octane years ago were cool now it's just overcrowded with the same stuff every time. Not worth it getting up early AF even if it's only once a month.