Why is the forums so quiet these days?

[decryphe]

(04-13-2019 02:50 PM)d3nso Wrote:  Well social media took over. Today everybody lurks around facebook or instagram...

This is definitely true. Most of the more generic forums have died, only niche ones are left. It's really a question of finding resources - which is easier in a forum like this for such a niche hobby, than it is on social media.

(04-14-2019 06:07 PM)Power_uP Wrote:  Is the AE86 scene dying?

Here in Switzerland, the AE86 scene has always been a handful of guys, no more. At the Japan Classic meet, there's really only a handful of AE86es, a little like other rare unicorn cars (old Celicas, any old Japanese non-tuning cars, etc).

(04-15-2019 02:34 PM)Power_uP Wrote:  So who do you think is buying 86s now? I agree that the average buyer has changed. I've pretty much given up on being able to afford another one.

I happened to get into the AE86 vibe by being an odball in many ways. It's not a car that appeals to most, as it's old, not connected to particular racing heritage in Europe, fairly unknown and not the best looking of the bunch (I'd call the design quirky). Also, it's not within reach for someone who would "just like to try" anymore.

(04-22-2019 08:43 PM)Power_uP Wrote:  This really is the quietest forum ever. I think sadly the car may be just too rare in Europe, maybe if the car had developed a following earlier in its life then more of them would have survived and there would be more members on here.

I think that the car's transition into being an expensive collectors item might not be a good thing for the community in the long run. Maybe if the members here were more active it would encourage new people to join the forum and participate?

I have no idea about stuff like Opel Manta, old Escorts, BMW 2002, Triumph sports cars or other rare unicorn cars. Probably the scenes for those are similar. Eventually it'll be a handful of people, spread all over a continent, that actually care for or can even afford these items. There's enough cars that are forgotten by most, but only change hands at auctions or private sales.

All of this doesn't mean I'm going to get bored of mine, that's a relationship that's very tactile and offline.