The Customized Ride

Father & Son Automotive Media Team Covering car shows, meets, events, etc..
The Customized Ride
Hot Classic Rides
Heavy Load Trucks

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Rolling Legacy Media
P.O. Box 747
Pooler, GA 31322

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The Customized Ride

2 months ago | [YT] | 67

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The Customized Ride

Some real talk today
Are we pushing the next generation away from the car community without even realizing it?

Over the past few years covering shows with The Customized Ride, and now watching my own son fall in love with cars through Hot Classic Rides, I’ve noticed something that honestly bothers me more every season.

Too many young people are getting judged, laughed at, or looked down on because of what they drive.

Not everyone starts with a six-figure build.
Not everyone can afford paint, wheels, air ride, or a full restoration.
Some kids are just trying to keep an old car running with the little money they have, and instead of being encouraged, they get mocked.

I’ve actually talked to a few younger guys recently who told me straight up they don’t even want to bring their cars to shows anymore because of the comments they get. Think about that for a minute. We always talk about how we want the car community to grow, but what kind of example are we setting if the next generation feels like they don’t belong unless their car is perfect?

Another thing we need to remember is just because someone has different taste than you doesn’t make their ride bad, it just makes it different.

I remember when I was 18 and into lowrider trucks, we were definitely the outcasts at the time. A lot of people didn’t like that style and weren’t shy about saying it, but that was part of the culture back then. Everyone had their own taste, and the variety is what made the scene interesting. To this day I still love Lowrider Trucks.

Car culture has always been about variety.
Hot rods, lowriders, lifted trucks, imports, muscle cars, rat rods, classics, customs, that mix is what makes shows fun. None of us would want to go to a car show where every vehicle looked exactly the same. The differences are what make this community what it is.

Most of us didn’t start with show cars either.
Most of us started with whatever we could afford.
Primer paint, mismatched parts, loud exhaust, hand-me-down wheels… that’s how a lot of stories begin.

Somewhere along the way, parts of the community forgot that.

If we want this culture to still be around 10, 20, 30 years from now, we need young people to feel welcome. We need them to want to come to shows, ask questions, learn, and build their own rides in their own time.

Encouragement builds the community.
Ridicule shrinks it.

I’m not saying everyone has to like every car. That’s part of car culture. But there’s a difference between having opinions and making someone feel like they don’t belong.

If we want the car scene to keep growing, we need to make sure the next generation feels like there’s a place for them in it.

Because one day, they’re the ones who will keep this whole thing alive.

And I know there are many great builders and veterans in this community who do an incredible job encouraging the next generation, and that deserves respect. This isn’t directed at them. It’s just some things I’ve seen more and more over the last few years that concern me, because if young people stop feeling welcome, the car community won’t keep growing the way we all want it to.

Chris from The Customized Ride