The End Of The Car Community

[@AlexMartini.]

I’m still wrapping my head around this topic so I apologize if my video here gets a little..stern. Not my intention but I do want to try and make a video that goes past just “takeovers are dumb.” I’d truly enjoy your thoughts on this 👇 😎😎 - PS The Golfers Hat dropped so DON'T MISS OUT! - AlexMartini Official site - bit.ly/3vZQFyC Subscribe - bit.ly/3kXgWr0 Gaming Channel - bit.ly/37tED70 Instagram - bit.ly/3KXRGeH TikTok ► bit.ly/3P6Uv0d Facebook ► bit.ly/3M26Ssq Official Marketing Agency ► www.metamartini.net/

[@BC_CARS]

Nah nah nah being stern on the community is needed. Something’s need to be vented out and fixed. This shit stain on the community is something that needs to leave. We as the car community don’t vouch for this absolute utter bull shit

[@bso4173]

Do your research mane. You got it twisted

[@huntermacdonald6431]

Honestly I agree. Do dumb shit when its only a danger to yourself but I feel like these might be stemming from anguish with all the recent laws targeted at car people and future gas car bans. I think people are pissed and want to do something to get back at powers that be. Still think its fucked up tho. I feel like real car enthusiasts are sensitive to the dangers they pose when engaging in illegal activities and this is clearly not that.

[@longwingdetrain3183]

I personally have been saying and think thats the younger car community is doing what the younger generation does, think they are better than their elders and do the same dumb shit they did. Understanding that what you are doing is illegal, and if you get caught there will be punishments is key. From my experience(in the Hampton Roads/Virginia Beach car scene), a lot of the younger crowd is “going with the flow” and imitating the people who’ve been there for awhile without thinking about what they are actually doing or putting the time and effort into understanding or even becoming good at something, as for the SAFETY of those who are not doing something illegal. One of my favorite KZbin channels is Safe Racer and he needs to be promoted far more in the car community.

[@JustinAndCars]

Alex, not to take away from the topic but the death we are talking about was from a drag race, they took off (bmw) and lost control in the first 100 ft and hit a family on a golf cart. The real problem is idiots with cars & the mob mentality.. wildwood is a city that’s like 5 miles long.. no body should doing 60+ anywhere in that city.. people let there kids run ahead of them. It’s a family town. (Also the fact that the mayor allowed the event is mind blowing to me) not to say takeovers aren’t dangerous but anybody doing high speeds in a small vacation town is just an asshole and we all need to call out douche bags…

[@campaignslayer]

As a gearhead in my early 30s I’m glad I belong to a small club. We meet up 2,3,4 times a year and it’s a park and chill with an occasional cruise past a kids birthday party. The mob mentality of takeovers bring the worst out of people. Even driving my SC300 in more urban areas makes people want to show off and do stupid stuff around my car….. like bro calm down, it’s a stock motor sc300 with over 200K on the odometer. You have nothing to prove to me. Rant over, I’m just sick and tired of my hobby now being demonized by average joe.

[@user-sk4wf3ve6z]

I get the same,I have a m3 bmw that's a weekend/track car and whenever I'm out in public everyone wants to race or do dangerous stuff when I have no interest in doing that,it's very annoying,I appreciate people appreciating the car but it gets exhausting dealing with idiots all the time,just go to a track if you want to let loose,even if it's 200 miles away and you only go 3 times a year,just go to a track

[@campaignslayer]

I agree 100% man. The track is meant for those type of things.

[@oliverelizalde]

Amen

[@prestoiidx]

FR it shows their own insecurity trying to impress others who don't even notice them

[@_Machine631_]

please don't ever refer yourself, or anyone for that matter as a "Gearhead". it's as bad as people calling me a "Hotrodder" as I drive around in my evo.🤦‍♂🤦‍♂

[@Errorz404_]

honestly im glad im in a smaller town where take overs don't happen, but even still, if im driving around in my lowered honda, the cops follow me around or pull me over and ask if im heading to a take over

[@AlexMartini.]

One can ruin it for everyone unfortunately :( We've got a new short dropping tomorrow so hopefully you subbed and let me know what you think!

[@TheDeadCylinders]

We feel the same way, not enough people in our town for takeovers to be a big deal. Regardless there's still a handful of people that feel the need to ruin it for everyone else and leave a bad taste with the local police.

[@dexxfilmz]

WT town ima go shut shit down 😈

[@gang6009]

what's happening to you is totally illegal and you should stand up for yourself and your rights

[@Errorz404_]

@@gang6009 huh, your right. i should probably look more into that

[@ioriOki]

On my small island in Japan, street racing and the mountain roads were our only outlet, but we always did it with respect to the community and stopped for passing traffic. However, once I got to the U.S. it was something totally different and not at all safe. After I experienced my actual first track day, I have never looked back at the streets... to be honest, I lost interest in car shows due to the thrill of the track. I think the solution is more tracks, more skid pad events, etc. but the most important solution is people just growing up.

[@kameroncrowell4416]

It is my dream to experience the car scene and touge runs in Japan I drive the mountains around la and San Diego but I don’t think it will ever compare from what I hear

[@UniqueHandles]

Who asked?

[@tristinwhitworth9121]

@@UniqueHandles you're the problem

[@moxine_]

@@UniqueHandles not you, now shoo

[@lordodin5755]

Lol i don't even get that far i just wanna build cars.

[@Daysaturate]

Honestly TikTok in general has had a big hit on the car scene, with all these clout chasers messing up nice cars with bad builds, or people encouraging owners to rev, burnout and such. Like a recent event I went to, it was just filled with people running around chasing the pops and bangs for their TikTok videos, and disregarding other people by bumping into them or not watching where they're running. One dude even kicked my camera bag just to chase a car popping and just continued running. If my stuff broke, I had no way of tracking down who exactly it was. Genuinely was just a horde of clout chasers running like a zombie mob.

[@cckiller0053]

Well it looks like we got to take back our streets, have your guns ready, protect your roads from these street gangster wannabes

[@MrTheHillfolk]

What also makes me chuckle about that is how they even get clout ,I mean they don't own the car they're filming. The car owner is who I give credit to, not the guy recording it

[@theyourmumifyer]

What you say is spot on. I hate the community these days, I refuse to even download tiktok. I rarely even go to cars and coffee now either because there are rarely nice cars there anymore. It’s just the same shitty tiktok builds. It’s just a shame that no one seems to drive their cars these days for enjoyment, it’s just drive to a carpark, take a few pictures or talk shit and drive home. Sad to see.

[@brkbtjunkie]

TikTok creates zombies. China is happy.

[@x1warrior1x85]

tiktok ruins everything

[@colinhawks2469]

One of the things I’ve noticed in car culture over the past many years in general is the escalating scale and intensity of behaviors within it. Meets started getting really toxic with increasing levels of aggression and “acting out” to the point where I stopped going. Same thing has occurred I believe with these street takeovers. Shit’s gotten way too out of hand where it’s just flat out dangerous. Idk, maybe it’s just me, but I feel like being in a situation where have to worry about life or property (mine and others around me) isn’t really “a good time”. Doesn’t even feel like it’s about “cars” anymore to me but rather an out-of-hand street party with an automotive flavor. …honestly, I think I’m growing very tired of the current clout chasing epidemic in culture. Feels like it’s everywhere these days. Feels disingenuous…

[@christcarscountry6870]

People go to meets nowadays just to have their cars complemented to feel good. So when they realize no one cares and are just there to hang out, they act out to draw attention. In all honesty, I think social media has something to do with it. Yeah, I know I sound like an old man, but anything you post on the internet has the possibility to be seen, like, hated, or otherwise responded to in some way. And influencers make being the center of everyones' attention look so appealing. So when you get used to the attention, and used to being heard and responded to or complemented or whatever simply for just existing in the internet space, it drives people to demand it person-to-person as well. Dopamine's a hell of a drug, and everyone's overdosing on it these days. Real life doesn't give you the same instant dopamine kick that the internet is made to, so you gotta chase attention to get the same gratifying response from people.

[@fathead8933]

This is how you get vehicle inspections that make you remove all mods or the car can't get registered. AOPRs are gonna end car culture and it's the car culture's fault. And if they don't, it's only a matter of time before a sub 30 year old with a rwd will have to pay a couple grand a month for insurance. Ask the guys from the 60s how things worked out for them.

[@pieboi3082]

It’s not just the car community, my generation needs to get their head out of there own asses.

[@On_3]

Facts

[@connorbingel7134]

I think we’d be pretty ok if we’d realize that we’re not the center of the universe

[@olympus__]

Absolutely

[@redheadmetalhead247]

This is why I just build my cars for myself, in my garage, and enjoy them by myself. Would be nice to meet a few like minded friends who actually like cars and performance, and who don't build stuff for the approval of others. Street takeovers and most car meets are cop magnets, and I have no interest in them anymore. I used to go to them all the time, but the garbage people would ALWAYS ruin them, and it really killed my "love" for the car "community." It's a real bummer.

[@mrjohnnyk]

Yeah I agree, the idiots ruined the scene for people who got a real passion.

[@frjhracing]

This is the way. I do this too, and it has inspired me to bring it to gaming where you don't have to worry about affecting others. You can see some of my stuff (irl autocross, completed projects, among the game project), but of course you don't have to. The sentiment is usually not shared, and instead we have the horrible mixture of machines + "look at me" culture. It all ends the same...even when the og show/event/gathering were not even including the takeover bs.

[@UniqueHandles]

Yeah, nobody asked bro

[@Prince_.A]

Same man. I remember everyone tell me that I "should" have got a faster Camaro instead of mine. But I didn't get my car for others. I love my car and I don't care what other people think. I just hang out with the couple friends I have with similar car interests and stuff because the general car community tries to do too much. I'd rather do donuts by myself than for a crowd lol

[@mrjohnnyk]

@@Prince_.A I have found that hobbyist communities too often get like that, where you get these out of touch elitists trying to force their ideals/biases on others. The older you get, the less you want to deal with people like that, and the less patience you have for their antics. Just doing your own thing and knowing what works for you is always the best way forward.

[@SimbaBeezFN]

It’s definitely sad. I mainly used to go to car meets to look for a car like mine to ask questions and maybe even give advice, make friends to cruise around with, and more importantly, observe other builds enjoy the atmosphere wit other car guys, but nowadays things are so crazy everybody want to prove they have the biggest balls

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

Exactly man I’m not into all the rowdy stuff. Im there for the cars, to look at peoples builds, a little talking/networking.

[@RogueCowTurd]

thats why i basically go to only cars and coffee events. way different atmosphere. but apparently according to these types of people standing around in a car park is boring

[@idriveastationwagon1534]

I remember back in the old days (the 2000s), the wildest thing i saw at a car meet was a chihuahua who got loose and ran into a busy street. One guy shouted, "that was a youtube moment". This was June 2007. Simpler times.

[@JustinAndCars]

@@idriveastationwagon1534 good ole days when the wild dude did a burnout on the drive out and people yelled ”world star” and one even recorded anything 😂

[@FordHoard]

Around where I am, all the car shows are classic cars with mostly older guys who own them.

[@kalanisarpi4731]

For those that are interested,h2o was started because the air cooled Volkswagens were having shows and meets but didn’t accept the water cooled one. And so h2o was born so that that the water cooled Volkswagen people have their thing (get the name now?). It grew to be a euro car meet then it’s was just a meet and now it’s crazy

[@TitillatedGoat]

ossh it makes sense now lol im crom nz and now i know 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🫱🏽‍🫲🏾

[@michelangelo5903]

that was a dope fact thanks for sharing

[@Tyler-Passat]

I miss those days😕

[@rccustomsli]

Feel like the most of the car scene now a days especially where I'm from is all about getting the most clout. Alot of gatekeeping at meets or shows, certain cars now allowed in. People complaining about police, but then trying to do burnouts and donuts. I feel like it's moving away from the cars itself and more about the clout. Which is sad 😔😔.

[@thatracinggtbmx6453]

Bicycle shows are the exact same i took a lowrider bike and so many people were like do a wheelie or ooh your stupid why didnt you keep it stock like bruh i just want it lookin nice and its physicaly impossible to do a wheelie bc one the seat and pedal placement 2 the frame wouldnt survive when you slam the front wheel down 3 you basically sit on the back wheel

[@thegirthquake8574]

That's the main issue-- it's not about car enthusiasm anymore. It's just about clout, you're absolutely right.

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

Thats sad man, what cars are they gatekeeping against? Can you give a few examples

[@rccustomsli]

@@e46m54nissansr20937 seen them not qllow people to meets if your car doesn't look a certain way, seen people yell people to move there cars put of spots because there car isn't nice enough some messed up stuff.

[@thegirthquake8574]

@@e46m54nissansr20937 Why are you attempting to sealion? Dude doesn't need to cite a source for his anecdote lmao

[@joshbugarsky9877]

as a younger car enthusiast the part where you say make sure your not putting anyone else at risk is so true, drifting an intersection is really never a good idea. Go to some random country road with no one for miles and the only thing at risk is a tree

[@veyle-trickshotter5232]

Empty parking lots are fine lol. Rather spin out then hit a tree

[@OnasaD]

@@veyle-trickshotter5232 hahaha I remember (thankfully driving a shitbox civic) going straight into a bush on the country side…

[@bungholio1586]

@@veyle-trickshotter5232 yeah but I think his point is “rather kill/hurt myself being dumb than take out a whole family while doing it”. That my though process at least.

[@azi9_ity]

@@bungholio1586 but endangering others is fun. I'd rather take others with me to hell than go by myself. Of course, I'm not going to tell anyone this secret, though.

[@mitchellbl2228]

Even that to me is stupid. Less dangerous and only a risk to you. But if it was me, and I truly loved my car and have lot in it, I wouldn’t want to risk destroying it just for 15 seconds of fun drifting. But to each their own, I won’t judge others who do it safely and only risk their lives and property

[@streetpilot4098]

This trend is going to suffocate the car community. I live in a town of around 60,000 people and there's a decent sized group that likes to put on car meets, but there's been a couple times where some idiot will try to crash it, and it's never even a vehicle worth bragging about. One meet some kid in a Ford Ranger showed up to the Lowe's parking lot we were in and did a burnout until we chased him out. Then the last meet at a parking garage, some kid shows up in a Nissan Altima and tries whipping it around until a few of us chased him out. Hell, the organizer got their plate on video and told the property's security about it because we're done screwing around and letting these idiots mess up our meets. It only takes one jackass to screw it up for everyone, and the news articles prove that. Like you said, find an open empty area to have your fun in, where you're only putting yourself at risk.

[@UniqueHandles]

That’s why I crash the meets in a tuned FD 😉 Altima kids aside, you’re kinda dumb and not a lot of people care about your opinion

[@garrettmac1970]

Is this Lancaster Pa? Sure sounds like it!

[@henrynewgent8481]

Takeover people desire attention and mayhem. It’s that simple. There’s plenty of other ways to go do donuts and slide your car around without putting innocents at risk. They don’t get to be the center of attention doing donuts in an empty lot with no one around.

[@esthetics4512]

💯

[@29shdw]

based🙏 speaking facts. As a young car enthusiast seeing all these fart-can regular traffic takeovers and speeding, just looking for the old, peaceful car shows, small relatively safe street races and safe car meets. Hopefully things will get better by next year when I get my licence. Most takeovers and burnouts and stuff is just arrogant young people. I know I'm also young but thankfully my father as a classic car owner has taught me the difference between the good and the bad. Looking forward to the car scene improving! thanks for the video Alex, many people need to see this!!!

[@AlexMartini.]

Appreciate the support! Hope you subbed to watch the next video!

[@indy5280]

I kinda know the feeling. I also do not have a license yet but I also cringe when I just see street takeover crash or something like that on the news. It is giving the car culture a bad name. I also enjoy going to a peaceful car show. The only difference is that my parents do not own classic cars. I do help with basic maintenance

[@existinginaspace8347]

You won't find any here that aren't strictly classic cars only because they all get kicked out of the parking lots.

[@UpperRobin29]

This is gonna be a spicy comment so buckle up- I mean the problem is that these takeovers really make a bad name for actual enthusiasts. We have it hard enough as it is and in the eyes of your average layman, these people seen on TV and Tiktok who are actively shutting down intersections, crashing into each other, running into cars and getting themselves killed; They think that's us. And God help you if you're a Mopar enthusiast that doesn't partake in these events because now you essentially have a big red target on your back thanks to these folks. My Gov here in Florida, Desantis just passed a bill that made these events "illegal" which I fully support on paper but the problems with that is 1: Takeovers, street racing and hooning is already against the law, 2: All it does is raise the fines for getting caught and a 30 day impound period (I think it should be more severe personally), and 3: Every officer is gonna enforce this differently. I don't want this to become like California where the cops will pull you over for just about any excuse they can find. The cops down here are generally so chill and lenient towards modified cars here and I want to keep it that way. You could be driving anything from a clapped out stancy boi g35 to a rust bucket Ranger with two missing wheels and an untied sofa hanging out the tailgate and you'd still not run into too much trouble with law enforcement. But at the same time the amount of bs they allow people to get away with especially in Miami and Ft Lauderdale with the ATVs and dirt bikes is insane. You'll see a whole army of hundreds of people smashing mirrors, scraping up against cars, and blocking the already miserable traffic and who's gonna pay for that damage? You are because they're long gone and couldn't care less about others in their community. I think if we're able to get rid of this cancer on the car scene without impeding on actual enthusiasts who just enjoy their cars, it'll be a really positive impact on the car scene. Maybe some of these takeover people can learn to take their skills to a track or a burnout box while not endangering the lives of others and looking like clowns in a circus act.

[@AlexMartini.]

You said it extremely well. The less of this happening, the more people can actually enjoy shows and meets, and hopefully the less cops involved! We've got a new short dropping tomorrow so hopefully you subbed and let me know what you think!

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

Thats ok im gonna start snitching on them not going to let them ruin the fun and reputation for true car enthusiast

[@DoktorJeep]

Hey man that sofa comes in handy.

[@BMWROYAL]

How many people got killed at the actual takeover

[@Christian3522]

There was a season closer meet in my city that pretty much turned into a takeover as everyone was just being super rowdy and just doing burnouts in the streets for no reason. A lot of us are getting fed up with it due to all the extra heat we have been getting from police now. Same thing with way too loud exhaust with pops and bangs. Guess we just have to teach the younger car enthusiast.

[@AlexMartini.]

We need to be role models for the upcoming enthusiast generation!

[@alexsihota9763]

Edmonton?

[@joebone3151]

Burnouts are fine they are meant to go one direction. But the donuts are what kill it.

[@Christian3522]

@@alexsihota9763 how did you figure that one out 🤣. Yeah that whole meet with "Clown Holders" or whatever they call themselves

[@alexsihota9763]

@@Christian3522 I happened to be there, almost got hit by a subie tryna do a rolling burnout

[@cyberzombie038]

It all boils down to the saying "There's a time and place for everything."

[@sinonasada9078]

We all grown to play videos games like NFS were the warning label is to " take it to the racetrack and wear a seatbelt"

[@marcusowens8326]

I hope this gets a million views man, seriously one of the most powerful calls to action I've ever heard.

[@mrjohnnyk]

The car enthusiasts need to take back their scene.

[@UniqueHandles]

@@mrjohnnyk That’s not going to happen, lol

[@5.3taliban10]

@@mrjohnnyk more like crash 💥 it🤣 like they been doin 💯

[@sicari0s692]

Yeah the Atlanta car scene is now dead because of takeovers Can’t even get together with the guys anymore if the cops see more then 5 of us in one place they shut us down even if we just park and chill

[@0Heeroyuy01]

go some place that has a big parking lot that is a restraint then they cant kick you out so long as youre all buying food and not causing issues

[@sicari0s692]

Even if we do that we have some cops just chill outside the establishment until we leave

[@AlexMartini.]

They'd rather be safe than sorry it seems! PS. Appreciate the comment as always! We're posting shorts and pillar videos every day during the week so it'd mean a lot if you subbed and let me know what you think of the next one!

[@GulpMeUp]

Lmao McDonald’s drive through with ur v8 LMFAO

[@dadhats]

I went to H2Oi from 2015-2020 and I gotta say it wasn't a takeover until 2020 where people started shooting fireworks at cars and fighting in the streets. doing burnouts every once in a while is one thing, but it started getting to a whole other level

[@iamsuperflush]

hmm I wonder what big change happened in 2020 that could cause a rise in antisocial behavior. Perhaps some kind isolation event where we all lost the social check and balances that instilled a sense of propriety...

[@DJSeeMaq]

Nah. H2Oi was ruined when the JDM enthusiasts started showing up way before 2015. I'm not hating on the JDM scene at all, that's just when things went south. I think that was about 2010. I could call out a few events that started the decline, but anyone who was there already knows.

[@jimmy9912]

I'm super lucky that I live in WA in a town where they are chill car enthusiasts it's always just car meets no take overs at all, unless you go to maybe Seattle or a major city going south but it rarely happens

[@AlexMartini.]

That’s a good thing man.

[@BlokHed75]

I live outside of a few bigger cities but shockingly there's only one or two clubs that encourage dangerous clout chasing and toxic behavior like that. Every other club in the area hates them but doesn't say anything so they don't get aggressive and try to take down the rest of the local scene

[@zachogdahl210]

Same. The car scene here in western WA is super chill biggest drama we had was the leavenworth drive being shut down because there were way way too many cars going and the city was overwhelmed (800+ lmao).

[@seattlejdmcivic]

I'm also from Western Washington to but I live closer to Seattle that's cool that it's chilled up there where you are BUT down here by Seattle.. I'm only 29 but I grew up here in the early 2000s and Kent Street races are still big but they used to be huge in the early 2000s we're talking 500 to 1,000 plus cars every Friday and Saturday night I mean it got so big I remember when they did a national geographic episode on us that still on KZbin back in 2011!! The difference between the street races and these takeovers is at least up until about 2016 when the guy running it until about 2010 when he moved to Cali and then our friends took over from about 2012-ish till 2016 we had it organized!! There were certain tracks we would always race at in Auburn Kent Renton Seattle and Maple valley THE DIFFERENCE IS WITH OUR STREET RACES COMPARED TO THESE TAKEOVERS it's in the warehouse district that's shut down after midnight so the only people endangering themselves are the street racers we're not doing it on busy main intersections where there's a bunch of innocent people around the cops have known about it it's been going on since my grandpa was a kid in the 60s but like I said we go to deserted roads in the warehouse district that are shut down after midnight WE WOULD PURPOSELY TRY TO BE OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND YES AT THE MEET SPOT IN KENTON RENTON 500 TO 1,000 PLUS CARS IS KIND OF HARD TO HIDE WHEN THEY FILL UP ALL THE PARKING LOTS AROUND THAT INTERSECTION but we all go in a big line to a race spot do our thing then when the cops eventually would come through flash their lights break it up for a second we all go back to the meet spot hang out again for another hour or two call the next meet spot where we would go race until the sun would come up The thing is about these takeover kids they purposely pick busy intersections on purpose yes street racing is still bad but the difference is trying to do it in an area away from people and other innocent drivers!!!!! These takeovers have done it in front of the space Needle I-5 freeway The narrows bridge and other main intersections while people staying close enough to get hit or cars collide into each other Ever since about 2016-17 I don't know who runs the races anymore and they still go on every Friday and Saturday night and they're not nearly as organized as they used to be listening to police scanners planning out the tracks ahead of time At one point when our group was running it back in the day we would tell drunk drivers you ain't got to go home to get the f*** out of here because we don't need to mix that with street racing no fights no shootings no bullshit take that somewhere else you're going to make it hot when it's already an illegal activity I even had my small group of friends at one time when we had our own crew back in the day where we would go race with about 15-20 cars but we'd find it secluded road that's away from everybody and everything on a long mile long straight away with nothing but farms around outside the city to the point where it was so chill even the people who lived at those farms would come out and sit and lawn chairs and watch us BECAUSE WE HAD IT ORGANIZED SOMEBODY WOULD SIT AT THE END OF THE ROAD ON EACH SIDE WITH THE RADIO AND TELL US IF THE CAR WAS COMING AT THE END OF THAT LONG STRAIGHT AWAY AND IF IT WAS WOULD SHUT IT DOWN WAIT FOR THE CAR TO PASS LET HIM THROUGH GO AGAIN AND WOULD RACE TWO BY TWO I'M SORRY FOR THE LONG COMMENT BUT I KNOW STREET RACING ISN'T GOOD EITHER BUT THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOING IT WITH RESPECT FOR OTHER PEOPLE ON THE ROAD AND AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE AND DOING IT PURPOSELY AND BUSY AREAS TO BE COOL AND ENDANGERING OTHERS IT'S ONE THING TO ENDANGER OTHER RACERS ONLY IT'S ANOTHER THING TO ENDANGER THAT FAMILY THAT'S IN A MINIVAN NEXT TO YOU AND YOU KILL SOMEBODY'S KID AND GOT TO LIVE WITH THAT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

[@zachogdahl210]

@@seattlejdmcivic i used to go to the kent races too when i was a teenager in my slow ass mitsubishi. I always enjoyed the fact that they were done on empty industrial roads. We had a small racing scene in kitsap as well but it was more of a touge vs drags like in kent. Used to block off part of sunnyslope road in port orchard and race along it. Lots of corners and no houses or side roads along the entire stretch.

[@joeyofblades]

Used to look forward to Ocean City cruisin' every year but between friends not going anymore and the absurd special event zone fines, it's just not fun anymore. So easy to launch the car just a little too hard and get 8 different tickets worth $2000. The cops are downright predatory and give no fucks, they all hate that they have to be there and deal with car enthusiasts. Takeovers have ruined just about every local car meet in MD that isn't a cars and coffee. Basically any evening meet in the past few years has turned into a takeover/banger meet and property managers have even started preemptively refusing to allow use of their lots, either because they watched the news and are now scared of "what could happen", or their lawyers advised them that it isn't worth the liability. I'm glad you raised the point about this because so many people hate us now. Regular traffic, cops, property managers, all lump all car enthusiasts into the same stereotypes now and no one wants us on their properties, in their neighborhoods, or even on the street with them. Because all they think of is this whenever they see a modified car. I've heard in Virginia they are actively giving out repair orders for exhaust now; they are literally trying to break peoples' spirits and make them lose the will to even modify their cars anymore. It really does seem like the end, but cars and coffee and certain big events will survive. Sure I miss Friday night meets and hate getting up at 8am to go hang out with a bunch of 60 year olds at cars and coffee, but if that's all that's left I just have to accept it. But definitely gone are the days where anyone could host a car meet on short notice just because the weather is good... cops will show up within 15 min and tell everyone to leave because they don't have permission to be there. It sucks and didn't used to be this way 8 years ago but it is what it is. I think you covered a lot of good points. It really does get on my nerves when people use the most common rebuttal "bUt StReEt RacInG iS BaD toO aNd YoU dO thAt rigHt?" when someone denounces takeovers, but in the eyes of the law both are illegal so it's really just a matter of like you said, how many people are around that could potentially get hurt by the activities?

[@WANHandler]

Never went to meets, but I’ve noticed the uptick in crazy sideshows has bled over into places that never host sideshows. I remember there was one on a road not too far (a few miles) from my house and all the cars were from out of town. For the following week cops were behaving super paranoid despite the people they were concerned about not being local. It really sucks. Even the lowkey spots where enthusiasts would drive/hang-out have become more sparse. A few years ago it wasn’t uncommon for me to go up to a lookout point with my buddies and have some good convos a few random people-now we just see people passing by. With this being said, the assholes moved on to other roads so the people I do see cruising are less-insane than before. IDK. It’s just different . Everyone does stuff for clout instead of passion and sideshows are the epitome of this in the car community. The elephant in the room here is that basically all non-rural cops were told not to do anything about sideshows or general chaos for at least a year straight. Shit, now they’re undermanned and it won’t get any better for them.

[@dham99]

nail on the head. You engage in this type of behavior, you're not an enthusiast. You are literally just trying to cause harm and be confrontational. you cannot claim to be an enthusiast and turn around and intentionally destroy the meets/cruises that people work hard to get permissions for.

[@SickStreets4K]

Sorry but while it’s still bad, TX2K style highway runs at like 3 am with little to no traffic isn’t the same as these idiots in shitboxes with no mufflers doing dumb shit in an intersection. But yea, can agree it’s all illegal anyway. Florida’s bringing the hammer down on everyone bc of how out of hand the takeovers started getting.

[@gamemastr7]

The sad thing is in my case, I hadn't even gotten started on car events around SoCal and I'm already not interested. I have a 1998 Subaru Impreza gc8 that I'm going to be restoring into the STI and I was going to go and show up to one of these events and now.... That seems very less likely now. The mentality that the community has when it comes to cars has changed and it's just becoming more and more toxic. People don't want to respect other people's builds anymore and it's just becoming more hateful. I happen to be one of those people that already feels like they don't belong there and I hadn't even got started on a transforming my cars yet. The funny thing is is that even non-car enthusiasts have told me not to go public with my builds cuz people are going to be hateful even if you are humble. To me, I just don't see the point anymore. That's just my two cents on the whole thing.

[@wisekyle0800]

We in my city take over this area in a industrial park at night, and it's the coolest thing ever, we got food trucks, mobile DJ trucks, portapottys, a dead end road with this big circular end for donuts. Its literally a massive controlled party where yes we stunt, however if you're there you take the risk of getting hit. Gotta take that liability when you go and understand, or when you stunt, gotta be in control and don't do too much and step out of your control.

[@christcarscountry6870]

Out here in Texas, every Saturday night in Kemah there used to be a car show in the Home Depot parking lot. All classic American cars for the most part. All oldheads with tons to share, tons to learn, and tons of respect. Some of these geezers were showing up in gassers, pro street, and everything in between. Some really killer muscle there. But they pulled up, shut their cars off, pulled out their lawn chairs and talked the night away. No one ever got hurt, no one ever got arrested, and the Home Depot that let them start meeting fricken loved them for the business and them being respectful - so did the Chick-Fil-A, Wendy's, and Target. It was heaven. When my dad realized I liked cars when I was a wee boy, he started taking me there. Tons of fond memories from that parking lot. Then the hot boi nation attacked. All of a sudden, these asswipe teenagers started showing up. No respect for the oldheads there. No care to learn how things were run at this meet. They came straight up, and started revving their little stock traffic-car Hondas, blasting shitty degenerate music out of their squatted, neon-infested trucks, and doing burnouts when they left. Pretty soon the Home Depot hated them, and so did the old guys. Eventually, someone got stabbed. Fucking stabbed. And the whole show was shut down. Cops came, Home Depot kicked us out, and that was the end of it. The show is over. A thirty year tradition is over. Because of arrogant teenagers. People MY age making ME look bad and ruining EVERYONE else's time to show off and feed their dumbass egos. Fellas, people of my generation, quit bitching about how old people hate us so much. Let's face it, between TikTok trends, Insta thots, and the kind of selfish, pompous idiots we have running around, they've got the right. The next time an old person is complaining about our generation, try to sympathize. Because chances are, they may have had something that was pure, respectful, and time-honored ripped away from them by people our age, and may have had to sit and listen as they justified their actions, and others came to their defense. I'm not saying you have to pretend to hate yourself around them, but understand that a lot of the times, this generation kind of just ruins everything. And if they hate us, it may very well be for something important. Just take your time with them, don't get all assholish and defensive, and just prove them wrong casually. Empathize. Break the trend of young people ruining old peoples' shit instead of complaining about how they don't like you. Respect has to be mutual. We'll never get it from the older ones, if we refuse to give it first or acknowledge their point of view.

[@eastcoastken]

I can't get behind the street take overs. Not really one for street racing either. I'd rather go to a track and do it there. It's been a goal of mine to buy a big enough piece of property to where I can have a huge lot for people to do this stuff at. $5 to enter and another $15 to whip some shitties in your car or drift it around a corner or two. I'm older tho and grew up in Okinawa where drifting at 3am in the industrial area was the normal. I'm guilty of doing some not so up & up things. And no I'm not justifying it because it was late night and the roads were empty. It was wrong then and is still wrong now.

[@lunsy9420]

A few teenagers, two in G35s and 1 in a 350Z did this at a 4 way right by my house. They caused a traffic jam and they were cussing the people waiting out. They were going hard with their mouths, not so much the cars. I was at home and my wife came home freaked out. Burn outs are lame especially when it's not at a sanctioned event. I wish I had been there. I would have just pulled up where they couldn't do it. These guys hit the ditches several times. They could not drive.

[@EvoBeard]

"maybe you're just an a##h0le", Bro I was thinking that as you were talking about those people, glad you said it! The issue is absolutely entitlement, and it unfortunately isn't just limited to 'enthusiasts' at meets/takeovers. It's a sad state of affairs wherein people just don't seem to have basic empathy toward others, whether or not they're actually being a huge/minor inconvenience to others, whether they're actually causing anxiety/fear/distress in others. All for the sake of getting a video clip out usually. Maybe I'm just an old git now at the tender age of 40, but even as a teen I was always telling my people to shut up as it got late and when we went places, I was always aware of our presence as a group, we'd always politely say hello to the elderly to make sure they didn't feel threatened and give way to people. I dunno if it's just how widespread media is nowadays, but it sure does seem like there's a distinct lack of empathy these days. We all like to have fun, people just need to consider whether someone else will be at the expense of their fun.

[@observantmonkey4055]

these ppl would die for clout. its insane. they are in their own reality show. their own little matrix.

[@skizilla]

I blame Dodge. If Dodge wouldn't lease a Scat or Hellcat to anyone with a credit score over 200 these things wouldn't be as popular as they are.

[@MathWithMozart]

Yeah its the cars fault...how about raise your kids right.

[@skizilla]

@@MathWithMozart yeah that would help, but let’s not pretend there’s not a disproportionate number of new MOPARS represented at these things.

[@fake_uras]

I think you hit the nail on the head with these kind of people being anti establishment. I feel like takeovers aren't even about the cars at all but just about doing dumb shit for kicks.

[@maximus-0_o]

Exactly they don't give af about cars and aren't even car ppl they just want to do illegal stuff and act up. Bunch of kids trying to be tough. I honestly blame tiktok for this bs

[@charles-yq2zo]

I’m 17, and a huge drifter. The main reason I go to takeovers is because at least a takeovers there’s some security in the sense of cops just here me out. If I go alone to a parking lot, and a cop catches me, I’m not endangering anyone but myself but I still get my license removed. If I go drift in a takeover it’s the same consequences even with people. You can’t win. Either way drifting is going to get you pulled over, and frankly takeovers are much more fun, you can tandem and just chill. I do NOT associate with people that rob stores along side takeovers, intentionally keep driving when people run into the middle, and try to get as close to people as possible. My closest track is over 4 hours away, and my closest take over is 30 minutes. Also with a takeover, people block cops from being able to get you. Fake plates and boom you’re good. Now in the middle of an abandoned super mall parking lot, a few donuts and your license is suspended as well. If you want to drift at all, at least where I live, that’s how you do it. There is less bad takeovers as hard as it is to believe. Yes we’re blocking an intersection just fucking go around. We don’t block you from the front and the back. Reverse and flip a u turn. Honking your horn is just gonna make people get angry with you. If I was “stuck” I would honestly watch. It’s entertaining af. You guys can call me an asshole but honestly it’s easy to make opinions from the outside perspective. We’re not like Chicago, we’re not gonna set shit on fire and rob stores, we just want to drift. Again, this is all relating to where I live

[@boredguy2935]

You're part of the fucking problem and ruining car culture and laws for the rest of us

[@ohhman9400]

what grinds my gears the most is when the news reporter are calling street takeover's "drag racing" like hello they're not going straight....

[@ChainsawChuck13]

The media has always been the enemy of car culture. If it bleeds, it leads. I live in fear of the day something major and car-related happens here in Alaska. Car culture can genuinely get pretty rowdy here without anyone getting hurt or arrested, because we haven't had anything truly reckless go on since the sportbike punks that came with the pipeline boom in the 80s. But the Anchorage Daily News spent every minute of the 2020 "pandemic" and ensuing "election" showing everyone exactly what kind of biased, unprofessional, agenda-driven IRL clickbait they are, and I don't want to know what they'd do if someone got hurt somewhere. The media's unique combination of ignorance and sensationalism is poison.

[@z1u512]

Nor are they thinking straight

[@Todd.T]

I used to street race 2 times a week, 3 times on holidays. We would have beat these guys up for drawing attention to us. When someone has near 100k in a modified car, you don't want the police to go over it and give "tail light" tickets. I saw a guy get at least 14 tickets just for pulling into a parking lot because they "thought" he might street race. They didn't ticket the shitty cheap cars either. Tables have turned Safety? Factory roads in the middle of nowhere in the early AM. No factory shifts going in or out, no people. A lot of us regularly went to the track and did it on the street with safety gear on. Smoke shows are a waste of tires and time and if you get a blow out, you'll need to replace part of your car. A stock early 80's Mustang with only 157 hp can do a smoke show, so why would it be "amazing" to see any car with more than that do a smoke show? The people, like in the videos, found other parking lots, because they weren't welcome at ours. The police went to bother them and left us alone. Now completely separated, you've got a bunch of clowns trying to look cool and street racing guys being organized, getting it done and disappearing. Wait until they send everybody for you. They get permission from the lot owners to charge you with trespassing. You have one minute to leave. They'll put up signs limiting how many minutes you can stay, so having a coffee in your hand won't cut it. When you are gathered at your favorite intersection, they will block all entry and exits within a mile and then send in the police and ticket everybody. Yes, even spectators and then take as many cars as they can. You get to wait for hours until they get to you. They will be laughing as they make up stuff you didn't do and tell you to take it to court so they get paid overtime. There will be borderline criminal charges too.

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

We must start snitching guys if you dont I will. The true car enthusiast dont deserve this bad stigma

[@aceambling7685]

Rat coward

[@510ESO8500]

I’m from Oakland, CA home of the Side Show where all this originated. It’s been a part of our culture since the 1980’s. 415 made a song called “Side Show” in 1990 breaking down the culture. The song is up on KZbin if anybody wants to check it out. These new cats be drifting, you had to have bars and know how to swang yo shit in these streets, not sliding around in circles looking goofy

[@dudeitsgood]

Grandpa Alex out here admonishing the reckless kids. I frickin love you man. Street takeovers are the negative association people have when they see an enthusiast's car on the street in the middle of the day. Some of us just love our cars because we've put our everything into them, then along comes the idiotic behavior that accompanies street takeovers and all of us are bunched in together by public perception. Appreciate you bro, always love your work. I know I don't have to tell you, but keep doing your thing.

[@AlexMartini.]

Thank you so much for your support

[@UniqueHandles]

Your opinion is awful

[@dudeitsgood]

@@UniqueHandles thank you Mars. Don't know how I live without your input. ❤️ your opinion on my opinion is valued. Please continue to provide your opinion on the highly subjective experiences of others. Thank you.

[@Projeckt_Daddy]

I agree with the go do it somewhere by yourself. Have done plenty of pulls and stupid stuff on a back road where there are no cars around and no one to get hurt. But now I’ve come to realize the small price to pay for a track day is worth the extra safety for myself and others

[@caffeine4130]

Definitely seems for the kids, like you said those that can’t get into the clubs but want to get into something. Can’t imagine doing something like that when you have kids at home, your perception/world-view changes. I can have fun at the track where I only endanger myself, and it’s a calculated risk that I’m mostly in control of. So yeah, it’s kid stuff.

[@AlexMartini.]

We just have to be role models for the younger generation just getting their first cars!

[@BlokHed75]

I'm a younger car enthusiast and very new to being able to actually attend these events so it sucks that my generation is the one causing these issues. Luckily the car club I'm in sets up meets and shows with the owner of the property and the local police so if anything wrong only the people causing problems get in trouble. It's a great solution to the problem of takeovers/ the people starting them destroying the local scene. Unfortunately my club's solution doesn't stop the media coverage of these takeovers destroying the image of car enthusiasts. Personally I haven't heard from anyone that's pro takeovers which just goes to show they know what they're doing is awful but they don't care

[@TheRockStar04261999]

I remember when I saw a video of a street takeover here at yonge dundas in Toronto at the start of Covid, I thought it wouldve been fun especially since the roads were dead and no one was around. Seeing them now I just find I think the people involved are asses. I love my car and I have done some dumbass things as well, I hit the highway at night and drive quick / race or head out for a drive with my buddies on back roads but with those things we make sure we're not putting others in too much danger. Hogging an intersection and ripping around for the sake of it is just so unbelievably reckless for no reason

[@joejaba1376]

Wasteman

[@JoeKammerExclusive]

i’m from chicago southside, i do miss the meets from 4years ago and older, the famous lower wacker, white castle, ford city mall etc, there used to be a good relationship between CPD and the meets, we didn’t make fire circles, we didn’t takeover intersections, nobody got hurt cause nobody was in the pits and there were clear indications of where the safe line for people was, it used to have actual order, cops didn’t push so neither did we, they were just there to make sure no one got hurt and people still swung all night, it was peaceful i miss those times and going to the meets seeing it get progressively worse sucked. RIP southside meets.

[@yeetusdeletus9]

Going to local weekly car meets near me used to be my fav thing to do on some evenings in the summer. Takeovers started to happen and now car meets aren't allowed in my city anymore

[@UniqueHandles]

Cool bro who asked

[@yeetusdeletus9]

@@UniqueHandles no one, just pointing out the retards who ruin a good thing for everyone else

[@CaptainFordo21]

@@UniqueHandles you're all over the comments, being offended like a little snowflake. Do you not like being called out for being an asshole with your fartcan Civic?

[@NothingXemnas]

I am so, SO glad that much of my enthusiasm for cars comes from humble and mature creators like ChrisFix, Jimmy Broadbend and Bladed Angel, and much of my knowledge comes from people like Fitment Industries, Donut Media, Driven Media and Everyday Driver. People who put education and culture into perspective and legitimely love what it means to own a vehicle (not just cars). Makes you feel appreciative of many different racing sports, from top fuel drag to rally, and many different tribes like Stance and Bosozoku, for as long as everyone is safe. This is what makes up the vast majority of the car culture. Takeovers are just a very loud minority that the community itself should work on pushing away and discourage.

[@07wrxtr1]

09:30 - Fatherless kids = chaos = "Build back better" - All of this stuff is related and by design - street "takeovers dude bro" is just one of many symptoms of larger problem.

[@Mark3nd]

This happened last year in a little town, somewhere south of LA. I was close to getting off my shift in a grocery store. My car was parked at the end of a parking row. I saw two Black 1990s Miatas. Ignored them, but admired the work in silence and acknowledgement. Then 30 minutes later, groups and groups of cars started to come into the parking lot. It did not make me feel easy. I knew something was going to happen but never expected this event. After about an hour, a party size of cars and some food trucks came into the lot, i doubt it was official. It became so jammed, i couldn't leave till next dawn. My store had to close too early due to the car meet. And ever since that day, i rather avoid any vehicle group meets. Because they are now a plague itself

[@Aldarris]

Social media brain rot, gotta love it

[@mithyc2948]

I'm glad you're calling this behaviour out and being honest about what it's effect has on the community as a whole. If you want to do stupid stuff to scratch that itch then do it in a safe environment where you can control the entire situation, eg. a track. Too many people are looking for social media fame and ruining it for the rest of us. Me personally, I just want to hear that sweet exhaust tone of an LS with a lopey idle and some friends that like to drive to let off steam on the weekends.

[@andrewstahl6916]

Pretty happy that when I start modifying my car when I buy one (currently have a truck so not putting money into modding that just yet) is gonna be for me, and not to take to any shows or anything. If you take peer pressure out of the equation it stays a lot safer.

[@AlexMartini.]

Absolutely! Build the car for you, not anybody else! We've got a new short dropping tomorrow so hopefully you subbed and let me know what you think!

[@Berwyn.Heisey]

Me and my family were going on vacation to wildwood and we had no idea that H20i was going on but when we showed up me and my brother being big car enthusiasts being sorta delighted that we were there around that. But my heart goes out to that familys loved ones. it just hurts to see the car community come to this. Also very grateful that me and my family being able to come home safe from that vacation.

[@SpectateDrake]

Tbh when I finish my build I will be at a track doing things I’d want to do on commercial roads. I did find takeovers amusing and such but in NC we do it in parking lots late late at night when nobody is in there. Much more respectable and much more safe.

[@n3ttx580]

I'm from middle of Europe, and a part of local JDM crew of a reasonable size (around 400 members, from which about 60 very much active). We do meets, where we just park somewhere, usually under a bridge, drink coffee, walk around and chat about cars, swap contacts and knowledge and parts. Then we go on a joyride in a pack, usually in the evening when there's less traffic. Up until the start (of usually a togue track, which is used as a professional hillclimbing track so the asphalt is top notch and there are void barriers) we behave (except loudness sometimes, but come on), and on the togue, everyone is very much aware that something might, and most likely will happen. Fastest cars go first, so they won't be blocked. Everyone knows who might do skids so they leave em space. When the togue's done, we usually end up at some random parking lot doing what we were doing before. Rarely after midnight, those few that last might do shit like donuts on an empty parking lot, or we might get a few spotters on a long stretch of a road and drag race. But each time, we have at least two spotters on each side of the road, we are not endangering nor blocking anyone from the regular traffic, and always being extra careful. Same goes for drifting on the parking lot - yes they might yell at us because we might destroy something, but given that there are no other places to do it and we take full responsibility (and fortunately nothing was destroyed yet, except maybe tyres), I think it is a fair trade-off. All of the meets are extremely friendly, chill, there has never been any ruckus, destruction, escalated situations or police involved. Yet we do stupid stuff, we love it and won't ever stop. EDIT: And there are many different ages, from youngest being around 20 to mostly 30 yo to some of our oldest hitting 50. TL;DR: Always be mindful of your surroundings, and put others and their safety at first 15 places. If you are absolutely certain that no one might get hurt and you won't cause trouble, then you can procceed doing stuff, minding you and only you bear full responsibility behind the steering wheel. And remember, absolutely no alcohol or drugs when you're driving.

[@philt_zee]

Well done Alex! Absolutely love the message you’re putting over. You, sir, have a very mature head on enviably young shoulders. Power to you brother, and congrats on your latest business venture. I wish you all the best in luck and life 👍

[@AlexMartini.]

Thank you so much! Means a lot to me

[@Iridiumcosmos]

These people don’t realize that these events are killing the community faster than we can imagine. Cops are up to their limits with dealing with these idiots along with normal civilians. It has got to the point where civilians and cops alike think that every guy/girl with a built looking car/truck is a menace to society. So now, us car enthusiasts have a higher heat with law enforcement than ever before. Sucks if you want to do anything painless.

[@alwaysadventurous7905]

Back in my day ”street takeovers” were called sideshows.

[@Rolf97]

I'm not sure what it is exactly, but TikTok in particularly really seems to have damaged how people act and think. Seriously, it's weird.

[@l3m0n0sc1ty]

It’s the subtle RS references for me every time. Lvl 92 cooking Chef’s kiss. But I agree, street takeovers scare me personally, never been a fan. To me it looks cool on a camera when done right, but I could say the same thing about explosions. I’m not there actively participating, especially since just being a spectator could get you in trouble as well, so I’m good

[@_Azariah]

The way the car scene is now, is unironically public lobbies vs private lobbies.

[@rubbertoe.]

I stopped caring about the car community and going to car meets thanks to takeovers. They give actual car enthusiasts a bad wrap and honestly every meet I've been to the cars look terrible anyways

[@UniqueHandles]

Cool. Not a single person cares that you left 😂

[@rubbertoe.]

@@UniqueHandles Nice comment. I have plenty of friends who left as well. Nobody seems to care about you being IN the community either, really

[@UniqueHandles]

@@rubbertoe. Okay…and?

[@rubbertoe.]

@@UniqueHandles what was your point of replying? curious...

[@UniqueHandles]

@@rubbertoe. To let you know that your opinion, in the grand scheme of things, is absolutely and utterly worthless

[@neonreign2988]

Aside from the reckless endangerment that they pose, what also irritates me are the gatekeepers and sanctimonious "car enthusiasts" who act pretentious if you don't have a turbo build. Not everyone can afford to spend $5-8k+ to modify or build a properly tuned drift or street race car. I'm not making generalizations, but the perception of the younger generation definitely has some validity about it when they're addicted to social media platforms like Tik Tok and constantly chase after the approval of others (this is more of a holistic critique of our celebrity worshipping society as opposed to the issue existing in a vacuum). Honestly, there's just a significant lack of empathetic values in a lot of today's generation and an obsession with clout chasing (and I say this as a millennial).

[@rustypotatos]

Alex inspires me greatly. I knew you were holding back a lot while on fitment industries

[@yayi5104]

i'm from the bay area where "take overs" been a thing since the 80s. we call it sideshows. but we find it pretty normal it's part of our culture over here but the thing is i feel like social media and technology has exploited it so much now evryone wants to do it but the truth is they don't know how to act because most people are new to this unlike where i'm from.

[@ericksonmoreno6029]

Love this video Alex, thank you for sharing and educating about the subject, hopefully a lot more people will be atleast more considerate on taking their takeovers to places were they only put themselves at risk and not leave an expense on normal people out there on the road

[@AlexMartini.]

Agreed! Also, thank you for your support

[@ThatGuyFromThatOneApp]

As a car enthusiasts, I hate takeovers with a passion. Also those host that let it happen. There are those host that do express they're dislike for takeovers but if youre not doing anything to enforce or stop these activities at your meets your just as bad.

[@grrrgrrrr4878]

honestly i just hate takeovers because of how these people get hyped up over something that's so easy and don't even require any skill to do it, like anyone with a thinking ability can tell that.

[@brandobee2264]

Like how you car meet niggas are hyped to park and chill 😂 where’s the skill in that

[@existinginaspace8347]

Shitbox hoarder here. These don't happen where I live. But the tracks also won't let your car on. No exceptions. Unless your a registered driver and only driving a car thats registered to that tracks serries you will not set tire on it. Period. And everyone gets kicked out of parking lots wether they're vacant or not. Heck even if they're peaceful and nobody's making any engine noise... There is one teeny tiny oval that has semi regular spectator races. But they still won't let you on the track if you don't have thousands in safety equipment and race rated fuel tanks. Which effectively defeats the point of your vehicle for ordinary use. Even then it's only durring summer. Video game, dude c'mon that's not an equivalent. This is why street racing is more popular here. I used to have a decent car to partake in. But the state denied me an emissions exemption. Despite the entire system being replaced with oem parts.

[@sadis91]

Oh man. Great video Alex. Street takeovers itself is an entitled event for the younger car enthusiasts. Most takeovers back in the day were part of the "underground culture" where you'd barely hear about them but the new type of takeovers are there to make news or clout chase and show off.

[@e46m54nissansr20937]

Riiight man. People doing all this rowdy crap are not even really car enthusiast like that. I would love to join your club sounds like my kind of people

[@AlexMartini.]

Thanks for your support! We've got a new short dropping tomorrow so hopefully you subbed and let me know what you think!

[@jaydubb71]

I've attended ONE H2Oi in Ocean City MD years ago. I regularly attend the Hot Rod Cruise every year (twice annually). The stuff these KIDS are doing is just crazy. Running around in BANANA SUITS blocking traffic. Kids getting pissy drunk and jumping off of balconies. Sure there's been accidents during the Hot Rod Cruises. But the Hot Rod Cruises still happen and hasn't been banned. H2Oi has been. Street Takeovers are just plain dumb. Unsafe, unsanctioned, unsponsored and did I mention unsafe? But why are these events considered street racing? Because of H2Oi, now the Ocean City Police are fining and towing for EVERYTHING no matter the car event! All because of H2Oi! Let me mention again, H2Oi is the only car event that's been banned in Ocean City MD. I was just there for the Hot Rod Cruise (common referred to "Cruisin") LAST WEEK and not a lot of BS and/or shenanigans happened. Just my opinion and view as a "Cruiser".

[@MyNameIsNidos]

Takeovers are a cancer in the car community. Regrettably, I've been to a few myself, both sideshows in parking lots and actual street takeovers. It was cool the first one or two times, then it got boring and I grew out of it. Unfortunately, you can't change these peoples' minds about them. All you get in response is "but it's fun", "sounds like you don't get invited", or "i bet you're just a 🐱 and can't swing it". Sadly, in many areas police are cracking down on modified cars. I live about 2 hours north of Wildwood, and heard that the police there have been pulling over cars just for having modified exhausts. People that had nothing to do with H20i and weren't even there to begin with. Thankfully my town's police is pretty chill and a lot of the cops drive cool cars themselves (my close friend on the force drives a Supra lol). But you never know when the non-enthusiast cops will start to turn against the car community, in my town or any other town. You never know when law makers will begin passing stricter laws that restrict modifying our cars. That's my little ramble, I still haven't finished your video but I'm halfway through. So far it's great and you make a lot of great points, my friend.

[@Chxrlito7]

i genuinely feel like theres no safe or right way of doing takeovers, there's obviously a risk and a somewhat less dangerous way to take that risk and its hard to enforce it nowadays, alot of people are at takeovers not even for the cars, people are just out there to be drunk and mischievous and reckless. However a fair amount of people are there to drive or see somewhat of a "better driver" than them and i feel like they aren't the issue. I've been to multiple takeovers and honestly its because some of the best drivers i know choose to showcase it there instead of a track, and before the last 5months they were mainly in dead warehouse parkinglots or abandoned/ closed streets past 11pm, hiding for a reason u know. recently its been just people screaming for police attention and a viral moment and thats why alot more accidents have been happening 🤷🏿‍♂️ its like if you started taking drunk drivers to a track and they started totaling out killimg themselves/ other drivers.

[@Djdonthate]

Not only is it just those accidentally getting hurt, it's those who are causing the accidents and fleeing while others who are apart if the takeover blocking off the path to prevent the innocent from following to get information. I saw a video like 2 weeks ago, an innocent person got stuck sitting at a light because of the takeover. The car doing donuts slammed into their car and they innocent person then followed them to try to get info, other cars in the takeover then blocked off the innocent person and surrounded their car

[@UniqueHandles]

Lol, sucks for them. Stay out the pit, don’t get hit.

[@exitthemind]

@@UniqueHandles Pathetic.

[@ihavewaited90daystochangem51]

@@UniqueHandles Or how about the inbreds don't Block intersections?

[@JacopoSkydweller]

10:45 I think the problem is less car culture, and more generational/social media clout/narcissism. The "I'm special, I can do what I want"mentality. It's everywhere.

[@Term1nator_]

“You can go to a track” - Alex *Me who lives on an island without a track because it closed in the late 2000s*

[@techMasterr81]

In Columbus, OH, most of the underground car scene has become solely takeover based. I haven’t been to a night meet in almost three months bc of how bad it’s gotten.

[@AlexMartini.]

It's unfortunate

[@yeoldeghettosquatch]

Over the last few years, I've slowly seen Automotion going this direction and it makes me sad. As a fellow Wisconsinite, I'm sure you've at least heard people complain about the event. and kids piling up Mustangs on the main drag definitely doesn"t help.

[@connorzach81]

automotion so mid now

[@OnasaD]

As a car enthusiast it’s a shame that this is considered a part of the car community, the majority of people in my city absolutely hate on the thought of them however a couple miles away on the city next door they have a massive issue with takeovers, It does have to do with the community that surrounds it though, much elder and people who follow laws and realize the dangers live in this city however just next door the youngsters who prefer to run around being outlaws who follow clout culture reside

[@isaiahharris1029]

I think one of the problems is with takeover crowds, is that they just want their 5 minutes of fame. You should need an entire audience to have fun doing some donuts. But they want to be immortalized in a 20 second TikTok just to only blend in with every other video because they all do, the same shit. I'm also tired of the excuse of not having tracks nearby. While yes, most tracks a nice little drive. The amount you spend on gas is still cheaper than a funeral. Where there is a will there's a way. I'm stationed in Sicily and catch a plane to Rome to go drifting on a track.

[@UniqueHandles]

Nobody cares, dude.

[@isaiahharris1029]

@@UniqueHandles nobody cares about what?

[@Rey-vm9it]

im from germany and glad that streettakeovers arent a thing here, but saying going to a track or something is near impossible except the nurburgring, which is very VERY expensive and not worth it for the amount of time u can drive on it. maybe for once to experience a legendary track but thats it. autocross, drifting and all that stuff is nearly impossible here.

[@bigjdm5460]

yep, i haven’t watched the vid yet but the takeovers gonna fuck it up for everybody

[@SickStreets4K]

They already did

[@AlexMartini.]

Agreed :(

[@TryOverWish]

I'm glad I dropped out of the "social" car scene 10+ years ago. People ruin everything. I still build cars & bikes, but for myself, which has been a much healthier experience all said and done.

[@destroxxiv6489]

This is one of your best videos Alex. Great work.

[@AlexMartini.]

Thank you so much!

[@homersenemy7105]

If by best you mean racist.

[@DOHCKSeries]

this is why i've shifted away from modified cars and owning a fast street car. I've gotten into motorsports and looking to race at a high level, car community just feels artificial now and everyone's doing things just to be cool to someone else

[@0Heeroyuy01]

can honestly say iv never been to a street take over and never plan to be. shit i dont even go to car meets anymore b/c of the trash that show up.

[@TMTFish]

As a car enthusiast, I agree with you. There is no benefit or coolness in harming people., especially people not involved. Its totally cool to mod your car, go for friendly cruises with people, meet up in a parking lot and check out builds. It is not cool, to be reckless, rude, harmful & toxic. There are times and places for everything. IF you wanna burn rubber, go to a auto track like you said. If you want to show off your car, go to an organized meet or fest. Don't be an asshat. Don't give officials shit when someone is injured, help out. There are so many feds I've seen and met that know certain street cars aren't fully legal and they do not do anything , unless you are being an asshat to them or the public. Spread the fun, the enjoyment & enthusiasm, not the irresponsible, incompetents & stupidity.

[@thatracinggtbmx6453]

Thank god someones talking about this dude i stopped going to car shows and highly re considered being a car enthusiast because this reason

[@Illumian84]

Ive always wanted to do shit like this, but I never have, for one simple reason. Its dumb as fuck and dangerous in ways that arent readily apparent. Ex, you could damage the sensor for the traffic light leading to a crash hours or days later from people that had nothing to do with the "event"

[@mylesG23]

I stopped going to meets in SLC for this very reasons. The “take over” scene isn’t as bad here but the meets fell into a cluster f of cringy dudes who never matured past highschool who were finally able to afford an STi with a eBay exhaust and pop tune and all the meets are full of shit boxes reving and doing burnouts. So many of our spots for meets have gotten closed off or the owners said absolutely no more. Only meet I go to is the Park City car club. Actual adults with nice cars go and not some clapped out RT challenger with a dude doing donuts around a light pole.

[@darrendent8288]

Wait….. Utah of all places? UTAH?!😮

[@mylesG23]

@@darrendent8288 Yea LMAO. No place is safe. There was a incident a few years back where a dude in a boosted civic put money on a race against, I think it was a z06.. was a while ago just remember it was a vette, and lost and got out and shot the guy in the vette dead. After that came out, it was within walking distance of where I lived at the time, I was pretty much done with our car scene

[@jamesstaggs4160]

You pretty much hit the core issue. Alot of these people think just because they paid someone to make their exhaust sound like the invasion of Normandy and they have so much camber that only a two inch strip of their tires ever get worm out that they can do whatever they like on public roads. It's not as if we all haven't driven too fast down the interstate or did donuts in a parking lot, but there's a line that really shouldn't be crossed and they've driven so far over it they can't even see it any longer. If there's traffic around don't act like a jackass, stop using the middle turning lane to pass people, stop driving into oncoming traffic to pass people, get out of my tailpipe it's not going to make me drive any faster when there's ten cars ahead of me, and certainly stop running red lights and blowing through stop signs like neither one is there. That last one is becoming very common in my city and it's almost always some jackass in a Nissan or Infiniti. There's something about the Z and the G35 that attracts dipshits to buy them, ruin them with RICE and go tearing ass around the city like they own it. I used to always feel bad whenever I saw someone wreck a car they put alot of time and money into but ever time I see one of those things missing a wheel because they tried to jump the median all I can think is "I hope they don't have enough money to fix that."

[@UniqueHandles]

All that text and still nobody cares.

[@bdonkulousgames8562]

@@UniqueHandles Bro you are commenting no one cares on so many comments. Obviously you do to read all the comments and reply

[@UniqueHandles]

@@bdonkulousgames8562 Who are you?

[@61936]

I’m 15 never been to a meet and I’m not even gonna bother trying to go to one I’ll probably just stick to going to tracks cruising around with my friends and stuff like the Woodward dream cruise were mostly everyone there isn’t doing anything is expected just hanging out and looking at cars minus the occasional idiot doing donuts like what happened like 2 years ago

[@lance_the_avocado9492]

We have a pretty small and also a very nice car community here in Bozeman MT, we have car meets every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with most of the people in them being close friends and what not. I’ve actually never heard of what a street takeover is until now and I’ve been in the car community now for several years. Street takeovers sound very bad, like very very bad, and incredibly illegal. We rarely ever do anything illegal in the meets, all we do is go to a local big ass parking lot and just park our cars, get out and just get in a group and talk, and then we go somewhere else or just drive around. The most illegal thing we usually do Is speed and that’s barely over the speed limit with a majority of us being below the age of 20 and a few us being over the age of 20. I really hope nothing like this starts happening in our town, cause are town is really small and the population here has been spiking like crazy in the last decade.

[@thegirthquake8574]

NGL I've been missing Alex's smooth voice coming through my speakers lmao. Additionally, I find it funny how we're told to judge others based on the content of their character-- and yet look at these brainlets' characters-- vile, immature behavior. As a 25 year old enthusiast, I express myself in my Forte GT by going up the mountains in my area and going for a spirited drive. You don't need to be a moron to have fun-- if you think you can't have fun driving a backroad, you're not an enthusiast, you're rather low on the bell-curve as it were. This is genuinely why gatekeeping your hobbies is not only good, it is MANDATORY. It keeps bad actors from poisoning the well.

[@ChainsawChuck13]

Around here (Alaska), all the good twisties are either suburbanized or taken oven by out-of-state nature hippies. It makes me cry a little inside every time I come around a blind corner and see someone standing near the road, on the opposite side of it from their parked car.

[@thegirthquake8574]

@@ChainsawChuck13 It's very suburban in NJ as well. You gotta travel nearly to NY state to get anything reliably fun. I sympathize with you.

[@ChainsawChuck13]

@@thegirthquake8574 Oh, I didn't mention the best part. The park road north of my town, the last refuge from houses everywhere, is starting to show more driveway-related activity near the bottom. Some E-list Discovery Channel "celebrity" started building his homestead with the gate right on the first corner (though any actual buildings seem to be quite a ways back in after that) and someone's also building a stupid ski resort because obviously what that road needed was more traffic. Oh, and most of the few driveways that are showing activity have political signs at the end. Every single one is for either an open leftist or an establishment "rightist". It's a good bet all these people think 35 is the highest the speed limit on that road should ever go, which will in turn allow it to keep attracting hippies and cyclists. The end is nigh for that road, and I'm not sure what can be done about it...

[@DJA1599]

I've recently moved to a different state in a rural town from a pretty big city. Very big change of pace, but mostly old muscle cars and cruisers from the late 1920's to modern era. I happen to own a Subaru that is well put together after a few years of ownership and I was surprised at the welcome I got. I hadn't made an effort to go to meets or anything for nearly 3 years because of the takeover crap. My usual friday and saturday nights were destroyed by this takeover stuff. But I had a very warm welcome from all of these old guys with pristine classic cars and they even showed some appreciation for my old Subaru and my craftsmanship. We stood around, BS'd shared stories and walked from car to car, letting everyone talk and explain their passion and choice in hardware, etc. I miss that. I am glad to have found a decent group of guys even if they're old enough to be my dad or grandfather. With things like TikTok fueling peoples', desire for fame and validation, I don't see how this could end with use have accessibility to our passion in public settings.

[@kontroversyiskey5892]

Very Very good video. H20i was not a takeover, it just ended in the worst possible way.

[@stevecariggillio4139]

We used to have a car thing at this abandoned mall in Ohio. It was sanctioned by the city. It was a pretty good group of people so it never got out of hand. Then Amazon bought the property so it stopped.

[@Wazootphoto]

This was honestly a great overview of what's going on. Thank you for a solid video about it. Keep it up man. We need more of this from everyone.

[@AlexMartini.]

Thank you for your support!

[@apostle4122]

Hey man, I saw you at Gatlinburg this weekend. I just wanted to say that this is the best breakdown of takeovers I have heard or seen. I hope that your travels back Midwest was safe and I hope you enjoyed the weekend, looking forward to more content. Keep up the great work!!!!

[@AlexMartini.]

Hey thank you so much! We got home safe and sound :)