Why I Won't go Back to Good Guys Events

After nearly 40 years of attending Good Guys events, the 2023 West Coast Nationals is likely the last one I will attend.
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[@StarlaReitsma]

Just attended Good Guys Heartland in Des Moines. No decline! Record breaking! It was awesome!

[@stevenspaur876]

It was an amazing show!

[@troyrice7813]

I read all of the comments on here and everyone has good points to make. I live in Columbus Ohio and have attended the Good Guy's show every year, including this year. When I started going it was a Hot Rod and Custom show. Over the past years it started to become more of a muscle car show. With over 5000 cars in attendance, there are still plenty of Hot Rods and Customs to look at but every year there are more and more muscle cars, and now the whole pick up truck thing is popular so there are tons of sixties and seventies trucks now. 3 years ago I discovered the Frog Follies car show in Evansville Indiana. It is a huge pre war 1948 and older only car show. It is now the show that I look forward to each year. I will be there this year as well. The show reminds me of what the Good Guy's shows used to be like. The prices are cheap for entry and food and the venue is great. I suggest anyone who is into the Ol' School cars to check it out!!

[@Coronetguy]

Thanks for speaking out! I hope the right people hear you and take it to heart!

[@tinamcpherson388]

Heartland Nationals in Des Moines had over 5000 cars this year. Granted there were some newer vehicles mixed in, but Saturdays turnout was amazing. So not sure if location is an issue, or what else it made it so much larger here in the Midwest.

[@rennkafer13]

I've seen that same thing with classic vs new Minis. The more new cars that go, the fewer classics go. I've also seen a decline at our local Goodguys NW Nationals in the vendor area too, they've allowed the "trinkets and trash" vendors in that have little or no automotive content and it seems to have driven away a lot of the automotive vendors.

[@loudassgtp920]

This is the same for Automotion in Wisconsin dells. Newer cars, big trucks and irresponsible people have caused many classic car owners to not attent anymore. I haven't gone in years. It's nothing like when I was younger.

[@sprintmademe]

Goodgiys in AZ used to have Saturday as 80 and older and Sunday was any year. Also the owners kids took it over and started charging more for a vendor spot and driving vendors away.

[@lynnlewis3452]

Good Guys needs to look at what Back to the 50's car show does all classic cars. I talked to a lot of guys at Des Moines this weekend and they feel the same way this guy feels.

[@brianberg2578]

Back to the 50s is 1964 and older . Not a good example

[@lcannan5]

No disrespect intended. But if you don't go then that's one more less than what there is now. And that's the problem. Everyone needs to not give up and not give in to the newer cars. The goal should be to have more people with the older cars need to go and push out the newer ones.

[@LifeatSpeed]

I totally understand that perspective and for years I have tried to do just that, but like many other classic car owners, have gotten burnt out on trying when the show promoters aren't listening to their long standing customers. So we leave the events that we have historically gone to and find others to support that meet our needs.

[@raygee9648]

You're absolutely right about everything you said. I noticed the same things at the last Good Guys show I attended last year. Besides that, the parking fee is now $15 and the show entry fees have slowly crept up too and the $20 I have to spend for lunch, making it too expensive to attend for a couple of hours not to mention the long drive from San Bruno for me. I've noticed the same thing about the annual SEMA Show in Vegas. I've been going to that since 1982 and didn't even bother going last year because a lot of venders and major manufacturers weren't there the last couple of years.

[@LifeatSpeed]

Yeah SEMA is another one I am struggling with returning to. I've been going to SEMA for over 20 years now and the last couple of years it hasn't been that great. Like you said an increasing number of the larger companies aren't going anymore. And the ones that do are having smaller and smaller booths.

[@fxwgrider]

The Goodguys events are all just money grabs. They earned the nickname "Greedguys" some years ago and it is getting worse instead of better. Those shows are all about lining peoples pockets, period.

[@kdsboosted4954]

Good guys have been in deline for a couple decades now. They don't even come to Spokane WA anymore couple years now

[@MikeLange-v7p]

It's every where I went to a show in wisc a 2014 mustang parked next to me there was also a,brand new Cadillac very 😢

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

I used to go to Good guys Indy , until they moved from the Raceway Park to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway., and cut things from 5000 to 4000 . How many red , pro street '69 Camaros can any one person be subjected to . The first year we took a vehicle down there , I had a cherry '64 El Camino , we got about 200 feet inside of the gate , and they were going to throw us out for being too new . I asked the official if the event was open to 64 and older , he said yes it is , turned out he didn't know what a '64 looked like and had let in several '65s including a well known guy from Michigan . 2009 was our last Goodguys , we stay local anymore.

[@billdursa4976]

I see you have 2 NEWER cars in your garage. My 2 vehicles are 1965 and 1980. I love Goodguys compared to other car shows. I attended Columbus since 1992 and when I was in NC I attended the Raleigh show. GG is a lot of fun and I also enjoy looking at some newer cars and trucks. Don't be a car snob and just have fun and enjoy them all.

[@LifeatSpeed]

I have 7 cars ranging from 1971 to 2022, and each car has it's place in the car community and not every event needs to cater to all vehicles. If I go to an exotoc car event, I don't want to see classic cars or tuners, and likewise when I go to a classic car event, that's what I expect to see. It has nothing to do with being a snob

[@seanmcpeek7493]

​​@@LifeatSpeedAbsolutely correct brother !!!! Its not being a snob to not want newer shit in these shows. I like all kinds of cars as well and feel the same way man. Everything has its place!

[@DanielSobieski-d5m]

After the unfortunate death of Gary Meadors who was president and creator of Goodguys his son Mark has a different vision then his father. I felt the impact to the shows immediately at Gary's passing and still attended almost every event annually until it just wasn't the same. It's a unfortunate because these shows were the best time & best car's anywhere.

[@LifeatSpeed]

Couldn't agree more

[@beetleworks738]

Goodguys 2023 was terrible for me my old vw club was full of fake freinds and people were rude to me and the dj was rude to me as well im going to goodguys this year but if this year is as bad as last year I'm pulling the plug and taking my car elsewhere

[@richardfinney3179]

I went once and I was shocked at the price and how many people f that nonsense I can go to free car shows in Washington and not haft to deal with parking and a crowded show

[@MyKARSShop]

When did good guys stop being just hot rods & street rods and start including muscle cars? Because as far as I remember back in the day… It was all about cars up through 48. And they were just starting to include customs which was stuff up through the mid-50s. Sounds like things are really declining & they are getting a little desperation for survival Rather than drill into how to attract their core crowd, they are trying to become all things to everybody which means they are nothing to anybody.

[@LifeatSpeed]

Exactly!

[@seanmcpeek7493]

Goodguys always allowed 72 and younger. I remember many years ago here in Columbus when NSRA left and Goodguys came in. All of The Street Rodders were pissed about muscle cars being allowed in. Now things are coming full circle and those w Muscle cars are bitching about the new cars coming in. How does it feel guys? You are 100 percent correct! Wish it was still 48 and older although I so love customs as well.

[@RobertBoerner-k3y]

Yes yeah good guys really sucks in Columbus they only pick cars from out of😊 state aisle never go back😢 it sucks

[@jimlove4541]

Good guys died for me when Alameda spred broken up asphalt all over the fields we used to camp in.

[@LifeatSpeed]

Yeah that was crap! And creating tiny camping sites for everyone to cram into. I really miss the early days of camping when we had free range for space size. There was never a space issue

[@jimlove4541]

@@LifeatSpeed My wife and I actually adopted a cat from the Fair Grounds . Named him Roddy . Do you remember the cats surrounding the mole holes waiting for what ever came up out of the hole.

[@andydhillon1977]

Such a shame. I dont attend many car shows but i know what you mean. The car scene has been changing for the worse over the past decade at least. On the east coast there was a car meet called H2Oi in Ocean City, Maryland. Started off as a VW/Audi only event. Then it eventually evolved into German cars, then to all cars. 2014 was my first year attending. It was awesome. Lots of well-modified classic Euro cars...I mean very attention-to-detail oriented cars. Short after, it turned into an absolute Clout-chasing event. Absolute anarchy. Such a ahame. But all good things must come to an end.

[@jamesgaczewski9692]

H2O event turned into a wanna be tuner ass fest. Every idiot that thought his rusted hood Honda was a race car showed up doing burnouts and fart can sound contest just ruined it.

[@andydhillon1977]

@jamesgaczewski9692 Yup! 2014 was awesome. The quality of the car builds were the best I had ever seen. So well-thoughtout and perfectly executed.

[@wonyankeesays5661]

Its economics😢

[@squarebodybuilder]

There's a decline in 60-70s muscle car shows across the nation. The demographic is aging to the point of dying off and unfortunately the car shows are declining. The baby boom kids in their 40s are the only thing keeping car show scene alive. I went to the Kool April Nights show in Redding this year and the average age had to be 70. There's ZERO younger generation showing up. For obvious reasons, who has $30k to get into a muscle car as a young kid. The days of $2500 Chevells and Novas when we grew up are gone.

[@jamesgaczewski9692]

Many of the cars shows have turned into how much cash can get a trophy. We all enjoy looking at high dollar builds. But the heart is in the home builder, the guy that try’s to achieve the best with limited tools ,no spray booth and selling parts to buy parts. Big shows have lost their luster. As to the New cars at the shows I’m not a fan too many Mustangs and Camaros with Strap on parts. Goodguys get back to the Builder the home car builder.

[@HotRodDad]

It's not just Goodguys shows. The old car hobby is dying across the board. I think it's largely due to younger generations not being interested in the hobby, and the older guys dying off.

[@LifeatSpeed]

I don't believe that based on events like Hot August Nights that still sell out and have huge turnouts. The drive is still there, people just aren't going to events that are forgetting what they are.

[@Nick-hk9io]

Your right it is dying out because the younger generations are not involved but us car guys have to get them involved and we should not be doing that by letting them bring in there newer cars. We need to keep it old so we can bring our kids and get them into older cars. Letting them bring in new cars is not going to help at all.

[@garybrinker4522]

Yep,, we're losing the generation that grew up with 50s, 60s cars..I can still remember my dad's 47 Chevy, and the smell of our new 53 Pontiac 😎

[@marcwitteborg4789]

One word… California. That’s the problem.