On Joining A Car Club

It perplexes me when people register in car club forums, but never show up during actual meets, and then EXPECT to be one of the gang online, whining when they think someone picks on them or ranting that they don't get treated the same way as others. Back in the day, before the advent of the internet, people actually got word of a car club hanging out somewhere and actually WENT there. For me and other "tandercats" (swardspeak for old people), the concept of lurking online, feeling your way around the forums and being content to be an anonymous name is totally alien to us. Matter of fact, when I register, the first thing I try to find out is where the group actually meets up, then attend at the first opportunity I could. Why? I can sum it up in two words: PROFESSIONAL COURTESY. When you go out of your usual routine to look for people of similar interests, the first thing on your agenda is to actually meet them in person. It's the ONLY way of actually establishing genuine rapport with the rest of your peers. Your car may be the catalyst that binds you to the club, but it is your PERSONA that will forever define and endear you to the crew. Once you have their trust and respect, everything else will come naturally. I honestly don't believe that there are any hindrances or excuses for you to not go out and mingle with people who share the same passion. Got work? Ay putang ina, i-sick leave yan! You got 12 for a whole year, put one to good use. File vacation leaves when you know there's an event coming up. Your significant other takes up most of your free time? Take him/her to one of the meets. Let that person know you more, because the real keepers are those who will go with you and actually find themselves enjoying as well, and in the event that they don't, they will at least understand when you ask to spend time away from them. Seriously, I find people who are content with merely foruming just a little bit askew, because I believe that you've got something to hide if you don't like to meet me personally. So with that out of my chest, I do hope that anybody reading this actually takes time to digest my two cents of wisdom. Go out. Have fun. Enjoy your ride but enjoy the people you meet, those people who share the same addiction, even more.

See y'all at the next meet.

Buri-Buri!

Japan's got the Bosozoku look. Them Yankees got the Rat Rods. Euros got the "rusted out" thing going on. So what do Pinoys have to offer the classic car scene?

BURI STYLE!

"Buri" is a self-deprecating term coined from the words "burara" and "marumi". It isn't a literal term though. Owners of buri cars like to poke fun at themselves because, more often than not, most of their rides are not garage queens that are trailered to shows and gatherings. They use their cars daily and have the dirt and scars to prove it. However, it doesn't mean they don't take care of their rides. Like all knowledgable classic car owners, they set up their rides to "period correct" standards and make sure that their rides are in top condition, since fun runs to Baguio and other far away places are the norm.

So far, the main exponent of this genre are the group called DORATEKU, pigdin Japanese for "Driving Technique", of which I am a part of. The club chose the name because, as stated above, they are not averse to taking their cars out everyday, or to some distant location at a moment's notice. They drive hard, drive fast, and, most importantly, thumb their noses and flip the middle finger at purists and rice boy racer/drifter wannabes. If you think this is your cup of tea, then check out http://dorateku.ipbfree.com/ or stroll by Petron Westgate Alabang every Friday from 9:00pm onward. Don't worry, we all are a friendly bunch.

Purista Ka Ba Kamo?

It's funny that quite a few of the "new generation" old-schoolers ( I know, it sounds so contradictory), when engaged in casual discussion during classic car meets, will brazenly describe themselves as "purists" who like to keep their car "period correct". For those in the know, that last bunch of words I just put down is already a sign of ignorance on their part. Normally I smile and politely excuse myself, but there have been instances that I've had to put people in their place. So why all the fuss, you ask? Easy. The classic car scene is something YOU TAKE PRIDE in enjoying. It isn't some club you think you can just enter and then try to get away with pretending to know shit by throwing big words with little meaning. It's amazing how many people think they can fool others who actually know the history of their cars and the hobby.
But back to the "purist" topic. Most newbies don't have a clue as to what the word really means. Simply put, a purist is someone who will NOT alter anything on their car. Or if they restore their ride they will go to great pains in making sure that their vehicle will only get the exact parts, making sure the year and, to some extremes, the MONTH of manufacture is correct. Down to the last SCREW. To help explain further, I have come up with a checklist of what a purist's car should look like as explained to me by a concourse car show judge.

1. Are there any added-on accessories on your car, like a non-stock air filter or map light? Sorry to disappoint, but that isn't a purist's car.

2. Got '82 tail lights on your '87 Box, or is that a '74 grille on your '72 Sprinter? You're out of the running bro..

3. Lowered? Forget it.

4. Are those non-stock wheels and tires on your ride? No chance that's gonna win you anything.

5. Any lacking, replaced or incorrect parts, trimmings or emblems? Take your ride somewhere else..

6. Anything added or removed from your car that was or wasn't there when it left the factory? Disqualified!!!

If you did not meet all of the requirements listed, then please don't go around claiming to be a purist, because you aren't one. Most of us, including yours truly, are PERIODISTS. We like to customize our cars using period correct parts, and we normally do not like being tied to such conforming standards of puritanism. Unless you happen to be one of those obsessive compulsive car geeks, but then again if you are, then you probably won't be reading this...

So, still want to be a purist?

WINNING THE LOTTERY- Old School Style

People dream of winning the lottery everyday. Check out any lotto outlet on the eve of a big draw and you'll know what I'm talking about. Fortunately hitting the jackpot isn't confined to odds games. It happens in the classic car scene too. We've all heard stories of so and so purchasing an immaculately preserved ride from some old lady for spare change, or someone getting reunited with a long lost relative who just HAPPENED to have a set or two of ultra rare old school wheels forgotten in the garage, and was happy to let the person have them free just to make space. I, personally, have hit paydirt myself. It came in the form of a 1975 Mazda RX-3 coupe, a car I've dreamed of since I was 5 years old, and it could probably be the only one of its kind in the country. Here are some pics.. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2965374. Finding the car was nothing short of miraculous, and it's ironic that my dad, the one who "discovered" the car, was the same person who told me I'd never find one in the first place. It all happened some 6 or so years ago. I was content with my 2 Corolla SR-5 Sport Wagons (one Levin and one Trueno, '76 JDM and '77 USDM, both of which were rare to begin with) and my '76 Corona GT 2000 when Daddy-O calls and informs me about this "find" of his near his hangar in Clark Eco Zone in Pampanga. Apparently he had missed a turn and was almost sideswiped by some mechanic on a bike. Dude sped off and my dad, pissed to high heavens, gave chase until they reached a garage filled with muscle cars. Still furious, my dad gets off his vehicle and is immediately distracted by "a car that looked like a '72 Camaro, only way too small". So instead of confronting the mechanic, who by now had gathered a "resbak" of fellow grease monkeys, his anger gives way to curiosity and he inquires about the car. The shop owner related that the car was his son's, it was not supposed to be for sale, but since he was getting married, the kid had no option but to put it up for offers. A few minutes later I'm on the phone with my dad describing "a Mazda like the one I used to point out in the magazine, shaped somewhat like a '73 Corolla Sprinter but with four headlights and a gaping, pointed grille". That was enough for me. Without knowing the condition the car was in, I called one of my friends who desperately wanted one of my SR-5's and gave him an offer he couldn't refuse. With money in my pocket I was on a bus to Angeles the next day. I got to the talyer before opening hours and had to wait a few tense moments to see the car, as the gates were too high for me to get a peek in. When they finally did open, it was waiting for me, and it took a while for the reality to sink in. A close inspection revealed that the car's original rotary engine was swapped out for a more conventional piston engine, but it didn't matter. It was legally registered, it ran very well, and it was complete inside and out. The owner arrived an hour later, and the negotiations took all of five minutes. After everything was signed I sped off in case the person decided to change his mind. I took my time driving home so people on the road could see me driving what could be the rarest car they'll ever see in their life. Now here I am, 6 or so years removed, and the reality still hasn't sunk in, both for me and for other people. People are lost when they see the RX; some have mistakenly called it a Datsun, others shake their heads in disbelief, a person in one forum told me I was a liar and that I wasn't in the Philippines, and a quite a few people have made ridiculous offers to try and buy it from me (and by "ridiculous" I meant both ends of the spectrum; one idiot offered to take it for lunch money and another quoted a cool half million after I refused his show quality '72 Sprinter AND his '03 Honda City). But the reality is that it IS in my garage, it has my name on the registration papers, and, if and when I write my last will and testament, I will make sure it is never sold. I had struck the lottery, and nothing will ever make it leave my hands. Now kindly excuse me while I go hunt for that old geezer with a set of Hayashi Sakuras in his garage that he needs to dispose of as junk...

Gulong Ng Buhay

We all know that the one single enhancement we could invest on to improve our rides' looks and/or performance is to change the stock ones that came OEM with it into nastier looking ones. In the '70s and '80s, the trend was wide, deep dish steamrollers with ridiculous offsets, and to most old schoolers, that statement never went out of style. Even when more "streamlined" styles came out and the deep rims were relegated to owner type jeeps in the early '90s, some people kept, and even hoarded them and thus amassed a virtual goldmine of rolling treasure (a friend of mine has around 60 SETS in his warehouse. Yep, you read it right. S.E.T.S.). Unfortunately most of us can't afford to stockpile classic wheels, so I guess this site will whet the chops of all the wheel junkies out there... check this out: http://www.ratdat.com/?page_id=101
It isn't complete, but who cares? Enjoy...

Jologizing Your Ride

Personalizing one's ride is as old as the automobile itself. Ever since the first jalopies rolled out of factories, people have wanted to imprint their own identity on their vehicles, to have them stand out from the rest of the vox populi. While some have become experts at it, others have, well, for lack of subtler words, sucked. Take this car for example: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2572937Yes, I have used this car as an example before, and I have used it again because it embodies everything that can go wrong with trying to stand out. No offense to the owner who might be reading this, but COME ON!!! I get the impression that you are eccentric enough to actually SPEND MONEY to have your car ridiculed. I mean, how can you go wrong with a 'Boxie? This car is so darn easy to set-up, my 4 year old kid could do it. Back to topic though. Whether it be a huge ass rear wing, to practically covering your car with stickers, to over-accessorizing your car to the point that "patok" jeepneys actually look tame next to yours, butchering is a sin committed all too often by a lot of people. We can blame a lot of factors for this. Lack of knowledge. Falling victims to fads. Over eagerness to be noticed. The list goes on and on. What's sad is that it is not easy to cure this malady. Some people are actually born tasteless, and believe me more will eventually be born. And as long as they go on butchering their cars, I, at least, will have something to laugh at on the roads, and something to rant about in blogs like this...

THE BOX TYPE MYSTIQUE

It is without question that the '80-'88 Lancers are THE most iconic cars of Dekada Otsenta. Only the Toyota Starlet comes close, but not quite. Affectionately called the "Boxtype" because of its, DUH, boxy features, it set the standard for automotive technology during the '80s and was the dream car for a whole generation of "Bagets", so much so that until recently, it was proclaimed THE SEXIEST CAR ever by a popular magazine, besting established supercars and luxury cruisers. Sure, we still see a lot of them running, most of them carrying the patina and battle scars of an era gone by, but that is exactly why it still carries such high regard and distinction. Simply put, the car was built to last. Eight years of production cement that case. I myself was not the biggest fan prior to owning my first 'Box, since, as aforementioned, I thought there were still too many of them on the road. The hardcore individualist in me didn't like the idea. But having owned two '87 SL's (I still own the second one) completely changed my point of view. I fell in love with the fact that it was a car that combined the best of old and new; iconic styling and modern conveniences. It was something that I could use everyday and would still get lots of approving nods and thumbs up from people. For comparison's sake I also own a '73 Dodge Colt and a '75 Mazda RX3 that get even more oohs and ahhs, but I wouldn't dare drive them in 90 degree weather. The lack of air conditioning would met my underwear in no time. Now for those people with newer cars reading this, I am not saying that your vehicles don't turn heads. I'm sure people admire your rides, but there is a difference when casual observers see a classic. Whereas a modern car would probably fetch praises such as "that ride is really well done..", a classic with original paint and all the period correct stuff would elicit much more than that. Let's face it, a contemporary car with a clean setup next to a classic? No contest. Nine out of ten people check out the retro. But back to the 'Boxie. To sum it up, it is a car that I will, without any fear, take anywhere, anytime, because I know it'll get me there, and it will get me there in style. I'm sure I won't be the only one who agrees...