question Age of MV owners?

[LarryH57]

I was thinking the other evening that if MV owners and members of the MVT and IMPS with grey hair were excluded, how many people would be left to carry on these clubs?

 

It seems the average age is well over 50. Something needs to be done to encourage younger members.

Edited January 9, 2015 by LarryH57

[Charlie]

I think there are a fair few of us (I'm 35 I think and no grey yet lol). Also I don't think the high prices help although there are still bargins out there and also it seems youngsters arn't allowed to drive anything after they have passed their test anymore! Add to that the cost of insurance now and the price of fuel it all adds up to an expensive hobby. Added to that it seems that the appeal of rusty metal and the satisfaction of hearing an engine turn over and start for the first time has been over-shaddowed by a windows chime and i-pad beep :-(

[teletech]

In my 40s with a fair bit of gray so I'm no help though I did own a few military vehicles in my younger days as well so I suppose there is an argument for getting them started early. In addition to rising vehicle prices and insurance costs I'll also mention that the larger/taller kids today don't fit behind the wheel/tillers as well as the generations before.

 

P_

[Starfire]

I've just turned 35 and have a grey hair or two (although I started going bald about 10 years ago, so who knows about what should be on top!), but I guess that I'm around to keep things going.

 

I know for a fact that one of the guys in my club's daughter, who is in her early 20s, has claimed one of his GPWs and she regularly drives that around.

 

There is interest, but I guess that a few things that make it hard for younger people are that prices are up, WW2 vehicles are getting very old and, younger people don't tend to have the same sort of car culture as previous generations.

 

My younger brother is 25 and just about all of his peers see vehicles as a means of transport and nothing more. They aren't into their cars, they are into where their cars can take them, and most of them have no idea how to do even basic maintenance.

 

Cheers,

Terry

[tankdriver]

Problem mostly is age old......

 

Money.....

 

When younger, you are trying to raise a family, buy a house, car, kids education, etc...

 

 

You have to get all that out of the way before you can buy toys....

 

 

I'm 63, no gray hair........

 

 

No hair. Just bald.....:blush:

[arcot1751]

You only had to attend the recent D Day 70th in Normandy to see that there is a huge amount of young people involved in our hobby, I think as mentioned above the money side of things is a factor on vehicle ownership, as pressures of raising families, mortgages etc take priority but as we shuffle off to the great MVT collection in the sky todays youngsters may be in a position to take on our vehicles and preserve them as we have done. We are all custodians of history and hopefully this will continue.

[mash]

I bought my first MV at 19, a dodge wc52. Now at the ripe old age of 25 and I have added a 90 wolf to the collection, I am sure this will continue to expand as I have a strong urge for an old bedford mw, the main thing that limits me is storage and the fact Guernsey has limits for vehicle widths or I'm sure it would be a lot bigger

[sirhc]

There are a lot of younger vehicle owners. I don't think younger members are interested in joining in with running clubs, getting involved in committees etc.

[Rover8FFR]

I am 46 and have had military vehicles and an interest since I was about 33.

 

My son has a young interest, shared with diggers and such like at the age of 4. He has already asked to paint both my vehicles and has told me they must be sand coloured after he saw some army vehicles on the motorway on a prime mover..........:red:

 

As I younger enthusiast I recall liking the mature members around me being so knowledgeable and I longed for the day I knew so much.

 

I am slowly getting there, but like a lot of us rely heavily on my new friends made and the expertise of others.

 

This is a great forum to be a part of.

 

Cheers

 

Wayno

[hickjc]

I was tempted to write an article on this subject for CMV but was worried on how it would come across. There are a few younger members out there, I am one at 30. I started collecting when I was 16, I am extremely fortunate that firstly my uncle had been collecting for many years and offered significant guidance and secondly I have access to great facilities to aid in storing and restoring them.

 

For me the big issue is where to take them. Sitting in rows in a field does little for me, and going on trips to Europe can be expensive. By this I mean not the actual trip itself, if you broke down in Europe, what will the cost be of getting home? I personally love the restoration work and hunting for parts side of the hobby, but then finding somewhere locally to take the finished article where people actually appreciate it is getting harder.

 

A lot of the younger people you see around, are sons and I am pleased to say daughters of people who have been involved in the hobby for many years. I am sure there were many people on here who noticed Andre Witmers 20 something daughter Wallis riding a Harley WLA round War and Peace. I am sure they will go on to inherited these vehicles and continue to show them in the future.

 

You also have those who are making significant efforts to organise events, and personally I believe that when the organiser of the show is slightly younger, they think younger and look to do things slightly differently. One example of this is the Dig for Victory show near Bristol, organised by James Shopland and others. James is in his 30’s and having attended his show last year I can say some of his ideas were quite refreshing. The dance on the night was excellent, well the bits I can remember were, (it was the eve of my 30^th Birthday). If you are younger or even older I would recommend making the effort to get to this show.

 

So they are out there. However that said, are they going to sit in a pub every month with a load of older MVT members, I doubt it……

 

Hickjc

Edited January 9, 2015 by hickjc

[OZITIM]

Chronologically, Im 41 years of age, although I still have the brain of a 16 year old boy. Been in this gig for about 20 years. Hope to be in it for quite a bit more. What was not considered collectable when I started, is considered collectable now. Not everyone can own a Tiger tank, but a nice well restored Series 2A army landrover or a snappy looking Ferret, will win my approval every time.

 

Regards, Tim

[David Herbert]

I am now 60 which I find very hard to believe because in my head I am about 30. I expect to find that I've grown up one day but it hasn't happened yet. My first MV was a Bedford MWR which I bought from a local garage when I was 16. I paid £25 for it and got a friend to drive it home. I now have a FV434 which is considerably older than the Bedford was when I got it but doesn't seem anything like as historic, possibly because I remember them coming into service !

 

I think that there are plenty of young people with the gene that makes them want to do things like restore military vehicles, it is just that they do different vehicles than we do. 'Historic' to them may well be the first or even seccond Gulf war, where as I think of my 1969 434 as 'modern' - just rather fun to play with and find the bits for. I think that the much more regulated world we now live in and the impossibility of DIY on modern cars does make it harder for youngsters to learn the skills nowadays but individuality will always win through - just not always in the way we did it.

 

There are now more traction engines in preservation than ever, but there are almost no owners that drove them commercially and the younger generation have taken over. Admitedly in that field you need to be reasionably well off so there are not too many owners younger than 30 but there are lots of youngsters involved in their care and operation.

 

I think our hobby is safe as long as we don't just sit in pubs and reminiss about the good old days.

 

David

[SDT16]

40...... Although I can't believe it!! I grew up in the hobby w/ my dad. Have friends in the same situation. My nephew enjoys the hobby as well. He helps out a lot ,but he is more interested in modern jeep offloading. There are a few other youngsters here in Fl. with vehicles. There is also another group called the SteelSoldiers. They are mostly into the more modern stuff, as well as modifying the big trucks to make Bobbed 4x4s. But there still seems to be a lack of young people.

 

SD

[Toner]

I'm in my early 40's with hair rapidly greying hair.

I got into this at a later age than most. I only have one vehicle.

[Niels v]

Well I am 29, and are involved in some comitty work here in Denmark, but the cost of storage and having vehicle might be the reason why, not that many, young people do not have vehicles.

The only reason why I can have the vehicles I do, is that my father has farm where I can store them.

But I would not give up hope with young people, I have 17 year old friend who has just bought a GMC 352, but we also have to show and take care people are shown these vehicles and maybe help out with a restoration so it can spark an interst.

[LarryH57]

Interesting comments; I appreciate that D-Day 70th in Normandy and similar events can bring the family out in support but this often happens when 'dad' says he's going in his MV and the rest of the family come along for the ride, which may give weight to the idea that loads of youngsters are involved. For every club member that dies sadly there are not plenty more to take their place. Some MVT Areas are down to seven members and others consist of owners who are getting to the stage where they rarely get their MVs out on the road. I expect its similar in IMPS. Now without club members, you won't have people to run these clubs, and our voice will be lost with the powers that be!

[Austin]

Im 28 and have a lifelong interest in military vehicles, my first ever rally was at the age of 3 months in a AEC Matador. Ive been involved in countless restorations from Diamond T's, to Morris 10/4 staff cars. I own my own Austin K9 and I helped my brother age 22 restore his Bedford RL.

 

I think the subject of green machines is enough to keep 'new blood' entering the hobby, but some of the attitudes of the club members and rally organisers are whats causing harm to the hobby. For instance, rallies where post war vehicles are not allowed, where you can go and see line upon line of jeeps (usually 60's French ones marked as wartime) yet they wont let me in in my K9 or my brother in his RL.

 

I was a member of the MVT for a few years, I enjoyed the mag but didn't really get anything else out of it, saw lots of politics and groups splitting and joining other areas, I can remember one monthly meet I attended had more people talking about washing machine recommendations than military vehicles or restoration. So when my membership ran out, I didn't bother renewing, I know at least 5 younger MV owners that feel the same, sadly.

[Billruston]

I'm 19, started when 16 but always had a interst as my family deal in commercials and you always had the odd 'army lorry' come in, working on something and eventually getting it to run after years is certainly satisfying, I'm also luckily enough to have free storage, machanicly minded family & freinds Which really does help, I take my vehihhles to war and peace for the past 2 years but trying to take 3 a time can make the trip cost a good months wages but it's all worth it, great hobby.

[LarryH57]

It's just occurred to me that I'm preaching to the converted, as the people to which I refer are not online! Apparently there was a lot of resistance from older members to the idea of having Windscreen put out on the web and getting rid of the Greensheet for Sales & Wants, as for many members that's there only communication with the 'club scene' as they don't go to meetings either. The Greensheet will now be in the mag that's to be published six times a year.

Edited January 11, 2015 by LarryH57

[FW200]

I'm 27 and I've bought my first military vehicle (and only second car in total) this year.. a BRDM-2 from 1986 which predates me by a year.. It might not be as historic as some of the vehicles owned here but for me it definatly is..

 

It was built in a country that no longer exists (Soviet Union) , it served in a country that no longer exists (East Germany) and was meant for a conflict that never happened..

Edited January 12, 2015 by FW200

[fv1609]

Larry I don't think you have told us how old you are

[61Ferret]

I’m 52, soon to be 53. I am relatively new to military vehicle community but I’ve had an ongoing interest in militaria since childhood. That interest slowly evolved to where it influenced my decision to serve in the Royal Canadian Navy (Marine Engineer Tech) during the mid 80’s, collect/research Canadian militaria and now includes ownership of a British MK 2/3 Ferret. The evolution was slow, the interest has always been there but as others have noted, the availability of time and discretionary funds have always been two out of many factors that determined the level to which I could get involved. The list of reasons for available funds and time is endless...kids, marriage, mortgage, etc. Although new to military vehicles, I’m not new to militaria collecting and I hear the same concerns from those involved in that area of interest.

 

I own and operate a small custom picture framing shop and deal with a lot of different folks on a daily basis. The success of my business very much depends on how I find, engage or communicate with potential new customers who have framing needs whether young or old. Some new customers are very familiar with the process of picture framing and are easy to engage while others are shy, apprehensive and not familiar with but want to be involved in the process. It is the later type of new customer who I most often encounter and requires more effort in gaining their ongoing business and contribution to the success of my business. I believe the same applies to the military vehicle hobby or any other similar interest group.

 

I’ve owned my Ferret since October 2013 and during that time I’ve had it out for numerous casual drives and two organized events. During those outings, it was most often non military vehicle owners who asked questions and showed the most interest whether I introduced myself to them or they introduced themselves to me. Although my knowledge about military vehicles is limited when compared to others, I’ve tried to communicate all the positive aspects of our hobby and make it a great or memorable experience for them. Part of the info I pass along is where and when they can attend an organized event or the names of internet forums such as HMVF or MLU. I’ve been flagged down numerous times by people who wanted me to pull over so they could have a better look at the Ferret. Although it initially felt like an inconvenience, I did pull over, engaged in conversation and had a great time. The unscheduled stop cut into my driving time but I’ll never forget the smiles on those folks when they were able to have a close up look or take a picture with the Ferret.

 

My introduction/involvement with the local military vehicle community has been slow, mostly due to the fact that I’m somewhat reserved and quiet when I meet new people or groups. One of the people who made that easier for me is Robin Craig. I’m sure that many of you will recognize his name from either this or the MLU forum. Back in the spring of 2013, I met Robin at a military vehicle show that was held at the Oshawa Military Vehicle Museum. Robin had taken the time to answer my questions and share his opinions about the hobby. I have always appreciated that and always enjoy any opportunity to meet or communicate with him.

[rosie]

Well I'm 21 (plus 23) and the cubed one is 46. I've aways had an interest in vehiclear especially MVs. We ought the truck in 1997. Our eldest son (15) is very much like his dad, mechanically minded and interested in vehicles.

What an interesting thread though

[LarryH57]

I'm one of the old ones! I joined the MVCG in 1978!

[Richard Farrant]

I have unbroken membership from joining MVCG in 1978. Cannot recollect you at club events though Larry and I do know MVT members from across the country and beyond.