So...it's now 2025. Whats next?

[lloyd3]

I was out walking my dog yesterday and contemplating the "New Year". It was quiet and peaceful at the section of the dog-park I was in, making the time for introspection more feasible.

Our weather here has been quite mild lately, making me think about digging my car out for a mid-winter spin. My son was home for the holidays and he's always up for such an activity (he just turned 21!) but other things intervened. He's back at school now (no classes yet) but he's looking for a part-time job up there to help fund his car habit(s). I'm liking that.

Just how does an old guy with 57-year old musclecar fit into the modern world anymore? Colorado has passed a bunch of new laws that seem to affect everything else (guns, cell phones, car seats for kids, eggs, etc.) but so-far they've left the old car stuff mostly alone. Everything here is "for the environment" which is now so screwed-up by all the transplants from everywhere else (largely illegals and Californians).  Local politicians like to find stupid stuff to do so they can say that they're doing something (like banning plastic bags in our supermarkets to save the "environment"... sheesh!). We elect morons here, sad to say, yet...I'm surprisingly optimistic these days.

My own health seems to be improving (with lots of outdoor exercise this past Fall and perhaps better food choices). My wrecked ankle seems to be healing nicely, and my fleet of now-ancient vehicles (most date back to the early 2000s) seem to be holding up just fine.  I'm also pleased with this last election, as it seems like the "adults" are back in charge, making me more-hopeful that our cars won't somehow be sacrificed upon the altar of "saving the planet" by a bunch of do-gooders with no brain to speak of. Those people all seem to be on the run at the moment.

Happy 2025 to all here!

[Kern Dog]

Crazy was running UNchecked for the last 4 years but better times are coming.

[timmycharger]

I live in Mass which is competing to be the next CA or NY in regard to the nonsense noted above but 2025 is looking bright in my mind.

I pulled out the engine stand from my garage loft and made a space in the shop for my next engine.  I plan on having a 440 stroker short block built and will transfer the 6 pack intake and carbs along with the pan and Edelbrock cylinder heads (after having them ported) Hopefully can get started on this in the summer. Been looking at the proven engine combos section and have time to pick the right parts. 

Pulling down the fiberglass sixpack hood from the wall for a restoration and plan on putting that on in the summer as well.

The reason I am not going to use my existing engine as I am trying to limit the down time, plan on the engine swap next winter as I also plan on upgrading my Passon Hemi 4 speed with his overdrive gearset for a little better highway cruising. 

[b5blue]

Yup, now the freak show starts! 

[DownZero]

You mean in now ends.

[marshallfry01]

2026. Lol sorry, I had to say it.

Here in Arkansas we don't have any goofy laws regarding classic cars so I don't see anything crazy happening. I personally feel like the next 4 years will be better than the last 4 but time will tell.

Regardless, my 69 is getting finished this year. It is really close. I'm currently tying up a bunch of loose ends but the first fire up is getting closer by the day.

[Mike DC]

 
I think classic cars are mostly safe in the foreseeable future.  They are a tiny percentage of the cars on the road.  They have some wealthy fans and a lot of other fans who put what they have into it.  The aftermarket industry is still running which means SEMA will lobby to protect us.   


The danger in the longer term is the class war, like with most problems.  If nobody below the millionaire level has any spare money then the hobby will financially die.  Once that happens there won't be anybody to push back against legal bans.   


IMO environmentalism is more of an excuse for the govt to crack down than a reason. 

I mainly worry about the surveillance motive.  A 20th-century car does not provide tracking data.  The govt is liable to ban non-computerized cars and feed us a load of bullshit.  "Sorry, but it was those blue-haired college kids and suburban Karens.  THEY have all the power in the country, don't you know that?  We promise it had nothing to do with the NSA, FBI, CIA, local law, insurance industry, and the rest of the corporate state, all demanding your data."

[lloyd3]

I'm guessing that b5blue is referring to the media circus that was in full-blown "screech-mode" during Trump's 1st administration.

What's coming next is likely to be similar in many ways but...this time might be a little different. Most (if not all) of the historic media outlets are badly damaged by all of their blatant shilling-for and then the-ongoing protection of the Biden Administration. Their credibility is pretty-much shot now and they are reportedly losing audiences at an alarming rate. Joe Rogan has far-more credibility as a news source these days, as do many other online news outlets.

"And the times, they are a changin..."

[b5blue]

Don't read into more than is...

[Kern Dog]

Imagine if the red tsunami actually spread to other states like, say...California.
This state used to be the magnet for the rest of the country. People moved here from all over the country, drawn by the beautiful scenery and excellent weather. For years it was almost perfect but like many places, as we grew comfortable, we got lazy and the idiots and radicals swooped in.
Nowadays we are the point of ridicule for the rest of the country. We are mocked for the social policies, the budget deficits and horrible mismanagement. This wasn't the case until the last 20-25 years.
Guess what has happened 20-25 years ago...?
It has been said many times that the insanity starts here and then spreads to other states. I do my part to oppose it but the urban centers out-populate the rural and their votes outnumber ours.
Things are changing but I wish they would go back to the 90s and earlier. Back then we sure seemed to have a more sensible approach to social issues.
Here is another one. In the early 2000s, we were sold on the idea of a high speed train that would transport Californians up and down the state. The initial budget was 20 something billion. Now it is 16+ years later and they are already at 35+ billion spent and not a single inch of train track has been laid down. The latest estimates are that it could be "up to" 122 Billion to complete it. Yeah, you just know that number will increase over time.
High Speed Rail for $122 billion dollars and the damned thing doesn't even traverse the whole state. It was planned to run from the San Francisco Bay Area to just south of Bakersfield.. Yeah, since BAKERSFIELD is a hotbed of action. They can't run a train UP the mountains that are between the central valley and the Los Angeles valley so if you are in Northern Ca and decide you want to get to LA, you take the high speed train to Bakersfield then have to rent a car to go the last 2 hours.
Who the hell thought that this was a good idea?
Shit like this wasn't common before the mid 90s.