I've been part of the KFOCI since 1964 and I've seen three distinct "waves" of owners over the years. At first, there were those who either bought the cars new or as nearly new used cars. This group didn't so much restore their cars as maintain them - because after all, they were only a few years old. Sure, they enjoyed driving and showing their cars but the primary focus of the club at that time was to provide both technical support as well as a source for parts.
Wave two included the extended family. This included the kids in the family who remembered the cars when the were young and are now old enough to drive them. The club became an important source for information and parts because slowly, those in the first wave became less involved. This was the heyday for the club, and just about any club in general - that time when better sources for parts became available (club vendors, NAPA, JC Whitney, etc) and incomes were strong enough to support taking the car on a long vacation to attend a national meet. And, meets became more a social event than a gathering for technical support.
Wave three includes today's collector. There are those who hope to buy low and sell high, those who hope to find just the right vehicle to restore, either to resell or keep because it reminds them of a car in the family, as well as those who may not own a car but who have an interest in some aspect of a particular make. I know several club members who have no interest in owning a Kaiser or Frazer, but enjoy collecting the literature and accessory items that KF had available. The number of wave three car collectors is much smaller than the first two for several reasons. People are busier than ever, work schedules are no longer strictly 9 to 5, and folks have been lured into this sense of instant gratification. Why buy a car that needs restored when one can either buy something that's already done, or better yet, buy a shiny new car that looks and sounds a lot like what grandpa drove home from the dealership lot fifty years ago. And, the social piece has become more important than the cars at a meet. Sure, while we still buy and sell a few parts, display our cars on judging day, and drive them around the neighborhood, there are fewer of us who do that and more who instead attend a meet to sightsee and get reacquainted with those they haven't seen since last year.
We can debate the reasons for declining collector interest and no one has a wrong answer. There are many pressures on folks today to achieve and finding time to restore a car just isn't in the cards for many. As a result, cars that twenty years ago would have been snapped up right away go begging today. I've never seen so many two door 51s, Dragons, and hardtops for sale as I have in the last six months. While I'm sure a few will find new homes, many will end up tucked in the back of a garage hoping for better days.
