This forum is dying

[NorTex]

Looking forward to discussions.

Welcome.

Thank you! If I ever come across someone bragging about a 1986 Lincoln Town Car, then it will be a thread I'll definitely have to jump in! I picked one up
in the mid 1990s, dropped in a new long block but had one nightmare after another replacing all the plastic vacuum/emission lines. (They cracked or snapped off during removal of external accessories to add to the long block, as I was making the engine swap.)There was a gazillion of 'em! Plus it was the biggest piece of junk I've ever attempted to "refurbish" or restore. Twenty thousand miles later the "new-to-the-car" remanufactured block cracked, spilling fluids all over the ground. Sad.

[NorTex]

I remember when I first joined this site, (no one wants to remember that), I downright admit that I was a jerk and a troll when it came to certain companies , or things, such as Toyota and Honda. UCP was my first forum where I could talk with many other car enthusiasts about something that we all love and, thats cars. And, it's a place where we get to actually know each other a bit despite being another continent, province, state, what ever it may be, away from each other. I find that we point out each other's faults and people on here seem very willing to change and forgive what they've done. UCP seems like such a nice automotive neighborhood and I was surprised at such of the vast amounts of knowledge that came from some of you guys! But, to be quite honest, I felt a little out of place becuase I'm the only woman it seems, who regularly visit this place. However, you guys made me feel welcome and warmed up to me (I guess) after my unacceptable behaviour which I openly apologized about. Personally though, it's a shame that more women aren't on here becuase I'm sure that they have vast amounts of knowledge like you guys do! I honestly don't know why that more women aren't on here but I guess it doesn't matter?

You are forgiven! I generally take the high road, and if I am adamant about something I present myself in a genteel manner, or make tongue-in-cheek comments. I've had enough drama and headaches in my life, and by getting older and dealing with blood pressure, it's best to learn how to take life "easy" when it is possible.

[thebrochureman]

What year did this Forum start. Just wondering.

[henk4]

What year did this Forum start. Just wondering.

The forum in this shape started in April 2003. The site started in 1998.

[jcp123]

I have noticed it slowing down

[fisetdavid26]

Well when I first joined in 2006 the forums were very active, but as mentionned a couple of times in this thread already many posts were made by people who started threads in the likes of "your top 10", "omfg skyline lol", "___ car vs. ___ car" etc. and quite frankly none of those threads were really that interesting, so having less traffic but more interesting threads nowadays is a great deal IMHO. One of the reasons I "left" was because I became bored with not only the forum, but the internet in general, and because a bunch of members on this forum became less and less active, people I considered friends, and still do to this day. Of course there are still people active on here that I consider among my friends, but my lack of interest in spending several hours on the computer became too strong for me to keep going. I drop by from time to time to read a few threads, but I usually don't feel like I can/need to contribute anything. I've been living on my own for 2 years now, and working full time to pay for my rents, so I had less time as well.

For those interested, I started a mechanic course at the beginning of January, I'm currently studying how to verify/repair electrical circuits and components in a car, lots of VW jokes going on I won't be touching major mechanical components before winter 2013 (engines, transmissions, etc.), we are starting with the basics first (it's a 2-year course). Once it's done I will be able to apply to any garage I want

Since the forums became much more technical than the drunken Quiggs rant threads and the days of the ECC and BoJ, I should be able to contribute more as I learn new stuff at school.

Also, I bought my dad's Cobalt (a 2010 LT model) in October, it's currently got 13,200 km on the clock. Will be buying a beater this spring to have something to work on and practice my mechanic skills, as except for oil changes, brakes and tyres I won't be doing anything to the Slobalt myself. Everything's under warranty for a good 6-year still!

P.S. I'm starting to feel like Matra with all those smileys...

[Kitdy]

Glad to hear you are training to do something with cars! I hope you are enjoying it. Maybe you can fix some of the issues with our VW...

P.S. Habs suck.

[henk4]

Since the forums became much more technical than the drunken Quiggs rant threads and the days of the ECC and BoJ, I should be able to contribute more as I learn new stuff at school.

Right, and if I would not have had no ulterior motives I would never have joined a forum that thrived on the type of threads you mention.....

and I really like your contribution (also the not quoted parts)

[jcp123]

You raise a good point, I also have become less "internet-addicted" than I was in my younger years, so to speak. Hence why I wasn't here for a long time. I also agree that many of the threads are a little "smarter" - I myself have grown in my tastes in cars from "classic with a V8 only" to at least being open to fuel injected/smogged vehicles even of the modern variety - I try to balance out the negativity I used to spew with some positives even when talking about cars I "hate".

And here's a gratuitous Henk smiley

[henk4]

You raise a good point, I also have become less "internet-addicted" than I was in my younger years, so to speak. Hence why I wasn't here for a long time. I also agree that many of the threads are a little "smarter" - I myself have grown in my tastes in cars from "classic with a V8 only" to at least being open to fuel injected/smogged vehicles even of the modern variety - I try to balance out the negativity I used to spew with some positives even when talking about cars I "hate".

And here's a gratuitous Henk smiley

in short, for many forum members the urgency to post has been replaced by a preference to post something useful....

[Kitdy]

in short, for many forum members the urgency to post has been replaced by a preference to post something useful....

I'd say that is true, likely because the established community has aged, and the goofy SupRA VS SKyLIne!!!! users have all abandoned this place.

The quality of conversation is quite good on this site; it would just be nice if it was more frequent and there was more (quality) posters. I miss the lack of conversation on every new car released. Shouldn't that be one of the major topics of conversation?

[henk4]

I'd say that is true, likely because the established community has aged, and the goofy SupRA VS SKyLIne!!!! users have all abandoned this place.

The quality of conversation is quite good on this site; it would just be nice if it was more frequent and there was more (quality) posters. I miss the lack of conversation on every new car released. Shouldn't that be one of the major topics of conversation?

good point, may be we could try to change the thread for Site updates from website-discussion to some (more prominent) place elsewhere.

[Kitdy]

good point, may be we could try to change the thread for Site updates from website-discussion to some (more prominent) place elsewhere.

I do not know if that would help. In the past, there would be a dedicated thread in the automotive section and/or the hideout with dozens of pictures posted up by some benevolent user, typically with a lengthy discussion. I think the main issue is simply a lack of traffic and enthusiasm.

I also think the more tenured members probably use the "New Posts" function so they see all posts, regardless of where they are, and that one thread for many new cars (say like the recent site updates from the NAIAS) can jumble conversation.

[jcp123]

I actually am in some agreement with Henk...I actually learned something new when he said those particular discussions were in the Website Discussion section. In my past experience, that part of the forum was for issues directly related to the function of the website

[NSXType-R]

I agree- although it's less lively, the quality is up and there's less fluff going around.

I don't mind the slower traffic, there's still friendly banter going around and still very much car talk, which was the point of this site right?

Besides, there's still lots of old members hanging around which is great and it's wonderful that we know some by their names, not just their user name.