There has been a phenomenon sweeping our nation of car buffs and fans over the last few years that typically happens on Saturday or Sunday mornings from New York to Los Angeles called "Cars and Coffee" or some variation of that. Cars and Carburetors, Cars and Decaf, Wheels and Coffee and my guess is there are other names for these local events. They are a gathering of car nuts, car geeks and plain old car guys (95% guys) ranging in age from pre-teens who came with their dads to retirees. These gatherings can sometimes happen in a strip mall parking lot or some fancy park grounds and the only thing that stops them is rain. Although I recently left my house with a very light rain and that didn't deter me as I just wondered how many guys were as crazy to geek out on cars as I was even with a little dampness in the air. What's a little water? Besides it looked like it was only a spot shower and fortunately I was right.
I've been fortunate enough to attend several of these in both Los Angeles and the New York City area where I currently reside. I've been on a role of late as I've attended one for at least four weeks in a row now. That's a new record for me. I woke up this past Sunday morning and told my wife I was headed to the one not far from our house and she just looked at the clock as it was about 7:00 AM, rolled her eyes and went back to sleep. These meet ups typically happen as early as 8:00 AM and don't go pass noon with many dispersing by 11:00 AM.
I was home before noon, which was perfect timing for most of the Sunday family routine, but my wife had to take her shot and asked if there were any new cars there this week that I hadn't seen in the previous weeks. She was implying or questioning the rationale for going out and seeing the same cars and the same guys. Part of the challenge with the "Cars and Coffee" experience is there is no female equivalent so how do they rationalize our obsession with it? Many women don't get it, some go along just because and my guess is most could care less. It did make me think for a few seconds and I responded yes I saw more new cars.
After giving it more thought there was certainly a few new cars that showed up this week but what was distinctly different from the previous week were the conversations. You certainly get your regulars so once you've seen their car and geeked out or drooled over their setup there's no new news specific to their vehicle. However, the conversations change all the time and it can be very enlightening. This week I felt I got schooled on the Dodge lineup as there were about three Hellcats, two Chargers and one Challenger parked next to a Charger Scat Pack. I did the equivalent of pulling the pin on a hand grenade and tossing it over the fence, (BOOM!) as I asked one of the owners what was the difference between the two cars. That question ignited a group discussion. I was already well versed (so I thought) on the Hellcat versions but learned quite a bit about the Scat Pack. Both are great cars and Dodge would have been proud, as these guys were great brand ambassadors. We are talking Dodge guys amongst the BMW, Porsche and Corvette enthusiasts just to name a few and they held court.
In the previous weeks I was part of conversations ranging from the latest detailing technology to modding out a Porsche 997 911 Turbo and how to add more power to a Z06 C7 Corvette. For those not aware of the nomenclature just know it is currently the most powerful Chevy Corvette ever made but there are guys out there that want to add more "go fast" parts.
If you are in the market for a new toy, daily driver or a work truck these Cars and Coffee events offer you the chance to discuss firsthand about a vehicle you are considering. These guys own the vehicle or use to own the vehicle, they can tell you where they get their car, truck or SUV serviced and they can also tell you who to stay away from. They provide insights that allow you to consider along with all the other research you are likely doing. The PoorManRichCars.com newsletter subscription is just another resource or tool to help you make an informed decision. We aggregate information from multiple sources and offer our opinion, much of which is not scientific as it is food for thought. Subscribing to our newsletter will certainly make you smarter and when that happens our mission is accomplished.