- Pro: The drive there
- Con: Overpriced and distinctly crap food
- Pro: The variety
- Pro and con: The People
- Con: The driving standards
- Pro: The inspiration
- What are your favourite and least favourite things about car meets? Tell us in the comments?
Car meets are odd events, really. They usually require waking up at some godawful hour on a weekend when most normal people would still be out cold, dreaming about investing in new microwave ovens. The pay-off for the 5am alarm is usually fantastic, however. A chance to meet like-minded souls, see interesting cars, and even be inspired for your next mod.
But they're not always perfect – which is why we thought we'd chat about some of the pros and cons of car meets – and we want to hear your ones in the comments at the bottom.
Pro: The drive there
This was our morning drive yesterday. Admittedly we couldn't find a car meet in the Scottish Highlands where we could pretend the STO is actually ours…
This was our morning drive yesterday. Admittedly we couldn't find a car meet in the Scottish Highlands where we could pretend the STO is actually ours…
In the UK you'll often find car meets take place in pub car parks early on a weekend morning. That means you get a clear blast on empty country roads to really push your car – this in itself makes the car meet a Good Thing. An excuse for a drive. Specifically, an excuse for a drive when there's no traffic. Even if the meet itself is so-so, you're up early and making the most of the day, warming your tyres on fun roads.
Con: Overpriced and distinctly crap food
Call us neanderthals, but half the reason we go to car meets is for an excuse to eat a bacon butty. But so often the food at UK car meets is outrageously expensive for what you get. We've paid £5 for a single rasher of bacon in a 5p floured bap before. Let's not get onto the topic of crap, tasteless burgers in buns that fall apart at the hint of a passing dump valve.
We couldn't find a stock image of a really, really thin and tasteless burger. This one would actually be quite nice, we think
We couldn't find a stock image of a really, really thin and tasteless burger. This one would actually be quite nice, we think
That said, some car meets do food properly – we don't mind paying £6 for a burger cooked by a proper pub kitchen, for example. The wait for food can also be a real mood killer – there's also nothing more depressing that turning up after a long drive to find the queue for a sausage bap is 40 minutes long… and you're starting to get hangry.
Pro: The variety
We've got a lot of time for this Skyline
We've got a lot of time for this Skyline
We love car meets where there's a huge variety of motors on display. Old classics, modded JDM rocketships, modern German bahnstormers, motorbikes, hot-rods… put everything together into one chaotic melange and you've got a great car meet.
It's a bit like walking the car parks at the Goodwood Festival of Speed – everything's mixed up and you're always going to be surprised by a nice example of a car you've not thought about in ages. Our favourite pre-Covid car meet saw us turning up in a new Audi RS 6 and parking it next to a Ford Model T. Variety is the spice of life, and it always makes for an interesting morning.
Pro and con: The People
Bear with us here – we're not completely misanthropic. Car meets are, really, all about the people. More often than not you'll meet humble, like-minded folk who like to chat about all cars with an open-mind and a willingness to share experiences. But then you'll nearly always overhear a complete walt talking utter nonsense about cars that he or she clearly hasn't driven or experienced. Or they'll come up to you and start telling you things about your car. That's the actual worst.
“Oh, I see you've got one of the models that burns oil and will definitely experience catastrophic engine failure tomorrow. Unlucky. I've got two La Ferraris.” Sod. Off.
Con: The driving standards
We get it. Leaving a car meet is a chance for people to hear your car and see it moving – which is far more interesting than standing huddled around an open bonnet. However, there are ways to go about showing your car off, and none of them involve doing dodgy ESC-off powerslides out onto busy public roads. Knobs like this not only jeopardise the future of car meets at that location, but also give petrolheads a seriously crap name. No one cares if you can do an uncontrolled tank-slapper in your E46 330i Touring sans limited-slip diff – they just want to hear the straight six howl once you're on an appropriate bit of road.
Pro: The inspiration
If you're a bit like us then chances are you have a mental shopping list of future cars – a shopping list that changes more frequently than the Radio 1 DJ lineup. And car meets are just the best for opening your eyes – and ears – to future rides. We didn't care much for Lotus Carltons until we heard one leave a car meet on full boost. Now we need to have one. Likewise, putting ITBs on an MX-5 never crossed our minds until we saw and heard one… and now we need one.
This could also be a con, however, because once you've arrived at a car meet there's a fair chance the only car you don't want to leave in is your own car…
What are your favourite and least favourite things about car meets? Tell us in the comments?
Keyword: What are the best and worst things about car meets?