Staying Safe at Car Shows

There are tons of car shows, and at all of these car shows there are usually tons of people. Ensuring that you stay safe is a necessary task to ensure that you are able to always enjoy the car shows, rather than being forced to wait around for the police or take a trip to the hospital.  From crime to health problems, you need to be aware of some simple safety measures to make sure you leave without problems, and have a great positive experience.

Your first step should be avoid taking purses unless necessary.  There are so many people in a small area that taking a purse is rather foolish.  This can encourage the purse snatchers who are able to blend into the crowd easily.  Instead, take just a small wallet that fits into your front pocket and limit the amount of cash you carry on you.  Additionally, make sure you leave most of your credit cards at home, or in the hotel.  Limit the amount of personal information you are bringing with you as well to reduce the risks.

Always carefully check out the weather during the car show as well.  In addition to this information find out if the show is inside or outside and make appropriate clothing choices.  If the weather is scheduled to be in the 80’s do not wear thick pants, heavy shirts and a huge winter parka.  This is just asking for trouble and can leave you having a heat stroke.  You need clothing that is appropriate based upon the weather, rather than based upon what you think the weather will be.  This may mean wearing layers of clothing to ensure that you do not get cold, or overheat.

You should also ensure that you find out if there will be drinks and food available at the car show.  Not all car shows have food and drinks and it is very important to ensure that you stay hydrated and do not lose all of your energy.  Allowing yourself to become dehydrated is a huge problem and can leave you with no energy, or worse you could pass out.  Neither situation is a good idea and with plenty of drinks is avoidable.  If the car show does not have drinks there, make sure you bring plenty with you.

You should bring a cellular phone with you as well.  At a bare minimum, bring some change for the telephone.  Without these items, you could be stranded in the event of an emergency with no way to call for help.  Having a working phone ensures that when a problem occurs you can quickly call for help and ensure that you will be able to reach someone.  It is also useful in the event that you need to contact someone and ask for a ride, or just try to get in touch with anyone else.

Your final consideration should be shoes.  It is not a wise decision to swear huge high heels to a car show.  The terrain is usually a bit uneven and the ground is usually grassy or rocky.  This can spell disaster in the wrong shoes.  Wear something that is comfortable and secure that you will not easily lose.  You should also ensure that you have something that is weather appropriate, for example no sandals in the winter.  Planning ahead will keep you safe during all of the car shows you attend.

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Should You Take an Unfinished Car to a Show?

Have you ever wondered exactly why someone would take a car that is unfinished to a car show?  Often the goal is not so much to win a prize, but rather to show off a car that is in progress.  This is especially common for the exotic and rare cars that are not always easily seen at car shows.  Many people pull out their cars at least once they have completed the bodywork but before the interior and the painting have been done.  You may wonder why this occurs, and you may be wondering if you should pull out your uncompleted car as well.

Generally, most people pull out their works in progress when they are not interested in an award.  They are simply interested in showing off their car and letting people see what it looks like during the restoration process. There are times when people who are attending car shows have no clue at all what it takes for a car to be restored and presentable during the car shows.  Seeing a car that is in progress is often a great experience for people and can allow them to see that creating the masterpieces that are generally on display is not really a simple task as they may believe.

Most people do not realize just how much time, effort, money or labor goes into restoring an old car.  Some cars obviously take more work than others do but all cars will need at least a small amount of work done to restore them to original condition or better.  There are some people who pull out their unfinished car for the car shows and then work on them a bit at the show.  This is a great way to see first hand what part of the process involves.  Granted it is only a very small portion of the overall process but it is a wonderful learning experience.

If you are considering pulling out your partially completed car, you need to ensure that you talk to the organizers and ensure that they will have no problems with it.  Some organizations are not allowed to have partially completed cars on the lot depending on the event insurance that they have in place.  Checking with the organizers first will ensure that you avoid all potential problems before the show itself.

If you do bring your uncompleted car, it is a wise decision to avoid doing any work on the engine during the show.  It would be very easy to lose engine components that you need and with large crowds of people missing parts can become a huge problem quickly if something is accidently kicked away from the car or otherwise lost.  Always ensure that you are working on something that is quite simple, additionally, if you are working on your car during the show you should be ready to answer plenty of questions that people have.

Most people who attend a car show are going to be thoroughly interested in asking you a ton of questions about what you are doing and why.  This is normal and often having a bit of information already in mind can help you to answer the questions you get without having to stop and think of each answer.  If you take some time and carefully plan some activities, it can be a great way to help educate people stopping by your car.

One consideration is if you offer a specific car service, you should work on that while at the show.  For example, if you offer car detailing then you should consider working on detailing the car during the show.  This would allow perspective customers to see what you are capable of doing and the quality of your work all at once.  Making sure you have some business cards to hand out is another good move that can help make you memorable.  Just ensure if you are advertising a business or service that you are offering that you present yourself as a professional during the show.

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Should You Buy a Car at a Car Show?

So you woke up and decided to attend the car show that was scheduled for the weekend.  You walk in and start looking at all of the gorgeous cars that are present.  You suddenly are hit by the urge to own one yourself.  You happen to spot a particularly gorgeous car that looks simply stunning and just joke with the owner and ask if they would sell.  They actually answer with a price they would like.  What are you ever supposed to do?

Part of you hoped they would say no to selling, and part of you is jumping up and down inside thrilled at the idea of buying the magnificent car.  But is this truly a wise decision to make?  Is buying a car from a car show really a wise investment?  Should you walk away and calm down, or should you pull out your checkbook immediately?  Your inner child is probably screaming to buy the car, but do you even know what the car is worth?

You should avoid buying a car at a car show unless you have had some time to carefully shop around and see how much the vehicle that you are interested in would be worth.  If you already have extensive knowledge about cars this may not be as large of a task, but for those who have no experience with these magnificent cars it can be a large amount of homework.

Additionally, during a car show the owner is not going to have much time to discuss specifics of the car with you.  This is simply the result of having so many people around their car that they are watching.  They most certainly do not want someone to cause damage to the car, and they definitely do not want someone to mess with the engine.  While they may be talking to you about the car, they are probably only half-paying attention.

Additionally, during a car show you are unable to take the vehicle on a test drive simply because most car shows are not designed to allow the cars to move once they have been parked in their assigned place.  In addition, there are typically large groups of people at car shows that make it dangerous trying to drive through the crowds and can really create some harsh problems if you are not careful.

If you truly find a car that you are madly in love with and determined to buy, and find an owner who is serious about selling you should ask for the sale price of the car, and also the owners contact information.  Tell them that you will be in touch after the show.  This will allow you to calm down and think rationally, as well as the opportunity to do a bit of research on the price the car is worth compared to what the owner is asking.  Typically, you should wait at least a day or two after the car show before contacting the buyer so you have ample time to do research.

Once you meet up with the buyer you should take the car for a test drive and look over it very closely.  Also ask about the engine and transmission.  Many cars that are in shows are not original parts; they are often custom created cars that pull parts from various other cars to create what is before your eyes.  If you are fine with this then it is perfectly acceptable, but you should be well aware of it before you buy the car.  Other considerations are the overall condition of the vehicle, and the age.

You should possibly take another day or two to consider the purchase once you have taken a test drive.  Remember, this is a car; it is not a CD or even a television that is fairly cheap.  These vehicles are very expensive and the maintenance and repair costs can also be quite large.  If you take the time to do some careful research and make a good decision about purchasing the car after the show it can be a great experience.  Just avoid buying the car during the show unless you are absolutely certain that the car is spectacular and the deal is incredible.

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Reasons to Attend Car Shows

There are numerous reasons to attend car shows and even more car shows than there are reasons each year.  If you are interested in attending a car show it is a very good idea to determine what you have in mind before you start looking for a show to attend so that you can ensure find the right show for your needs, but with a bit of research you can find the right show.

Think about what type of car you enjoy.  At a car show you can easily get your fill of that style of car.  There are from dozens to hundreds of cars at each show and you have ample opportunities to see these gorgeous beauties.  If you love antiques then there are shows geared specifically to antiques and all of the other car types as well.  There is no reason at all why you should go to any car shows that you do not enjoy; there are plenty that will offer the types of cars you are interested in.

Hot rods, street rods, antiques, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and so much more await you.  It does not matter what type of car you are interested in, there is at least one car show a year that specializes in your interest.  This is a great place to find car clubs that are in your area of interest as well.  In addition, you get the benefit of seeing all of the incredible work that has been done on the cars as well.

If you are interested in learning about cars, you can find a lot of great educational opportunities at car shows.  Most of the vehicle owners are more than happy to talk about their vehicle and what they have done to it with visitors.  This can allow you to gather plenty of ideas and learn as much as possible.  Additionally, it can be a good source of tips and suggestions on how to do some of the work that your car needs to have done if you are working on a car.

Some people find that visiting a good car show is very inspiring to them in working on a car of their own.  Even if they did not own a car before the show, a lot of people are busy buying a car after the show.  This can be a great hobby, and since most cars that are maintained and restored properly resell for good prices, it can be a great investment as well.

Car shows are also a great place to make some connections.  There are some companies and vendors that set up and offer incredible discounts and deals off their products when you buy at the car shows.  This combined with the people you meet can make it possible to save a lot of money when you are working on a car the next time.  While their services may not suit your needs for a while, you may come across a time when that contact can be very helpful.

If you are trying to join a car club that requires a sponsor to join, then finding a good car show will help you to locate some members to talk to.  Obviously, they are going to want to meet you and see your own vehicle before they are willing to sponsor you but it makes the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself and your car.    Ensure if this is your goal that your car always looks the best possible before you arrive though.

Many families enjoy going to car shows because it is a great activity that is typically held outdoors and allows most people some great quality bonding time.  Instead of being held to our normal routines, we are forced to break free and look at all of the beautiful cars.  This can be a great activity for a family, especially on the weekends when families tend to go separate ways because of other busy life activities.

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Quick and Easy Detailing Tips for Car Shows

Ensuring that your car is in tip top shape before the judge’s come around is sometimes a stressful task but with some quick and easy tips, you can ensure that your car is looking forever gorgeous for the judges no matter how many people have had their hands on it. Remember, you need to ensure that your car was thoroughly detail cleaned before the show to make it the easiest possible.

Check those windows; they are so quick to get dirty if there are many people around. Just breathing in the wrong weather can leave your windows with streaks or other bad marks that can pull down the overall appearance of your car. Always ensure you keep some soft cloths and good window cleaner in the car. This will ensure that those windows are sparkling when the judges roll around. Remember, clean windows set a good overall impression for the vehicle.

Spot shine the chrome on the car. This is a place where you usually start seeing smudges pretty quickly. A cloth and some good chrome cleaner will ensure that your chrome stays as shiny as possible. You should easily be able to see your reflection in it, and ensure that there is no rust on the chrome either. This is a small detail that can make a huge impression. If you ignore the smaller details, they will likely think you ignore the large ones as well.

Tires are another critical area, you may not realize it but tons of mud caked up in the wheel well and on your tires themselves can give your car a bad look. Clean those tires as soon as you park at the show to ensure that they are perfect looking. This will generally only need to be done once, which if done immediately upon arriving frees your time for other tasks.

Avoid eating in the car before the show, and especially during the show. Eating in general tends to leave some tiny crumbs all around the house and is a huge pain in the butt and hassle. Keep the food out of the car and you will not have to worry about crumbs or food stains giving your car a bad impression. Once again, it is the small details that can make a huge impression on the judges.

You may also want to take a few brief moments upon arriving and quickly touch up any dull spots in the wax. This will help to ensure that the entire car is well waxed and shiny. You may also want to pull out a small portable vacuum and spot clean the upholstery just to ensure that there is no dirt or debris anywhere. A good car will make a marvelous impression and just following these tiny steps will put your car at the top of the list.

Additionally, avoid the temptation to load up the trunk with lots of stuff. Regardless of whether it is trinkets or tools you should never load up your trunk at the car show when you are showing. The judges may want to see how your trunk looks, and if it is full of stuff, they will not be able to get a good look at the condition. Keep it

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