Forum Participation

[v8volvo]

Originally Posted by DieselScout

Even the couple of D24 Facebook groups are pretty much DOA.
I'm just assuming the D24 is becoming more rare each passing year.

That's good to hear the Facebook groups are pretty slow too. I always imagined discussions shifting there were the main reason things were growing less busy here. Glad to hear those groups aren't succeeding at our expense and are in fact in the same boat.

I just posted the below in another thread, but I'm going to paste it here too since I think it's relevant to this discussion:

I don't think it's that dead, really. It's true that sometimes we go a few days or a week without much discussion on here (that may just be because everyone's cars are running with no problems during that time ). But when a question does get asked, even today there is still an active conversation that occurs in response to it. There are a number of helpful and knowledgeable members who do a great job about making sure people find the info they need when they need it. I think that's the bottom line qualification for a well functioning forum. Clearly when members want to talk to each other on here they still do so, successfully. We all hope that continues to be true into the future.

In short I think the proclamations of death are premature. We're still here talking about the forum and the cars, aren't we? Living proof!

As for the underlying reason for declining activity we have certainly seen, to be honest I have noticed the same thing on other automotive forums focused on affordable and practical type cars similar to the ones we talk about here. TDI Club is another example -- it focuses on cars that are much, much newer and more plentiful than these old Volvos, yet it too has suffered a great decline in activity. So although the ever-decreasing number of the cars is undoubtedly part of it, there's definitely more to it than that.

My personal theory on why? Mainly it's about fuel prices, IMO, as well as the increasing prevalence of extremely long term auto loans on brand new vehicles that makes them appear affordable even if in reality they are not a great financial proposition. At a time when fuel was not so cheap, people got excited about neat old cars like these diesel Volvos, and TDI cars also, that could be satisfying to drive and well built and versatile, yet got a lot of miles out of a gallon. Now that the picture has changed, those advantages are not as widely sought anymore. The people who might have gotten interested in such a vehicle then, and eventually found their way to a forum like this one or TDIClub or others, are now tempted instead by low monthly payments on something brand new off the lot that is advertised on its high seating height and modern infotainment systems, but doesn't make much mention of fuel economy. And part of the temptation of course is that they will not need to touch it with a wrench or spend their time asking questions on a forum like this one... Just make the monthly payment.

Arguably there has also been a decline in the general desire of folks to get involved in the workings of their stuff, not just their vehicle. I gather that many other hobby forums on completely different topics have also seen falling interest. Maybe people just are less interested in spending their time this way now, for whatever unknown reason.

The good news is those of us who still do appreciate these kinds of old rigs, and having an understanding of them, get to be considered an exclusive group.

[jpliddy]

i find this web site a great help in keeping these cars on the road
with out it there woud be a lot fewer the people who manage it and give there
honest advice are a credit to it .keep up the good work
regards jim

[dahicori]

Your point of view is 100% right v8volvo. But I think we can add another point, which is the power of pure conformism. Ridding an old car, it does give one some kind of charisma, but it also exposes one to make himself ridiculous. Even if my car runs great (ok, that does not happen every time) it will always look funny to the eyes of most people .

As if people's psychology were not able to make a distinction between the fact to have an object you like and all the speculations that surround that fact : to them, riding a D24 is beeing some kind of strange guy stuck in an passed world, a passed aesthetism.

[v8volvo]

As we continue this thread, I have edited its title from "Why is this forum dead?" to "Forum Participation" instead.

Having a thread about the forum being dead repeatedly show up on the forum's main page, as the first thing new visitors see, probably doesn't do anything to help it stay alive. We don't want it to be a self-fulfilling prophecy!

dahicori, I agree with your post. And there's a flip side to some of those things. Lots of folks -- maybe experiencing conformism as you say -- may be concerned with how they "look" in their vehicle and are willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars to get the look they want, with a new vehicle, rapid depreciation, high repair cost, etc. By comparison, those who don't/can't care too much about that get the benefit of saving an enormous amount of money. And if we are driving something we like, who cares about the look anyway?!

Plus despite all the folks who might find driving an old vehicle to look ridiculous, there are also a few who will believe it looks more interesting or see it as a sign of a shared philosophy. Meeting and having interactions with those people, like we do here, is part of the fun, no?