So glad it's back!!! Don't post a lot but enjoy the banter. Glad to see everyone still here!
Sad reality is that "everyone" is not still here and many won't return as they are tempted to spend time elsewhere for several reasons.
The forum has been down a lot this year and occasional visitors just forget to come back after several failed attempts. Us hardcore regular users just keep trying to get on and because we get frustrated the frequency of trying diminishes as the days or weeks pass, some just move on to other forums or find other things to do.
A large percentage of the 2nd gens have been restored or rebuilt so less projects and less questions. And with the database of information gone there's less likelihood of us sending potential new members or reminding current members to come here using links to threads etc. I know I sent lots of people here with links to threads on aerodynamics, my build threads, sub frame thread, how to's, brake info, etc. and they're all gone now so I haven't sent anyone here in a long time.
As the use of the internet has evolved there's more and more things available for people to spend their time doing. "YouTube" wasn't even started yet when this form first got going. I'll admit I spend quite a few hours watching car racing now that I spent on forums years ago. Today people spend over a BILLION hours PER DAY watching youtube videos (according to wiki). Never mind the distractions of Facebook and all the other social media sites. So as the kids will tell you, forums are for old guys, aaaaand......
The owners of 2nd gens are aging out. If you were 30 YO when this forum started and bought a 25 YO car to build you'd be about to turn 50 and the car 45. You've moved on to other interests you're working on or researching info for even if you still have the car and finished the project.
Which brings to the forum owner who has also aged and currently has other things that hold a higher priority in his life than operating this forum. When he first built the forum he probably didn't realize the monster he was creating till it became a case of "Be careful what you wish for". While we can set aside a project car or just park a finished car for an extended period of time to build a new garage, move, deal with family issues, fix the house/yard, or whatever, the forum continues running (or not) every day and always wants some of his time. Perhaps it's time to sell it? There are companies that buy niche forums and then can sell advertising easier because of the volume of users they have when all the forums are bundled.
