10-14-2017, 03:52 AM
In my experience, forums for certain vehicles and motorcycles have a finite lifespan, in which they eventually become nothing more than encyclopedias.
Forums do, by human nature, become sort of "social hangouts", where members can get to know each other quite well. However, I think the primary reason a forum exists is to serve as a source for collective knowledge....how to fix things, see different ideas, to learn if anyone else is having the same problems you are, etc.
As a specific vehicle line gets older and eventually goes out of production, almost every possible question and problem gradually gets resolved....and then, there's not much reason to visit the forum anymore, right? For any person who picks up the vehicle second-hand, most problems they encounter will have been discussed years ago, and can be thoroughly researched by using the search feature or Google.
For instance, my car is a Honda S2000, which ceased production in 2009. The forum was once an very active place, but now, as the cars are getting older, sold, crashed, or otherwise meeting a sad end, it's now basically a place for classifieds and weirdos asking "how can I get 900 hp from my 4-cylinder engine?" The originals do pop in once in a while to say hi or discuss something new, but for the most part, it's a very passive website.
Contrary to what others have said, I think forums are a very valuable tool, and will be around as long as there are vehicles and the internet.
Forums do, by human nature, become sort of "social hangouts", where members can get to know each other quite well. However, I think the primary reason a forum exists is to serve as a source for collective knowledge....how to fix things, see different ideas, to learn if anyone else is having the same problems you are, etc.
As a specific vehicle line gets older and eventually goes out of production, almost every possible question and problem gradually gets resolved....and then, there's not much reason to visit the forum anymore, right? For any person who picks up the vehicle second-hand, most problems they encounter will have been discussed years ago, and can be thoroughly researched by using the search feature or Google.
For instance, my car is a Honda S2000, which ceased production in 2009. The forum was once an very active place, but now, as the cars are getting older, sold, crashed, or otherwise meeting a sad end, it's now basically a place for classifieds and weirdos asking "how can I get 900 hp from my 4-cylinder engine?" The originals do pop in once in a while to say hi or discuss something new, but for the most part, it's a very passive website.
Contrary to what others have said, I think forums are a very valuable tool, and will be around as long as there are vehicles and the internet.