Do you have a unique car? Whether you’re touring, showing, or whatever your passion is, having an eye-catching vehicle is a lot of fun. The best part about owning a classic or luxury car is getting to share it with others, whether that means taking it for a spin with a friend or cruising around town for all to see. One way to do so is to get involved in a car community. Learn how to get involved in San Diego car clubs by reading more about them, reasons to join one, and some of the most prominent SoCal chapters.
What Is a Car Club or Car Community?
A car club is a group of people who share a common interest in motorized vehicles. They are also known as automotive enthusiast communities. San Diego car clubs may be focused on one particular type of car or perhaps specific to one specific manufacturer. Car club members and car enthusiasts will share and discuss their favorite cars, ride together, and attend meetings. They may discuss particular topics, or gatherings may be solely for showing off your vehicle!
Reasons to Join a San Diego Car Club
There are plenty of reasons to join a car club. For one, San Diego car clubs offer access to like-minded people who can exchange ideas, offer helpful insights, and provide support for car performance and care. Members often learn from one another and become more knowledgeable on car maintenance, among other things. Car clubs are also a great source of socialization and the perfect way to make new friends. Additionally, car clubs usually offer forms of philanthropy and ways to give back to your community. You’ll often find clubs that sponsor or support schools, shelters, food banks, or other local charities. Depending on the car club, you may even receive discounted rates on insurance or car parts, especially if you join a national club.
How to Find the Right San Diego Car Club
Every car club values various things. There are car clubs for different types of cars. For instance, if you drive a classic car, you’d likely want to join a classic car club. Similarly, if you drive a sports car, you’d probably want to find a luxury car club. Some car clubs are just for the topic of cars themselves, while others branch out into clubs that span extracurriculars, missions, or networking-forward communities. Car club chapters may be specific to touring and long drives, while others frequent car rallies. Finding the right car club for you entails figuring out what activities sound most fun to you and searching around for the group that best fits your needs!
5 Prominent San Diego Car Clubs
San Diego has an incredible variety of car clubs, with nearly 100 listed on the San Diego Union-Tribune and the SoCal Car Culture website. There are many different driving and car clubs for many types of vehicles currently active in San Diego and the greater Southern California region.
Antique Automobile Club of America
One big group is the Antique Automobile Club of America’s San Diego regional club. The group is about 100 strong, and everyone has beautifully-restored automobiles of various makes and models. It’s not mandatory to own an antique car for membership, though you have to be a national organization member to be included in the regional group. Their membership includes monthly meetings with entertainment, discussions, refreshments, monthly events, parades, tours, picnics, and more.
San Diego BMW Car Club of America
Have a BMW? Look no further than the San Diego BMW Car Club of America! They host dozens of events for their 1,400 members each year. It spans all of San Diego and Imperial counties and Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well. Joining this crew gives access to the BMW Performance Center event, Jack Cavanaugh Memorial Car Show, Clean Car Contest and Charity Auction, and, of course, driving tours of San Diego’s most scenic routes.
Classic Car Club of America
The Classic Car Club of America San Diego & Palm Springs is a regional offshoot of the bigger club. The Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) is a national club and has members worldwide! Generally speaking, they gather and celebrate the preservation and restoration of motorcars produced between 1915 and 1948. This regional club is known as “The Touring Region,” meaning that they love to get together for regular outings to drive old cars. The ideal weather of San Diego makes doing so easy!
Fast Lane Drive
Fast Lane Drive is a members-only auto club based out of San Diego. They feature exotic cars and sports cars and are known for bringing networking, philanthropy, and a passion for vehicles together at each of their events on the West Coast. They offer many group events with exclusive afterparties and a friendly community, and they’re an especially lively and youthful club!
The Vault
Of course, of all the San Diego car clubs, none of them beat The Vault! The Vault is both a San Diego car storage facility as well as a social event venue. When it comes to being a car enthusiast, The Vault is the best place for experiencing social events at a car-centric venue. Our team and all of our car enthusiasts enjoy all-inclusive amenities, an indoor/outdoor facility, and event planning assistance at our car culture venue.
Join a San Diego Car Club at The Vault
Joining other car enthusiasts at The Vault in San Diego is the easiest way to meet plenty of car lovers just like you! The Vault is a proud sponsor of the San Diego Association of Car Clubs, also known as the Car Club Council. In addition to finding your car community through The Vault, it’s also possible to host your next car club gathering here! The Vault offers a rentable event space perfect for getting the whole club together for socializing and fun.