tecar442

Why should Olds owners join OCA? What services or benefits do I get for my membership dues?

snowballs442

The benefits are

• You get to write them a $30-$40 check every year
• You must join the National Club if you want to join the local club
• You receive a monthly publication to remind you to send you check
• You are encouraged to give money to other organizations
• You are put on a list to give to other organizations
• Your address is given to others that want money

BIGJERR

On the plus side........

The ONLY mag that has ALL OLDSMOBILEs in it EVERY ISSUE.........
I have my calendar advertised in it and it has garnered me 10s of sales.........
Did I mention all Oldsmobiles?
Yep Iam a memeber..........

citcapp

Member as well and president of local chapter. Brings us together on the local and national level to preserve all things Oldsmobile.

jaunty75

Your first three were true, but the first and third are true for any organization. The three above are not true.

jaunty75

You get the monthly magazine, which is geared specifically to Olds and which contains Olds-only classified ads in the back.

Membership in the local chapter is a great way to meet fellow Olds owners.

If you want to register your Olds at any national OCA meet, you must be an OCA member.

You support the preservation of Oldsmobile.

Jamesbo

X 2 I'm a member and enjoy the mag

442Harv

I'm a member, it's great, for 30 bucks. I have wasted 30 bucks, on things not this good. 30 bucks at a Giants game, will only buy you about 3 beers.

Funkwagon455

I have been involved with Olds' since I could drive, but only joined OCA in the spring of '99. While I am not like Will Rogers and HAVE met people that I didn't like, I do seek and enjoy the good nature of the people I am surrounded by and am not pessimistic. That said, I have found that most of the folks that I have met both in my local Olds chapter as well as the National club are very good people and the awesome cars they display often serve as a conduit for friendships that are much deeper than the cars we drive. I see many names on this website that I know personally because of my involvement in OCA, and I actually have a face to put with the name because of that. I have friends all over the United States and South America, Canada and Australia because of the national club. If you join the club, but choose not to participate, then perhaps all you may see aside from a monthly JWO is annual dues. Naturally with any club there is some bureaucracy, but you don't have to deal with it unless you choose to. I personally enjoy OCA, and if time and money permitted I would like to go every year to Nationals. While I don't, I have thoroughly enjoyed every one that I have been able to attend. If you join and find that it is not to your liking......drop the membership!!! It's not the Hell's Angels

rcorrigan5

I enjoy the Journey With Olds monthly magazine (some clubs only have quarterly magazines) - it's put together quite well, with lots of color, good articles, and classified ads. And, you can also advertise for free in JWO as well, and I've done that a few times. That's nice given that JWO is at least receives national distribution along with Canada, and I'm confident there is other international distribution. You do have to belong to OCA to participate in the Olds Nationals but you don't have to belong to the local OCA chapter if you chose not to. I find that particular option as advantageous; with owning an Olds, a Pontiac and a Chevy, you can really rack up the dues if you belong to the national club and the local chapter for each car. The local chapters will still let you participate in their shows (at a slightly higher entrance fee, as I recall) if you desire, which is nice. It's a worthy $30 expenditure each year.

Randy C.

starfire

My address has not been given to anyone by the OCA.
I was not put on a list to give to any other organizations.
I am not encouraged by the OCA to give money to other organizations.
The monthly publication does not remind me to send them a check (it does however conveniently have my expiration date on the mailing label so I don't forget when to renew. I happen to appreciate that).

The posters above me have touched on many of the benefits (and they speak true).

car_designer

I would agree with all the positives that have been mentioned so far. Being in Canada, I do not have any local chapter to participate in (does anyone know what the closest to Ottawa Ontario might be?), but I have attended the Nationals the last 3 years since they were close enough to drive to. The magazine is great. Lots of good monthly articles by regular contributors (including by a member on here) and other articles and advice.

I have had the opportunity to meet several members from the forum at the Nationals.

I think it is a good deal for the price, and the price is higher up here.

Run to Rund

I have been a member of OCA for more than 34 years. The club as gotten more and more responsive to members' wishes and interests. I have found no negatives to membership, and many positives. I have also met a lot of great folks through the national club and local chapters and zones. The club also gives us a great resource for restoration by discussing topics with others having similar cars, and seeing the cars at the shows.

coltsneckbob

I like the mag. The articles are short and therefore great for bathroom reading

BIGJERR

LOL I switch up from PlayBoy,Maxxim and my trusty JWO!

Run to Rund

Feb 67 Cars had my favorite centerfold of all time, the original Rund car. Its what got me interested in the 66 W30. Also, the car looks as good 44 years later. What other centerfold subject can say that? lol.

dc2x4drvr

OCA Membership?..Worth every penny!

oldsca

Love it and well worth my $42. Only been to one Nationals but when they come east again I will make the trek. Being Canadian I have never seen 400 Oldsmobile in one lot at once. And with 400 cars came 400 great people willing to talk.

Wayne

442Harv

For the Canadian guy that asked what was close to him ,there is a Canadian club in Ontario.

car_designer

442Harv, I know about the Olds Club of Canada, but they do not have any activities outside of southern Ontario that I know of. I was wondering if there might have been a OCA chapter that might have been closer, maybe in NY state.

Jamesbo

BIGJERR,

Nice to know you have a 2 track mind.

jaunty75

There are several chapters in New York as well as in New England. The full list is here:

http://www.oldsclub.org/chapters.htm

starfire

Looks like the closest chapter to you is the Motor City Rockets. We hold all of our cold weather meetings in Farmington Hills Michigan, just northwest of Detroit (Mapquest says it's 5 hours and 34 minutes away from you). Our warm weather meetings are at shows (such as the August meeting at the Woodward Dream Cruise, or our June meeting at the Oldsmobile Homecoming). We have members in Traverse City Michigan (a little over 4 hours away) who regularly attend our meetings, and we have a couple of Canadian members (they're a little closer than you, they are from the Windsor area). If you are interested, you can visit www.motorcityrockets.com .

Dave Siltman

I have been a member for quite some time and look forward to reading the magazine. I probably should send info. on my car to them because I'm sure everyone would appreciate seeing and hearing about it. The articles alone are worth the yearly dues, as are the Oldsmobile-only classifieds. Thirty bucks is coffee money. Owning Oldsmobiles isn't for everyone and being a member of the OCA to me, reinforces the devotion it takes to own one (or three).

mike's88

Late 70's, early 80's I was a member. Worked the Nats in Itasca, Ill 1983 IIRC. Had a great time. Reupped this last year, not surprised to see names mentioned that were around 30 yrs ago. Glad I came back, deffinitely worth it.

car_designer

starfire, thanks for the info, but I am at the other end of Ontario, in Ottawa. It is a 10 hour drive from Ottawa to the Michigan border. I know this from going to the 2008 OCA Nats in Dearborn.

jaunty75, I will have to check out Google Maps to see how close those chapters are.

jaunty75

I'm going to guess that, unfortunately, the closest chapters are still hours away from you. There's a Schenectady, New York-based chapter as well as two in Massachusetts, but neither of those is a hop, skip, and a jump from anywhere in Ontario. You might attend the yearly chapter car shows, but probably not the monthly meetings.

Col Wickham

OK so how do I subscribe? Obviously not too much Oldsmobile action in Australia, but there are enough advocates in this thread who's opinions I respect to suggest that it's not a bad idea.

jaunty75

It's all right on the OCA website.

http://www.oldsclub.org/OCA_Applications.htm


Membership costs more for overseas memberships. I'm guessing it's due to the increased postage cost.

Aron Nance

Great question, Tecar442! Outstanding answers from everybody! Juju and I have been Members since 1994, and it just keeps getting better! We literally have friends from all over the US, Canada, and Australia, and the list continues to grow every year. A lot of us made a sincere effort at the 2010 Nationals in Sturbridge, MA, to meet and put a face to someone we interact with on this site all the time. And it worked, well! Just great people. The Journey With Olds has gone from a black/white publication in 2004 (which was great for the times) to four color now with outstanding articles on our Oldsmobile's, along with pictures of them. The quality mag alone is worth the $30 bucks! Join up and get involved locally, and nationally. It's a hoot!

starfire

Sorry, my fault, I looked at the wrong post and thought you were in Barrie. Yeah, 10 hours is a bit of a hike...

kjr442

I just re-joined. I was a member long ago, I don't have a good reason for letting it go, life I guess.

Col Wickham

Thanks, I just joined up. It's $60 for us "out-of-towners" which is OK.
So.....when does the OCA fly me over to check out a couple of shows?