who has been to Carlisle

Thinking about going to the Import Carlisle event this May (thanks GRM for the new issue...tons of car stuff I want to do now). Regardless, I can only make it for one day (the last). Has anyone been and is that enough time or should I wait till next year and spend more time there? Thanks for the tips.

I've never been, but I hear it's sort of insane, and I'm 20 minutes from Carlisle now, I may stop by this year.

I've been to Corvettes at Carlisle, and one of the street rod shows. Both have been top notch shows with great swap meets, I would assume the same holds true for the import show

I used to go to the import show up there (my friends used to participate). Ha, I remember when the import show wasn't allowed back for a while because too many people were doing burnouts and street racing afterwards.

But that was fun. I also was at a show for older GM cars when my autocross club was using the little racetrack. I saw that 8-turbo hotrod then. It was pretty neat.

Just go. Have fun. Enjoy your day out there.

The Import show no longer has the Fast & Furious cars. Hasn't for several years. They are not missed.

If you can only go Sunday, you will be disappointed. Most vendors pack up and leave after Saturday or early Sunday morning. Some of the car show folks linger as I often do, but it's really a ghost town by noon in spite of the car give-away. If you can't go Friday or Saturday I wouldn't bother.

I have been to Import/Kit Car in '03, '04, '05, and '07 and would agree with ddavidv. Beg, borrow or steal, but saturday is probably the best day all around for trolling through the vendors and cars on display. Pay attention as in '07 the Saabs from GM Heritage Collection were there....

Been going to Carlisle for a number of years. With all the different manufacturer specfic shows, etc. there is one for everyone.

If you are looking for parts, go on Friday. All the good stuff is gone by Saturday noon.

If you want to see the cars go on Saturday. Sunday is pretty much for picking up your show trophy plaques. Got a wall ful of them.

Been to one of the big swap meets back in the early 90's. Yeah it's awesome.

If you can get there on Saturday make sure you stop by and visit last year's "Koolest Klub Award" recipients in the Audi section.

And like Dwight and others have said, Sunday is mostly the say goodbye day and get's pretty empty real early in the AM.

I've been going since the early 80's. I do miss the fast and furious crowd. The females of that crowd are much more interesting. Plus it's fun to watch them be baffled by our old foreign iron.

That said, if you're just coming on Sunday, I'd skip it. It's like going to the theater and catching the final credits of a movie.

I went 20 years ago. Time flies. Memory lapses. Getting old sucks (and I'm not even 40 yet).

ddavidv wrote: If you can only go Sunday, you will be disappointed. Most vendors pack up and leave after Saturday or early Sunday morning. Some of the car show folks linger as I often do, but it's really a ghost town by noon in spite of the car give-away. If you can't go Friday or Saturday I wouldn't bother.

I agree. Having been there the last two years (and registered for this year), I'd recommend trying to juggle your schedule to make it there on Sat. That's really the big day to be there...

...providing it doesn't rain...

^ Which is always seems to do........

I've been there every year since 1998 when I 1st started getting into cars. Been teaching the autocross school since 2002'ish. Been autocrossing there since the small course was put in in 2002.

Yeah no more shannanigans from F&F crowd which makes the event more enjoyable. I'll be there again probably on Sunday @ the autocross, since I have to work Saturday.

I grew up there. I've been to so many of those swap meets that I could probably tell you where each vendor is by GPS coordinates :)

I don't do the import show. It was shut down for a while because it got too "ricey." Kids racing in the street, showing off the biggest wings and subs, and generally acting like teenagers with what they think are hot cars.

Its back, but it never did anything for me as a grassroots kinda guy. Don't expect $2009 challenge parts there, expect to find expensive parts that are twice what they cost on Ebay or CL. Its become such a big show that there are rarely bargains there anymore.

Maybe I'm just jaded because I remember what they were like as a kid and now they're just big business.

Curtis,

I think you're mixing the import show with the performance show. The performance show is the F&F crowd with expensive new Japanese everything. The import show is rust and old European iron.

Oh... is that new? I haven't lived in PA since 2000.

foxtrapper wrote: Curtis, I think you're mixing the import show with the performance show. The performance show is the F&F crowd with expensive new Japanese everything. The import show is rust and old European iron.

Yep. There are a few Japanese cars, but they're few and relatively stock... mostly Saabs and Volvo's... with a smattering of British, some kit cars and the often forgotten Fieros.

The swap meet definitely isn't what it (apparently) used to be... although some deals can be found... but it's really more of a car show gathering than anything else.

Yeah there are 2 different shows now in May. I believe they brought back the "F&F" show 2-4 years ago. I know the township had a HUGE meeting with Carlisle to figure out how to quell the stupidness. Sad when a couple people ruin it for the rest. I remember going to the "F&F" show back from 1998-2000 and stopped going after the hooligans ruined it. Actually showed my car in 1998 and 1999.

The Import Kit/Replicar show is more laid back and geared towards mature (using that term loosely).