Why two Model A clubs?

There's actually three clubs when you consider Penn-Ohio. Why the big concern about having one club and mergers and such? T-Birds, Corvettes, etc. have more than one. I suppose we could eliminate all these clubs and just have AACA to be super efficient since they cover virtually all makes! We could merge Democrats with Republicans for efficiency, oh wait that's not cars........ Who cares!
 
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Roger V said:
... Why the big concern about having one club and mergers and such? ...Who cares!
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It's not a big concern; it's more of a sad wonderment about whether the current division of labor and resources has to be or could we with just a bit of hatchet-burying do a better, more efficient job--as has been done with the Judging Standards and joint meets. It seems to me that dual clubs can only become more of a problem as the demographic who shares our interest in these cars ages and dies off.

I belong to both MAFCA and MARC and sort of begrudge them both the dual dues I pay for magazines that are essentially equivalent as far as I can tell. Our local chapter is MARC, as are most of them in Michigan.

I understand that MARC is supposed to be more about purist restoration, and I can believe that is true at the founders' and some old timers' level, but I just don't see it at the membership level. Every year we have a Roundup of the twenty MARC chapters in Michigan, and while everyone has a lot of respect and admiration for a really good restoration, a great many of us have made lots of modifications to our Fords for better driveability, or just because we want to. I have never witnessed any discrimination or heard any bad-mouthing of personal preference--there's an awful lot of overdrives, alternators, and hydraulic brakes, etc. in the MARC clubs I have seen. I just don't believe that the alleged difference between the MAFCA/MARC organizations exists AT THE MEMBERSHIP level. It seems like that should count for something.

Steve
 
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I belong to both of them and enjoy the magazines when they come. There is, however, no local chaper of either one here. Most of the Model A guys belong to the local chapter of AACA, which does have a presence both in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
 
To the, everyday, Model "A" owner, having two clubs is the best way to go.
We have two clubs, each trying to be the best.
If there was only one club, there would be less effort to excel and subscription rates would probably raise.
When businesses compete, it is ALWAYS best for the comsumer.
MIKE :)
 
Mike,

Normally I would concur with you about business competition. But when a limited number of potential members exist for a club to draw membership from, dividing those numbers into multiple clubs means that the members pay a larger amount because approximately double the administrative costs are required to operate the two separate clubs. If the two clubs were merged, the cost to operate the single club could decrease or improved services could be provided at the same cost. Trying to form a local chapter or region of either Model A Club has been hindered by a large number of people not wanting to pay the higher dues for either of the Model A Clubs than other national antique automobile clubs. Our local AACA chapter is thriving, but we can't seem to assemble 5 local members willing to pay national dues to either Model A Club. I agree with Steve S on this issue.
 
San Diego MARC/MAFCA belongs to both. There are a number of clubs in SoCal belonging to both as a result of the 2011 MARC meet in San Diego this last June.
 
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