PCA Membership

[LoveMy911]

Not the perfect place for this post, but humor me if you will.

In looking for local enthusiasts, I have inquired about PCA membership. Two inquiries to the officers of the reginal chapter of the PCA about what local events and resources are available have gone unanswered. Are these clubs so flush with members that they have no interest in expanding or is the PCA a snooty group? I found this forum so helpful, responsive, and welcoming that I suppose I expected the same from the PCA for a 911 comrade.

What does the group think about the PCA and is membership worth the cost? I only care to join if it offers some opportunities to join events closer to home....I really don't need another car magazine if that is all my dues buy.

Thanks in advance.

[stormmaster]

Some chapters are more active than others....and some are more outgoing than others....I would think there would be another address to contact or there are many PCA events you can attend (autocross, ralley, social, concours, drivers ed courses...etc).. Hopefully you will be able to hook up with a local member to find out more about it....

[Por_sha911]

I've been a PCA member for 2 years now. Here's what I know:
-Each chapter has its own personality. Some are mostly "Wine & Cheesers". Others are heavily into Auto-cross or other P-Car events. Although there is usually a mix of people in the club, you will find each chapter leaning more to one side or another.
-The chapter President (and all officers) are unpaid volunteers and sometimes they just don't have the time to do it right.
-Even though my chapter is not as strong as others, I have gotten some great contact info on folks with tech experience or parts availability. The annual parade is great, auto-cross and DE events are awesome, and I find the Pano to be a decent magazine (certainly not the best but not bad).
Bottom line: I tell folks to find out when they meet (its usually a monthly meeting at a restaurant and you can find the details on their website) and show up as a visitor for a meeting or two (we LOVE visitors and have no problem with them coming and sitting in without being a member). After that, you can decide if you want to join.

[Cory M]

The amount of events and involvement depends on your local chapter/zone. The reason people haven't gotten back to you is more than likely that they are volunteers who are really busy with their regular lives, not that they don't want you to join.

You should go to the chapters website and see what their schedule of events is like. You can show up to most events without flashing a membership card. Then at the event talk to some of the club members and officers before you make up your mind.

[304065]

http://www.pcapotomac.org/pca/index.shtml
http://shn.pca.org/
http://fst.pca.org/
http://www.brr-pca.org/

[Emission]

Like the others have mentioned, each regional chapter is very different. I'd say join for a year and see how you like it.

Nothing says you can't be the catalyst that starts the heavy DE, Auto-X, or fun runs!

[MarkY]

This question pops up about every couple of months. A search will bring you a bunch of answers with no waiting.

In a nutshell, the value of each club rest with the members. Some are wine and cheese, some tech oriented, and some a little of both.

You mentioned snooty...... that would be the Phoenix, Arizona chapter.

[Por_sha911]

+1 What MarkY said: you will find that the search button is your friend. I spent a month looking up info already posted (great help on a 1001 things).

[Grady Clay]

You will find joining PCA more than worth the cost. There is something for everyone there regardless of your interest. There are racers, concourse, autoX, tours, techies, rallye, DIY, snobs and great people. Like any big organization there perhaps are parts that you don’t want to participate in. On the other hand it is a great organization and you get to pick and choose the things YOU like.

The really good news is it is a member run club and YOU can help make it what YOU want.

I joined in 1968 and haven’t regretted a minute.


http://www.pca.org/index.asp

Here are the regions in your area.
http://www.pca.org/regions/regions.asp?Zone=2

If you need, I’ll pick up the phone and make things happen. Everyone is welcome in PCA. We all have the same goal playing with Porsches.

Best,
Grady
gradyclay@hotmail.com

[LoveMy911]

Thank you for the encouragement and candid comments. I did not want to muscle my way to someone's attention if it really was not a club most regular Porsche folks felt was an enjoyable experience. I appreciate the offer, Grady, but I'll work a little harder to contact them myself since email did not produce results. The event list on the regional website calendar was very limited hence the question about the utility of membership. Thank you again.

[GaryR]

Two words..

Join now.

[sweet97m3]

Hey, if you are near Northern Virginia the Potomac region is full of great folks and the club staff are very helpful and responsive...at least in my experience.

[S2GART]

I am a member of the PCA, but have not participated in any of the events just yet. I just went to what my local section calls a "Sampler" whereby you learn about all the events from the people who run each. There was Driver's Education, Autocross, Club racing, touring/rally, etc. Possibly your section has something similar. There are, I am told, nearly 2,000 members in the Connecticut Valley Region. We are fortunate to have Limerock Raceway in our state and alot of driving events are held there. Also a benefit to the PCA is parts discount. My local dealer gives 10% off. So with Porsche prices lately, your $42 dues will easily be recouped.

[LoveMy911]

No longer in Northern Virginia, but thank you.
The events listed on my region's PCA website only include 2005 so I am glad to hear that perhaps this is just a reflection of the volunteer time constraint rather than club inactivity.
You have all convinced me to try contacting them a third time. Thanks.

[75Carrera]

At the cost of less than a tank of high test fuel for your ride, joining the PCA is relatively painless. The Chapter you choose to associate with can be a hugh plus to the enjoyment of your Porsche. If you're not a joiner or don't find the local Chapter to your taste you simply don't hook up with a Chapter. (you might attend a few Zone gatherings and decide if they're what you are looking for) You can join the national PCA without affiliating with any particular chapter. My 2cents=Join the PCA

[GaryR]

Actually what tou join IS PCA (National) and then they link you up with your nearest chapter (PCA sends them your info). You can join PCA through the local chapter also, but the end result is the same. I would suggest you call someone rather than just email, a lot of the people running these Regions are NOT on top of their PCA email address, ask me how I know!

[Brillo]

FYI - You do not have to join the Region you are in or are assigned to by the PCA National office. If there is a Region nearby or not so nearby, that you would like to join instead, you can do that.

[Rich76_911s]

If you are in the virginia/ DC area check out

www.dorkiphus.com, it is another forum like this one, but more regional to the area. I know that does not answer your question about PCA, but it is a group of local 911 enthusiasts.

Cheers,
Richs

[tshih]

I've been a member for almost 20 years now. The DE are really fun and monthly meetings are interesting (guest speakers include famous racecar drivers and people in the car maintenace or modification tires and support organizations). At least that's been my Northern NJ region club experience. I have not been to a parade (annual event) but have been to the spring Tech Tactics meeting in Springfield MA. Lots of great people. Like you said you should call and attend some meets (they love to get new members).

[safe]

How much do you pay for the Auto-x and DE events in the US?

I'm a member of PCS (Porsche Club Sweden). Here the "Wine & Cheesers" are, fortunatly, in minority.

PCS holds a auto-x cup every year with about 6 regional events (you wont have to drive more than 100 miles to an event), and in the autum the is a final where the 4 best in each class in each region compete.

Every year there is also about 6-8 DE events, haven't been to one yet...

The best part though: The Auto-X is FREE and the DE only about $40 each.