Car shows are great places to check out the latest vehicles, do your research, and plan your next purchase. But there’s so much more. Where else can you learn about the latest technology, indulge your fantasies, and take along the kids for an entertaining and affordable outing?
And though the North American International Auto Show (the Detroit Auto Show) may be over for this year, you’ve got a ton of great options in 2014:
Choose Local
Your local auto show can be a great place to shop for a new car without sales pressure. Product specialists can tell you all about their vehicles, and you can look and touch and check out all the gadgets with out any hassle. Most shows even offer Ride and Drive events, where you can take a spin in the car of your dreams, sans sales pitch. And local shows tend to take on the flavor of their communities: The mile-high Denver Auto Show (April 9-13) will highlight green technologies, while the family-friendly Dallas-Fort Worth Auto Show (February 19-23) will boast a Kids’ Fun Zone complete with bouncy house, inflatable obstacle course, art center, pre-school Grand Prix zone, and 22-foot slide.
Go Big
What’s the largest auto show in North America? No, it’s not Detroit. It’s the Chicago Auto Show. The show, which was first staged in 1901 (it’s also the nation’s oldest longest-running auto show) displays nearly 1,000 different vehicles over a million square feet. This show is so big it’s holding a conference with the show. The Connected World Conference provides information about connected devices within transportation, health/fitness, energy, and is “the only expo that provides access to the players and the products in front of and behind the Internet of Things: discover not only what the devices are, but what makes them tick.”
Get Specific
Maybe you’ve always driven a Ford. Maybe you always wanted a Corvette or to build a Corvette yourself from a kit. If your passion is a specific kind of car, you may want to check out Carlisle Events’ auto shows. You can choose from fourteen different shows (mostly in Pennsylvania, with a few in Florida), from the Ford (or GM or Chrysler) Nationals to the Import and Kit Car Nationals. There’s even a Collector Car Swap Meet and Corral each fall.
Check Out the Classics
Barrett-Jackson produces the World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions™ in sunny vacation spots like Las Vegas and Palm Beach. These cars are truly the cream of the crop. To buy one of these collector classics is beyond the reach of most car enthusiasts (a 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 recently went for more than $3 million), but if you go to the shows, you can see these beauties up close and personal.
Make it a Vacation
Though any auto show would be worth a trip, some shows feel more like a vacation. The Annual Park Street Classic Car Show, held every year in October, may not be as big as many, but it ranks right up there for entertainment. Hundreds of antique roadsters, coupes, hot rods, muscle cars line up along the closed-off street. DJs spin oldies and businesses and restaurants along the stretch stay open and even get in on the action: Last year Alameda Bicycle hosted a Classic Bike Show and Gary Francis Fine Art Gallery opened an exhibit celebrating cars, trains, motorcycles, bikes, etc. There’s wine-tasting for the adults and mini golf for everyone —and the show is free.