Ex-MMOC member thinking of rejoining MMOC

[Dryad]

I have a couple of questions regarding MMOC membership;

1) I was a member of the MMOC until about 12 years ago until (and this might be a touch controversial so I hope this doesn't offend anyone!) I found myself getting extremely bored with how the club magazine was filled with often rather bland articles, and photos of Minors with picnic baskets and teddy bears on outings, rather than interesting articles on things like in-depth restoration tips (as opposed to just doing a light service) and people who use their Minor as their daily driver or work vehicle. Has this changed yet?

2) If I were to rejoin would I be allowed to keep my original membership number?

[Bill_qaz]

Why not get hold of a couple of recent magazines and have a look through to see if its suits.
It's very much a personal taste thing. I'm not a regional branch member but joined mmoc 3 years ago when I got a Minor.
Enjoy some of the magazine articles but feel it's worthwhile to to support the owners club, not just for the magazine.
I suppose like all clubs, you pay your membership and get out or put in what suites your requirements.

[Dryad]

Thanks Bill, I do appreciate that being a member helps support the club but I also feel that the club would be greatly helped by making the magazine appeal to as many members as possible, rather than just the 'picnic basket brigade', which I didn't feel was the case 12 years ago. I will try and get some recent Minor Matters to see what they're like.

[geoberni]

Well, in true Award Ceremony fashion, in reverse order....

2) No idea, simplest answer, call the office in Derby. Number over on the main site, accessed by clicking on the MMOC Logo top left of this page.

1) Is the quality, or not, of the magazine really your sole arbiter of whether the club is worth rejoining?

I can tell you that it, the magazine, certainly seems changed tack in recent issues and I find it more interesting. There was talk at the AGM recently, of perhaps publishing an occasional supplement.
There is an increasing focus in the past few years on how classic/historic vehicles are supported, how different clubs approach their marque.
Speaking personally, I find it frustrating that some club websites have technical libraries of different styles, but the MMOC has nothing of that ilk, despite being a major player in many respects.....

I'm sure you'll get lots of answers, although perhaps some may be guarded for individual's personal reasons...

Not wishing to reveal anything that someone might deem a breach of any rules, this is the content list for the Nov/Dec 2024 edition...
Perhaps you can decide if it's just for the 'Picnic Box brigade'....

MM contents.JPG (17.15 KiB) Viewed 61 times

[Dryad]

Thanks for your answer geoberni, the index certainly seems more appealing than it did! As regards to "Is the quality, or not, of the magazine really your sole arbiter of whether the club is worth rejoining?", obviously not entirely, but I did only use the club spares service once so the annual fee did start to feel a little steep considering my opinion of the magazine as it was. I will, however consider rejoining.

[les]

Join for a year, see what you think, if no good, off you go ! (again)

[Dryad]

Good point!

[firedrake1942]

As for the original number (I was 1054 - We few, we happy few, we band of brothers) - I had to leave when every penny mattered -the answer was an unsympathetic 'No!' - No explanation offered.

[unclealec]

I joined the MMOC largely because I believe strongly in supporting one make/one marque clubs.
They are the bottom brick in a tier of organisations such as the FBHVC, and the more noise clubs can make the better our chances of influencing possible adverse political decisions that relate to our hobby.
Being the editor of a car club magazine, I rate Minor Matters as a very professional-looking publication that doesn't lose the feel of a Club journal.
I have found that searching the MMOC Forum can dig up some excellent advice, but it is shall we say capable of delivering a more robust performance in this regard.
More technical articles in Minor Matters would be welcomed by me, but as I have not submitted any I am not in a position to complain at their absence.
I haven't partaken of the delights of the MMOC social scene. I am hopelessly tied to the social scene of my main love in life, the Riley RM series.
One problem facing car clubs these days is that there is a way of savouring herd admiration of a make or marque without having to join anything nor pay a membership fee; I refer of course to the internet, Facebook et al. I am a bit long in the tooth to take full advantage of the various platforms; but as I started out by saying, I would prioritise membership of a dedicated club above free access to relevant matters hosted by I know not whom.