A Multi-CARtural Meet

Cars were not only made to be driven but to also be shown off. That is the philosophy of many car enthusiast groups such as Local Origins, who hosted a car meet on Oct. 22, 2011.

The meet entitled “Cerritos Saturday Night Meet” took place at South St. Promenade near ’s parking lot. Word of the meet was passed on through online forums and Facebook events. Local Origins picked South St. Promenade due to its convenient location and abundance of popular go-to food choices such as , , , etc. They have made it a strict rule to keep everything under control and safe. Revving the engines, speeding through the parking lot, and bumping sound systems were prohibited since the event took place where a lot of families shop.

The event started 7pm sharp with only 10 cars. An hour later, there were over 40+ vehicles there. Local Origins welcomed all types of cars to join their event. These large assortments of cars came in different sizes from different manufacturers from different parts of the world. A majority of the cars that attended were sub-compact cars such as Scion TC/xB, Acura Integra, Honda Civic/Fit/Predule, Mitsubishi Eclipse, and Nissan 240sx. These cars are very popular amongst the younger crowd of car enthusiasts which would probably explain why most of the attendees were still in college or even high school. Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with a young adult exploring his/her automotive passion and attending car meets as long as they keep it safe; which they did.

A variety of social exchanges between the attendees took place next to one the owner’s car. Each pinpointing their favorite modifications or hardship they went through with the car. For those who don’t really have a passion for cars, hearing such stories could be a bore, but to these folks, it’s rather exciting.

Comparison between cars were also a hot topic. This car did this while that car did that. Attending these types of meet isn’t just about showing off your ride, it is also an experience to see first hand how much money and sweat the other owners have poured into their own cars. Almost every single paycheck and ounce of money they have has been spent on making their car closer to their definition of perfection. Regardless of the condition and the modifications chosen for the car, respect was given.

Common interest is what often brings people together. For these folks, it is their love of cars.