South OC Cars & Coffee — Local services in San Clemente

South OC Cars and Coffee After over 10 years of cars and coffee, what a disappointing and frustrating experience. Been going to South OC Cars and Coffee for over a decade. Started to go there when they were still in the Aliso Viejo Town center. Been participating as an exhibitor and displaying my 1969 Mercedes 280SL (British racing green with brown interior). Last Saturday (1-27-2024)I took my classic Mercedes, as many times before, to the event. I arrived at precisely 9 AM and took about 10 minutes to get into the exhibitor parking lot. Suddenly a huge cloud of steam came out from under the hold. I knew the coolant water was leaking rapidly. I tried to find a parking spot but everything was occupied. I moved the car to the far northwest corner of the parking lot. Stopped at the red curb but did not block or hinder anybody. Popped the hood open and found the overflow tank hose clamp loose. Was able to fix it in a minute. Then bad stuff happened. ‘Shannon’, a volunteer worker with ‘South OC Cars and Coffee’ told me I have to move immediately. I told her I just lost all my coolant water and could not drive the car. She told me ‘She does not care’ I have to move the car or she will have it towed. I told her I was not blocking anybody and I was not in the way of anything. All I need is a gallon of water. She told me again ‘I don’t care’ I have to move my car. I asked her again, ‘You want me to drive my 55-year-old classic without coolant and risk an overheated and blown engine’? She said ‘yes’ or she would have the car towed. I told her all I need is 10 minutes to run to the restroom and get a gallon of water. She said ‘no’. This was at 9:30. The show ends at 11 AM I don’t know why I could not get 10 minutes to get water, and I don’t know why ‘Shannon’ could not use her walkie talky ‘to see if someone could get a gallon of water. I was forced to drive my 55-year-old classic without coolant water through the crowd to leave the parking lot. It was a terrible experience. Dear organizer, please choose your staff more wisely. I am an exhibitor, bringing my classic car to the show. Please don’t treat me like ‘dirt’. Without people bringing their classic/exotic cars there would be no OC Cars and Coffee !! A message to Shannon: Please find another job. You are not suitable for OC...

What a great event. I’ve been to a few car shows over the years, but this one really stands out. The selection of cars is top-notch — from vintage classics to newer performance builds, there’s a little something for everyone. I especially enjoyed seeing the older models that brought back some real memories. You can tell a lot of care goes into the vehicles and the event itself. One of the highlights for me was chatting with some of the old timers there. Folks who’ve been in the car scene for decades, full of stories and knowledge. Made the whole experience even better. Only critique, and it’s a small one, is that it can get a bit tricky entering and leaving the lot once things fill up. Not really a knock on the organizers — just the nature of a popular event in a packed space. All in all, I’m glad I went and will definitely be back. There’s just something special about seeing those old vintage cars up close. Highly recommend to any car enthusiast. Added a shot of a true classic. Not from the event but what a dreamy throwback to the...

In response to the "Owner"

I don't care about making it exclusive. I care about making it a car meet instead of a car show. All I wanted to do was park in the PUBLIC parking area where you did NOT have cones placed to save spots. Remember you and your friend escalated the argument not me. Not to mention your friend put his hands on me.

I don't come anymore in my "little BMW M". I'm "afraid" of the consequences of running into you and your ego.

"The Airborne Infantryman"

This is turning into the one of the old iterations of cars and coffee. And I don’t mean that in a good way. They tell you where to park when to park with certain spots reserved. Defeats the whole purpose of CnC. It should be a car meet. Not a car show.

They’ll say its to save cars and coffee, but it’s been tried before and they still get kicked out. Also the Australian guy that runs it told me he's now taken ownership of the Cars and Coffee brand with a LLC/INC. What a joke.

Nothing but mustangs and average cars show...