With all the benefits of club membership, you must be thinking that you have to take a secret blood oath or learn a secret handshake or endure some other bizarre ritual to join. The fact is, joining a car club is much easier than a lot of other things you do every day. Most clubs have a one-page application that asks those really tough questions, like what's your name, address and phone number, and what kind of car do you have? Chances are you can answer these questions without a great deal of trauma.

Furthermore, most clubs don't even require you to own that car of your dreams, which is good news for all of the people in the International Tucker Club.

Clubs are financed in large part through the collection of membership dues. You won't need a second mortgage to swing this payment. Many of the more popular clubs require only a nominal fee of between $30 and $50 annually. Spread out over a year, that's less than pocket change. Benefits like a ready supply of camaraderie and parts and knowledge are worth a lot more than the total amount of change you've lost in your sofa cushions.

Generally, the clubs won't come looking for you. Sure, they'll set up a table at a local cruise night or a regional car show, but you need to step up and fill out that membership form. Or sometimes, the club you want to join is one that you have to go looking for. Periodicals like Hemmings Motor News, Old Cars Weekly and Cars & Parts all have ads promoting various clubs and their shows. Some clubs even have specialty chapters that deal in subspecies like pre-war cars, wagons or compacts. Seek, as it is said, and ye shall find. There's a club for just about everything. To search for a club near you, check out our extensive Car Club Listings.

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