JDC JEC or E-type club

[flatfloor 3.8]

JDC, JEC or e-type club. I have been a member of the e-type club for many years and the subs have now gone up again to £82 I have decided i will not be renewing my membership this year. Are the JDC or JEC better clubs to belong to. Any thoughts.

[ALAN COCHRANE]

Bill
I'm a member of the JEC so therefore I'm biased, but I've always enjoyed being a member. Our Region is noted for being more of a social club than anything else, with lots of outings and meals etc.

[Gfhug]

Bill, contact each club and ask if they’ll send you a copy of a recent magazine to read and where their local clubs meet. Some areas have large and active membership with mainly social evenings rather than old blokes talking about the size of their gudgeon pins and can have a large number of lady members (wives of the aforesaid old blokes) who by their presence ensure a more social atmosphere. The JEC is bigger than the JDC and has quite a large number of companies giving discounts to members, though the JDC does have a few that do.

And has been said more than once on here, this is by far the best E Type club to belong to and the fees are very modest . Just an honest sharing of help and information.

Geoff

[Heuer]

[tim wood]

I agree ! Although this may not be a “formal” club it offers all I need and more.
I was a member of the e type club for about 10 years but ceased when subscriptions rose, long before your £82.
I also found that it focused on events (continental and otherwise) which don’t interest me and frankly I can’t afford. Maybe I’m a miserable old sod! ( I’m definitely old my nearest and dearest can comment on the other aspect)

Tim

[christopher storey]

I have been a JEC member for about 30 years, and until recently it was very good. Just recently, however, Graham Searle who was the General Manager, , died, and the very long standing ( and hugely knowledgeable). editor Nigel Thorley stood down, to be replaced by a very opinionated replacement who fills up much of a greatly expanded- but not greatly more interesting - magazine with his own copy. I fear for the JEC ( its financial director has gone as well ) . Those with longer memories tell me this was exactly what happened with the JDC ... time will tell whether it's just me becoming ever more decrepit, or whether my fears are well founded

[SimonBrown]

Agree, this is the best E Type club. I am a member of JDC, really because I read the magazine on line and it gets me a parts discount from SNG, Manners etc. Also gives me access to events.
Simon

[cactusman]

I'm in the E type club, the JDC and also the MGOC. Has to be said that for all of them, after a while the articles do repeat. There is only so much one can write about when focusing on a specific marque or model. So they have all done restorations, suspension mods, trim, maintenance, accessories and brochures, history of the marque, common issues etc etc.... They have all done travels, tours and weddings. I'm at the stage with all of them when some issues really have little to interest and others have more interest. I remain a member partly for the odd interesting article, a way to keep in touch with events, discounted parts and for me, car insurance...in addition, the local JDC area club is extremely active and we do a lot of Jaguar (not specifically E type) events...
Membership Costs for all have risen over the years but that's just life. They all have staff costs, fixed overheads and the cost of printing and distribution of the magazine (for those who take print of course...I do). In my experience they all do a good job...

[malcolm]

I was in the E Tyupe club, but everything became too expensive, from membership to the tours. One of the celebration Anniversary tours was so expensive n0-one booked, and the club kept lowering their price to try and attract people - not good for those who had already paid? Trouble is, it's a commercial money-making Club.
I'm now a member of the JDC. There are of course issues from time to time with Head Office and some of their events may not be the best, but the reason I'm a member is that the local area is very active, and very friendly. It holds two main tours a year, one at home and one in Europe, and many other events. Club night each month sees 30 to 40 (or more) people attend. All events and monthly meetings include partners where people have one! It is also of course non-profit making. (I know, I'm the Chairman)
Our recent Christmas dinner with overnight for those who wanted saw 50 people sit down to eat. A pretty good turn out.

[Philk]

I'm only with the JEC - I was tempted by the E-Type club but was put off by the level of subs and its focus on expensive tours etc. Our JEC region (Surrey) is blessed by the fact that our monthly meeting location is at Brooklands which not only makes for a suitably atmospheric venue but also provides safe and secure parking in a dedicated part of the motoring village on club evenings. No better venue to take an E-Type to (as Vice Chairman of our region, I'm obviously biased though!)






I'm with others' comments above that, for E-Type matters, who needs more than this forum. Great people and great (shared) knowledge.

[paydase]

Lucky Brits to have three e-Type/Jag clubs around.
On the continent, not so much...

[flatfloor 3.8]

Thank's to all who replied. Seems it is not just myself who thinks the E-type club organised tours are crazy expensive. I remember the 60 year Geneva tour cost more than i paid for my car! Also there are no local events or meet ups at all. The magazine was good but lately is just full of touring stories. I think i will give the JEC a try.

[cactusman]

I would agree with the sentiments regarding e type club tours. Far too expensive... I do wonder if those planning the tours have forgotten that not everyone who runs an E is rich....most owners are not, me included! Rather than tours to the Alps or exotic French locations they might gain a wider interest by running tours to Wales or Norfolk for example with prices in the hundreds rather than the thousands....I enjoy the magazine but the tours I have no interest in as they are priced at a level I'd never ever consider...hey ho... Our local JDC away weekend is to Cricklade next Sept so I understand !

[Gfhug]

Serge, you can still join both the JEC and JDC as they have sections all over Europe.
Bill, keep us up to date on how you get on and how the local area club works. Good luck in finding a group you enjoy being with.

Geoff

[Fuel.inj]

I’ve been a member of the E-type club and the JEC for a number of years and totally agree with past comments that the E-type club is expensive for what it is and very expensive tours focused, so much so that I am seriously considering not renewing membership. As for the JEC I feel it’s of benefit being a member for insurance discount and especially valuation purposes etc.
I thoroughly enjoy reading the comments and the helpfulness on this and the American Jag Lovers forum more than any magazine.

[MarekH]

.... or whether my fears are well founded

Your fears are well founded and the observations are mostly well made.

Club magazines have always had trouble attracting decent copy and will thus be full of filler material to pad out the content. Success for a printed magazine (as opposed to an online space like this) is defined by ability to generate advertising revenue. The JEC has thus become a magazine producer with paid staff who are effectively unsackable, since the staff's raison d'etre is their own survival. The "useful bits" of the magazine, like small adds and "how to" technical content are already replicated here and on jag-lovers for free and on an on-demand basis. As an archive, the web beats paper copy hands down, at least until Ken Jenkins finds himself replaced by a chatbot.

The insurance reduction idea is a club selling point, so long as it leads to a real discount, but a 5% discount on insurance is probably still outweighed by the deadweight of funding the magazine and the staff wages. Since the tie-up with a particular insurance provider, the lack of competition makes it a dubious claim that it is a reduction. Read carefully and you'll see they provide their valuation service to non-members, so it implies to me that the glossy magazine must account for 2/3 of the membership cost. The small ads have some appeal as they potentially reach a different audience.

There is of course a contrary view that if we do not support these clubs (or "professional" magazines posing as clubs), then they will disappear, but without willing active members who are happy to do something for someone else, they are just a sad reflection of the apathy of their members.

kind regards
Marek

[Philk]

As for the JEC I feel it’s of benefit being a member for insurance discount and especially valuation purposes etc.

I looked into the JEC new insurance scheme and it still came out more expensive than what I am paying through RH Specialist Insurance for our 3.8. https://www.rhspecialistinsurance.co.uk/

[Fuel.inj]

I’ve always been keen on finding the best all round and cheapest insurance and from experience over the last few years the JEC scheme in association with Peter Best Insurance has been just that, in so much that all our family vehicles are insured with them, so it suits my needs but maybe not others. Dealing immediately with a real person based in the UK immediately over the phone is a bonus as well. I will still though get quotes from others when the time comes.
Insurance is a very dark art!

[christopher storey]

the JEC scheme in association with Peter Best Insurance has been just that, in so much that all our family vehicles are insured with them,

Do you mean Peter James Insurance ?

[Series1 Stu]

Hi

This debate has just prompted me to cancel my E Type Club membership. I've just been so apathetic towards it lately and have a pile of unopened magazines sitting in the office waiting for me to bother to do something.

That's a few quid saved!

Still pondering the continued membership of the JEC though.

Regards