For the longest time, the car I wanted most was a Camaro. And when I say a long time, I mean over a decade. Back when the fifth-gen Camaro came out in the early 2010s, something about it just hooked me. The design, the way it sounded, the idea of having it. There’s something about an American V8 muscle car that gives me the biggest grin. I couldn’t get it out of my head.
As a preteen, it was all I could ever want. That was my dream car. And I carried that dream well after high school and college, until one day I realized I could finally get one. In the spring of 2023, I did. It was a dream come true.
I remember how excited I was to see it for the first time. I had a cousin that worked at a Chevy dealership, so with his help I was able to order a new Camaro SS. I waited nearly half a year for it to arrive. And it wasn’t even the one I ordered. That one was still waiting.
What happened was my cousin had another custom order come in on the lot, and the person that ordered it decided not to get it. He gave me first dibs on it. With my order still months out, I went for it. My hands were shaking when I drove off that lot. It felt like a dream.
All that time, I wanted this car more than anything in the world. The countless times I daydreamed about having one, the experiences I would make driving it. And I finally had it.
I loved driving that car. The experience behind the wheel, how engaging it was, how it sounded. It lived up to everything I was hoping for and more. It really was a dream come true. But after having it for a little bit, I started feeling like I was missing something. I would look for reasons to go out and drive the car and have fun, but I didn’t really have anyone to share it with. None of my friends were into cars. I wanted to find people that shared the same passion I did, that loved cars as much as me.
At the time, I didn’t really use social media. I knew the car community was big, but I didn’t really know how to get connected or involved in it. I wasn’t really sure what to do. So I just figured I’d Google it, lol. And somehow it worked. I got lucky and found that there was a car meet happening in my very own neighborhood.
When Saturday morning rolled around, excited and a bit nervous, I went to check it out. It was a small car meet, maybe a dozen or so people there. But for once, I got to talk with people that were passionate about cars like I was. And not only that, people with knowledge, experiences, unique cars, and unique perspectives. It was awesome. I really didn’t know what I was expecting going in, but I knew after that one, I wanted to go to more.
And that’s where I found myself kind of lost on what to do next. I got lucky finding one car meet in my own neighborhood, but I was struggling to find anything else. I found a handful of apps that listed car meets and events, but most of them were old and abandoned. They didn’t really have anything going on. There was only one I found with events being actively posted.
Before I knew it, I was starting to attend car meets. A lot. Like as many as I could. Some weekends I’d manage to go to six. I really enjoyed going out there, meeting new people, seeing cool cars, and getting new experiences. It quickly became my number one hobby. The more I went, the more people I would meet. Faces started to become familiar, I started making friends, and it just made the experience even more enjoyable.
I admit, when I first started going alone, I felt pretty awkward. And personally, I never really had much experience just going up to random strangers and talking to them. But after doing it enough times, it became normal.
During that time, I also made an Instagram. From there, I was able to find more events. And now that I knew people, they would send me events that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to find. It made me realize how scattered the car community was. Unless you knew someone, it was pretty difficult to find events on your own, especially if you were new and trying to get into the car scene.
I started thinking about how much I wished there was one central place where the car community could come together. A place where you could host events, connect with other enthusiasts, and share your passion for the hobby. Well, someone listened. He saw the potential as much as I did. That man is Jason Criddle, my business partner and co-founder of Carbon.
It’s funny, when I talked to him initially, I wasn’t trying to pitch him a business. I was just talking from the heart. I had only been a part of the car community at that time for maybe a year. And in such a short time, I was able to meet so many amazing people with incredible cars and make so many amazing experiences. More than I ever had in my life. It truly changed my life. I fell in love with the car community. With the events, the people, the experiences, everything. I couldn’t see my life without it. Not anymore.
And now we’re here, right at the two-year anniversary of me entering the car community. Jason and I have worked tirelessly, and pretty soon we’ll be releasing our app Carbon. My hope is that I can make a home for the community. A place that’s inviting for people just beginning, and useful for those deeply involved. I want this to be something that helps the community grow and also brings us together. Because I want everyone to be able to experience the amazing community built on passion, friendship, and our shared love of cars.
Hi, my name is Shazaib Khan. I go by Shaz. I really want to help build up the car community. I’m working relentlessly to make Carbon just that. It would be a dream come true, and I would love to have you on this journey with me.
