East Mountain Cars and Coffee to celebrate 10 years in 2026

The air in Cedar Crest, New Mexico, carries the faint, nostalgic scent of motor oil and hot coffee, a signature blend for the dedicated gearheads who gather monthly at East Mountain Cars and Coffee. As the crisp October wind signals the end of another season, organizer Jerry Vallejos stands beside his dream—a stunning, chopped, and custom-worked 1952 Ford F1 truck—and reflects on the event’s remarkable nine-year journey.

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From a Few Cars to a Full Lot

It all started simply nine years ago, a brainchild of Deb Toner at a local spot called Cobra Coffee Shop. “The first year, we literally started with probably three or four cars,” Vallejos recalls. “Just literally three or four cars drinking coffee, having conversation down at the coffee shop. And then from there, it kind of snowballed into what it is now.”

Vallejos, a resident of Sandia Park himself, took the reins in the event’s second year. His motivation was simple and pure: “Just to keep it going, keep the car community together.”

That camaraderie is the lifeblood of gatherings. What started as a modest meetup has exploded into a fixture for East Mountain car enthusiasts. Now, on a good day, the lot is completely filled. “I think we had 120 cars at our second meet this year,” Vallejos says, a testament to the community’s passion. There is no official membership; it’s all about a good attitude and a love for vehicles. As Vallejos puts it, “Just show up.”

Attendees—”likeminded individuals”—gather to “talk shop,” which mostly means discussing the vehicles themselves, sharing “bracket points” about specs, and soaking up knowledge. The Cars and Coffee season runs from March to October, wrapping up before the cold weather forces the “shiny car guys” to tuck their prized possessions away for the winter.

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A Truck Built from a Dream

For Vallejos, the community spirit is deeply entwined with his own personal automotive passion, embodied in his rugged yet beautiful 1952 Ford F1.

“I envisioned an old, beat up farm looking truck,” Vallejos says, explaining his quest for the vintage pickup. After a long search, he found it on the internet and made the pilgrimage to Salt Lake City to buy it nine years ago.

While the truck was already chopped—the roofline lowered by four inches—and primed gray when he bought it, the distinctive, multi-colored exterior is entirely his creation.

“I fell asleep, had a dream, and this was the vision that I had in my dream. I woke up, bought paint and started painting it,” he explains. He kept the rough, distressed look of patina while adding his own custom colors to match the new interior. He also modified the exterior, doing work like tucking the bumpers in, swapping out the lights, and adding custom rims.

And under the hood? The F1 is packing some serious heat: a 472 engine from a ’69 Cadillac Eldorado. “She’ll start to come apart at about 105,” he jokes, admitting it’s built for more than just a slow cruise.

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Passing the Torch: Trunk-or-Treat and the Next Generation

More than just preserving old cars, Vallejos is dedicated to preserving the car culture itself. This year marks the third annual Trunk-or-Treat event, a deliberate effort to reach a younger audience.

“Our crowd kind of gets left out,” Vallejos says of the younger generation. He hopes that by getting kids and teenagers to come out, they’ll interact with the seasoned owners and get hooked. “I like when they come out here and ask questions, and these older people that have been having their [cars] a while, they’re well versed in everything about their car, so they come out and ask questions, and they get a lot of information.”

He acknowledges the are potential pitfalls of the hobby—it can be both overwhelming and expensive, citing his own “nightmare story” with a 1966 Cadillac project at home. However, he sees the internet as a game-changer, simplifying the search for specific parts that once required an elusive “hotline.”

For anyone thinking of joining the crowd, the advice is simple: just show up.

“You don’t have to do anything. Just show up with your car, if it’s driving, or even if it’s on a trailer,” Vallejos encourages. The community is welcoming, always ready to talk shop and share a story or a tip with a new enthusiast.

As the season winds down, Vallejos prepares to winterize his dream truck, unhooking the battery and ensuring the fluids are topped off before tucking it into a shed. But the spirit of East Mountain Cars and Coffee remains vibrant, ready to roar back to life when the New Mexico sun returns in March.