Need expert help. What 80's / 90's cars are starting to be restored

[Guest 31boston]

I'm trying to finish a thesis paper about the restoration market (serious). I've talked about tastes/trends shifting in 'older' cars (50-60-70's). My next hurdle is to show that as the restoration population ages, new cars are working their way into to the market (albeit slowly). What makes/models are you guys starting to see in shows?

Thanks for the help

[Centurion]

31boston, if you scroll through the list of the various forums included as part of this AACA system, you will see that one of the largest, most active forums is devoted to the 1988 - 1991 Buick Reatta. These cars have attracted very significant collector interest.

Continuing with the Buick collector cars of the 1980's/1990's, the Regal Grand Nationals and GNX from the 1986/1987 time period have been collected since new or nearly new.

Finally, the Buick Riviera convertibles of the 1982 - 1985 period have also attracted collector attention.

[KDirk]

In addition to those listed by Centurion above, I would add the last generation GM D bodies; Chevy Caprice, and even more so the Cadillac Fleetwood, particularly 94-96 with the LS1. The Buick Roadmaster not so much - at least yet. I see a fair number of these around with new paint, new wheels (not always stock) and appear to have a lot of money sunk into them to keep them rolling and looking good. Not really my type of car, but they have a definite following that seems to be staying strong. The fact that they were the last GM full size RWD vehicles made probably has a lot to do with this.

I imagine due to their relative ease of service (comparatively simple powertrain control systems vs. contemporaries) and the ubiquitous 350 V8, they are and will continue to be restored/modded for ongoing use well into the future.

KDirk

[Lawteachr]

Cadillac Allante, Chrysler Maserati TC and Chrysler LeBaron (Woody) Convertible

[keiser31]

Big old Ford LTDs seem to be a favorite.

[Guest Dave Boyer]

Fox bodied Mustangs (79-93)

http://shop.autocraftinvestments.com/index.php?p=catalog&parent=2457&pg=1

[MCHinson]

While I don't disagree with anything I have read in this discussion, you are forgetting a large segment of the hobby. You seem to have forgotten the cars of the teens - 40's. A lot of younger collectors are showing interest in being the next generation to own those earlier cars that are ending up on the market due to older collector's demise.

[LINC400]

Regarding the above 1980's - 1990's cars, while these are being collected, they are not really being restored. With a 1950's car, it is not unusual to see one that has been repainted, reupholstered, engine and transmission rebuilt, and other work done all on one car. With a 1990's car, having all that done would cost 3-4 times what the car is worth. So why buy a car that needs all that when you could buy 3 or 4 that need nothing for that same amount of money.

Instead, people are looking for low mileage originals that need nothing. Or maybe a higher mile one that they can get cheap with one big fix such as a transmission or paint job. Not one that needs both plus more.

[Guest Model T Nick]

Mid 90's Chev. Impala SS

[West Peterson]

Regarding the above 1980's - 1990's cars, while these are being collected, they are not really being restored. With a 1950's car, it is not unusual to see one that has been repainted, reupholstered, engine and transmission rebuilt, and other work done all on one car. With a 1990's car, having all that done would cost 3-4 times what the car is worth. So why buy a car that needs all that when you could buy 3 or 4 that need nothing for that same amount of money.

Instead, people are looking for low mileage originals that need nothing. Or maybe a higher mile one that they can get cheap with one big fix such as a transmission or paint job. Not one that needs both plus more.

I agree. The question isn't "what cars are being collected" from that era, but "what cars are being restored?" Very few cars from the 1980s-90s are being restored. Most of the cars from that era that we see in shows are low-mileage originals, or very- well-taken-care of cars. Too many nice ones out there to bother with restoring them for the huge difference in price. Unless there's some emotional attachment to the car, it doesn't make sense to spend $20-$30,000 restoring one when you can buy a near mint one in the $10-$15,000 range.

[auburnseeker]

I sell alot of parts on Ebay. The best selling parts from the 70's up through the 1980's are Pontiac Firebird and Chevy Camaro. I see a little Thunderbird stuff sell to. I just sold a NOS grille for a 1980-1981 Model. Surprisingly I did have luck and good response selling Fiero parts. There seems to be a following for them. Chevy trucks from the 80's have a pretty strong following as well and they are constantly being restored. My Dad is doing one now. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Guest Siegfried]

Volkswagens, 1st and 2nd generation of the so called water-cooled cars, AKA Rabbit's, Golf's Jetta's, Scirrocco's, etc. WHY? Because they are the leaders in contemporary front-wheel drive, and working everyday diesel technology, performance from a small car, high gas mileage, reliability, etc. And simply because they are NOT your everyday collectible, and this might make them more valuable in the future. 80tys Volkswagens are better built, better engineered, and there are more of them still on the road then their rivals from Japan and the USA. The mid 80tys GTI set the standard for high performance small cars. As did the 16 valve, 4 cylinder Jetta GLI's, and Scirrocco's. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!!

The 2nd generation is the best to restore. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

[cutlasguy]

Six years ago, my 80 Cutlass Supreme was succumbing to the dreaded "tin worm!" Thus I set about looking for a replacement to use as a daily driver! My requirements were deceptively simple. It had to have a V8, RWD, and low mileage! It took me a year but I finally found one in the Paper Shop, and located only 20 miles away. It was a 1989 Caprice Classic. A triple black beauty with a mere 30k on the clock, it literally took my breath away. It belonged to an uncle of the current owner who had passed away. It was his "Sunday" car, as he had originally bought two, a white one to drive all week, and the black one. I was in love as soon as I drove it! The big car ride and all the bells and whistles reeled me in, and I gladly forked over the $5,000 asking price.

As it had the usual amount of "old guy" door dings, I knew someday I would have it repainted. Working at a car dealership at the time enabled me to pick up the dented chrome pieces at employee discount, which I salted away in the garage. Finally, when the paint began to check on the top surfaces, I brought it in for a repaint. Cost me $3,500, a bargain considering the entire car had to be stripped to bare metal (what else can you do with lacquer that doesn't cost 20 grand)

Now the car literally stops traffic! It's like riding in a time machine that just came off the showroom floor and rolled into the future! The body shop had done an extra special job when they removed the side chrome, a common rust concealer, and found the body flawless. This car obviously had never seen bad weather in it's life, and it showed! A new car? Not for me! I already have one!

[Dave@Moon]

I agree. The question isn't "what cars are being collected" from that era, but "what cars are being restored?" Very few cars from the 1980s-90s are being restored. Most of the cars from that era that we see in shows are low-mileage originals, or very- well-taken-care of cars. Too many nice ones out there to bother with restoring them for the huge difference in price. Unless there's some emotional attachment to the car, it doesn't make sense to spend $20-$30,000 restoring one when you can buy a near mint one in the $10-$15,000 range.

I have to agree with West on this. There are comparatively few cars being truly restored after 1979. They are just too complex and costly to to "right". You might see the occasional interesting model "fixed up" or rodded after a fashion, but a true, point-authentic restoration is virtually out of the question for most of these cars.

What few cars I see being truly restored from this era either meet or come close in value to West's restoration cost. Nearly all of those are imported. Porsches, Mercedes SLs, M-Series BMWs, V12 Jaguars, and some exotics (Ferrari, Maserati, etc.) make up probably 75-90% of the cars from the 1980s and 1990s that have been truly restored. Other than the Dodge Viper and a few specialist Corvettes (ZL1, Calloway, etc.), there just aren't many domestic cars in that class from that period.

Among more popularly priced (when new) cars, the Mazda RX7 and Triumph TR8 are the only ones that come to mind that have achieved this kind of value. Similar models from the 1990s (late Toyota Supra, Toyota MR2, Honda S2000, etc.) are likely to achieve that status fairly soon. I have seen a few Miatas and Alfa-Romeo Graduates from the 1980s/90s that have been restored, but usually only to a "driver" status. While popular, they just aren't valuable enough to justify a restoration yet. The best measure is to see if there are major efforts in the aftermarket for these cars' parts. For all the one's I've listed here there is at least the beginnings of a strong one.

There is one major domestic exception to this that I can think of offhand: pickup trucks and early SUVs, especially orphan versions like AMC Jeep products and late International Scouts. Many of these are being "fixed up", and there is an aftermarket commensurate with that as well. In these cases I think the value is more emotional than monetary. (That has a way of correcting itself with time, however.)

Edited March 24, 2011 by Dave@Moon
fixed bad sentence structure (see edit history)

[Barry Wolk]

I think it's the electronics that will keep newer cars from being restored. I have a 77,000 mile 12-cylinder BMW that has 29 MILES of wire in it. The computers need their own cooling system. New cars are far too complicated to restore.

Obviously there will always be exceptions to the rule, but I don't see many '80s and '90s cars that are worthy of restoration. Flame on.

I'm seeing a whole new genre of categories for survivor cars. People at Concours tend to like them more than the restored mid-70s cars. I just bought a survivor, myself.

[MCHinson]

New cars are far too complicated to restore.

... Flame on.

I'll just point out that this same quote was also used about cars of the 1950s.

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

I think it's the electronics that will keep newer cars from being restored. I have a 77,000 mile 12-cylinder BMW that has 29 MILES of wire in it. The computers need their own cooling system. New cars are far too complicated to restore.

Obviously there will always be exceptions to the rule, but I don't see many '80s and '90s cars that are worthy of restoration. Flame on.

I'm seeing a whole new genre of categories for survivor cars. People at Concours tend to like them more than the restored mid-70s cars. I just bought a survivor, myself.

Electronics, brake, suspension systems, and in some cases the transmissions used in the '80s and '90s will cause most of them to head straight to the cruncher. They will ultimately become too costly to maintain and repair. Too many fall into being unique to all other model years in many respects which will kill any long term parts availability. Then we can address the fact most of those years of production had interiors that might best be described as crap from the git-go, a trend that hasn't improved much since, if at all!

Then we can't ignore wonderful plastic radiators, cooling fans that fail or the blades become warped, in tank fuel pumps are a pain in the butt, and those wonderful rack and pinion steering systems may become to expensive to repair and I haven't even touched on the long term maintenance factors with front wheel drive and CV joints.

To anticipate there will ever be a significant following by automobile enthusiasts for cars with transmissions and brake systems that can cost more to repair than the car is worth is a bit beyond my comprehension.

Jim

Edited March 24, 2011 by Jim_Edwards (see edit history)

[MarkV]

survivors are the only hope for the era, and they will have to be higher quality, no lower end items. You will see lincolns, cadillac, buick, etc. but nothing like a cavalier or something!

[Dave@Moon]

.....in tank fuel pumps are a pain in the butt, and those wonderful rack and pinion steering systems may become to expensive to repair...

I don't think mechanical parts are much of an issue. There is a problem with unique parts for very specific applications. There are parts with exclusive/specific applications for a lot of VERY banal cars.* However newer part types are probably no big deal. The 2 parts here lifted from Jim's post describe every MGB since 1962, and they're restored by the hundreds every year.

Also cars are more robust now than ever. I don't see a lot of failures of front wheel drive parts, or other newer design parts. Al least not as many as I remember with our old cars "back in the day".

The complications come in with electrics (covered here by Barry) and other fine details. I've always used the example of a decal kit for a 1990s restoration for this. A 1957 Chevy has maybe 6 or 7 decals. A 1970 Mustang has maybe 15. A 1994 Dodge Spirit probably has 100 or more, including a few dozen applied just to various extremities of the wiring harness. Most of them are just tiny computer-coded tags, but if you want to do a correct restoration they have to be there.

=========

*My state car (I was a an inspector for the PA-DER) in the 1980s was a 1982 Ford Fairmont. It blew out it's exhaust bypass pipe in 1988. Six weeks later I was still waiting for Ford to make a batch (they had run out completely nationwide, and it was still a dealer-only part) when the lean condition it caused resulted in 2 burnt pistons, totaling the car. The pipe was unique to 1982, 4 cylinder, automatic, Fairmonts without air conditioning.

There were so many unique parts on that non-a/c car that it went unsold at auction, not even a junk yard would bid on it. By then the state had wised up and started buying cars with a/c so they could sell them later. The fact that it improved our productivity didn't really matter.

[nzcarnerd]

It will be interesting in the future when it comes to finding cars of a given period (say 2011 for example) to appear in movies. With so many 'ordinary' cars being considered not worth preserving we might find that the only cars that appear in the movies are top dollar models from the era, so that the street scenes will not be representative.

[Rawja]

I dunno about all these predictions about the demise or epoch cut-off of collectible, restorable cars. As was pointed out earlier it's been predicted repeatedly and has always been incorrect; It's reasonable to expect that that will continue to be the case.

While perhaps not within the skill set of this site's demographic the computers that mystify and frighten yous make these cars more reliable, efficient and easy to diagnose. That and given "Moore's Law" they get less and less expensive as time passes. The mid-eighties $1,500.00 ECM is now a $100.00 item. The repair of those not being repro'd is also for the most part a non-issue. A 50Mfd capacitor will always be a 50Mfd capacitor, and electronics repair while not something previously associated with old-school auto repair/restoration is not difficult or expensive to farm out.

Barcoded wiring harness tags are simple to generate with a computer as well.

....and that's without the democratization of presently cutting-edge technologies like 3-D printing, autocad, desktop CNC capabilities... It's likely in the near future even an average hobbyist will be able to scan the part needed, email the file to a machine shop and have any part perfectly reproduced at a very reasonable cost.

...and there's plenty of desirable cars from this era which already have a following, in addition to the aforementioned (off the top of my head):

Datsun/Nissan 240/280/300 Z

Mitsubishi Starion/Conquest

Mitsubishi 3000/Stealth

Mazda RX-7

Toyota Supra

Buick Regal/Grand National

Cadillacs

Lincoln Mark VII/LSC/Mark VIII

80's "Aero" Thunderbird/Cougar

Rivieras

Imperials thru '83

DeLoreans

Jaguars

Olds Auroras

Mercedes

BMWs

Edited March 24, 2011 by Rawja (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

"It's likely in the near future even an average hobbyist will be able to scan the part needed, email the file to a machine shop and have any part perfectly reproduced at a very reasonable cost."

What planet are you living on?

[Barry Wolk]

"It's likely in the near future even an average hobbyist will be able to scan the part needed, email the file to a machine shop and have any part perfectly reproduced at a very reasonable cost."

What planet are you living on?

Thank you.

[Rawja]

What planet are you living on?

Greetings from Earth, 2011. On my planet you can presently buy a used commercial-grade 3D scanner for a coupla-few thousand on eBay or a brand-new desktop unit for about 3K. Historically on my planet technology becomes cheaper and cheaper in fairly short order. ie. Computers, flatscreen TVs, color printers, scanners... all started out crazy expensive and now are too cheap to even bother repairing when they break.

https://www.nextengine.com/

http://www.shopbottools.com/mProducts/desktop.htm?gclid=CO_j0paL56cCFc885QodeBLCbg

Edited March 24, 2011 by Rawja (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

Your point? How does any of this make the reproduction of a part less expensive in the real world? The introduction of CNC technology, for example, certainly has not made parts reproduction less expensive. If anything, the replacement of many old technologies has made the whole repro process more difficult. Call your local machine shop with state of the art CNC, 3-D scanning, and CAD CAM and ask for a quote on reproducing a single example of a rare part. You will be laughed out of the building. Now go to your local old time machinist working on a lathe and milling machine. He will be happy to quote 1 part if it is something he has the ability to produce. Mass production techniques don't translate easily to one-off parts reproduction and likely never will.

[Rawja]

It's already happening. When CNC machines were $150K utilizing their time was expensive. They are now down to around $20K and falling precipitously like everything else. I remember a few years ago there was a 60" flatscreen on display in the window creating crowds on the sidewalk at CompUSA's flagship 5th Avenue store. Pricetag was about $60K. Today you can walk into any electronics store and get one (actually a much better one) for under $2K.

CNC milling is exactly what you want for a one-off part as every piece produced is produced individually. The machine doesn't care if it goes from making a gear to a lever to a grille piece to a hinge there's no loss in efficiency.

Applications

Red Barn Customs, 2.5 Ton Rockwell Axles, Mud Boggers, CNC Plasma Cut, Yale Mich

(not super technologically impressive, but pricing is cheap cheap cheap)

Edited March 24, 2011 by Rawja (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

Price of owning a CNC has fallen. Price of actually having a part reproduced on one has NOT. Price of the hardware has little to do with the cost of purchasing a part. Very big difference between having 1000 of a particular part reproduced and having 1 example reproduced. I might consider your argument if you can supply even one example of the reproduction of 1 example of a part being reproduced less expensively thru use of "modern" technology.

[Rawja]

Price of owning a CNC has fallen. Price of actually having a part reproduced on one has NOT.

Seems like that wouldn't be sustainable, no?

I might consider your argument if you can supply even one example of the reproduction of 1 example of a part being reproduced less expensively thru use of "modern" technology.

(sigh)

The Red Barn link in the previous post has design your own custom rim for $300.00 each. Now admittedly they aint the most sophisticated pieces I've ever seen, but what would it cost to design and produce those custom-centered rims before CAD and CNC?

Whatever. We can talk again in 5 years.

[Restorer32]

When you "design your own" you design is limited by the capability of the machine those rims will be made on. Entirely different from reproducing a part. Call that rim company and ask them how much to reproduce 1 hubcap where there will be no market for a second example. CNC machines aren't magical. Someone has to program the thing and someone has to PAY for that programming and set up time. You still have not shown an example of the exact reproduction of one example of a part being made less expensive by modern technology. Easier? Maybe. Less expensive? I don't think so.

[joe_padavano]

The usual crew of technophobes has spoken in this thread, as expected. As others have already pointed out, there is always a subset of the hobby that is adamant that cars made after (pick a year) are worthless, too complex, and will never be restored. History has and will continue to prove them wrong.

As for newer cars with electronics, again GET THE RIGHT TOOLS. In this case, the tools are electronic test equipment, which is readily available today. Coupled with the correct factory service manual, anything in these cars can be fixed, often with less effort (and cleaner hands) than on pre-computer cars.

There are some potential issues. Many 1980s cars use lower-grade plastics that deteriorate over time. The bumper fillers on many of these cars is a perfect example. As with other cars, where there's a demand the aftermarket has already stepped in and is offering ABS and fiberglass replacements. The solid state electronics themselves rarely go bad (despite the first impulse of most parts-replacer "mechanics" to immediately put a new computer in the car whenever there's a problem). What does go bad are sensors and connectors. It's a little time consuming, but these problems can be diagnosed and corrected. Unfortunately, it's the rare repair place that wants to take the time.

As for what will be collectible, well, if I knew that I'd be rich. History would suggest that popular, rare, and high performance cars are the most likely. Mustang GTs, SVOs, turbo T-birds, IROC Camaros, WS6 Firebirds, GNs, Shelby GLH and GLH2, etc. My vote for a dark horse is the Lincoln Blackwood, since only something like 297 were made. (Hint: go to the dealership and buy the replacement woodgrain appliques NOW!)

By the way, the 1980s G-body cars have already gathered a restoration following and the aftermarket is providing parts for these cars. Once again, the nay sayers are wrong.

[Restorer32]

I am not a technophobe at all. ANY car, no matter how new, can be restored. If man designed and built it man can restore it and I'm sure some entrepeneur will come up with ways to deal with auto electronics once there is enough demand. My ONLY argument is with the statement that in the near future, thanks to modern and/or soon to come on line technology, parts will be able to be reproduced quickly and INEXPENSIVELY. Likely true with parts for which there is a mass market, unlikely for the poor schmo who needs 1 example of a part for which there is no mass market. The example of "custom" rims was used. Those rims are only "custom" within very strict parameters, a very different thing from reproducing a one of a kind part. I am old enough to remember when what's his name made the statement that thanks to nuclear power, in the future electricity would be too cheap to meter. Didn't quite work out that way. it seldom does.

[Guest BJM]

I'm restoring an 88 Buick Lesabre T Type. Below are some photos. In reality there are a LOT of 80's to 90's options. I think each decade has a lot of restorable options.

Barry and others are correct that the aim should be to purchase low mileage originals and just maintain them, I have no argument with that concept.

The Old Car Hobby is mature. Probably some clubs have been around now 50 years. It's important to learn from our past. So, now is the time to buy low mileage originals from the 80's to 90's. Or if you can afford it, buy a new car or near new car and drive sparingly or not at all.

Hemmings Classic Cars and other hobby magazines occasionally feature these original owner cars with low mileage.

BUT - "restorable" cars can be done. I disagree with Barry that there are few cars that peak our interest as collectible. Collecting is a personal issue.

I purchased my 88 T Type for $400 and saved it from being crushed. Barry might not think it's collectible but a case can be made.

It's a limited production model that was well sorted. It has the usual visual cues of front air dam, spoiler, special wheels and grille. But beyond that it has front and rear sway bars, gas charged shocks and firmer springs that offer a nice firm ride and handling. It's interior is also a step above grocery getter Lesabres with buckets/console in leather.

I picked this car because when they were new or off new I could not afford one but I admired them on the street.

This can be a blue print for other collectible cars. You can get about any similar collectible car from the 80/90's for less then $1000.

My restoration is "frame off" style although this car has no frame. The motor can be rebuilt easily, and I will farm out the transmission. The wiring harnesses are being carefully removed. New leather, new paint etc is forthcoming. New suspension.

Don't know what the fuss is about complexity. All restorations are difficult and challenging. I don't undertake them to be easy. All of my cars in my footer were purchased for less then $2000.00. It's all I can afford but this hobby is available to everyone whether wealthy or not.

[Guest BJM]

I might add, like most of us, my "wish list" is huge and runs the gamut from the 1920's through present times.

I could easily select 20 + cars from the discussion period to collect and not even delve into the 20's through the 70's.

[Barry Wolk]

I'm restoring an 88 Buick Lesabre T Type. Below are some photos. In reality there are a LOT of 80's to 90's options. I think each decade has a lot of restorable options.

Barry and others are correct that the aim should be to purchase low mileage originals and just maintain them, I have no argument with that concept.

The Old Car Hobby is mature. Probably some clubs have been around now 50 years. It's important to learn from our past. So, now is the time to buy low mileage originals from the 80's to 90's. Or if you can afford it, buy a new car or near new car and drive sparingly or not at all.

Hemmings Classic Cars and other hobby magazines occasionally feature these original owner cars with low mileage.

BUT - "restorable" cars can be done. I disagree with Barry that there are few cars that peak our interest as collectible. Collecting is a personal issue.

I purchased my 88 T Type for $400 and saved it from being crushed. Barry might not think it's collectible but a case can be made.

It's a limited production model that was well sorted. It has the usual visual cues of front air dam, spoiler, special wheels and grille. But beyond that it has front and rear sway bars, gas charged shocks and firmer springs that offer a nice firm ride and handling. It's interior is also a step above grocery getter Lesabres with buckets/console in leather.

I picked this car because when they were new or off new I could not afford one but I admired them on the street.

This can be a blue print for other collectible cars. You can get about any similar collectible car from the 80/90's for less then $1000.

My restoration is "frame off" style although this car has no frame. The motor can be rebuilt easily, and I will farm out the transmission. The wiring harnesses are being carefully removed. New leather, new paint etc is forthcoming. New suspension.

Don't know what the fuss is about complexity. All restorations are difficult and challenging. I don't undertake them to be easy. All of my cars in my footer were purchased for less then $2000.00. It's all I can afford but this hobby is available to everyone whether wealthy or not.

Anything can be collectible, even dust.

[Matt Harwood]

I think the real challenge in restoring today's cars in the future will be the "little black boxes." Any part can be reproduced--you need a whole new carburetor for your 1934 Duesenberg, an exact duplicate can be made if you have enough money. However, if, say, in 40 years I need a new ECM for my 2002 Audi TT Quattro, who exactly will make such a thing? Millions of lines of code, operating sensors that can't be duplicated in a machine shop, using code and components that are probably already obsolete. Go ask someone to make you a current Top-10 recording on an 8-track and see what happens. Obsolete technology vanishes very, very quickly.

Hard parts can always be reproduced (and I'm with Rawja that technology will make one-offs more affordable for everyone), but it's the electronics in newer cars that will be the bane of future restorers.

[Guest BJM]

Restorer32,

I find the newer cars much easier to wrap my head around. I have wanted to buy a 24/25 Peerless 6 Touring for about 7 years now. I have saved and spent the money to purchase it several times.

Although as FDR so famously said "we have nothing to fear but fear itself" fear of not being able to replace the wood in that car, or restore the original drivetrain or any number of other problems keeps it in a Montana field.

There are thousands of similar cars. Challenges to restore are not decade specific. I truly admire any of us who restore cars, it's a daunting and expensive task that is being done less and less.

[joe_padavano]

My ONLY argument is with the statement that in the near future, thanks to modern and/or soon to come on line technology, parts will be able to be reproduced quickly and INEXPENSIVELY.

Actually, the technology is being developed now. The capability to produce ANY part in plastic from a 3D CAD model has existed for decades. It's called stereolithography and it is essentially a "printer" that uses a UV LED instead of a pen. There is a flatbed inside a tank of liquid plastic material that the LED passes over, just like a pen plotter. The UV light hardens the plastic in a thin sheet in the area where the LED passes over. The flatbed then drops down about 0.005" and the process repeats until you have "printed" a 3D part. If the part you need is plastic, you're done. In some cases if the part is a low-stress metallic part, it is possible to use vacuum metalization to plate the plastic part with a thin film of metal. If the part needs to be structural metal, there are resin systems available that can be used as a lost-wax mold. All of this capability exists today.

The technology currently under development replaces the plastic resin in the tank with powdered metal, but the concept is the same. The result is a "printed" 3D metal part. The powder is held together temporarily with a binder then the full part is sintered at high temperature to produce the final, full strength part. The aerospace industry and DoD are the ones pushing this technology to reduce manufacturing cost of prototypes and one-off vehicles. Once perfected, it will trickle down.

[West Peterson]

The usual crew of technophobes has spoken in this thread, as expected. As others have already pointed out, there is always a subset of the hobby that is adamant that cars made after (pick a year) are worthless, too complex, and will never be restored. History has and will continue to prove them wrong.

As for newer cars with electronics, again GET THE RIGHT TOOLS. In this case, the tools are electronic test equipment, which is readily available today. Coupled with the correct factory service manual, anything in these cars can be fixed, often with less effort (and cleaner hands) than on pre-computer cars.

There are some potential issues. Many 1980s cars use lower-grade plastics that deteriorate over time. The bumper fillers on many of these cars is a perfect example. As with other cars, where there's a demand the aftermarket has already stepped in and is offering ABS and fiberglass replacements. The solid state electronics themselves rarely go bad (despite the first impulse of most parts-replacer "mechanics" to immediately put a new computer in the car whenever there's a problem). What does go bad are sensors and connectors. It's a little time consuming, but these problems can be diagnosed and corrected. Unfortunately, it's the rare repair place that wants to take the time.

As for what will be collectible, well, if I knew that I'd be rich. History would suggest that popular, rare, and high performance cars are the most likely. Mustang GTs, SVOs, turbo T-birds, IROC Camaros, WS6 Firebirds, GNs, Shelby GLH and GLH2, etc. My vote for a dark horse is the Lincoln Blackwood, since only something like 297 were made. (Hint: go to the dealership and buy the replacement woodgrain appliques NOW!)

By the way, the 1980s G-body cars have already gathered a restoration following and the aftermarket is providing parts for these cars. Once again, the nay sayers are wrong.

I didn't get the "nay-sayer" picture at all.

The original poster did not ask what cars are going to be collected. That, as mentioned, can be conversed until the cows come home.

The original question is "What 80s/90s cars are starting to be restored?" While some of the mentioned cars may need some specific parts to make like new again, and some – with personal attachments – may be restored, it is at the present time, much easier to buy nice babied examples that are abundant, and which need very little work/effort/money to make into an award winner.

[Larry Schramm]

I will say from experience that the real challenge in the future will be the "black boxes" or modules that are in a modern vehicle. Some of the vehicles that I work on have as many as 32 different modules. That along with the diagnostic equipment that IS REQUIRED to diagnose, program, and confirm repair will make some repairs specialized. It is not that it will not be available in the future, but there will be specialists that will look at particular vehicles.

With some of the new electrical architure you will not be able to just swap out a radio or module. To change a module you will need to "divorice" a module from the car, remove that module(including radios), install the new module, and then "marry" the new part to the car.

Some of the cars currently have three different LAN networks. There are low speed , high speed and regular LAN circuits where the the different modules talk to each other.

Just some of my observations and thoughts.

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

It's already happening. When CNC machines were $150K utilizing their time was expensive. They are now down to around $20K and falling precipitously like everything else. I remember a few years ago there was a 60" flatscreen on display in the window creating crowds on the sidewalk at CompUSA's flagship 5th Avenue store. Pricetag was about $60K. Today you can walk into any electronics store and get one (actually a much better one) for under $2K.

CNC milling is exactly what you want for a one-off part as every piece produced is produced individually. The machine doesn't care if it goes from making a gear to a lever to a grille piece to a hinge there's no loss in efficiency.

Applications

Red Barn Customs, 2.5 Ton Rockwell Axles, Mud Boggers, CNC Plasma Cut, Yale Mich

(not super technologically impressive, but pricing is cheap cheap cheap)

Even should CNC machines be cheaper than once before no one is going to utilize one for the "attempted" duplication of a broken or worn part. All that will be achieved is an exact copy of a worn part that is out of spec. and useless. Part broken? Not even the best of scanning equipment is going to accurately deal with something already in pieces. CNC is great for mass production, but no shop having CNC machine normally in service for mass production is going to interrupt that production to make one or two parts and no one is going to be willing to pay the price even if they would.

A good example of this can be found with the embossed aluminum trim panels found on '61, '62, and '63 Olds Starfires. For years Fusick's looked for someone to duplicate them and no one successfully managed to do it because the nature of the tooling made it virtually stupid to create it. Attempts at machining instead of embossing cost Fusick's a bundle more than once. Now there are guys in Canada that have invested in the tooling to do the job right, but reality is many people having those cars are unwilling or unable to pay the prices the cost of production demands. CNC machines are not a panacea!

Jim