Will this happen to the car market?

[nick8086]

https://www.topretirements.com/blog/home-and-garden/an-sad-surprise-nobody-wants-your-stuff.html/

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2017/02/12/sorry-nobody-wants-your-parents-stuff/#65204ce524ed

 

https://othalafehu.com/inheritance-wedding-china-crystal/

 

I spent 8 years selling my dads stuff.. It is getting harder to move the stuff.. fyi

 

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[mercer09]

no doubt it is, but also consider are you now selling the least desirable of the things now?

 

I still see strong sales, if its what people want. But as you know, many things are not wtd any longer and yes, tough to move.

 

sold a nomad last month needing everything and it sold easily. not so much for my model As or a 41 ford conv for example. Looks like the 41 ford mkt is drying up.

 

so like all things, there is a re positioning of the mkt and what is in demand. that will always be.

[Dynaflash8]

What do you think about a 1953 Mercury Monterey hardtop?

[greenie]

You wouldn’t know it while walking the car corral at Hershey. Everything has its day in the Sun, and then declines. Look at the bright side, those of us still alive in 10 years will finally be able to afford a full classic- our kids can prop us up in the seat while we dribble all over the aged leather hides!

[auburnseeker]

2 hours ago, Dynaflash8 said:

What do you think about a 1953 Mercury Monterey hardtop?

I think that's a tough sale.  Seems alot of the 49-54 Products have always been a bit of a tough sale when compared to earlier and later models of the same cars from the big three.  Ford products from 52-54 have always seemed a bit of a bargain to me.  I wouldn't want to sell one now unless it was cheap and nice.  Then it fits into the category of just being nicer and a better deal than anything similar for sale so it will sell.   For all the cars I have sold in the last 5 years and that's not alot,  I have looked at the market in general and priced it according to similar cars using an era more than a year and body style with what else could you buy for that money.  Seems alot of buyers ,  myself included are shopping by era and style more than specific wants like a 1930 whatever 3 window coupe.  They are looking at say 1928-1932 or so coupes from all makes.  Of course that's not everybody but I bet a larger segment than people think.   Of course Vettes , Mustangs and such are a different story.  

 

"You wouldn’t know it while walking the car corral at Hershey. Everything has its day in the Sun, and then declines. Look at the bright side, those of us still alive in 10 years will finally be able to afford a full classic- our kids can prop us up in the seat while we dribble all over the aged leather hides!"

 

I wouldn't count too much on that unless you are into big sedans (of course a few of those have jumped as well) .  Seems alot of the sporty open stuff is still climbing if not jumping in leaps and bounds with a few exceptions.  (the 36 cord of course not being one of them  ) 

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by auburnseeker (see edit history)

[TerryB]

Like many things taste change and things that were hot at some point now are not.  Household items and furniture lead that list along with the 1980s “limited production” items that were advertised as future investment opportunities.  They were not!  The antique and collectibles market still does ok but not with the strength it had at one time.  It seems the stuff I like has not seen a whole lot of market drop, just look at original gas pump globes and signs. I am lucky I bought a few at prices I thought were too high but would be give away in today’s market.  

 

[lump]

Tastes change with the times, and this is true for all kinds of collectibles. Let me share some examples which are NOT auto related, to illustrate my point:

When my wife and I bought our first home (1977, I think), we wanted to add some antique furniture like my parents had. We went to many auctions, but found things like old wooden rocking chairs, beautiful antique clocks, and marble-top parlor tables in big demand...and out of our financial reach. Today if you go to an auction in my area, very nice old wooden rockers rarely bring even $25, and there are many nice wooden mantle clocks often selling for the same price or less. Yet today, I see plastic Star Wars toys from the 80's (new-in-the-box), bringing hundreds of dollars, with spirited competitive bidding. The old metal "Transformer" robots which my sons played with are almost untouchable, and my sons sell vintage video game systems for hundreds of dollars too. 

 

In the late 70's, 55-57 Chevy's were all the rage with my friends and hard-core restorers. I scoured junkyards for spinner hubcaps, intact steering wheels, power accessories, four-barrel air cleaner assemblies, intact grille bars, usable sheet metal, seats, convertible parts, Turbo-Glide transmissions (poor transmissions, but uncommon by then, and some folks thought they would be in high demand one day), etc. Today that market has been passed by a bit, and more folks building 55-57 shoebox Chevys are modifying them to one degree or another. 

 

Things have always been changing in the world of collectible stuff. And will continue to do so. 

[mercer09]

I think there is more of a mkt for a 53 Mercury in the rodders garage. I totally agree with Randy on the mkt for Fords in general in the early 50s. Never were really that strong.

 

condition has become the big winner. Kind of like they say location location location in real estate.

[auburnseeker]

I've seen some pretty decent looking Mercury and Lincoln Ragtops in those dead years recently for under 20.  These aren't projects.  Nice cars you could get in and drive. 

[padgett]

Have way to many boxes and tires. What I need is a junk pod and a couple of cheap workers to just clean it all out. Last time the pile was 5 feet high and about 20 feet long. County won't pick up that much any more.

 

May get one more car (retractible). Or not.

Edited October 17, 2019 by padgett (see edit history)

[woodstocker]

I keep seeing the 55-57 Chev's for sale online for up to 2 years with no buyers. I think everybody that wants one already has it and as they age, lose interest and storage or pass away there are 3 cars for every buyer.

[TerryB]

I paid $265 for this gem in 1995.  At the time I thought I paid over the going rate.  Today, don’t know the going rate for it but $265 certainly will not do it.  All glass body made by Gill.

 

[TerryB]

6 hours ago, Dynaflash8 said:

What do you think about a 1953 Mercury Monterey hardtop?

I like them!  And if they are under appreciated so much the better for getting it at a decent price and enjoying it and not worrying about resale.  If I was paying $100k then resale would factor in.

[Walt G]

tastes change in everything, be it cars or automobilia. If you are going to wait for the "right" car/item then just hope you are well enough at the time to enjoy it for a long time if you do get it.

Try to think - can I spend that kind of $ on it? is it worth it ( to you , not on the market for resale ) , what do/don't I spend my $ on : gambling, smoking, lavish meals and vacations, clothes, fine booze, ??

What makes you happy? How long will you be around to try and be happy?

I have lived my whole life next to one of the premier horse race tracks in the world, the third leg of the annual Triple Crown of racing. Only time I have been there ( two sides of my house face their property) is for anniversary events ( 75th anniversary of the track etc) as I was asked to bring my old car to display .  I couldn't place a bet if I was told if I did I would win instantly a million bucks. I don't know how, don't care about it. Life is short. Have enough to be secure where you reside, put food on the table, and treats for your pet, and think you worked your whole life to afford something you would find that will make you happy and proud to have . Old cars make a lot of people happy , you as the owner but also everyone who sees one going down the road under its own power be it 100 years old or 25 years old. We share what we have and take pleasure in doing so.

No more sermons or comments from me - at least for the next 24 hours!

Walt

[Frantz]

We might really just be seeing the end of a long bubble... which isn't all bad. I mean, how much should an old mass produced expensive to maintain and hard/unsafe to use on public streets that takes up a garage space machine be worth?

Car shows for years have been about car owners and car dreamers. I enjoy it, but I think my generation (36 years old) and younger folks generally aren't. Honestly AACA is in a better position than the hot rod groups I believe. I think a shift towards historic interaction could be key. Living museums with crazy curators who know a little bit too much about the exhibits and want to share it with others. We are about history not just gas guzzling, and I think given our current climate (haha) that is going to have greater appeal. The monetary value may get soft, but how does that change the value as someone who loves the car? Most of us have lost a good bit of money in the hobby. Many of us have or are restoring cars for far more money than they are worth. It doesn't phase us. We might see a few more project cars go to parts status but the cars left at this point are largely restored or in good driving status. I don't know what the split is between project cars and restored/driving cars of a given range, but I'd bet we're close to more being on the road than in a field for many of them.

[J.H.Boland]

This topic has been discussed at length on this forum before. I've almost stopped going to local car shows because I inevitably have some dolt approach me about buying the '25 Buick or '40 Packard (both coupes) and wanting to build it into a hotrod or restomod. As the price of nice old cars declines, rodders and modders can afford to scoop them up. There isn't a week goes by that you don't see an original (often restored) drive train for sale on Craigslist or Kijiji. This seems to me to be the eventual fate of the old car hobby. It makes me sick to think about it.

Jim

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by J.H.Boland (see edit history)

[auburnseeker]

Among other things,  he will wish he didn't paint that car purple probably when he goes to sell it.  Many rods seem to be built driven for a year or two then sold to build another as everyone has seen it,  now they need something different. Only bonus is atleast he kept most of the original trim and replated it,  rather than painting everything purple. 

For some reason to me,  the original seems stately,  the redo looks more like a clown car.  Odd paint,  little wheels etc. 

[Matt Harwood]

The mistake many people make is to assume that since one type of thing is getting less valuable, all types of that thing are likewise getting less valuable. This is not true. Premium collector cars will always command a premium--you won't be getting a cheap Duesenberg, not ever. You will, however, be able to buy all the Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, Chandlers, Maxwells, and other off-brand cars you want for pennies on the dollar. 4-doors and closed cars and cars with standard engines are also dropping. Mass-produced cars of almost all types are becoming less valuable; Tri-Five Chevys, 2-seat T-Birds, and other formerly blue-chip "collector" cars are dropping like stones. '57 Chevys have lost like 40% of their value in the last 10 years simply because there are so many of them and the people who love them (AKA the people who grew up with them) are all getting out and now fewer people want them.

 

V12 Packards, Duesenbergs, Pierce-Arrows, high-end European cars, cars with custom bodywork, big horsepower brass cars, cars with very low production numbers that aren't weird off-brands, cars with desirable optional engines, they will all continue to command strong prices, probably forever.

 

The hobby isn't changing, it's doing what it has always done. People collect the cars of their youth or which resonates with them personally. Some of you may be old enough to remember when AACA members would use Full Classics as tow vehicles for their brass cars because they had big torque to pull trailers. Remember when your fathers thought people were fools for collecting those '50s cars, which were just "used" cars? Who in the world would want those? Or those "piece of junk" muscle cars? Today I'm seeing cars of the '70s and '80s make substantial gains as people my age (50) are starting to buy the cars of their youth. It's the same cycle. Interest isn't dropping in all segments of the hobby, it's just dropping in areas where fewer people have a personal connection to those cars. It's that simple. I'm 50 and I don't have any interest at all in a 1957 Chevy. Zero. My father is 82 years old and his first new car was a 1961 Impala, so you've got to be pretty old for a '57 Chevy to have been a new car and to connect with you. Maybe your father had one or the cool kid at your school had one when you were young. That's a connection. But how many 40-something guys have any kind of connection to a '57 Chevy, never mind a 1936 Oldsmobile or a 1949 Ford?  Very, very few.

 

The big correction is going on right now, in slow motion. If you're not getting out of the hobby and are currently enjoying your car, please warn your kids that your stash isn't going to be worth anywhere near as much as you are all thinking it is. And if you're selling, be ready to take a hit, maybe a big one if you really want to sell the car. Waiting until the market "comes back" is a mistake because unless old people are being resurrected, the market for many cars isn't coming back. Unless your cars are something really special, they are worth as much as they ever will be right now, today, and they're on a downhill slide. That's reality, sorry.

 

The hobby won't die, but it will change. You can't fight it. All you can do is enjoy your little slice of it and stop worrying about the money. As soon as you can do that, you'll find that you enjoy it that much more. Let the future take care of itself. Have fun now, today. That's all you can do.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Yep, buy what turns you on.  I guess at 56 I am supposed to go ape sh** over a GM collonade, they seem to get pumped up monthly in HMN.  If that turns you on, rock on.  Not for me.  I like a lot of older stuff from various decades and focus on prewar.  I may yet pick up another tri five chebby or try a tbird at these prices.  Market may not agree with my strategy.  I do not care.

 

These cars are not a substitute for sound investing for the future but are an investment in enjoyment.  🙂

Edited October 17, 2019 by Steve_Mack_CT
Added a year to my age as of a couple weeks ago. Crap.. (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

We might as well face the truth, any old car is a unnecessary indulgence . Younger people are in many cases just barely covering the basics let alone the space and spare cash for an expensive hobby. 

I know the argument has been made that lots of other hobby's are in the long run just as expensive. Golf is often mentioned. The big difference is that other than a set of clubs it's a pay as you go thing { and thrift stores seem to have

an infinite supply of $1.00 and $5.00 golf clubs. . Golf club membership is more of a truly wealthy persons social expense. Many golf courses are open to non members, just pay the daily fee. So you can spend as much or 

as little as your cash on hand at the moment allows. 

 Old cars on the other hand require a substantial up front cost, garage space, tools, spare parts  / tires and over time much more. 

I suspect if a person was thrifty $1000.00 a year would buy a lot of Golf. I know my father played with a group of over 65 's that got great discounts at many of the local courses as long as they booked times 

that were mid day / mid week.  That wouldn't apply to people under 65, but  65 and up covers a pretty good amount of old car guys these days.

 How much old car expense does $ 1000.00 a year cover? Not very much I am afraid.

For a good chunk of the population the old car hobby has simply become too expensive.  And way to much of an up front cost.

 

Greg in Canada

[Paul Dobbin]

This week Hemmings had a 1953 Mercury Convertible for $40,000 and a 1954 for $55,000.  Both fine restored examples.  That seems high to me!

[trimacar]

Matt said it well.

 

If you have a car and don't love it, you'll probably be disappointed when you go to sell it.

 

If you enjoy the car, and you enjoy the people you meet and the places you go because of the hobby, then the money is immaterial.

 

I'll probably sell all my cars but one or two in the next ten years.  One will be with me until the day I die, I've known it too long.  Will it be worth anything to my kids to keep or sell?  I could not care less.  It's for me, for my enjoyment now, it's not my job to guarantee my kids a bunch of money or assets when I die, and when I'm gone, I REALLY won't care.  I think it's already well established that there are no car garages either in the northern or southern territory of the afterlife.

 

This topic has really been beaten to death on this forum.  Is the market changing?  Yes.  Everything changes.  Do we have to discuss it twice a week?  Oh well...

[padgett]

As usual Matt brings things into perspective "V12 Packards, Duesenbergs, Pierce-Arrows, high-end European cars, cars with custom bodywork, big horsepower brass cars, cars with very low production numbers that aren't weird off-brands, cars with desirable optional engines, they will all continue to command strong prices, probably forever. "

 

And that's true however I remember Henry N. Manny bemoaning in C&D that "he lowed to drive his Cobra but it had grown too valuable to just run for fun. All of those cars are now in collections and rarely driven (maybe off the trailer and onto the show field).

 

My cars have always been drivers but some that were affordable drivers back in the day (Fuelie SplitWindow, XK150S,  E-types, Marauder with 4 speed and side oiler) are too valuable to drive now. Am afraid my Judge may be getting that way ($600 car when I acquired it, 100X according to Hagerty now) and I do not autocross any more.

 

Guess the bottom line is that today it is cheaper and have a better driver to take a nice body and drop it on an adjustable chassis/drive train than to try to restore correctly. And that is where all of the real progress in the last 70 years has been: chassis and drivetrains (am including AC in drivetrain but has been around since the '30s). Neither good nor bad just is. An like infotainment or not, is optional but all of my cars regardless of age have handsfree. I consider it safety as are things like Teflon wiring, stainless hose and disk brakes, radial tires, fire extinguishers....

[1912Staver]

28 minutes ago, padgett said:

As usual Matt brings things into perspective "V12 Packards, Duesenbergs, Pierce-Arrows, high-end European cars, cars with custom bodywork, big horsepower brass cars, cars with very low production numbers that aren't weird off-brands, cars with desirable optional engines, they will all continue to command strong prices, probably forever. "

 

And that's true however I remember Henry N. Manny bemoaning in C&D that "he lowed to drive his Cobra but it had grown too valuable to just run for fun. All of those cars are now in collections and rarely driven (maybe off the trailer and onto the show field).

 

My cars have always been drivers but some that were affordable drivers back in the day (Fuelie SplitWindow, XK150S,  E-types, Marauder with 4 speed and side oiler) are too valuable to drive now. Am afraid my Judge may be getting that way ($600 car when I acquired it, 100X according to Hagerty now) and I do not autocross any more.

 

Guess the bottom line is that today it is cheaper and have a better driver to take a nice body and drop it on an adjustable chassis/drive train than to try to restore correctly. And that is where all of the real progress in the last 70 years has been: chassis and drivetrains (am including AC in drivetrain but has been around since the '30s). Neither good nor bad just is. An like infotainment or not, is optional but all of my cars regardless of age have handsfree. I consider it safety as are things like Teflon wiring, stainless hose and disk brakes, radial tires, fire extinguishers....

Best bang for your buck in auto - X  these days are older Formula Fords. If you are only pushing around 1000 pounds you don't need 250 - 450 HP and the tire costs that come along with that sort of power.  My Lola t 540 based car is as light as possible. I am swapping the Hewland for a Porsche 914 transaxle. The small Formula Ford Hewland does not like standing start launches as necessary in Auto - X. One broken 1 st gear Hewland repair pays for the Porsche conversion plus a couple of spare transaxles outright. The only hard part was sourcing Lola Formula Super Vee rear suspension.

It's the easyist way to get rear brakes once the Hewland is removed. { inboard brakes mounted right to the trans. main casting} Super Vee's use outboard brakes 

You don't get much seat time but Auto - X is still the most cost effective event out there. The whole car costs less than a F.I. Corvette engine, 1 set of tires lasts at least 2 seasons.  Try that with a V8 car, and the Lola is usually faster on most Auto - X courses as well.

Greg in Canada

 

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[mercer09]

I suspect if a person was thrifty $1000.00 a year would buy a lot of Golf

 

not so sure about  that......................LOL

[padgett]

Won a lot of autocrosses mostly with a 67 Camaro, then GS Buick, Corvairs,  the V8 Sunbird, then another Corvair, & the Judge. I like to be able to steer with all four.

 

But have slowed down a lot and back tends to hurt if I change a set of tires by hand so those daze are probably changing. Also have as many cars made in this century as the last. Modern cars are just a lot easier to drive and since largest (my tow car) is 188" long, easy to park (particularly with a rear camera).

 

BTW I remember going to a Jim Russel driving school way back that had Formula Fords. Was told they could not drift. Were rong.

 

ps "I suspect if a person was thrifty $1000.00 a year would buy a lot of Golf " dunno, never had a GTI.

Edited October 17, 2019 by padgett (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

Like I said my Father was playing quite a bit of golf right up to a short time before his passing last year. Local courses , nothing fancy but if over $1000.00 I am sure not by much. He was living on a very modest pension. Some very good deals available around here for seniors.

Greg

[TerryB]

47 minutes ago, mercer09 said:

I suspect if a person was thrifty $1000.00 a year would buy a lot of Golf

 

not so sure about  that......................LOL

Would work for me, I went to those courses with windmills, some rocks or other small obstacles, maybe a trick hole or two.   Carried one club, a small paper score sheet and those goofy little pencils with no eraser.  Most expensive part was the ice cream after the round.  No cart, special shoes or lessons required.

[1912Staver]

43 minutes ago, padgett said:

Won a lot of autocrosses mostly with a 67 Camaro, then GS Buick, Corvairs,  the V8 Sunbird, then another Corvair, & the Judge. I like to be able to steer with all four.

 

But have slowed down a lot and back tends to hurt if I change a set of tires by hand so those daze are probably changing. Also have as many cars made in this century as the last. Modern cars are just a lot easier to drive and since largest (my tow car) is 188" long, easy to park (particularly with a rear camera).

 

BTW I remember going to a Jim Russel driving school way back that had Formula Fords. Was told they could not drift. Were rong.

 

ps "I suspect if a person was thrifty $1000.00 a year would buy a lot of Golf " dunno, never had a GTI.

 

 

V8 cars are a blast ! But sticky tires are a pretty penny these days.  There is a lot to be said for a very light , responsive chassis with modest power. And X - flow Fords respond very well to tuning if you don't have to be SCCA, Formula Ford class legal. 150 HP is a reasonable target, combined with 1000 pounds all up weight it can be a  pretty quick package.

 

Greg

[John_S_in_Penna]

3 hours ago, padgett said:

As usual Matt brings things into perspective "V12 Packards, Duesenbergs, Pierce-Arrows, high-end European cars, cars with custom bodywork, big horsepower brass cars, cars with very low production numbers that aren't weird off-brands, cars with desirable optional engines, they will all continue to command strong prices, probably forever. "

And that's true...

 

I've heard people on our forum give that observation:

That high-end cars are strong.  However, at Hershey,

I ran into a fellow AACA region member who specializes

in Classic Packards and has some really nice examples.

He had a V-12 at Hershey and another one, has a beautiful

salon model and others at home.

 

He said that the Classic market is down substantially, too,

and that it is remarkable how demand has fallen in the last

5 or 10 years.  He says there are too many on the market.

 

Such trends may be short-term or longer-term.  We'll see---

Edited October 18, 2019 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[mercer09]

I agree John. I have a Pierce and it isnt worth much more then a model A.

 

for the very rare and desirable- that's a diff story.

[padgett]

Think the tipping year was around 1980-81. GM had computer cars, the Atari 2600 had Pong and Frogger, and the IBM PC was introduced. Suddenly fast cars had competition and were not green. From 80s through 90s it was not politically correct to be a gearhead. Muscle cars (gas guzzlers) were cheap. Japanese buzz bombs were de rigueur. Took a few years after the NMSL for HP to come back. This century cars are interesting again.

 

OTOH in the 50s, 60s, and into the 70s American cars were king and there were few imports, mostly from Europe on the right coast where all the people were. Took the fuel crisis (I & II) and the 55mph speed limit to encourage the tiny cars already popular where gas was sold by the liter and much more expensive than here. We also never had a horsepower tax until the Gas Guzzler tax.

 

So really is nothing surprising, kids have a lot more to do than get greasy and are millions and millions more cars now than when the AACA started to dilute the market. Some are even interesting.

 

I do suspect that restomods are here to stay and for the moment are bringing more at auctions than restored cars (and cost less). Frankly I am temped to put the Muncie in my Judge in a big baggie and install a Tremec and do the same with a rack and pinion. The Pontiac 400 will stay but the Rochester will get replaced by either dual AFBs or a Holley FI. Decision, decisions.

[Dynaflash8]

9 hours ago, TerryB said:

I like them!  And if they are under appreciated so much the better for getting it at a decent price and enjoying it and not worrying about resale.  If I was paying $100k then resale would factor in.

I wanted a 1952-1954 Mercury when I was a teenager, but never got one.  After the James Dean movie "Rebel Without a Cause" I thought Mercury was the dream car, but I never got one.  I've always been out of step, mostly because I have loved and still love most 1936-1948 Buicks.  One car I never liked and would never own was the much more popular 1955-1957 Chevrolet.  I remember riding in a carpool to work in a 1957 Chevrolet.  It was one of the most  uncomfortable cars I ever was in................so what can I say?  There is a 1953 Mercury pulling at my heart strings now, but at 81 I need to sell, not buy.  My latest experience with selling a beautiful and very rare 1939 Buick convertible sedan has taught me the folly of buying and selling late in life.  I still have two more pre-War Buicks. The next giveaway will happen when I sell the 1941 Roadmaster when I reach 85 .

[cahartley]

11 hours ago, Frantz said:

 Most of us have lost a good bit of money in the hobby. Many of us have or are restoring cars for far more money than they are worth. It doesn't phase us. 

 

The problem is finding THE car one really wants which isn't always (ever?) easy so one has to do whatever it takes to make THE car........well........THE car.

Just getting a car in reasonable enough condition to be a reliable driver can get out of hand but that's the price of having THE car.

 

[wayne sheldon]

If I wasn't so broke as I am, I would want to buy about forty acres of high desert over Nevada way, and bury everything I own in vaults under the sand. Maybe someone a thousand years from now could find it and appreciate it!

 

On the other hand,  if prices can fall enough, I sure would like to get another series 80 Pierce Arrow to enjoy for a few years before I go.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

I think to some degree the market impacts everything.  Bear in mind if Matt is describing broadly the top 2 to 5% of all collector cars that is still a lot of cars, the insulated ones are the top w to 5% of that group.  I have also spoken to owners of desirable Full Classics who are seeing some adjustment.  Its just unrealistic to assume they will appreciate annually forever.

 

Generally, if it was desirable new, i think, it will have some following down the road...

[Frantz]

6 hours ago, cahartley said:

 

The problem is finding THE car one really wants which isn't always (ever?) easy so one has to do whatever it takes to make THE car........well........THE car.

Just getting a car in reasonable enough condition to be a reliable driver can get out of hand but that's the price of having THE car.

 

I can only speak for myself, but for me that's less of a problem. None of them have much personal connection to me. I have a '54 Ford that I got by accident. It's a 4 door. The only things that are a connection to me are it was built in Pennsylvania (my family has been here since colonial times), and it was first titled on my birthday (29 years ahead of me). It's one year out of the early ford motor flathead clubs and the '55 and '56 FoMoCo models are far sportier with more powerful motors. It doesn't matter too much to me. I enjoy working on it just as much as any car I've owned. My first muscle car was a Javelin. I was specifically looking for a '71 or '72. I found a nice '68 and bought it. After owning it, I grew to like it more. So since I'm not picky it's easy for me to love any car I spend time on. There are a few cars I keep my ears to the wind about, but I've not really gone on the hunt at this point.

[padgett]

Don't forget that we (am retired so in that age group) grew up when fast cars all had manual transmissions (well except Chrysler but they had the Ramchargers) and have been fortunate enough to buy a lot of interesting cars when they were cheap. Frankly the most expensive cars I have bought were family and tow cars.

 

That said I must be odd because my tastes are constantly changing. For years about all I had were V8s. Then 3800 V6s (only one is left but have a complete spare drivetrain) but then also only one V8 car  but have two spare engines and waaay too many wheels and tires, at least four sets of different mags for the Reatta, one original). Of course where I live traffic is often heavy, as soon as I leave my development ain any direction am in a multilane 45. and dates involve about 10 miles at 65-70. This influences the type of car I like.

 

Now have little motivation. If I did the Judge would have a rack and pinion and a 5 or 6 speed manual (have a five speed manual but only good for 300 lb-ft...). Does remind me of why I didn't like the way big cars wallowed in the 60s and you did not steer so much as aim. Other cars do not need anything. Must admit the restomod craze makes perfect sense to me other than the monster meats that are popular, 300 hp is plenty and 70 series tire rides better over speed bumps than 30s.

 

Final note: public parking spaces seem smaller than when I grew up, both the Jeep and the Cad have back up cameras and you need them. And they are both only 15 feet long, had a 67 60 Special that would never fit in most and remember a joke from the '70s that new cars were so wide they needed clearance lights. Have always preferred small cars, remember a FIAT 1500 spyder (predated the 124) that I could powershift instantly. Back then it was said that someone who could really speed shift could "make it sound like an  automatic".

 

Funny thing is how drag cars got too fast for the 1/4 and now many run an 1/8 (660) mile. Powerglides are very popular again.

[60FlatTop]

About 25 years ago I went to a big estate sale and saw the family selling a bunch of "stuff" left by a major car collector near Buffalo, New York. I came home and threw out a ton of worthless car items I had and decided not to saddle my family with the misguided idea that the toys I bought with discretionary money were anything to be cherished. The thought "Oh! You thought they were worthless, but the are valuable today" probably comes to mind. Maybe, if one thinks selling is just a wave of the hand. Put up an ad and they will beat a path to your door, don't work that way. Selling is hard work and costly. My wife knows who my friends are and she knows if one is truly interested in one of my cars they can have it. They are all paid for and are serving me well, no need for more. I would be ashamed if my toys amounted to a significant part of my estate.

Actually, the only "old" cars I have owned were ones I bought and sold. A long time ago, maybe 1970's I figured out that all old cars were new once. They went through a depreciation cycle and I could buy it at any point. I have old cars but they weren't so old when I bought them. That's how the hobby works for me. And I like it just fine.

 

As to the future of the hobby, for my part anyway, here are hobby tools that came about 10 days ago:

OBD2 diagnostic tools and adapters. It applies to all cars built after 1995, 25 years now. A lot of old timers will reject them, old timers younger than I. But I will be around buying up the unfinished projects and making a few bucks to fund my aging more modern cars. And they will become old like the others did.

 

Like my cardiologist said "Plan on 30 more years, just don't expect it". I will enjoy whatever comes along without a care in the world for my hobby legacy. My memories are much better than dragging a bunch of material stuff around and I won't impose it on the kids either.

 

OBD2

[caddyshack]

What about an original 1904 Cadillac that needs a total restoration. It is 95% complete, not running, needs wood replacement, new wheels and tires, etc., etc.. The values have been like a roller coaster, but to the right person, it might be desired project. Some great comments from the previous posts, and I agree with the changing times and lack of interest by some age groups. Being in the early 70's age group I feel very fortunate to have grown up during an era of great change in the automotive industry. Those days may never return, but we can preserve what we had. No offense, but keep them original.