Posted on 03/11/2015 8:49:51 PM PDT by super7man
I just finished following the thread highlighting the Chevy small-block history. My wife and I recently went to the Good Guys show in Pleasanton CA. There were lots of BEAUTIFUL cars there. I think that every '69 Camero ever made was there. Every one more beautiful than the last.
But, we noticed that everyone there was our age. Less than "older than dirt" but able to remember Vietnam. I wondered what will happen in the next 20 years when we are all gone. Will cars of the 50's, 60's, 70's be a thing of the past? (I stopped counting at the 80's because all those cars were horrible.)
To my kids, a car is nothing but transportation. I makes no statement and will eventually have no value and will be crushed.
SO.... here is the question. What car is being sold today (or in the last 15 years) would be a car that one would die over 20 years from now? (Exotics are excluded.)
The only one I can think of that has holding character is the the Hummer I.
Oh, just FYI I'm a slobering sucker for British cars.
The only one’s ya see driving “hot rods” and highly custom vehicles and the like, are old men who are ready to croak..
Ya see the days of young guys finding an old vintage car and fixing it up and customizing it are all but gone. Too expensive...Most the young guys are way priced out.
Like GA, general aviation....Middle class people have been totally priced out of that game.
Saturn Sky Redline. My wife has one she drives the crap out of, and I almost bought one just to put on blocks as an investment of some inherited money.
Only about 32,000 cars were made on that (Kappa) platform, and all of the high performance ones came under the Saturn banner IIRC.
Given 20 or 30 years attrition I’d be willing to bet a pristine one will command close to $100K in today’s dollars at that time in the future.
I’m a member of the Panhandle Ponies, a Mustang club. Until the latest generation of Mustangs the average age was north of 50. But last night’s meeting consisted of about half thirty-somethings or younger with their new Mustangs. You may be self-selecting your view by attending only shows of older cars. Young people never saw those cars when growing up. They are as meaningless to them as a steam locomotive would be to most of us. (Not that they aren’t beautiful, they simply don’t trigger nostalgic memories.) Look for tuner shows if you want to see younger people enjoying the car hobby.
I think you’ll see a renaissance in about 20 years. I hate to say this, but the Boomers need to die first.
They have the disposable income and the nostalgia, and that’s pushing the prices of older iron into the stratosphere. When that market is gone, prices will drop and younger guys will be able to afford them. There’s still a fair amount of interest by younger guys, but when you have to pay $10k+ for a basket case that needs a complete overhaul just to be drivable, that eliminates a whole class of people from the hobby.
My project car of choice is a Sebring convertible. Not the most powerful, but it handles well and parts are cheap. Enough were made that parts are still available. Not all that difficult to work on with the enthusiast support out there. It’s still reliable enough to be a DD.
I’d rather be driving a 50s or 60s Pontiac or Cadillac, but I can buy a dozen drivable Sebrings for the cost of one of those pulled out of a field. A lot of guys build 80s/90s Mustangs, F-Bodys, or compact pickups for the same reasons.
These days you can’t paint a car yourself in most areas, and because of regulations, the cost of getting it done is also significant. If you look around, there are a lot of modern “hot rods” that look more like beaters because the owner can turn a wrench but can’t afford the cosmetics.
Rice racers.
“Rice racers. “
One appeal or disincentive is price. A ‘60’s Chevy II in good shape is $15,000-$20,000. A more modern ‘80’s Ricer is practically free.
I am off and on with a 65 Jeep. Parts sometimes can be fun. Sometimes even the dedicated parts suppliers have problems.
There is a place I found a few miles away that builds, rebuilds, and modifies 4WDs of all kinds and eras. They have a couple of vintage CJs like mine.
A few days ago I dropped in with a short laundry list of things I am simply not equipped to handle but know how to do. I’m just a carport in the burbs. The parts and labor bill is acceptable and the plan is to drop it by in a couple of weeks.
I hope to send the CJ7 engine swap to them early this summer as well as my birthday present to me.
I’d like to have a Lotus 7 like The Prisoner’s car. I couldn’t fit in it though. Too tall and bulky but love it just the same.
Bet its a great ride.
Good point about maintenance. The last car I could work on was my 1972 Plymouth Duster. I did a rebuild in my driveway. Even my 1983 Camaro wasn’t easy, the engine had to be pulled to reach the back two plugs. I like my current 2005 Chrysler 300C, with its 5.7 L engine it’s a hotrod. The only problem is that when I pop the hood the engine can’t be seen.
My hands down favorite is the old 4x4 Bronco’s, I’ve restored and built 6 of them over the years. Bad part is every time I build one the way I want it somebody else wants it more than I do. Not sure what my next project will be I’m fixing to retire and making this one my last. I still have some old big blocks (429, 440, 460 and a 427) in the shop. A nice old classic truck might be a nice change. The good thing about living in West Texas is there’s no shortage of old trucks in good shape, low humidity and no salt means very little rust damage.
That, my FRiend, is an extraordinary ride! Well done!
That's pretty much always been the case, once automobiles became mass consumer market products. Look at some old photos of parking lots filled with cars, and see if there's anything other than detail differences between 95% of the cars. Here's a couple of samples:
Cars are so expensive anymore, and the engines so complicated, with all the electronics and sensors, that the days of the shade tree mechanic are gone.
As the boomer cohort passes these classics on to the parvenus of the millennium, they will cease to be objects of love and memory, will devolve into cheesy ego supports, and ultimately will become mere investments, valued only for their capital appreciation.
Thus with all things. I can't pinpoint exactly when I figured out that much of what I value would become merely something for a younger person to sell or throw away, but figure it out, I did.
Mr. niteowl77
There’s a few issues. Why I was a kid (I’m not that old, only 44), many more kids were grease monkeys and loved tinkering with cars. Less distractions for us, no internet, cell phones, video games, etc. I really think that plays a part.
The second is money. This is one of the most expensive hobbies you can have. Hard to rise the cash you need to build an engine, as a teen anyway.
Having said that, I’ll be upset if my young boys don’t try and build a go cart out of a lawn mower engine...
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