Is the hobby dead or just broke?

[MOPARENT]

Watching Craigslist this winter in New England and I'm seeing a lot of cheap easy 71-78 GM projects that go begging, plenty of 72-76 A-body stuff out there reasonable, some early-mid 70's b-body stuff priced cheap enough and some decent 66-75 Ford stuff…..Most of these project cars are under $2k-4k, some run and drive…..BUT NO BUYERS. Are we coming to the end of an era? I hate to think so….but its possible. Are we running out of people that dig our generation of cars? OR, is it just the COSTS involved with putting the jump-paddles on some of these old rats? I sense a shift of interest based on costs, but dollar for dollar, are today's kids really thinking the Honda/fart can car is more bang for the buck?………ugh. i hope not.

 

[eldubb440]

IMO, 72 and newer will never be desirable......... low HP, ugly bumpers, ect

 

[snakeoil24]

No, the hobby is far from dead. People are just hurting from too long of a Obama Economy. Give it 18 months and things start to turn around.

 

[44070dart]

don't know.. I have been looking for something for the spring and I've found the asking prices are up...I've flipped a few to support my obsession and for the most part have seen prices holding ..but as you have noted the buyers are all 50 plus ..and I mean plus.. hope we don't lose the young but their past are cars from the 80'/90's ..feel sorry for them

 

[Sir Dodgealot]

I'm 23. Father in law got me into Mopars about 3 or 4 years ago. I buy and sell cars/parts all the time. Love the hobby! I know of a few younger guys that love Mopar.

 

[Dennis H]

Geezer here. Market trends make no difference to me. Habits, purchases, upgrades get done or not regardless.

 

[monaco66coupe]

I wear my old Mopar hat all the time. Young people endlessly give me the thumbs up and ask what I drive. they are always interested. They would yell out " Mopars Rule" .I would laugh and wave.

 

[Fran Blacker]

In the late 80's a guy I know was selling his restored Model A, $15k. Couldn't find a buyer said anyone that wants one has one. I thought who would want a slow car like that? Bet it was made into a hot rod.

 

[Steve009]

I'm 29 and I seriously think this hobbie will be dead within 20 years max. People my age and younger just don't care. I would say less than 1/100 guys my age care enough to start a project or even buy one done. Demand will drop and cars will become cheap/absolete. I hope to hell im wrong but once my dad's generation (currently 55-60 year olds) start to die off where will all the information and know-how go? It certainly isn't all being passed down.

 

[cudak888]

You've just described a glut in the market of a lot of uninteresting cars, most of them smogged, and all of them probably with rot that nobody wants to deal with.

Case in point: $4k for a fixer-upper sounds OK...until you stop and realize that $4k is going to buy you a not-so-valuable 1975 Torino with minor rot in the lower door jambs (which will turn out to be major rot), rot in the trunk (which will turn into a new trunk floor), rot in the doors (which will be minor on the skin, but major on the actual internal frame), and a shitty, smogged 351M.

By the time you're done, it's a two-year project that's cost you $10,000, and maybe has a Starsky & Hutch stripe on it. But under it all, it's still a $10,000 1975 Torino.

And that Torino is probably on the better end of the malaise-era offerings, in that it's more "cool" than "different."

At the end of the day, you could have bought a whole lot of more interesting things to sink another $6,000 into.

-Kurt

P.S.: Believe me, even though I love my 4-door Satellite/Belvedere, I could have bought myself a much more dilapidated $1000 B-body for random drivetrain parts, then taken the $4k I initially put down for the car, with the $4k I've thrown at it in parts, plus a bit more, and I might have been able to pick up a decent Charger shell to work with instead. Hey, I might have had to General Mayhem myself a grill, but it'd be a Charger.

 

[monaco66coupe]

I sell a lot of parts and projects to young guys. sorry, around here young people really like them.
Period. and they pay.

 

[MOPARENT]

I'm 29 and I seriously think this hobbie will be dead within 20 years max. People my age and younger just don't care. I would say less than 1/100 guys my age care enough to start a project or even buy one done. Demand will drop and cars will become cheap/absolete. I hope to hell im wrong but once my dad's generation (currently 55-60 year olds) start to die off where will all the information and know-how go? It certainly isn't all being passed down.

I think you're dead on here…..i can't think of anyone i know that can tell me what the timing specs are for a model T….and what sucks is, i wouldn't care anyway, those cars aint my bag…..This is our problem, UNFORTUNATELY.

 

[monaco66coupe]

Never will happen.People call me all the time for leads on cars or parts. In this area the 60-70's
cars are hot among people with any money, regardless of age. But our economies are in good shape. Back east I think that is an Influence.

 

[Steve009]

I sell a lot of parts and projects to young guys. sorry, around here young people really like them.
Period. and they pay.

That's damn good to hear!

 

[747mopar]

Sounds like good news to those that can't afford what the cost of this hobby has become. Used to be you could pick up an old car cheap and fix it up, now days it cost so much that you can't afford a decent starting point. Like mentioned you mention the years that the crash standards ruined our cars looks forever making them not so desirable anyways. For me I like 1972 and older.

 

[SlinktRR]

new england parts are dry as a bone right now, but upstate new york has had mopar parts galore on craigslist all winter which has helped me. new administration in the white house, lot of uncertainty, but I would not read to much into it...it's winter! fast and the furious movies will keep 68-70 B's in the cultural eye for a few years yet.

 

[monaco66coupe]

I Started at ten years old washing windows at my Dad's gas station.(1962) By 1964 I was driving and servicing all the new cars thru 1968. So, I have been around thru all the drag races, car accidents, and young people killed in fast cars.
I remember how they performed,and drove. I am an optimist because just a year ago I had a 1970 Duster 340 four speed body only right out of California, and a 1969 Dart hardtop for sale at the same time. The Duster was on craigslist, and a young kid of 20 or so showed up with a trailer.
needless to say, the car was sold. three Hours later, another Kid 20 or so showed up, and asked where the Duster was. I told him he was too late. But, I had a 69 Barracuda chassis for sale soon. He had driven 140 miles to just see it. He bought that car on the spot. 5500.00 in one day. I have had a kid hassle me for four months for a very rare set of rims for a 66' Belvedere.
I won't sell them, but he keeps trying. HA HA

 

[MOPARENT]

10K PROJECT 68 chargers certainly seem to be out of the reality range for most younger fans, so where do they go? Cordobas? Torino's? Buick/Olds/Pontiac/Gbody? If those cars portray a negative vibe, then what do the kids go for? Metric rats? Seems thats the direction at most car shows today anyways, FART CAN CITY, of which, I totally AVOID.

 

[monaco66coupe]

I believe it will help many other brands, because old cars are cool. Think positive. Not everyone can have a charger or challenger, or cuda. But there are many other models that need attention.

 

[T5 copper]

If the prices were more reasonable maybe.