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Selling collector cars, how's the market for you?

When I see the median age at my local car show lower than 45, I'll believe it.... I'm in my early 40's, and one of the youngest I've seen as a owner, except some of the rat rod guys
 
^^^^^^^^
This!

Go to any car show and you will see the “young” crowd is in their 50’s and the “older” crowd is on oxygen.

If you are into these cars for any sort of financial return, cash in NOW!

I’m into these old cars because I absolutely love everything about them! I don’t care if they tank in value. In fact, I’d welcome that.
 
^^^^^ I admit some of my best buys have been projects someone took apart, bought all kinds of parts for, and after a while the reality struck that he was never going to put it together or pay for or do the body work, and found out he would never get his investment back.^^^^^^^Just like cosgig there. Back in Missouri Mopars were fairly plentiful. Every year more get drug out of the pastures, but the supply keeps scrinking. But TODAY any complete project complete you can buy for $900 is pretty much gone!!
I always by cars to work on because I want that car. Few Mopars around this end of Tx. but I found a local 65 Cuda just like Cosgig's car ^^ above.The guy had it for 10 years, used to drive it everywhere. Then a few years ago he tried to sell it, could not, and started parting it out and taking it apart. Fast forward to last summer. It is for ale at $1000. Rust free, pretty straight. The 8 3/4 rear was gone, all the front K frame down gone, 273 enine GONE< trans gone, driveshaft gone....interior and ALL trim was out but there. The original seats were good.
I had a good 318, trans, driveshaft, I could have dropped in. I would have had to drive to one of the few old yards here in Tx, 10 hr trip. and bought a K and front suspension, I had a 67 B body 8 3/4 that would have worked fine. BUT if I figured the value of MY parts, the time and labor and costs of small parts to put it together and what the actually market for such is here, I had no desire for such. IF I had wanted the car as a keeper it would have been a great deal.
I traded a buddy my Feather Duster, a great little driver for a 65 Cuda FB, complete, apart, rust free. I put it all back together and did the paint work, it was very nice and finished car. This was back in Missouri 4 years ago. I was moving to Missouri and I had 4- 5 A bodies to sell before my move. I advertised that Cuda everywhere for $5000 got ONE offer of $4500 and sold it. I figured I actually came out ahead $1000 for all my work. Everyone that called on it says, " nice car, cheap enough, wish I was closer, wish it did not cost $1000 to ship, wish I had garage space, wish my wife would LET me buy another car, wish I had some $$$.
LOL
I had kept one car out of that group, a 62 Lancer because it wife laimed it and NO ONE would offer me the first for it!!!! The RoadToad!!
I know I should have been working on a B body!!!!!! BUT>I would have had more $$$ in it, and have had to got more $$$ back out to break even!!! ha

c
 
We are the generation that likes vehicles made prior to the 80s. My son-in-law drove a 79 Trans Am in HS and would rather sell the 70 Cuda (which I store at his house) to buy another if I asked him.
 
This situation isn't new in the least; when I was growing up (70's) the young crowd (my crowd) was not overly interested in early 60's, 50's or 40's cars; sure there were a few that were interested is them, and many of us started off with one due to availability and price; but make no mistake we all wanted one of the muscle cars (take your pick). Of course some of us figured out that if we took a modern engine and stuffed it into a early 60's, 50's or even 40's car we would have something unique (hmmm sounds a lot like a restomod today).

The difference between then and now is that younger people who might be interested in classic muscle cars cannot afford them. In the 70's other than perhaps the tri 5's, early 60's and 50's cars were considered junk. I bought a 53 Chevy 2 door for $10 in mid 70's. In the late 70's, muscle/performance cars were cheap. Unfortunately, auctions, TV shows, and investors have dramatically changed this dynamic in the world today. As stated, the rare or very unique cars will remain valuable for some time but your run of the mill classic car is going to suffer in value IMO. The problem that I see is now it is a catch 22, no one wants to screw themselves and sell off a car for less than what they think the market is, but at the same time the market is an ever changing nebulous environment; meaning it isn't what most think it is. Finding a $1000 "project" is a pretty difficult if not impossible thing to do anymore; anything even remotely "performance" orientated is at least $5K and will need a complete rebuild which ultimately will cost far more than the vehicle will be worth.

IMO, this is a hobby not an investment opportunity; spend what you can afford to have a car you love.
 
This is an interesting video on WHY the market is dying along with car museums. He claims it comes down to the boomers not sharing thier cars/the hobby as a whole

I definitely don't want to start a battle here of boomers vs. Millennials vs Gen x, however I relate to this video very much as a "gen xish" person

I may not have show quality cars, but my kids can get into him pull on the lever turn on the headlights flip the headlights over whatever they want to do as long as they don't actually break something...

 
Well I would say this guy is a bit full of himself but he is right on several levels. It is not that the younger generations (pick a title) are not interested in cars per se, it is a number of factors that have all come together;

1. most young people (sub 35) did not grow him using tools or understand anything mechanical really

2. the younger generations did not grow up with the passion of cars like those before them; most grew up with the feeling that a car was merely a method of getting from one place to another and that really cool cars were not attainable

3. the last several generations were pushed to go to college as that was/is seen as a "must do", they were pushed away from the trades in large part and ended up with irrelevant degrees and mountains of debt that are struggling trying to pay off, getting into an expensive hobby like classic cars is way down the list of priorities

4. younger generations did not have to work to make cars fast, they came that way relevant to the times.

5. cars of the 90's and 2000's were generally better built in the sense that owners did not have to learn how to fix them near as much as previous generations

6. cars of the 80's to present were/are plentiful and thus when they break down seriously, it is easy and quick to replace them

7. classic cars became "collector items" and thus were not available to younger buyers even if they were interested, those that were available were generally not desirable by even the classic car crowd

8. classic cars were/are so removed from more modern cars that even those people who were interested in cars grew up talking turbos, EFI, computers, etc none of which classic cars generally have

9. classic cars are generally not nearly as reliable nor are parts as available for them as more modern cars

10. owners of classic cars tend to discount the younger generation (as all generations have done to those after them); however due to the perceived value and importance of classic cars are generally unwilling to truly share them other than visually

In other words, what the guy says on the video is accurate and unfortunate but it is the truth.
 
I agree that dude on UTube, he is right about a lot and full of himself really bad. But that is OK.

One thing about young guys and their cars in the 60's and 70's which I relate to, they liked having a fun, fast cool car, but most I knew did not have areal desire to work on them. As I see the young generation today, same is still true!

We are lucky today that fast, fun, cool cars are built brand new right now. Yes not as simple as our old cars, but they can be worked on by someone with the desire. Most young people today do not have the desire?. A lot easier to drive them till they need work and take it to the dealer or shop if needed. Maybe they will change their own oil? Doubt it.
 
It starts waaaay back at the beginning. First you take your bike down to your friends house, tire goes low and you learn how to pump it up. You get another bike and cut off the forks and pound them onto the end of the forks on your good bike and make yourself a chopper. Oops, kids don’t ride bikes anymore, Mom or Dad take them everywhere in the car.

Then, you learn to mow the lawn, and how the mower works. Oops, lawn service does that!

Next, you graduate up to your mini bike, after learning how to change the plug and the oil in the lawnmower, you are ready to maintain your mini bike. Oops, video games keep kids inside now.

Now you graduate from your mini bike up to your first 125cc motorcycle and learn how to mix gas, maintain your safety gear, oil the chain, tighten the spokes, and lube the chassis. Oops, all the riding places are fenced in and posted No Trespassing!

Now, you’re finally ready for your first car. It’s a fixer upper hand me down from Dad, so you take auto shop, learn a few things and you and Dad work on fixing it on the weekends. Oops, There’s soccer and travel baseball on the weekends, and Mom &Dad payed big money for you to play, no time to work on anything. And instead of auto shop, you chose “creative studies” because it’s a bird class and your friends all took it.

See a pattern here? Without a good foundation, guidance and parental support, all of the basics are now a thing of the past. For most people anyway! Might as well follow the trend and go into debt you will probably never pay, and buy that Hellcat Demon that’s $50k over list!

Well, except my kids of course!

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Lots of good points, your right about the "build up" of interest, I know I was bike, to lawn mower, to go cart, to cars
 
Lots of good points, your right about the "build up" of interest, I know I was bike, to lawn mower, to go cart, to cars

Oops, since I grew up on a farm, I forgot about that first 4 wheeled vehicle, the family tractor. Of course, progress killed the family farm, it’s a subdivision now!
 
Video ok, but ITS NOT ABOUT HIM. Early job for me, drive a tractor. Pop Wheelies!
However, I too want to see cars in motion. No video screen will ever satisfy or replace the sound, feel, smell of the cars I love. Uncapped BB. Even remote start of a Hellcat is the sweetest sound.
https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=Awr9GjB01NFdxKYAD4TBGOd_;_ylu=X3oDMTByb2lvbXVuBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--/RV=2/RE=1574061300/RO=10/RU=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visceral/RK=2/RS=BmBImmiTJAcTT34dOqd5KbtDQSE-
Not the smell, Dennis!
 
I meant when they’re not pissing fuel in your driveway...
 
My grandson always wants to get behind the wheel of my vehicles; car, truck, it doesn't matter.

He's a natural born car nut. This is what we saw in his ultrasound before he was born:

 
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