Collector car valuations: Up or Down

Snagglefoot

Snagglefoot

Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Messages
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Location
SE British Columbia, Canada
I'm a big fan of car shows and have watched some of the auto auctions on the TV and net. There have been some internet sites bad mouthing the whole collector car thing, insisting the peak is over. I'm not so sure but want to see what opinions are out there at Bitog.

https://www.brakeforit.com/trending...utm_medium=witetersatedt-tb&utm_content=42629

Above is something I found on the net. What do you think? PS. I don't know if the unnecessary ads are going to show up on your view.
 
Kind of OT, but that is a pretty terrible article, IMHO, when there is no author listed I assume its just AI junk, or some poor guy typing away in a sweat shop in India or some place.... Some scattered random facts, and no analysis...

I think the value of B-tier 50-60's cars are going down already, but there's a lot of guys reviving 70's and 80's pickups. A fellow near me finds old pickups that were on a farm scrap field since 1992, and resells them on the busy road in front of his house. It seems like there is a new one at least every week.
 
zzyzzx said:
Generally speaking:
People don't have the money for it and younger people aren't interested. There might be some exceptions like vintage Mustangs or Camaros (something like that). Just my guess.
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^^^ This. We just hit peak age 65 last year. Meaning we had the highest number of people hitting 65 / retiring of all time and that number of people will decline going forward - demographics. There are always exceptions, but the "car guy" era ends at some generational point.
 
Snagglefoot said:
I'm a big fan of car shows and have watched some of the auto auctions on the TV and net.
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They are all old people wishing they had never gotten rid of some car they drove when they were younger!
Snagglefoot said:
There have been some internet sites bad mouthing the whole collector car thing, insisting the peak is over.
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Be careful about what you read on the Internet!
Snagglefoot said:
I'm not so sure but want to see what opinions are out there at Bitog.
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A collector car is only something you can drive to car shows!
 
A lot of the auction action is just ridiculous. When people can afford a collector car they do lean towards cars that they wanted when they were younger- hence the bump in value for '80s and '90s cars. I find that more young people are interested in the Club Sport than are older individuals.
 
Brian123 said:
They are all old people wishing they had never gotten rid of some car they drove when they were younger!
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Bingo, or the car they wanted when they were young.

I don't get why "everybody" wants a 69 Camaro. Some sort of shared hysteria? The "alpha jock" in high school has one so he'll be your friend if you get one too?

Extra money gets gobbled up by hobbies once your needs are met. Rent, food, fuel, insurance. What people can affrod to spend on these hobbies varies widely.

There are also importer-exporters in the equation. Saudis apparently really like 73-87 GM pickups for example.

I've done very well by buying beaters at 25 years old and sitting on them for a few years. This rule hasn't changed much. When I got my F150 it was a to-the-dump hauler but when I sold it everyone was calling it "OBS", LOL and I pretty much doubled my money.
 
I have 2 older VW Westfalia vans and you can bet they have come a long way in the value department. I drove my 75 to a car show on Saturday but didn't show it. I picked it up in Santa Fe new Mexico so very little rust. I put much work into it in all areas mechanical but it has original paint and un torn canvas. It is a page out of history and I drive it with a big smile. It is orange in and out and just makes me smile. I always liked old cars because they are simple and don't rely on electronics. You can even see the motor.
 
Snagglefoot said:
I'm a big fan of car shows and have watched some of the auto auctions on the TV and net. There have been some internet sites bad mouthing the whole collector car thing, insisting the peak is over. I'm not so sure but want to see what opinions are out there at Bitog.

https://www.brakeforit.com/trending...utm_medium=witetersatedt-tb&utm_content=42629

Above is something I found on the net. What do you think? PS. I don't know if the unnecessary ads are going to show up on your view.
Click to expand...

It most certainly peaked about 10 years ago, Boomers are dying off their buying power goes with it which will never be seen again....Not just collectors car but many other things Americana related.......Prices won't just freefall though.
 
I've been a subscriber of Sport Car Market magazine for 20+ years. https://www.sportscarmarket.com/ It covers pretty much all eras of cars from brass era to current. The market ebbs and flows and certain segments can get hot for a while, then cool, then heat up again. It is difficult to make hard and fast rules I am seeing in this thread. People appear focused on domestic cars here, and even if they are trending down, other segments typically pick up the slack...british, Japanese or various european makes. Two things I can take away from observing the market:

1) For various eras of cars, the market is fixed, there are not and cannot make more...a few "barn cars" can be discovered, but there is no huge supply hidden away somewhere. So rarity can (not always) make a big difference in desirability and ultimately value. So does originality...versus "restored".

2) There are always new collectors entering the market as others (older) exit. Their interests may be different than those leaving, but there is a segment of cars they are buying and collecting. Car enthusiasts and collecting will never go away.

What is great about SCM is they analyze specific cars at auction, because they have staff at the auctions, inspecting and rating the cars, to help one determine why a car hit high, or low when it hammered across the stage. They review and explain market trends in various categories...both specific makes, and countries.
 
I go to a car show now and then but am bored easily. The fun seems to be for the car owner and often because they are feeding their nostalgia or are proud of all the work they put into restoration.

A friend has a 30s Ford that he bought when in high school for $50. He is now 75 and has been slowly redoing it. It is now road worthy. All this I can understand . Nostalgia and same car, flat head V8 and all
 
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I think with the rise in interest rates some buyers have been priced out of the market.
 
I grew up road racing and autocrossing a vintage 1966 mustang GT. Loved the experience. However now that I am in my 60's I do not want to re do my youth and am not likely to purchase one. Been there, done that.

Back then I recall the older folks being crazy about 1955 Chevy's. I always wondered what the appeal was.. They drove like junk, were not really fast and rather uncomfortable. I'm fairly sure today's generation looks at 1960/70's cars in much the same way that I viewed the 1955 Chevy.

And improving the driving experience of these vintage beasts is always expensive.

Not my car, but similar enough. Low, wide, highly modified:
Back then I thought it was so cool. Today it just looks old.

1966_ford_mustang_aimg_7188-77992.jpg
 
IndyIan said:
Kind of OT, but that is a pretty terrible article, IMHO, when there is no author listed I assume its just AI junk, or some poor guy typing away in a sweat shop in India or some place.... Some scattered random facts, and no analysis...
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+2

That is the most random list of car makes and models I've ever seen in one place. Makes me wonder if they just threw a bunch of names in a box and shook the box and used whichever ones fell out. I suppose it depends on how you define "classic cars" but when the list includes Chevettes, Pacers, Saab 900s, Ferrari Mondials and C-3 Corvettes etc, it just seems more like random old cars than anything in particular.
 
I didn't read the article since so many said it was poorly written. But a little critical thinking would dictate a high probability of the collector car market becoming very, very soft as baby boomers die off. You have a collector car-you pass on- your peers are not buying it-they are trying to get rid of theirs as well. Whoever settles your estate will take whatever they can get.

The younger generation (as documented) simply are not interested.
 
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