Collector car valuations: Up or Down

Very niche market for old collector cars. As said earlier, all the kids I know (friends of my kids) don't care about cars in the least. Cars are fully transportation only and have no valve other than that function. In their HS graduating class a few years back (about 400 kids), there wasn't a single "desirable" car in the lot. All very common cars, no sports cars. Some trucks, but mostly everyday "grocery-getter" types.

What the kids I asked mentioned more than anything else was the safety features of the cars they had, and the music system. Otherwise, they did not care at all about the car.
 
As a MOPAR guy, I have been out of the market for years, and don't see ever getting in. What I can afford is swiss cheese, or in many pieces and I don't have the space for that kind of project. I wish I could have bought my dad's Barracuda, which he bought new in 74. I would have liked to put a modern driveline in it, as well as AC and a good stereo system. At 50 years old, comforts like that mean as much as power and looks. The 360 made the car fun, but it wasn't something my wife would ride in with no AC and a harsh ride.

I couldn't afford my dad's Barracuda when it was sold a few years back, which is the real reason it isn't in my garage. The price of old MOPAR muscle is too high for simple people like me.

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Very true about financing. A bank will lend a person almost total book value for a new ZL-1 Camaro or a C8 Corvette however if they were to buy a 69 Camaro they would be quickly declined on their credit application. Personally, I like high performance cars and like to think of yearly maintenance as changing the oil and filter once a year. A collector car even in good shape can be a direction to pre-bankruptcy trying to keep it in decent condition. I have a C7 Corvette and the younger generations seem to really like the C8 Corvette. Those people will not be interested in a 60's or 70's muscle car because it's not from their time period. The older folks such as myself love them but I wouldn't want a vehicle with poor mileage and no air conditioning just to drive to cars and coffee. If I had the garage space I would buy an older collector car in a heartbeat. Everyone has their own favorites and a person cannot make a blanket statement that fit's everyone's wants. That's why when you go to a car show there are so many variations of peoples favorite rides.
 
I think if we step back and zoom out on this a little we will see a couple of things

1 - the definition of a collector car changes as time goes on. Cars from the 80's and early 90's are starting to fall into that collector car category and anything unique and rare always fits. Just look at Iroc Camaro's, Foxbody Mustangs and Trans Am of that era. They are way up for good low mile ones.

2 - Value of collector cars in general has always been a wave, sometimes up, sometimes down.

3 - You shouldn't buy a car because you think it will gain value, you should buy it because you like it and you want to drive it and experience it.
 
Prices are down in the vintage motorcycle market. Not old old stuff, rather bikes from the UJM era, 1970's and 1980's. Buyers are aging out for one thing. I've done a fair bit of motorcycle carburetor rebuild/flipping, and the market has shrunk significantly the last few years. A good buddy does full-on restorations of old Z1's and the like, and he frequently comments about the market dying.
 
90s and 2000s cars continue to go up in value. Some 80s too. Older cars are not appreciating as much or are depreciating.

This is because the people with money buy what they’re nostalgic about growing up around.

As boomers age out and sell their cars or pass, there’s just not as much interest.

The exception is the super rare stuff that will likely always increase in value. Some of the recent high profile classic Ferrari auctions have been nuts.
 
I hate to say but none of these seems to be that rare. I can say that they probably are good cars if they are well maintained but I wouldn't classify them as collectible if people are just buying them as they want to fulfill their dream of owning it. As a result they are going to be demand and supply driven and eventually they will wear out in storage.

90s car are hitting where the mid life crisis start. I am sure one day they will end up as "they are really just meh" as well, and then the cycle repeat later on for cars in the 2000s and later. Every generation has their own dream, that's different than their parents.
 
The only real collector cars selling for crazy prices are the "investments" that are trading back and forth every few years on Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids. A lot of these cars are nostalgic or one-offs that are very rare, specialty track cars, or analog performance cars. I'm a gear head and love old muscle cars, but as a millennial it is hard to justify the costs of owning one for the return it would provide not having a sentimental connection to them. Many of these older cars don't drive very well without significant modifications, parts can be difficult to find, require a lot of upkeep (carbs and points), and are usually 2nd or 3rd vehicles. This means you need to have the knowledge and means to repair them and search out parts/information about them, as well as the facilities to keep them and maintain them.

I'm a single guy with a decent salary and just having a garage to keep and work on my two vehicles in my area is insanely expensive. Many of my friends who are similar age and into cars only work on their daily drivers if they have kids, or might have one other fun vehicle if they have dual incomes and no kids, or a well paying job. I'm sad to see things changing, as someone who grew up tinkering with old cars and engines, but it has become a very expensive hobby most can't sustain these days.
 
svtrit said:
As a MOPAR guy, I have been out of the market for years, and don't see ever getting in. What I can afford is swiss cheese, or in many pieces and I don't have the space for that kind of project. I wish I could have bought my dad's Barracuda, which he bought new in 74. I would have liked to put a modern driveline in it, as well as AC and a good stereo system. At 50 years old, comforts like that mean as much as power and looks. The 360 made the car fun, but it wasn't something my wife would ride in with no AC and a harsh ride.

I couldn't afford my dad's Barracuda when it was sold a few years back, which is the real reason it isn't in my garage. The price of old MOPAR muscle is too high for simple people like me.

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Agreed on all points. What 1960s Coronets are going for is insane. But MOPAR or no car.

But I have looked at unusual Mopars and like this one I found: a 1962 Chrysler 300. 413 V8. A muscle car before muscle cars. On sale for $32,000. Very niche but is more affordable and cool as heck.
 
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jeepman3071 said:
The only real collector cars selling for crazy prices are the "investments" that are trading back and forth every few years on Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids. A lot of these cars are nostalgic or one-offs that are very rare, specialty track cars, or analog performance cars. I'm a gear head and love old muscle cars, but as a millennial it is hard to justify the costs of owning one for the return it would provide not having a sentimental connection to them. Many of these older cars don't drive very well without significant modifications, parts can be difficult to find, require a lot of upkeep (carbs and points), and are usually 2nd or 3rd vehicles. This means you need to have the knowledge and means to repair them and search out parts/information about them, as well as the facilities to keep them and maintain them.

I'm a single guy with a decent salary and just having a garage to keep and work on my two vehicles in my area is insanely expensive. Many of my friends who are similar age and into cars only work on their daily drivers if they have kids, or might have one other fun vehicle if they have dual incomes and no kids, or a well paying job. I'm sad to see things changing, as someone who grew up tinkering with old cars and engines, but it has become a very expensive hobby most can't sustain these days.
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I got rid of my YJ and replaced it with a JLU because the YJ needed tons of work and I adopted 3 kids about the time I needed an engine in the YJ. My "toy" JLU fits the family, whereas a Challenger, or my YJ do not. Plus I live in the salt belt, though not as salty as the NE, and I would not want to drive an old car as a daily in the salt.

It is not finacially feasible for one to have a separate toy car that is nothing but fun these days. My dad is enjoying the fact his new Ford Maverick can sit in the garage now in the winter, wheras the Barracuda took up the stall previously.
 
jeepman3071 said:
The only real collector cars selling for crazy prices are the "investments" that are trading back and forth every few years on Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids. A lot of these cars are nostalgic or one-offs that are very rare, specialty track cars, or analog performance cars. I'm a gear head and love old muscle cars, but as a millennial it is hard to justify the costs of owning one for the return it would provide not having a sentimental connection to them. Many of these older cars don't drive very well without significant modifications, parts can be difficult to find, require a lot of upkeep (carbs and points), and are usually 2nd or 3rd vehicles. This means you need to have the knowledge and means to repair them and search out parts/information about them, as well as the facilities to keep them and maintain them.

I'm a single guy with a decent salary and just having a garage to keep and work on my two vehicles in my area is insanely expensive. Many of my friends who are similar age and into cars only work on their daily drivers if they have kids, or might have one other fun vehicle if they have dual incomes and no kids, or a well paying job. I'm sad to see things changing, as someone who grew up tinkering with old cars and engines, but it has become a very expensive hobby most can't sustain these days.
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A lack of safety in the old cars doesn’t help either
 
I take my Club Sport out at least a couple of times per week; the analog driving experience is therapeutic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not technology averse, but it’s fun to drive a car where the only electronics are Bosch Motronic and ABS.
 
MCompact said:
I take my Club Sport out at least a couple of times per week; the analog driving experience is therapeutic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not technology averse, but it’s fun to drive a car where the only electronics are Bosch Motronic and ABS.
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Analog is the best.

PS above I meant safety in pre 1980s cars, which is pretty horrific by modern standards
 
Thinking back when I was a kid in the 70s, there were Model T clubs who would chug around back roads. Can't think of the last time I saw a T in the wild. Likewise, 40s and 50s cars were also popular with middle-age folks reliving their youth.
 
MCompact said:
I take my Club Sport out at least a couple of times per week; the analog driving experience is therapeutic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not technology averse, but it’s fun to drive a car where the only electronics are Bosch Motronic and ABS.
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I agree. My Datsun Z-cars, Foxbody Mustangs, 328is, 1st gen RX-7 were/are rewarding because they require driver involvement and feel raw. I have no issues with today's nanny-laden, point and squirt cars and I drive them too and they're fine.

I used to wake up at 5am to shakedown my built 240Z on empty roads. Was the highlight of many Sundays.
I don't do that with modern people-movers anymore. I say drive whatever lights your fire and enjoy the smiles per mile :cool: (y)🏁
 
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