Future collectible cars... (an op-ed)

Reply #30 – November 29, 2010, 05:44:47 PM

Quote from: 50tbrd88;343562

No Honda anything will ever have the curb appeal of the original muscle cars.

Not to you they won't. To those who were into the whole F&F scene they will. And those people will not care any more about a 60's muscle car than we do about 40's cars. They pique our interest very little because we don't relate to them, much the same as today's 16 year olds will not relate to 60's muscle. Indeed, they'll look down their noses at them, because they are technologically inferior to today's iron. For the record, I really want a late 40's or early 50's car.

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Sure there will always be Honda fanboys or Chevette fanboys or whatever who will drool over their rice rockets or econopods..but the muscle car era will always be the high point of American automobile history, IMO. That is why the 'retro' movement is so strong...the original reciepe was just that good. lol.

Those Honda fanboys are no different than American iron fanboys of the past. It is those fanboys that will drive future collectibility.

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I'll say it again, the 'soul' just isn't there on these newer cars. As much as I enjoy driving it, I've considered selling my S197 Mustang and so I could try to find a nice '69 Chevelle with a 4 spd for that reason. Its just hard to explain...

It's hard to explain because it is not true. "Soul" is a very subjective term. I can guarantee you that an 18 year old with his "riced up" Civic is every bit as proud of it as you are of your '72 Chevelle. And 40 years on he will cross the same mountains to find and restore one that baby boomers cross now to find the cars of their youths.

Quote from: 50tbrd88;343656

I just don't really follow puppiesanese cars or know much about them. Not a fan of them.

Exactly. You are not a fan of them. So how can you claim to know where they're going, value wise? It will be those who ARE fans of them who will determine their value. I'm no fan of first generation Camaros, but my opinion of them has zero effect on what people who like them will pay for them...

Quote from: blain_gatterdam;343660

I think that any car which is seen today as just "a car" has potential as a collectible.

Exactly. In 1972 50tbrd88's Chevelle was just a car. So were first generation Mustangs, which certainly weren't produced in limited numbers.

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Explorers have potential too, probably not in my lifetime, but they changed the way the world saw the SUV. and after C4C, how many nice explorers are you seeing now?

Absolutely. Just like the Mustang defined the 60's the Explorer defined the 90's. Econoshiznitsters defined the 80's. And imports defined the 2000's.

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I put my vote down for the aztek. Seriously, who could love that car unless it was the only one left standing in mint condition?

The Aztek will find a following in the same way that the Pacers, Gremlins, VW Things and Edsels of the past have. They'll be collectibles but for a niche market. And they will absolutely attract attention at future car shows. You can add the Isuzu Vehicross and Suzuki X90 to that list as well.

Quote from: Davemutt;343676

My first car was a '78 Volare slant six with a half vinyl roof. I got me through college, but I had no love for it then and no nostalgia for it today. Its rare to see a Volare or Aspen on the road so they do turn my head, but I have no desire to own one again.

I think a lot of the collectable market has been driven by the boomer generation as cars were a big part of their youth. Today, many kids aren't interested in cars and some 16 year olds don't even want a drivers' license! Maybe they'll collect other stuff instead of cars.

I can see vintage computers and parts having a market as well, but cars will always have a market. Many kids aren't interested in cars, sure, but many are. There's a reason the F&F movies did so well. There's also a reason driving games are still popular.

Quote from: hypostang;343695

I dunno if I can even comment on this as my first car was a 66 mustang with a 289.
I had a Chevette ,and an Omni , both as winter beaters and I have no lost love for either

Right. You remember those cars as beaters, not first cars or fun machines. My first car was a '78 Trans Am, a POS I paid $600 for, and even though I was fully aware it was a POS I would love to have another because of the "first car" memories. I learned to drive in an '87 Nissan Pathfinder, and would love to have one. And I spent many nights tearing up the town in my mother's Nissan Micra, and would love to have another (and she would love to as well - it was the first car that was "hers" since she was married).

Future collectible cars... (an op-ed)

Reply #31 – November 29, 2010, 07:52:02 PM

Quote from: Thunder Chicken;343718

Not to you they won't. To those who were into the whole F&F scene they will. And those people will not care any more about a 60's muscle car than we do about 40's cars. They pique our interest very little because we don't relate to them, much the same as today's 16 year olds will not relate to 60's muscle. Indeed, they'll look down their noses at them, because they are technologically inferior to today's iron. For the record, I really want a late 40's or early 50's car.

Those Honda fanboys are no different than American iron fanboys of the past. It is those fanboys that will drive future collectibility.

Exactly. You are not a fan of them. So how can you claim to know where they're going, value wise? It will be those who ARE fans of them who will determine their value. I'm no fan of first generation Camaros, but my opinion of them has zero effect on what people who like them will pay for them...

Funny, I don't remember too many Chevettes or Dodge Omni's in F&F? lol. I will agree that the sporty puppiesanese vehicles will have some collectability. I'll even go so far as to admit that some puppiesanese cars are cool, I just do not aspire to be a fan of them. I do remember there being several muscle cars in F&F, though.

Sorry I just feel that any 4 dr shiznitbox economy car will always be just that. There will be small fringe groups of people who collect them (hell there are people out there who collect anything and everything), but that doesnt mean they are going to be highly desirable or sought after by anyone other than a few small core groups. Just my opinon...maybe I'll be dead wrong. Time will tell.

Yeah, my Chevelle was just a Chevelle back in '72, but that's just because its a plain old 350/auto. Its not a special car. Now if it were an SS, big block, 4spd Chevelle or a Hemi Cuda, that would be akin to someone driving say a GT500 Mustang, SRT8 Challenger, etc today. Not something you see every day, but when you do you generally stop and take notice. Dad always talks about the guys that had "special" cars back in the day (ie: Hemi's, Z/28's, 427's, etc). Trust me those guys even back then knew those cars were more than just run of the mill cars. That is why there are so many left around today. It is undeniable that that was a special time for American cars.

I hope I'm not offending you, I'm just stating my opinon and I respect yours. I even agree with many of your points...

And my opinon on the soul thing...

A blind man could tell that this has more soul:

Than this:

...again I mean no offense Thunderchicken.

Future collectible cars... (an op-ed)

Reply #32 – November 29, 2010, 08:40:45 PM

The masses will pick and choose what becomes the collector car of tomorrow, not the niche groupies, or the select few car guys of F&F, or the hard core mudders. It's the lawyer and doctor who pay big money to have someone else restore their car of their choosing, that will end up being on B.J., and the clueless will follow suit when they start digging them up out of farm fields and junkyards from which they've seen on B.J. and the SEMA companies that start to make parts for said cars, and so on, and so on. The Barracuda is a current example. There's nothing spectacular about a car that had more HP than the suspension could handle. As one who grew up in one, I can't afford one, so my nostalgia for my childhood is thrown out the window. But the lawyers and doctors can afford to have one, and so they make the rules. It is what it is.

I get what I get, because I like it for me, not for resale, or collectability.

Future collectible cars... (an op-ed)

Reply #33 – November 29, 2010, 08:57:59 PM

To answer the original question from the first post, I always thought that we would see values increase for the Starion/Conquest. They were never really glamorized as far as I know, which may explain why I see them on CL every few months for $2,000-$4,000 in running, inspected condition. I'd love to have one, actually.

Future collectible cars... (an op-ed)

Reply #34 – November 30, 2010, 10:43:41 AM

Quote from: cougarcragar;343748

To answer the original question from the first post, I always thought that we would see values increase for the Starion/Conquest. They were never really glamorized as far as I know, which may explain why I see them on CL every few months for $2,000-$4,000 in running, inspected condition. I'd love to have one, actually.

THose are great cars.

Future collectible cars... (an op-ed)

Reply #35 – November 30, 2010, 07:43:20 PM

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The Chevette. Yeah, I know, they suck. They were slow, crude, rustbuckets that fell apart as fast as you put them together. But their drivetrains were dead reliable, they were cheap, and there is hardly a 30-something alive who did not have a hell of a lot of fun in one. A two-door 4-or-5-speed model preferably.

My Pop bought a 1981 Chevette Diesel brand new and when my brother went to college it was given to him to drive. I spent a lot of time driving it when my Pop had it and it was definitely fun to drive. My brother kept that car along time and it ran forever. Several years ago he finally sold it but I would not have minded having that little car to restore and use as a daily driver.

That may never be a collectible but what I think fascinates people is that the older cars are so rare to see and they look different and distinct enough these days compared to the norm we see with newer cars these days that they are interesting.

Future collectible cars... (an op-ed)

Reply #36 – December 02, 2010, 12:21:30 AM

ok,, you forgot one

pontiac fiero GT.

Saw one today,, always wanted to molest one with a v8,,, a hard one to shoe horn but has been done.