I was finally able to watch the final day of the Barrett-Jackson auction(thank god for dvr's). A fully restored 1952 F2, all stock with V8 and 4 speed sold for $21,000. Is it just me or is that a hell of a deal. I would have guessed about $30,000 at least. Anybody have any thoughts???

 

That is exactly my truck, and exactly what I want to do with it. $23k sold, should have just bought that one....ha ha ha

 

Car and Driver had a good article on old car prices. Basically: all of us old farts are dieing or liquidating our collections; the newer generations are into the smart-phones and foreign cars; old American iron will be worth less in the future; you better buy something you enjoy. In the end, it's always supply and demand.

 

Very true in certain segments; Model T's, 20's cars, non-mainstream 50's cars. But anything that can be street-rodded will likely have a good market for at least another decade, IMO. I think the key factor will be prices; youngsters aren't making good money, by and large.

 

I have to agree with Ross, I'm working with a 30yr old who is into his Hemi Magnum station wagon and wants to work on a new sound system but has no interest in working on my F-1 or the Model A coupe I just got. I was surprised he didn't enough interest to come over and look at the coupe. Now I find, as I'm starting the A build, less aftermarket companies supply parts to modify them and less people seem to be "into" them. Always was a lone wolf anyway. So who cares? Don't want to sell the truck anyway.

 

I'm 29 and can say personally that I'd prefer hot rods and classics all day long but I understand why some may want these newer vehicles. Its harder to relate when people your age dont build what you build. I only know a hand full of younger guys that build hot rods and even fewer that have done a full on frame off restoration like mine.

Ross, you're on track but I figure people will still stash money away in vehicles as a way to "invest".

 

I used to see the lovely old restored cars from the twenties etc around when I was younger and they went for quite a bit of money, but over time you saw less of them and the prices dropped as the people of an age to be interested in them got too old to be involved with them anymore.

It is sad, but natural I suppose that it happens, we are interested in the things that appeal to us in our youth, as we get older we look for those things. Like rock and roll, cars etc, it all moves on and it is hard for me to accept
sometimes that things considered so highly in my youth are taken as nothing now.

I remember reading articles many years ago about how to get young people involved in hot rodding again. I suspect in a way this ultimately led to the modern version of rat rods, which originally were just old time, simply built, old school cars.

 

I hate to see anything to do with vehicles described as an "investment"... I was adding up my build costs the other night....

It's interesting to me to see fads come and go. Ten years ago it was lifted 4x4's with swampers. Maybe 7 years ago there were Mitsubishi Eclipses, slammed, primered, big turbo, etc. at every light, now you rarely see them (all torn up I presume). Then came the Honda Civics with trashcan mufflers and carbon fiber hoods, wings, etc. All but gone now. I really can't tell what's current now?

 

I like the old stuff. 20's, Brass era, etc., and I don't see those prices falling. They are not appreciating like the muscle car era but that applies to most other things as well. Maybe that day is coming but it's not here yet. It does seem that some of the better quality stuff is going overseas. That might help keep the supply side in balance a little longer but who knows.

A friend went to B/J last month and I got to look at the catalog last night. Actually there were 3 of them. Slick glossy color productions that had to cost north of $20 to produce. I wrote down a few of the lot numbers so I could come back home and see what they sold for but haven't had a chance. The high dollar catalog left me with the impression that there were not any bargains to be had at B/J.

 

Cummins powered everything...

 

And it's just not classic car collecting, or fixing up old iron. Those are symptoms, not the disease. Younger folks are in a bad way with jobs and the economy, they are finding it difficult to just acquire any kind of car. Simple arithmetic shows that way back when minimum wage was $1.25, an hours work bought 5 gallons of gas and today it buys about 2. And cars cost quite a bit more, insurance is expensive for young folks, tires, maintenance, plates and registration, all of it means they say "screw it" and don't even pretend they can afford a $40,000 car or truck. Don't get rid of your antiques just yet though, it may not be an American who sets the price, that's all.

 

I feel our hobby will be OK for a while with there being plenty of 40 somethings and older interested. However, once this group is passing on the hobby I'm not sure what the interests of the young group will be (maybe those on the forum could tell us). As said, fads will come and go. To me, tech and hand-held connectivity will increase and a three on a tree will not hold interest. As a sidelight - can you image what oldies radio stations will be playing in a few decades or so for those who would call them oldies from their younger years.

We need to work at getting kids, grandkids and others of that age interested.

 

Glad to see some younger guys interested....what this thread is about, is why I could afford to get the coupe. Not as popular, not as expensive.

 

Some of my observations.
Seems to me that just in the last 10 years or so, these older cars have gotten harder and harder to feel comfortable with on the road. We are always "in the way" now, everybody is on a cell phone, going like a "bat out of hell" to get somewhere and the pleasure of driving is all but gone.
My flattie used to keep up, but not anymore.

Gas prices are so ridiculous that the only reason to drive somewhere is to make money, it seems. It has taken a lot of the fun out of it.

The newer fuels are getting harder and harder to run through our old cars and trucks, and I see a lot of folks that used to think we were kinda cute looking down their noses at us 'cause we're loud, we smoke, and we're slow...slim

 

Lot of truth in that, Slim. I was pleasantly surprised on my drive to Truckstock that my going 55 in a 75 mph zone really didn't seem to **** anyone off. But most of the drive was out West in open country. I'm contemplating a drive up I-25 to Santa Fe this week, a very heavily commuter-packed drive, and am not so sure it will be fun.

There are 4 times as many cars on the US roads now as when I got my driver's license...