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I did an LS swap in a 67 Chevelle convertible in 98 and because this was before you could buy everything needed it cost me a fortune (at the time). When the car was painted and upholstered I was probably in it $50k.
But I had sold my other car and drove the Chevelle everyday for the next 5 years putting probably 100k mikes on it. I sold it and got $25k for it which I thought was pretty good.
My wife had a new MBZ for roughly the same period of time and we lost a lot more on her car than mine.
My point is that unless your building a car where someone else is footing the bill, you probably are going to lose money and should chalk it up to the cost of the hobby.
PS- I’m probably going to lose even more on my latest daily driver project but less then if I go buy a new car.
The younger generation doesn't give a crap about these old cars, they are looking for what was cool when they were in HS. I think the old muscle car value will hit a high (now) then head down a decline path as interest drops. The super rare will always be valuable but they won't/can't be driven because of insurance, they will sit in museums. I think today's hot rods are what people want now, they start, handle, 700hp, you can insure them and if you crash it you can go to the dealer and get one just like it. Times are getting ready to change and the demand is going to drop off a cliff for 60s & 70s cars.
I see both sides, sort of. Since I have been building Isaacs truck, I have learned that some of the pro built stuff is art. Its one thing to weld some pieces to a frame, and make it work. When you see the frames available from some of these places, its art. Perfect laser cut parts, perfect welds, perfect lines, powder coating....Art. Some people might be able to pull off that skill level. Most cant. I know I cant. But $12,000 for a frame? I cant do that either.
Of course, some people just run the prices up, to see if there are any suckers willing to pay what they ask. And some are brokers, who have a customer that has agreed to pay a certain price, to avoid the hassle of waiting, or searching, or planning.
Its personal choice. When I look at buying, I figure out what Im willing to pay for an item. When I find it, if its more, I pass and move to the next. Im willing to do without. People with a lot of money are not, most of the time. They have money, and no time. I have time and no money. I prefer to build it myself, for less money. The quality is much lower, but its personal. And its my only option.
I have run into that exact issue while trying to realisticly price a ground up custom build I would like to offer. Figuring my time, materials,
and overhead, coupled with the current lack of facilities, tools n resources. The task is daunting at best.
Take heart, the younger crowd hasn't given up on them. Just in the last month my son has indicated interest in getting a late 60s/early 70s land yacht sometime in the next few years. He's 31 now, and he had a Corolla in high school which never was in any way a cool car to drive. Indestructible, but not cool. And, he wants something that can handle an EV conversion down the road since it looks like gasoline is going to start going away in the next 10-15 years. Sounds to me like at least one young 'un wants to keep the old cars on the road.
'supply and demand'
:)
LOL, this thread is factual and funny at the same time. :bananna2:
I don't really care about prices. I'll probably keep mine until I stop driving and even if I changed it, lower value on mine means the next one will also be cheaper. I feels strange but true that I am part of the last petrol musclecar generation. It's been a blast but I think I can see the exit ramp up ahead