I just dont get it, I have been watching alot of auctions on tv lately and as we all know C-3s are the next big thing. But some of the prices these cars are bringing are out of the reach for the normal person. The collectors are snatching these cars up at prices you can buy houses for just to go let these cars sit in some private collection hidden from view. I love corvettes especially C-3s, but I think we all are forgetting why we love these cars so much, for the pure enjoyment of makeing them our own and driving the **** out of them. I personally have no desire to own a $100,000 dollar vette not when I could sell it and own 4 or 5 vettes that I could drive and enjoy. Am I the only person that feels this way???

Sorry for my rant just had to put it out there

 

Different strokes for different folks. If I could have a 50 car private collection, then I would. My two car Corvette collection will have to do for now. I do have 200+ 1/18 scale Vettes but that ain't the same.

 

I agree - The NCRS has enough clean meat to ponder over.
My 1968 is all mine, and I'll do exactly what I want to do to it, to make it better for me.

 

I would too...but for now this is My Corvette Collection.



If you remember this game from 1972 than your as old as me.

These won't fit on the shelf

 

nice cars, the 68 looks really nice

 

I watch the same Auctions, and let's face it, if your not a movie star or sports celebrities, your not going to own anything that's really a collectible corvette. For most of these people, spending $100.000 is not much more than 'lunch money' to them. But I do think there are some 1967 to 73 Camaro's out there to be found and restored on a limited budget !

 

Yea I seen some all originals that sold for 200 thousand with bad
paint nasty looking engine compartments, that need restored.
I DON"T THINK SO.
200 thousand dollars, I could build or restore a couple vette's that
would be so much nicer and still have enough money to buy a house.

I have a good friend that has a real nice collection of 60's & 70's
collectibles, that seen my ride for the first time the other day
and his genuine response was WOW. He could not believe that I
only had around 12 thousand (so far) in this car and I drive it
as much as I do, he doesn't drive his all that much because
it will drop the value he says, what a waste.

I will drive and enjoy any and all of the rides I have or will have.
If the time comes that the car is wore out I will just rebuild it and
drive it some more to enjoy it.

If I ever had a car that was worth the price that these cars are bringing
at auction 50, 100, or the 200 thousand that the original C3 chrome bumper
car brought this past week end, I would sell quickly before the buyer wised up
and changed their mind.

Riggs.

 

Beautiful!!!!


Here is mine !!

 

Very Nice

 

livin_lower,

I dig what you are saying,
I see the fat cats with more money and gall than common sense paying whatever they want to at auctions almost like it a cool misplaced status thing for bragging rights that they overpaid,

Don't get me wrong, don't confuse these guys for people in the Corvette business,
I know some fellows in the "vette business" who are great guys, they know what things are worth and are savvy to pay the right price so they can profit,
These others are a different creature,

More and more people are far too worried what their vette will be worth not how much fun they will have in it next weekend at the show or cruise,
I admit a certain amount of jealousy to the fellow how has the tall stack of toad pelts and can pay many times what going fair rate is, thing is if I hit the lotto right now I still wouldn't overpay for something I wanted,

You might have seen my posts where I am seeking a c3 Convertible, what could be worse for a fellow on a tight budget to have his heart set on, lucky for me I dig what the masses hate, customs, so when I find what I desire it will be 1/2 or 1/3rd what a pristine stock version would have fetched, I don't mind bargain hunting,

So where does it leave the fellow on a budget?
We have to watch while our dreams go up in smoke and prices go too high for most average joes to afford, we have to beat the bushes for a good buy and actually help our fellow hobbyist when we can, I was very impressed with the Pay it forward thread on here,

I am not impressed at all because someone has 100K they can spend on a solid 20K car,
I am not impressed they will hire out all the work done and then take all the credit at shows,

What impresses the heck out of me is the fellow who beats the bushes and finds what he wants at a bargain price ( or even a good price is okay, if it's what you want ) and builds it his way applying mind and skills over money and spinning his own wrenches,
and the fellow doesn't care what it's worth all he cares about is what show, cruise or fun time he will have in his car.

We who love these cars for what there are and what they mean to us share the kinship and camaraderie not the fellow who is throwing many times going rate at a car at an auction and not the fellow who's top concern is resale value,

 

you are so lucky!!

 

I am with you 100% The13bats, I to am a man on a budget and I to really dig the customs, I found my 79 in the back of a pawn shop,and it was a total mess, no door panels 1 t-top, no brakes, not to mention a ton of other stuff wrong. But I fell in love with her and 3500 dollars later it was in my drive way. My wife thought I was nuts, I am now in the process of building a tunnel ramed 350 for it and cant wait to get it done. I know there are alot of people out there that are cringeing at those words but it is what I have always wanted. I was bitten early by the custom vette bug, my first car was a 71 vert with a shark widebody kit, vetts are cool, but custom vetts is where it is at for me.

 

If you are afraid to drive a car cause it might drop in value then you are not really a "car guy". That collection is nothing more than a "Pec$&r Stretcher" for these guys. Example is the latest guy that sits in the front row at Scottsdale that bought the Ford Tri-motor for his "Private Collection."

Then you have guys like Jay Leno that works on and drives everything that he owns. That is a wealthy "Car Guy."

 

I disagree. I'm not sure you or I get to tell people what they have to do with their cars to qualify as a "car guy."

Firstly, someone with a 6-figure valued car just might have enough other cars to drive, and doesn't need to put wear and miles on the expensive one. It's nice that Leno does what he does, but not everyone has to drive them all. Leno just might be rich enough to not care about how anything he owns is devalued. Good for him, but most people, even most collectors, don't have that luxury.

If a collector chooses to keep his cars in a museum, far be it for me or anyone else to be presumpuous enough to tell them what they must do to qualify for somebody's personal view of what a "car guy" might be. Those qualifications tend to be thinly-veiled issues of envy of wealth, anyway.

Personally, I would agree that if I had a big dollar car I would likely sell it, buy a more driveable classic and keep the change (or buy another car). However, "being afraid" to drive the car doesn't mean you aren't a "car guy," it means you are smart enough to understand the value of something.

 

You wouldnt happen to be a corvette fan would you?

 

Jay Leno...I see people, jealous people bash the fellow, but he is a nice enough guy and does wrench on and drive most of his stuff,
Why be jealous just because he can buy what he desires to have?
Jay has also saved countless coolness from the wrecking yards and smashers, things people couldn't afford to or wouldn't want to restore, my hats off to Jay!
PS to Jay...my Laser 917 is on Jay Lenos Garage, feel free to want it badly and pay me what I would like for it to be worth...

livin_lower,
Tunnel rams, scoops, whatever body mod that people trash on here I have noticed much of the bashing is done to nameless faceless cars, it slows down a fair amount when the owner is here,
I make a thread asking what you find cool on a vette I get two or three replies I see a thread bashing something it gets two or three pages of replies,
These cars belong to the owner builder I believe way too much time is spent worrying and trashing what the other fellow is building,

I see what is going on here,
Cars came into this world not to be museum pieces, they came into the world to be driven,
First off a car guy by definition does work on and drive what he has no matter what it's value is, I was "afraid" to drive my custom wide body and it did ruin the fun of the car and ruined what it was built to be,....a car to be driven,
And if a car become so rare or sought after that is deserves a museum as it's garage then perhaps it would be better to see it as a piece of art not as a "car" any longer,
That way we don't have to get worried that the museum curator isn't out driving the car.

I come from a different place than most, I dont see cars as investment pieces to just be "looked" at and bragged about how much they are worth, I see cars as what they really are.

 

Vettebuyer5869, I think your last sentence tells me that you are referring to a investor more than what I believe most of us would call a "car guy" and that is fine. I probably should of qualified my first statment as "in my opinion".

This "just my opinion" and I respect yours!

 

Realistically if I had the money I would buy more cars than I needed. And I would try to find good investments meaning low produced, desirable options, etc. From the outside it would probably appear that I had cars sitting and not being enjoyed but from the inside that would not be the case. I would drive them within reason depending on each car. I also know that I would enjoy letting anyone come and see or possibly give them a ride in a car that otherwise they may never have the chance to ride in. I would have given anything to ride in a big block Vette when I was a kid.

When I say buy more cars than I need I would not worry about having a couple of each generation. I could then buy convertibles and hardtops without caring if it was practical or not.

I would do this because I like cars, especially Vettes. I don't worry about people who pay large amounts of money on other collectibles so I would not apologize for buying what I liked.

Either way, I would not overpay at a high profile auction just so I could get on TV.

....but I don't have that kind of money so there you go.

 

Here I'd like to remember & acknowledge the late Mr. J.B. Nethercutt and his family.
Was he a car guy? Yes.
Was he a greasemonkey? No.
His cars won Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance at least 6 times; surely a record. JB was married to Dorothy for about 70 years until she passed less than 2 months before JB's passing at age 91.

Mr. Nethercutt was quite the gentleman also. In late 2001 I visited & toured his museum & collection at Sylmar CA about 3 years prior to his passing; by pure chance I was fortunate to meet him briefly that day. He appeared somewhat impish ... even frail ... was riding a "hoveround" type scooter, dressed to the nines, and quite gracious & kind; he was accompanied by a brace of well-dressed & courteous personal marshals. At that time his collection was offered for view to public AT NO CHARGE; a reservation, proper attire & punctuality were only requirements. Tour was led by very knowledgable docent. Large state of the art resto shop can be viewed from above like an operating theater of old. What a wonderful experience; I encourage any adult to visit Sylmar complex but first visit the website.

I do not recall the Nethercutt name associated with cheap TV celebrity (certainly not the ostentatious flavor too-often depicted at B-J).

Myself & countless others are direct beneficiaries of the Nethercutt's passion for cars; I learned a great deal while visiting & was repeatedly flat out dumbstruck. I left there with a lasting uplifted heart. JB's memorable words: "The recognition and preservation of beauty has been a major focus of my life. It would suit me well if what people remembered about me was, 'Where he went, he left beauty behind.' "

http://nethercuttcollection.org/Home.aspx

You're not living if, upon entering, the grand salon doesn't take your breath away too
http://nethercuttcollection.org/EndP...age=grandsalon

FYI, since Merle Norman Cosmetics founding, the Nethercutt family continues at its helm.

 

Everyone gets something different from the car hobby. Personally, I like driving and wrenching. Others take pleasure from waxing and sitting at car shows. There are tons of other ways to enjoy the hobby, but that's what makes it great. You'll gain nothing by judging how other people enjoy their time.