Maybe... If a buyer is chasing an original, "numbers matching" car they will pay the price. I believe there are many nice non originals, mainly NOMs, which can be had at a more reasonable price. If the buyer is a "true car lover", does "matching numbers" matter that much? For collectors, certainly... IMHO I think fear the non originals will not appreciate or maybe not much tends to drive buyers away. So far as "ruining the market", their choice, not necessarily the collectors driving up prices for originals...

 

Much better investment than a new Ferrari

The depreciation on those babies will buy you a new ZR1

 

thank you to who ever started this thread, am too lazy to page back. guess most agree a car is not an $ investment. that said one must have fun with it to get there $ worth of time and memory's from it.
bottom line do what works for you. i still stand by my idea of save the motor and work it when you have time. you will never be able to marry it back with the car after some one takes it for pennies. but this really depends on what you like, what you want to do and what your value set is. no right or wrong here as far as i am concerned.
thats just my opinion, could be wrong but my opion is always right for me. lol

 

My .02 cents (but probably worth a whole lot less on the actual market):

C2s are at risk of collapsing under their own weight - people want high 20s-low 30s for cars that are "modified" (yak!), or need total resto. Not the end of the world, but growing up, I always thought of Vettes as a nice middle class dream, and at 30K with another 20-30K needed to make these cars respectable, they are now longer middle class aspirations, but instead represent the upper class type who wants to show you how bad *** they are because they can handle some vintage "American muscle" after a week of driving their Mercedes or Audi to the office. Not impressed. End of rant.

Therefore, IMHO, it would be nice to see C3s maintain their value, and as an owner of a very original '81, a little appreciation would be okay in order to financially justifying owning this type of car. But I agree with some previous posters - through the roof appreciation is the worst thing that could happen to these cars if you see if from an enthusiast's pov. Just looking at what it's done to vintage muscle should be all the proof you need...

 

And just how are we going to measure the "value" of these cars? Against the Euro? Gold? The Ruble?



And your house that went down in price-Doesn't it still have the same "value" to you & your family. Did you lose a bathroom and a couple of bedrooms? Is it now only ½ a house it was before? Does it sleep any different now that it's not "worth" as much?

I don't get why every one wants to put a monetary value on something they have/own to enjoy? And then try to use the "what it's worth" as a justification to own it. Have we become that shallow???





Just wait ...since these cars use to run on leaded fuel-and had asbestos brake pads/clutches- The EPA is gonna want to test them, then approve of the repairs/abatement before we will be able to drive them....

Don't think it won't happen....

 

To me It's about being responsible with your money. When deciding whether or not to buy it you consider, the price of the car, the repairs or restoration, insurance, and yes, when and If I want to get rid of it, can I, and at what price. With all that in mind you decide whether or not to buy it. If you do then those factors need to pan out reasonably other wise your decision was not based on good assumptions.

I would have never bought a new Vette due to the depreciation. Maybe a used one. I don't worry about appreciation, I just don't want the bottom to drop out to the point where you can't even unload it. Sort of like an old boat. Ever try to sell a 50's or 60's era glass boat? Ha, good luck!

 

Are all C3's headed for through the roof appreciation? From much of what I've been reading, it seems not. The ones which are "going through the roof are the 'orignal' high end copies with documentation to PROVE they were built this way originally. Seems to me this leaves quite a few other choices for those who don't have deep pockets or want to pay collector prices for a driver. I don't understand how people can say there aren't some reasonably priced C3s out there. Reasonable being about 1/2 cost of an 'original', collectable.

 

# 1 rule of investing: Buy something you like bcus you may get stuck w it

Worse things than getting stuck w a C3, even if you cant drive it its still a beauty

 

# 1 rule of investing: Buy something you like bcus you may get stuck w it

Worse things than getting stuck w a C3, even if you cant drive it its still a beauty

I'm not trying to put a monetary value on it. I just see a real bad time for the economy in the next 2 or 3 years. People will be so focused just affording food & rent that vintage cars wont even be on the list.

I think people may be comparing the value of a vintage vette to putting food on the table for their family

 

Will give rides in Corvette for food

 

The "spirit" of the original post, in my opinion, has been mostly by-passed in these discussions.
The OP seems to be saying "all the guys that have a strong interest in these cars are older, finally have cash, and grew up seeing them every day and lusting after them. Today's "future market" for these cars is not being cultivated like we were. So what's going to happen????"

Well first, there will always be someone who is looking for a Corvette. Now that's been said, we get to the meat of the matter.

I don't believe anyone here can point to more than a handful of folks in the world who have bought one of these cars purely for the monetary gain, without any love or lust for what these cars were/are.
99.999% of us wanted and bought one because of the mystique and aura that Chevrolet instilled in us through it's advertising or your next door neighbor accomplished flying down the road with that 427 at full throttle in our impressionable adolescent days.
Today, the only way that mystique is being passed on, is by what you and I do with these cars. Since we come nowhere near the magnitude of what Chevrolet advertising did, in the future then, there will be nowhere near the market volume of folks wanting these cars.
As we have worked hard to preserve a good number of them, the supply will eventually out-pace demand resulting in depressed pricing. To me the only question then, would be when.
If you want these machines to really last, get a kid or better yet a bunch of kids and take them for a ride or let them work on it with you.

Get 'em involved!!!

 

Definately getting my son involved

Its a shame this gen of kids has been brainwashed w all the global warming BS and they like hybrids & stupid cars that look like boxes

Theres a few Jr gearheads out there though

 

RE: Younger generations... I'm not sure we can pass on our level of interest in the older generations of Corvettes. It may be much like fashion or music, people tend to gravitate to what was hot when they were teens. Not to say there won't be any of the younger crowd interested, probably not as many as the boomers.. I've heard speculation the Japanese cars will be the future hot rods, performance gained by tweaking the programming of the ECM..

Related to this thought I've been skeptical of statements that Corvette values will keep increasing. If supply exceeds demand as I suspect may happen down the road, I'd expect values to start dropping. There may be a group who much like hot rodding Model Ts or 50's Chevys would prefer to modernize a vintage Corvette with modern drive trains.. I can't see these people caring about 'originality'...

All of this may be twenty years or so from now... I'm not expecting mine to pay for my retirement. Just hope I am still able to drive it..

Enjoy them while we can..

 

Unfortunately that doesn't just apply to Corvettes, but cars in general. Young people just don't appreciate cars like they have in past generations. Minus some guys that come with their fathers, I am the youngest in the Corvette and classic car clubs I'm in. There will still be lots of people that do like good cars especially with the revival of more hi-po cars. Too bad we've lost Vipers and Firebirds though.

 

A lot of people in my school don't care for old cars. Me personally love 60s-70s cars. Im only 14. There will always be people that love them.

 

My son who is 14 LOVES my 77. He likes the old style. He has been buggin me to buy a old 72 camaro so we can work on it together. He tells me it's either that or he'll be taking the vette out on dates. In the near future. LOL.

 

Buy him a 2nd gen Camaro and paint it the same color. There is a Chevy ad with a 1st gen Camaro and Vette both painted orange

 

Next C3 to watch will be 70-72 4sp with A/C. Verts will bring more naturally, but Cpes will be there also.
You heard it here first.

 

Just came from a local car show tonight. My friend has a 71 all original 454 4-speed. Very nice. He also has a 63 that is "flight cert."? His cousin was there tonight with his frame off resto=70 convert, 454 4-speed, white with black int. Gorgeous car..

 

Man I hope you're right! Do you have a crystal ball?