jrs 427

Hagerty is soooooooo far out of the ball park. They list 200,00 mile trucks 8-9 years old at half MSRP. Who pays that amount for a worn out vehicle, rusted, beat up , sent to a shine up shop set out for sale ? The rely on fussy owners insuring at twice the value with a 5% loss due to theft or intended fire destruction.
Like the above responses one has to study the market and determine what value you place on a particular series. No shotgun price guide does this for every occasion or sale.

Tonio

general ike

Great posts, very interesting perspectives. I think like many things people have their own opinions and are stuck on that. I think Hagerty, as stated is way off, but Corvette DNA app seems to be closer to reality.

I often wonder with Ebay, how many of those transaction are a real (not shill bidders), are completed and at what price. I have a feeling it would surprise us.

Ike

20mercury

TOO FUNNY!

I think it was WC that once said:

"I had a large fortune once, spent half of it on wine, women, song and Corvettes and the rest,... I just wasted"
(my add since I would guess WC was pre Corvette, LOL's!)

C3's have the best and coolest body lines of all of them by far to me!

VERYSOON

VERYSOON

Lakeside49

Back to your original question... the answer is straightforward, much researched and irreversible:
The classic car hobby is a decision based on achieving a return on the investment (primarily applies to higher end makes/models) or - more commonly - the chance for a person in a stable financial life stage to relive their youth. Since the Corvette was of premium price boomers aspired to the Camaros and Chevelles that they, their friends or their relatives owned in their youth - and, the car buff media wrote nicely about in that era - and, finally they can afford to own one, quite effectively turning back the clock of youth. Those memories are powerful and compelling as most of us know. Bottom line, there were a LOT more of the Camaros (I owned a '68 in High School) and Chevelles in circulation and kicking butt in their segment in the era. What goes around eventually comes around.

jpatrick62

The classic car market closely correlates to the housing and stock market. When one goes up, so does the other - and both are intimately related to the current interest rates. When the price of housing climbs and the
cost of borrowing is low, prices on extravagances will climb as high as the market will let them. Want high classic car prices? Then you'll need a booming housing market and ready loans - people feel more wealthy
when their stocks are climbing and the values of their homes climbing. As for Chevelles, Camaros and Mustangs, they were produced in the scores, especially Mustangs. I remember in the 80's when Chevelles would be
totaled for even minor accidents. They are much simpler cars than Corvettes, and even cruder to drive. IMO, the next 10 years will see the number of C3s on the road decline markedly, and eventually the prices on some models,
especially converts of the chrome bumper era, will rise - supply and demand.

71 Green 454

Well that's encouraging....hope I can make it 10 years. I'm saving mine for somebody out there.

ZAKsPop

I read all of these comments and my heart sank thinking about the money I've spent on this car but then I remembered, "I'm NEVER selling this car so WTF do I care what value others place on it?" This is my mid-life crises/ old age car. I'm in my early 50's and this will be my weekend hobby, my after work anti-depressant, etc. I hope my son will develop a love for cars as I did so that some day it will be his. He is only 14 (started late) and has no interest in cars so far. I do agree with Lakeside49 about people developing memories of the Chevelles, Camaros and that other car he mentioned because those were cars that friends and family actually had. Corvettes were a premium car for the well-to-do. Hell, my first car was a 71 Chevelle 2-door Malibu. Paid $500 for it.

jrs 427

The 60s Vettes are a timeless design . They will always have more followers and intended buyers than production. Many were crashed, some sent over seas, many restored ( with priceless asking values ) , restomoded, while others remain with owners stuck in locked garages. To owners like myself, there is no huge value. I never plan on selling . Haggerty was quoted with a valuation on a 63 coupe driver condition, base option car, $98,000. If this is so there ate a lot of sales marked 50% off. Electronics are the new generation play toys. Few have a garage or even interest in old cars. The sharper individuals following the market find bargain price items ( cars, trucks, parts ) reselling for profit. Apartment rentals vs home ownership is on the rise. They don't want to cut grass or wash windows leave alone wrench on a grease covered specimen hard to find parts for. None of my friends have their high school cars or even considered a replacement. I'm afraid our love for the hobby is headed south like the 30s Ford club of the past. When was the last time you saw a much sought after Model A roadster on the boulevard ?

Al.

Cool change

unfortunely you are absolutely correct.. mecum auctions are running to the bank laughing

Cool change

I feel in 10 to 15 yrs the market will be over for collector cars !! the new generation just don't care or have any connection to these over priced cars The market will tank and they will be worth just about what they were when they were new

Cool change

I hear you jebby.. As I mentioned I give it 10 yrs as these overpriced cars will be worth nothing !! youngs kids do not care about them and there the next generation of buyers of the classic cars.. 25k for a basic coupe 200hp that's nuts.. ill never pay that, and I own one.

jpatrick62

Supply and demand - supply and demand. And I'll throw in inflation, basically a requirement of our fiat currency. Cars in 5 years will have so much "oversight" insofar as government required monitoring and controls that the average
backyard mechanic will be hard put to do nearly anything. The average Corvette has not gone up in value, and neither has your home - they've both seen prices rise because the dollar has weakened so much. You could buy a real nice men's suit
for $20 in 1920, essentially the value of a one ounce gold coin then. The same $20 might get you a tie for the suit today (maybe) but the one ounce gold coin will still buy a nice man's suit. It's not that prices have made collector cars crazy expensive, it's that your dollar has weakened from debt spending by your government so much. Anyway, off that subject, don't expect collector cars to go down in dollar values anytime soon, especially the chrome bumper converts or the C2 years or the 427s. Time, cost, accidents, and rust will thin out the current crop of muscle cars to a minimal amount of survivors in the next 10 years.

M4A3E2

The new generations DO care. Me, and my friends, we all are highschoolers and enjoy classic cars. I have a friend restoring a '59 plymouth by himself. Another who did a '65 mustang. The thing is, a lot of the Gen Z kids who actually are appreciating these cars unlike millennials prior, either don't have money yet, or are just starting to get their money. Give them a little time and it'll rebound.

resdoggie

Who in their right mind would buy any C3 as an investment? Leave the investing to guys who can afford L-88's. For the rest of us plebs, enjoy the hobby and don't expect to sell your C3 for what you've put into it. By comparison, a golfer spends thousands on memberships and green fees and all they have to show for it after many years is an old set of worthless clubs. But at least we have something to show for the money we spend.

car junkie

Actually I'm surprised there is as much interest in buying old cars as there is. 90% of them are money pits waiting for the next sucker to come along, If you can't do your own work you're almost guaranteed major headaches along with insane labor costs. I assume most people have visions of making or having something like new in the beginning, that's when the madness starts.

fastimes

Ahh, there's hope yet! You and your friends keep wrenching!

jrs 427

Some are obviously dreamers. Except for a few examples they are pretty much " starter or driver " class cars. I have owned two C-3s. One left, a 75 convertible , that is driver quality with original paint. Its fun to drive with only 42k for miles from an original owner. It was a good buy several years ago for 6k and the value might even come close to breaking even if the miles continue to be low. Talking someone into the old technology might be the hard part. Besides local charities could include it in their annual support effort. The new foreign look alike transports seem to be the craze.