CA-Legal-Vette

I think you’ve hit one of the more important aspects right on the head; the idea of a target market. There are many different people drawn to any hobby, and that’s what this is, a hobby. Even the serious investors that are mentioned are primarily collectors with income not related to the hobby. Gains and losses are a way of keeping score.

There are few enough of these cars that I don’t think this segment of the car hobby will ever completely die, nor will interest in classic cars completely die. There will be ebbs and flows in valuation but I think there will be interest for the foreseeable future. It’ll certainly outlast us.

I also don’t think what happens to the extremely rare examples is much indication on what’s happening to this segment of the market. There are so few examples and so few with the means and desire to buy them that I think these prices are more based on whim than any market trend. Many have mentioned waiting for the right buyer for a specific car. The smaller the sample size, the less meaningful is the data.

and yes, I want Suzanne Somers too, but I don’t think my wife will let me keep her.

CA-Legal-Vette

Here’s an article that I found interesting and relevant to this conversation.

https://petrolicious.com/articles/wh...e-classic-cars

i particularly like the opening line, “in most cases, classic cars are rubbish.” They were obviously looking at my underhood wiring when they drafted the article.

Dazaa Rafae Aman

I second this, i'm 24 and just bought a 71 project to build a restomod out of and have a 75 eldorado project I saved from being cubed, everyone I know thinks it's the coolest car they've ever seen. A close friend (aged 23) is working his way up in the financial world and is waiting for his first big payout to buy a 69 Mustang, he daily drives a boring modern Audi and the Mustang is his dream classic car. Another friend just opened a shop specialising in performance engine tuning and I know plenty of people under 30 who have built JDM cars with crazy engine specs, along with those who stick an exhaust on a new M3 and are happy. Just because younger guys aren't sitting and arguing about whether a car is numbers matching or if every bolt is exactly how it came from the factory doesn't mean the passion for cars is going to suddenly die out in a few years. I must admit that I don't see the widespread passion for 60's and 70's cars as you do with 90's and early 2000's stuff since that is generally what my generation lusted over as we grew up, but I believe a big part of the issue is that so few people have the disposable income to take a risk on an older unfamiliar car. I'm hoping that my 71 build will give younger people the chance to experience what it's all about.

Edit to add, my other hobby is vintage audio, the same discussions occur within those circles of how young people only want ipods and don't care for high quality sound reproduction anymore. I have other 10 thousand records i've collection since I was 15 and again like the cars, everyone I know thinks it's incredible. I suggest some real world interactions with the younger generation will help rather than moaning on the internet about how they don't care.

71 Green 454

Nice to hear....I like the sound of vinyl, more realistic. You weren't around when CD's came out, but guys I knew would comment about how much cleaner the sounds were. I don't want it cleaned up, I want it to sound like I'm hearing it in its original form. If you clean up Hendrix, Stones, Kinks, etc., it's ruined.
As far as the soft C3 market goes, nothing is more noticeable than the 'C3 for sale section' on our forum....not much activity compared to earlier years.
Enjoy your '71 restomod project.

cv67

Of couse they are interested but as he said its modern EFI turbo stuff; IF they wanted a vette it will probably be a cheap early C5 with an LS

Show me a 19 yr old that knows thier way around a double pumper or setting valve lash?
And...yes these old things are too much $.
Not sure about anyone else but my first few cars all cost under 1200.

derekderek

Anybody ever put a carb-ed 383 or 502 in a C5?

L-46man

What I see in the Southwest is people NOT DOING ANY RESEARCH..."Asking Prices" are based on really good cars with great provenance...yet the sellers cars are in POOR condition.

Bad weatherstrip, DONE done hinges, poor interiors, L-48's with TH350's, crazed paint, underside leaking everywhere. WHY, because these people see a picture/ad on the internet and say to themselves "I've got the same car, I'll ask the same price!"

I blame the internet!

A guy at the local carshow showed up in a 76....I'll rate it 5/10....we were talking, the first question was..." what's it worth"....I looked carefully at it and said, well sir there are at least 50-60 things substantially wrong with this car...so as it sits about $7000. He said "I see them going for a lot more". I rejoindered "not in this condition".

My own personal 'Fantasy'.....just drive the damn thing and forget about 'worth'.

Unkahal

jpatrick62

Collector car prices generally track the amount of discretionary wealth available for any individual. Since post baby boomer generations do not (yet) have nearly the amount of discretionary spending options, they will not pay inflated prices for what can best be described as hobby items. Of course this can (and most likely will) change as the post boomer generations move up in society and acquire better paying jobs.

brit vet

I just sold my base auto 72 coupe for £22k ($28.820.00) to the first guy that saw it and before the deal went through I had a second offer of £25k ($32,750.00) but I honoured the first sale price. 200 BHP and very original but a poor repaint but ran like a swiss watch

M4A3E2

Sorry to tangent but vintage audio is pretty awesome!! I have a couple turntables and a big vinyl collection ,and a couple Sears Silvertone radios I use frequently.
For how much of an 'Old man's car' the corvette is, there's a lot of us young (under 30) guys driving them it seems!