It's the curse cycle of the 9's. 29..depression. 59,69, 79..big time recession. 89, 99 09 came early. 19 then we had it going great. Now, don't know???? But it may come early again! Just my thoughts.

If you ask me, it went nuts over 20 years ago.

I constantly wish it was back in the day. Nothing grinds my gears like hearing someone brag that they bought a muscle car for $500 back in the day. Thanks for reminding me those days are dead and all most of my friends can do is look at this stuff wistfully.

I don't know, what I'm typing here and my actual thoughts are a touch different, as out of respect for everyone here I'm toning it down, but the whole "collector/investor" mentality has never sat well with me. I realize that puts me at odds with many here (although I hope it's 'agree to disagree' odds) These cars were built to race and destroy tires at a decent price for a new car at the time, not sit in a bubble or get trailered from auction to auction while people speculate on them. Hence why my signature ends the way it does. The most fun I've ever had is wringing these cars out. That's why my grandfather bought them and that's why I always admired them.

I'm on board with you there. I've always felt these cars were meant to be driven, raced, and enjoyed. We daily drive our stuff, although with current prices I'm wondering if I should rethink my wife driving a 69 RS Z everyday.
Either way, I love racing the cars. Beat the snot out of my bird at the track at every muscle car event I can find, then drive it every day. Also love racing my Chevelle and a couple others when I feel like it. I've always been all about driving these cars and not the least bit interested in anything new. We don't own a new car.

Current prices though I don't complain. It's the same thing I've seen progress and happen since the first surge in the late 1980s. And everyone on the market to buy complains and wants to buy stuff as cheap as possible while everyone that wants to sell wants every penny :shrug: I've even seen the same person on both sides of that coin and just shake my head. I don't care, I'm not selling anything and have no desire to buy something else. I'll just continue to drive them until I'm gone or until gas is gone, which ever comes first.

Money and cars are just "stuff" You can always get more stuff. It's way more fun to experience and feel the joy that these machines give us. I HATE to see a 20 mile GNX. I mean what's the point?

Yep, and I've had quite a bit of disgust towards me from other car enthusiasts in the past for buying low mile survivor cars and then driving the wheels off them. They don't get it.

We had a 71 454 vette that was a Bloomington survivor that scored pretty high, had 32,000 original miles. My wife then proceeded to daily drive it for 2 years and I took it to the dragstrip 2 or 3 times. Boy did the corvette people hate me for that LOL. After we had our fun with it I sold it about 15 years ago, it had 49,000 miles on it :grin:

I did the same thing with a 92 GMC Typhoon, although not as expensive, it was a nice low mile example. I put about 30,000 miles on it over a 3-4 year period before I sold that one.

My 70 Formula had 60k original miles when I bought it 25 years ago. It now has 170k miles and that's doing some sitting for periods of time for various reasons. My wife has already put almost 50k miles on the 69Z in the last 5 years. :3gears:

Everything costs more.

Compare the cost of a paint job today vs 20-25 years ago.

Years ago, beating on my all original drivetrain LS-5, M-22.

https://i.postimg.cc/vBDDt645/Nov-27-001.jpg

I have had a very original 69 RS/SS 396 convertible for over 25 years. I drive it frequently, and it's just a good, honest old car. These prices have actually got me thinking about putting it on the market. I also think we are in a bubble, partially due to stock market speculation. It reminds me of what we were seeing back around 2005/06. When the economy tanked around 2008, the prices of most musclecars had a major correction.