Mecum Auction COPOs everywhere

[king_midas]

No man, you're wrong... There are waaay too many musclecars available to sustain current prices. The difference between the musclecars and the pre-wars is that only the very precious pre-wars survived. They either became cans, ammunition, or are/were hotrods. There are no others left. So, the market is governed by limited supply, and the price moves with inflation. Also notice that very few pre-wars are driven, and guess why-- Because the generation of enthusiasts that saw those cars as "the good 'ol days" is slowly vanishing.

The musclecar hobby is eating itself, and it's because young people aren't interested-- Today's cars do everything so much better. As stated earlier, I don't know anyone else in my age group that cares about old cars, especially as life gets more complex. Combine this with stupid prices (some clown on CraigsList wants $65K for a '67 Chevelle SS 396/325; I was just killing time with a search...) for a car that is virtually un-driveable and out-performed by NA 4-cylinders. And well, you know how that goes...

I drove a new GTI this weekend, and at less than $25K, you'd need to be made of money to pass something like that up for a '66 GTO, etc... The thing is a rocket, and oh so much fun to drive. And, that's just one car from one manufacturer-- There are lots of great offerings out there.

I also am all for someone striking gold in the garage, and I also love the stuff that I grew up bashing my knuckles on. But a bunch of guys trading money with each other because the kids are in college and the equity line isn't tapped out yet has driven the market into an area where the kids today have been forced elsewhere. Seeing the cars flip is because the guy that buys that 1st gen Z/28 isn't 25; he drives it once, the wife won't even get in it. He figures out that it's miserable to drive compared to the Infiniti, and dumps it at the end of the summer. I know because I lived it. Look, it's like this-- You can go to a cowboy bar and ride the mechanical bull for cheap-- Who wants to spend $50K - $whatever for the the equivalent?

[PPPJJJFFF]

Interesting posts to say the least.

Patrick

[69LM1]

OK,
But other then the few and far with rich daddy's, teenagers have NEVER been able to afford the latest muscle/sports cars.

We all (most of us) drooled over the cars we could never attain as teenagers. Mine was the 1980 Z-28. Worked and worked all summer (1982) and saved up a whopping $400.00. Could not even find a base 77-80 camaro anywhere near that.

Saw an ad in the paper for a camaro for 450.00, went to look at it with my dad and uncle. It was a puke green 69, 3 speed manual, 307 car. Guy went down to 425.00, Uncle lent me 25$ and away I went. That started a love affair with the first gens, that will probably last my whole life.

Point is, kids have been given more these days, but they still mostly cannot afford the latest and greatest, most popular cars. They drool over them, and one day, when they are successful enough, if they stay "car guys", will probably buy what they could not afford as teenagers.

[quick-bowtie]

Good cars (known and well documented) will always demand good money. I dont think you will see Yenko's, COPO's, LS6's, L78's or anything else of the same go down in price our at least in my life time. Im 30 years old so Im in the younger crowd and I can say Ive got friends my age that own rare good cars and dont bat an eye at spending 50k for a fun old car. 50k really isnt alot of money these days when you think about it and the up side is if you keep the car in good condition you can pretty much drive it for free by selling it for the same money a couple years down the road. Plenty of people in our age group have money and like the neat toys or stuff that know one else has.

[Chevy454]

I agree with Quick about the "good cars"...and I'm 30 myself, and see the majority of the newer refined cars simply as *quick transportation*...they've completely engineered the soul out of the majority of cars these days.

midas: you're comparing a GTI with a '66 GTO? That GTI couldn't hold the jock of a GTO in the personality department...cars shouldn't be all about miles per gallon, or hands off reliability, or dead quiet plastic interiors...if they are, then you're not talking about a car, you're talking about transportation. Real cars are about a "feeling", a feeling that very, very few cars made within the last 25 years are gonna give you...granted, there are exceptions to every rule, and this is just a brief opinion!

[Canucklehead]

With all the drivers helping gizmos in new cars it won't be long that new drivers won't be able to drive an "old" car!

[quick-bowtie]

New cars are fun to drive and handle great but I rather be in an Old Camaro going 30mph and punching it and having the rear end slide sideway because your smoking the tires so bad "vs" a new car were you would get hook up and go. To me there is way more of a thrill in an old car and definately the feel of RAW Power which no new car can come close to giving.

[hvychev]

I totally agree with the $50K car comments. Affordable muscle cars will always be in demand. The thing that I find hard to imagine is that there will be groups fighting to pay $300k-$1Mill for cars like these rare Mopars, ZL1's, etc. I also find it difficult to imagine people paying $100K for more "common" cars like 69 Z28's and LS6 Chevelles in the distant future.

The people that want love and be willing to pay for these cars will be the people that say "my dad or uncle used to have one of these" and they had some good memories in them. Think about how many guys in there 30's want a pre war classic like a Cord or Auburn. Some of those may be worth 1 million to a 65 year old guy but to someone like me I would have a hard time paying $30K for one.

[68l30]

I was dragged into this debate,old vs.new,about a month ago at a local cruise in......It was a heated discussion.I finally said what the hell do you drive anyway? It turned out to be a basic econ shoebox...He didn't even have a dog in the race.......My point is,if you have to explain an old car...They will never understand it! You have to live it & feel it....They still may never get it....Maybe we are the idiots...


Steve

[427TJ]

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe we are the idiots...

[/ QUOTE ]

No, we are the guys who are having a great time with our old musclecars. That clown with the econo-box is just another one of those wanna-be loud-mouths so common at car shows, races, cruise-ins, auto parts stores, and especially on the Internet. Don't waste your breath on them--it's just like pi$$ing into the wind.