Y2K_Frenzy

I just looked and they have gone down some. I saw a listing for stripper GT with 77k miles for $25k. That’s more miles than I’d like to finance but they do appear a little cheaper than a year or so ago.

70T/A400

iTrader: (2)

https://www.hagerty.com/media/market...-rating-drops/

Seems there is data supporting softness in the enthusiast market for cars

NC01TA

^^^ Interesting article. Thanks for posting. I still find that nicer low mileage rides still bring the big $$$. That never seems to change.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Yep. There is also data supporting this in the article I included in the initial post of this thread.

I'm starting to see some good deals again, which excites me as a buyer. I don't really sell cars any more, so high values are not interesting to me. Problem is, low values get me into trouble (i.e. buying more cars that I don't have space for ).

Y2K_Frenzy

I tend to buy high and sell low..
I don’t think the car culture is what it once was really. Teenage girls used to be into sporty convertibles which drove the V6 mustang sales through the roof throughout the years but not anymore. I think a good indicator of the changing culture is looking at how the auto manufacturers are dropping pretty much everything other than crossovers and trucks. Vehicles are becoming utilitarian I guess. Utilitarian with touch screen “laptops” in them. People are more into “screens” than horsepower these days it seems.

lees02WS6

iTrader: (5)

What people are into these days is a bit over my head. More and more "cars and coffees" look like an Applebee's parking lot on a Friday night to me (though that sort of thing is dying also, see "The Death of the Third Place"). Maybe the culture is something else and I'm just the one that's all wrong.

Y2K_Frenzy

As far as the types of cars you see at cars & coffee type events go this is my theory. The ‘50’s-‘70’s cars are stupid expensive and the ones who lusted after them when they were new are a dying breed (when I was a kid the old vets were wearing WWII & Korea hats. Now they’re wearing Vietnam). The bulk of the “modern classics,” 1980 to the early ‘00’s were crushed 20 years ago. So that pretty much just leaves ‘15-‘24 Camaros, Mustangs, and Challengers. Two of those got axed recently so I guess it’s going to be just Mustangs and Kia Sorento’s moving forward.
*Edit*
The trend down here that was all the rage with the youngsters a few years ago but is starting to Peter out a little I think is lifted newer model trucks with stupid big wheels (26” I think) with rubber band thin low-pro tires. It looks stupid and I imagine my 1/2 truck with 18” street tires would perform better off road.

random internet photo

lees02WS6

iTrader: (5)

We have the truck thing here in PA, along with European and JDM stuff, complete with the toilet-flushed cambered wheel look, and missing bumpers (or as they call it - awaiting the turbo & intercooler setup).

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I don't ever go to any "cars and coffees" because I am not a morning person, so I can't speak on the attendance levels at the AM events. However, I do the cruise nights all the time, late afternoon/evening shows, and these are as busy as ever in my area. Some of the bigger events are still setting new attendance records every year. Maybe the car culture is just shifting to different areas of the country? Our biggest shows come close to (or exceed) 4-digits, while the "smaller" events will still draw 100-200 cars or more (at least the ones I attend).

But I do agree that the demographic is getting older; many of the younger folks (under 30) that I see at these events are just spectators. Cost of the cars is definitely a factor, most young folks have mortgages, student debt, etc., on top of starting a family so it's hard to afford ~$30-100k for a "fossil" that just sits in the garage most of the time (there are some dinosaur cars that are more affordable, but then they're either not very desirable and/or need a lot of work). 20-25 years ago, I saw a lot more folks in the under 30 crowd who were owning participants in the hobby (myself included, at that time).

lees02WS6

iTrader: (5)

Young people seem to be into far different things, I think there is a hint of that in the EV thread you have somewhere else. I work with a few Gen Zer's and they're much more into electronics, and when it comes to cars - the EV's are a "car wrapped around a computer" (said just that way to me). There is also a demographic crisis emerging, they're not having kids at any where near the rate people were 20 years ago. Many of them can't afford homes, so if they're going to have any interest in cars - its going to be utilitarian and probably focused on whatever other electronics gadgets are in it.

There are though, lots of truck and jeep people, that seems pretty robust.

70T/A400

iTrader: (2)

I just passed a Jeep Wrangler 4 door woth a shovel on the back door. The driver looked as weak as a pensioners erection, he wouldn't know what to do with it.

I agree there are tons of Silverados, Sierras and F-150 Raptors running about. Not sure how much fun they are.

Y2K_Frenzy

Trucks aren’t all that fun but they’re a good tool to have in your “tool box.” Especially if one is a home owner.
*edit*
4x4’s can be fun if you have a place to play with them. More stuff breaks than at a drag strip though.

1998 t/a

iTrader: (3)

2022 Trail Boss with 6.2 Z71 package. Pissed I went 34 years of life with no truck lol

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

The funny thing is, the article mentioned that even the youngest shoppers are pulling away from EVs - that was supposed to be the most "telling" part of the story. However my suspicion is that they aren't necessarily going to turn to "buying" an ICE car either, but instead rely on Uber, etc., rather than owning any sort of vehicle at all. Based on some of the young folks who live around me, that seems to be a very popular option vs. the "hassles" (to them) of owning a car.

I think these two things are directly related; lack of home affordability is probably pushing off any plans that they have for families, and they already get a later start than previous generations due to the amount of time that many spend in college (advanced degrees, changing majors, spending their early years in a JC, etc.) When I think about my grandfather, my father, and even myself, and our respective positions in life at age 25 vs. the typical 25 year old today...well, it's like a different universe.

Y2K_Frenzy

I DD a truck now, my wife used to DD it. It’s ok but I’m really car guy until I need a truck to do truck things.
Use four wheel drive now and again to keep everything lubed and operable. If you use it on the street don’t make any hard 90* turns.

wannafbody

iTrader: (2)

I think the 50's to 60's cars bubble is about to burst. There isn't a lot of demand for 70's and 80's cars except a few. 3rd gens and Mustangs are fairly strong.

Y2K_Frenzy

They’ve had a helluva run though. They’ve stayed popular longer than just about anything else that I can think of that comes in and out of fashion. I don’t just mean cars, I’m talking about everything. Think about it, folks have been gawking at ‘57 Bel Air’s for 75 years now.

wannafbody

iTrader: (2)

I was at a cruise last year. A guy had a 68 Camaro. He was telling someone he had a guy who wanted to buy it. He showed up with cash. Drove it and told the guy it drove like a 50 year old car. He decided not to buy it. The younger guys want something more modern. I'd love a 57 Chevy pickup restomod.

lees02WS6

iTrader: (5)

There are whole communities around that (tri-five forums) and chassis to accommodate the resto-mod things (roadster shop/art morrison enterprises). I feel that way about a lot of earlier cars. Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds, and my personal favorite; the 71 Pantera. I'd only have it with modern fuel injected aluminum block engine, m6, IRS, rack and pinion steering, disc brakes, leather interior, etc.

NC01TA

I don't know. The 80's Monte Carlos and especially the G-body Buicks are seeing increases almost every year. Try to get a low mileage sweet Aerocoupe today for under $25k. Not likely. It wasn't horribly long ago I sold mine my sweet example for around $17k or so and I made a profit on that one. Today it would be the steal of the year at that price.
Of course the Firebirds of the 70's are getting impossible to purchase and the 1970-1974 Challengers and Cudas, well there is no chance of ever landing a nice one again. The demand is quite strong on all fronts. If you add the foreign sports car market to the mix, the air cooled 911s have gone through the roof and M3 BMW's have done the same. Of course we are talking decent examples, not the worn out cars that need restoration.