Its half price day at Pick N Pull, I'm like a junkie who's dealer dropped his price on a sack of dope.The market dropping hurts the check writers and investors. As a builder Ill leave that stuff to the executor of my estate,right now I think Ill get high on the cheap supply..
Get rid of the "lawn" chairs at car shows and you might attract younger crowd to hobby... least that is what the young folks are saying, they want to have fun and mingle, maybe a BBQ and beers, not sit on a chair all day... sent from my lawn chair
It's generational. I attended the "Turkey Rod Run" in Daytona last month for the 1st time since 2007 & saw very few Hot Rods. Even the H.A.M.B. parking area had few "friendly" cars. I sat at the exit on Saturday afternoon & counted more 4 wheel drive PUs than "Hot Rods" leaving. A sign of the times. I get all kinds of offers on my OT convertible & '55 PU (not for sale) than I do my avatar that has been for sale for over a year on here & other places. 99% of calls are from the "guarantee to sell" brokers that want up front commission. Arthritis & old age are catching up fast - guess I better offer it up for a 3 window coupe I can drive.
I buy and sell old Ford pickups, 2wd and 4wd, and right now it seems they are extremely sought after. Nearly everybody, car guy or not, likes old pickups. Their dad, brother, uncle, grandpa or friends dad "had one just like it". And the kind I am attracted to can be used and can even sit in the weather. And they are usually more affordable then hotrods or kustoms.
We went to the Mammoth Spring Car show this year. took the two urchins pictured in my avatar. They liked the cars . Little Deano got impatient when I was talking to a old friend. there where a great number of real great cars and trucks at the show. However we then went to the fish Hatchery Aquarium at that location. Those two where super excited to see the fish turtles & alligator.
From what everyone is saying, There needs to be some "emotional Attachment". Involved in the decision Of a car/truck, selling...
I truly believe there is a lot more trading than out right selling and buying goes on in the hot rod world these days ??
I don't want to even think about the reaction your car would get from a local policeman here in Austria
I think you're right, i get lots of offers for Corvettes or Bikes, but never anything i actually want to trade for. P.S. will trade my stuff for a running 47-54 Suburban
You're right, Chris. Every time I drive my '55, I'm asked "How much?" Even my '93 Chevrolet Sport Side that my wife bought new for me. I'm close to finishing a '67 w/Sport Side bed, BBC, w/FiTech, PDB. PS, PW, Tilt, Vintage Heat & AC, tubular control arms, American Auto Wire, 17" Cragers, etc, etc. Already have several that say they are ready to buy it (I'm sure it will be a different story when pay-up comes around) & my roadster sits idle 'til spring or forever. Who knew??
I was at the last Pomona swap meet. the weather was poor for LA but most of the parts were OT and there were way more 67-72 C10 pickups than hot rods. I was looking for 1951 Vicky, 1950 Mercury and 1937 Buick parts. Nothing. Lots of 59-64 Chevy parts plus T-shirts, Mexican blankets, toys, coolers, and old CD's.
The easiest to sell are 67 ,68 & 69 Camaros & Firebirds right behind them are 60 thru 72 chevy trucks. and after that tri five chevys. everything else you have to find the right buyer at the right time and location.
as one of the resident young people of the forum i can tell you why hot rods aren't exciting to the younger generations, or at least why not from my own experiences. the cars themselves are getting ridiculously overpriced, for example around here 2 door tri 5's with no floorpans or quarters on it can still get 10k, nobody under the age of 30 has the money or the time to fix that/ they don't want to either. from what i can tell model A's are the cheapest way to get into a proper "hot rod" if you will, but even still a Flathead that barely runs is still like $1200 with a transmission on the back of it, why the hell would you pay that much for an engine that maxes out making the same amount of power a $500 Nissan Maxima does? then there's the second bit, the bigger one for me, Its the aftermarket. There's the big names Summit/speedway/jegs and they sell a lot of parts. I can't say that the parts they sell are all that impressive to me, My buddy that works at a hot rod shop says the same thing, basically its either cheap chinese shit or expensive chinese shit. Its really sad. there's companies that make good parts yes, but you really have to know to look for them, and you're going to pay for those parts. I'm not complaining about the price of those parts, i mean you get what you pay for I'm sure but when it comes down to it imports and even late model american cars have far better aftermarkets and the big names are actually making decent parts it makes newer stuff far more appealing. best example of the aftermarket being bad i can think of off the top of my head is when you're looking for say an intake manifold for something like a ford FE and you find one, except the intake in the picture is clearly not for an fe but the description says it is. to top it off its on a big site, if they can't even be bothered to take a photo of the right part why do i want to pay $400-$500 for said part, clearly i really don't know what i'm getting. Or at least this is my take on it, don't get me wrong i love hot rods. i wouldn't be on here if i didn't but sometimes i look at my friends with newer cars and just think "damn"
There are so many nice hot rods for sale on here. Some of them may be overpriced in the 50s and 60s. But, Under reply, all I'm seeing is BTT! Over and over! Meaning they're not selling either! To me it is a sign of the times! The current craze is the c model Chevy pickups, and naturally your tri-five Chevys. This crazed all started because of iron resurrection and other car shows. Guys see this on TV and say well I got to have that! I said this before and I'll say it again I don't want to be like everyone else! my hotrod is an extension of my personality ,Iwant to be different..
With my arthritic knees and ankles I'd never make it without someplace to rest between rounds of walking. But, beer and BBQ are always good! -Dave
Antiquers are having the same problem, that market has been on the decline for awhile......kids have no idea what an old car is or even care. Their old cars are Camaros
Heres a few small factors that are currently limiting demand: A Strong US dollar is has increased costs for overseas buyers. A few years ago Aussies and Swedes spent mucho dollars importing. That's dried up alot. They'll come back if the their currency strengthens We live in the second golden age Age of affordable muscle cars. 15k will get you a fast second hand daily driver. Older guys are buying/leasing modern muscle instead of restoring. I reckon it's only been five years or so that new cars have been genuinely fast and Cool Traditional hot rodding is no longer a rebellion/movement. Young hoodlums like to upset the status quo. To some people traditional hot rodding is the status quo.
Stephen, like I've said, sometimes I'm VERY envious of you guys. To the guys commenting on the Dollar/other currencies situation: true that. On the other hand, US cars still offer good value for money when compared with the prices of the local equivalents, just check out what happened to the prices of such things as BMW 3.0 CS/L or even Alfa Romeo Bertone coupes (which to me are - sort of - the European parallels to muscle cars). Or, if you want, any 50s Mercedes Benz 300C when compared with a Chrysler 300 of the same era. Same for the parts. People may think a new McLeod 5sp box (or any of the other 5 or 6 sp US sourced boxes) is expensive at $3K until they compare it with real ZF or Getrag 5sp boxes for a BMW or a Benz (twice as much - here in the EU, 4 hours away from Munich. And don't even mention Audi 6sp).
I think Duellym is right. Getting into this hobby is not cheap by any stretch. Yes, there are many deals to be found. Got my flathead for $100, T5 trans and buckets of other parts $250, Model A axles, steering column, springs, etc. $200. But buying stuff new, well that is another story. So far, I'm sure I have well over $3K into my stk motor, and I'm not done. Just some hardware for engine only was US$250 from Roy Nacewicz. Looking at another US$150 just for head bolts. The list goes on and on. Younger hobbyists are really going to have to like this genre to spend the money needed these days.
This is a fact. Most guys my age see the traditional rod scene as the territory of the lawn chair, velcro shoe, and car show. The majority of the owners of these cars do nothing to correct this image, and often look down on and deride those who have a loud, fast car that not something that fits in. Today, you have daily drivers running in the 9s with the air conditioning turned on. You can make big horses on a junkyard LS block with a Chinese turbo and a laptop. Ratty musclecars and fast pickups are a whole lot more attainable than a steel body 32. Shows like Roadkill, and events like the Ziptie drags have rejuvenated what was a dying hobby ....these are the golden days of hot rodding, they just aren't the days many want to accept.
Absolutely ! I was out looking at antiques with my wife, and they are giving that stuff away. And old car stuff, anyone who has it, thinks it’s gold. So it sits, and becomes part of the landscape. I have lots of friends who are 20-30 something, they can’t fathom buying and old car and unloading their life savings into it. I remember being 21 and spending $50 of my last $60 on parts for my ‘62 Vette. And my wife was good with that. Bless her! It’s too damned expensive for young guys, just getting enough $ to pay rent, vs buying an intake or carb. And oh yeah, the car has no top, no heat, no room for a car seat. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
So, the moral to this story is to buy what you like and can afford. I've got several thousand dollars in a collection of hand blown art glass. Started collecting this junk 18 or 19 years ago and I'm still just a working stiff. It's nice to think it'll be worth more than I spent on it, but I'm not the one who'll be selling it. I still enjoy all of the collection every time I'm in the room with it. It's the same with automobiles and yes they're far more expensive than a bit of glass. But if you can afford it and like it buy it. Beyond that is the enjoyment that comes from searching for just the right vehicle, or part. So, why aren't hot rods 'n customs selling? With something special often you've got to wait for the right person to come along. Right now there are a handful of vehicles listed for sale on the HAMB I'd love to own and drive. Just don't have room in the garage at the moment. -Dave
I think perhaps the days are gone where you can make money or even break even on a build. I think it might be getting like back in the 50s and 60s when you had a car and when you sold it you got about half of what you had in it. The other 50% was written off as the enjoyment of having the old car. Maybe old cars and trucks do not appreciate anymore and now depreciate, just like other vehicles.
I have had two trade offers for Harley's in the last week, I've been there ,done that and got a lot of scars. pins and screws to prove it. HRP
I make money on most of my old cars ect. However money spent fixing them is always a loss. I just do stuff that don't cost much. Power washing Making them into a roller and sometimes a yard driver from a nurse tank. I make my money in the purchase. I buy at very low prices and can sell at a profit and still leave some room for the next guy. sometimes I have too much invested so I take a loss or drive my money out of it.
I think one reason is that the old timers looking to buy one are still expecting 1965 prices that they remember from years gone buy and can't bring themselves to believe what it costs to build a hot rod these days. Just like a quart of milk used to cost a quarter.
It really isn't "years ago" since the hyperinflation of collector cars began really only "a moment ago." I've seen cars bought-sold-resold, etc., many times over and each subsequent sale results in a substantial percentage increase, wayy out of line with normal enhancement. POS Model As now listed at $10K, as an example, when some/most are worth the value of scrap metal only. Rusty Ramblers; Derelict Dodges; Crappy Chevys; F-ed up Fords. The list is endless, and is a result of greed. I have been guilty of this myself. Of course, a not very astute buyer helps the process along, and anyone observant today may easily see how Un-astute many are. Anyway, I agree with your point, but think it's happened as lot faster than many think. -Regards and Merry Christmas, or, you know, whatever.
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