Art & Inspiration It's a Buyers Market once again... What are you buying?

Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post:

It's a Buyers Market once again... What are you buying?

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You know, it's kind of sad. After all these years, and a kind stock market, I finally could buy one of those deals, but at 75, I don't really want to. Still looking,though.

 

It is possible that the prices for such cool cars have already passed their peak, and that 10 (or even 5) years from now they will be an even bigger bargain. It will become more and more expensive to build such cars (high prices for parts and labor) but less expensive to buy them (less demand from generations to which they have little meaning).

 

Ever come to that point in your life where you decide to be happy with what you have? Well, I’ve pretty much gotten to that point. Not that I wouldn’t like to have something different, but why not enjoy what I’ve already got instead of hunting that dream car that might not be what you think it is after you get it? I guess if a super great deal fell into my lap I would have to try and take it, but I’m not actively looking for anything. Prices don’t matter unless you’re buying or selling, and right now I’m not doing either…

 

I agree...although some (even on this site), haven't got the memo.

 

Buy high, sell low has always been my motto !

 

That’s how i made my fortune

 

...but I make up for it in volume

 

Like always, I'm buying parts for resale. Prices on cars might be getting lower, but old parts are drying up fast, we've lost quite a few old junkyards in my part of Wisconsin in the last couple of years and more are on their way out, plus there have been several large estates getting auctioned off and once that stuff's gone, it's gone forever. I'm much more worried about the ever-dwindling supply of parts than I am about auction prices.

That said, I did make a deal to buy my dad's '30 coupe. He wants to thin out his collection and although I'm pretty tight for storage space, I can fit this one in and I didn't want to see him send it down the road. Definite hot rod potential, but my only plans as of now are to add turn signals and have the king pins redone.

Stocker model A's are really cheap now, cheaper than the fancy golf carts or side-by-side ATV's all my neighbors seem to use to get their mail and drive around town. I think this will do a better job of the same thing.

 

I've been looking at '40 Fords lately and you can buy a lot of nice drivers right now for not much money.
But on the flip side, "Not HAMB appropriate" modified Vettes bring silly money to the point where you could say "actually I could build it for less than that"

 

I was just at the Turlock swap meet and I can tell you that there were a lot of good deals on parts for the pre 40's stuff.
Vic

 

I was at every auction last week, the concourse show, and the big Saturday night cruise. Prices were all over the map, from awesome deals to others that hit way past the ceiling. This year, any muscle car that was restored correctly or pro touring, Broncos, Blazers, C10s, and pro-touring vettes were the big money makers. The market is changing, and hot rods still hold value but must be exceptionally well done. Multiple people hired me to do checkouts on cars that my were out of state and willing to bid online, by phone, or come out in person. In all, most of my clients got what they wanted.

The bottom line is that there were a lot of cars and trucks sold that you could never build for the price they were. I was going to post many pics and coverage, but many of them are not hot rod-related.

 

Me too! At 43 I've got a small stable of great cars that make me happy, now it's at the point where it's simply fixing and enjoying them.

 

I'd love to see the ones that are on-topic enough to post though, you could post them here. Especially with a note about how nice they actually were (hard to tell from an internet pic) and what they sold for. Would add a lot to this conversation I think.

 

My take, and I follow this pretty thoroughly. Yes, the cars that will always remain at the top of the scrotum pole will never lose a dime. We watched a gullwing eclipse $3M. Provenance is everything and it was reputed to be the best. Upper echelon Ford stuff is and always will be good, not outrageous but priced right there with inflation. I doubt we'll ever see a running 32-3-4-5-6 3w cpe for under 30K, and priced in the 30s it's usually a rough car but there. Bodies alone are 25K and up. The phaeton shown makes a little sense. Stock older refreshed car, not in the top tier of rod material, and yes the older folk who swoon for those are fewer, by a lot. I'm a Packard guy. Hit n miss. Some get right what they're worth, some ring a bell you can't even see. Some are so important they never do come to market and get sold with a simple phone call. The big cars, well they don't drop in value so much as see less public sales activity. The money rt now (and usually) is in stuff from the late 50s thru the 70s. Many are off the radar here, but those that do fit like R code Fords and 1st gen GTOs are steady and even rising. They who love em are retiring and have the will and means. What would I buy? Nothing. I have a 65 GTO already. I'm selling a HiPo Starliner. I'm finishing my 39 std hot rod. Even have an old Shovelhead. Doesn't mean I wouldn't trade em like sports cards, well except the 39. I wanna see that used in my funeral. No really, I do. Hopefully not any time soon though
I would like an off topic 67 C-"cough-cough"-o with a thundering but streetable MK IV BBC. My issue is I like too many cars equally, and really the ones I want most are like that goof ball TV commercial dude with a dollar bill on a fishing line. Always out of reach. Such as? I'd love an L-88 vette but since my teens, always been a "Yeah right.." in the value dept. Such is life. If things turn for the better watch it really slow down. The movers n shakers are spending on anything but cars. If they go worse (could happen) panic sellers get rid of stuff for really low prices. THAT is the buyer's mkt personified but you need the will for the long game. A little windy but some broad strokes on how I see it.

 

I am not buying yet. Still building them, which means I will have 3 or 4 times what the finished car is worth when I am done and then can't afford to ever sell it.

 

. . . at 82, I guess I'm just buying time.

 

Everything fluctuates. What drove the prices sky high were the ones watching tv and thinking that it 's ok to inflate their prices (ego). I don't care what anyone thinks, a car that was $1500 then is not worth $1,000,000, now.

 

I'm 81 and not buying anything. I am, however, helping to cause this problem.

 

That doesn't seem to be the case here in the sunny South, everything is way over priced, even projects are priced at what I have sold finished cars for. HRP

 

Picked up this nifty 50 Chrysler too cool and not far away.. . Project cars are cheap .. I paid 3 grand for similar cars 20 years ago..

 

I would if I could but I have nowhere to put it.

 

Neiman Marcus is still around. That goes to show quality sells.

 

Send the buyers to my place. Iam selling every thing, but what I have for my last build.

 

Nice, maybe I’ll have the complete set after all.

 

Impalas and muscle cars seem to be what the new generation of car enthusiast want. Look at what Impala convertible project car's are going for. Even the 68-76 Buick, Chev,olds,Pontiac are bringing crazy money from California to Florida.

 

Id like to buy something '30s -50s.
Id have to travel to find and get
All these shit kicker goobers around here think their rusty junk scrap metal is gold
I could find a much way better deal in So Cal or anywhere else for that matter

 

I've noticed this too. X frame Chevy's bring really good money, even 4 doors. 38-54 Chevy cars also do well, or at least, there's a big demand for parts, mostly from the lowrider bomb crowd. That stuff is as strong as it's ever been.

 

I still cant come close to buying another 69 Z28 .... I know its not HAMB friendly but I really want another one

 

The cars i always lusted after were way out of my price range. Now i’m in a better financial position but i’m more concerned about my retirement accounts than i am one more (high end) car. But if prices drop enough…