History Fading interest and the future

As many of you have likely seen too, the restored model t's and a's (as well as any early restored cars) have fallen off in popularity as the people building and buying them are dying off. Restored 40's and 50's cars are likely more popular now due to the age of people buying or building. My question is this.... does it seem that people are buying what they grew up with? Where do you see the restored collector market headed. I personally don't care regarding values as I just love cars/trucks, but it is sad the interest might be slowing. I would never have thought that mid 70's stuff would be wanted but it is becoming more collectible. I'm 48 years old and have been a diehard car nut my entire life, I really like cars from all generations and like restored and hot rodded and customs too. Each one has their own appeal.

Before I get told this is a traditional hot rod and custom site, I'm well aware of that and I love pre war and post war hot rods more than anything. I'll add that the trend of buying/building what you grew up with (hot rod related) seems to be reality too.

 

Things change, that's a constant. Different eras and models become the flavor of a time because many people are followers. I think the market speaking as to newer stuff...like you said 40s and 50s...being more valuable, is that in the end, they are more usable by more folks who might not be as car savvy as we on this board. I dont care what cars are worth ultimately...if a car I like is now cheaper because life has gotten more complicated and there are infinite number of choices with what to do with your time and money than 30 years ago....good!

 

Lack of interest will eventually bring the price of cars down to where people interested in them can afford them. An over generalization for sure and it could take years, a lifetime or several but it will find a balancing point.

 

Other hobbies have kind of the same trends. Stuff you never thought might be collectible, couldn't give away, suddenly becomes "hot" and all the rage. Nostalgia has something to do with it. People sometimes like to collect things that remind them of a certain time of their youth, that maybe they couldn't afford.

Some lady recently found a 1960s Rolex watch inside an old used couch she had bought a couple years ago. This happens to be a desirable version that is expected to go for around $275,000 at auction. Not really trying to make a point here, other than quality is always in style. There's no need to buy an expensive watch these days, even the coffee pot keeps better time. What I've seen generally is the best examples of a given time period for collectibles tend to hold their value better.

 

OK, sounds good, now do the housing market.

 

Interest is like climate change. It happens four times a year and people fade interest until something brings them back. What seems like a lack of interest in the traditional hobby, I believe, is not happening but only revising.
Something's are a constant and some things fade into the corn field.
The traditional hobby isn't going anyplace for many more years as the younger generation is picking it up.
The 50's cars never faded away but maintained a straight even keel thru the decades. I guess it depends on where anyone is to watch the trend.
When I was a teenager, although I liked Model T's and Model A hot rods, I was into muscle cars. Now, I'm into the traditional T&A rods but still like muscle cars.
I guess that I slowed down...

Like Foghat say's, "SLOW RIDE, You Know The Rhythm Is Right..."

 

Why worry about it? Does it really matter? What can really do about it?
There's plenty to worry about starting with the guy in the mirror. Then there's the others, family, friends.....even strangers on the street.
These are the things that really matter.

 

There will always be people interested in cars and collecting and building them but has year comes and go there are fewer of them for many reasons.

People die or simply become interested in other hobbies or for health reasons simple can not longer do what they used to do.
Young people like different cars then I happen to like but that's fine with me.

The other thing that is important to remember car guy's are not the only ones seeing this happening.
Look at the attendance numbers for many forms of racing, golf, baseball, football, and just about everything else you can think of and it is all because of peoples interest simply changing to other things.

Peoples interest in many things are changing such has shopping now many people simply pick up a phone and order something instead of driving to the mall or some others store and the result is thousands of stores closing across the country.

Look at auto parts stores and the problem they are just starting to have with many Americans either leasing or buying new cars every few years and ask yourself what the future for auto parts stores will be with fewer people fixing their own cars.

Our world is changing everyday right before our very eyes and the call it progress!

Just my opinion Jimbo

 

Internal combustion engines will eventually be legislated off the roads and be relegated to museums.

 

I tend to agree. It may be as simple as the petroleum based infrastructure fades away and is replaced by something else.
No reason to have an old car if you can't buy gas for it.
Furthermore I wonder how long until artificial intelligence becomes good (?) enough that insurance companies deem human drivers statistically inferior and people are forced into self driving cars through legislation/cost of insurance etc.
I know, sounds paranoid and I hope I'm wrong. I worked all day yesterday with one of my sons and 4 of his buddies (the future of hot rodding) on my truck and it got me thinking about this topic a bit.

 

This is a hobby. Remember when all the shows on TV used to be about motorcycles. Everybody wanted one. When interest faded, so did the motorcycle market. Now all the shows on TV are about the building and the flipping of the automobile. Everyone wants to make a buck. They are more interested in what one is worth these days more than the pure pleasure of owning one. I would love to own a Model T, but it is all about the amount of money I am able to spend on my hobby. Money needs to be put in retirement account is a better thing to do right now.

 

This won't happen necessarily in our lifetimes, but it may well happen in your Son's lifetime. Hopefully there will be "grandfathered clauses" to allow for minimum use of these dinosaurs at that time. Kinda like demonstrations of "ancient industrial history".

 

Yeah Don. But when people walk by our old Hot Rods in those museums. They will say how COOL it must of been, to drive those old jalopies back in the day! We grew up in the best of times! Ron....

 

Don`t forget the customs.

 

And you hardly ever see a horse and buggy anymore, what's the world coming too.

 

Someone mentioned motorcycles and I forgot about the changes Harley Davidson had seen in the past few years.
I remember the day's of ordering one and then waiting for months or even years to get one and now those day's are also over and again it is all about peoples interests changing.

Things that were once so popular and in demand and now the world has changed!

 

...........So true, Ron, so true.

 

You need to visit Pa. lol

 

This subject has been beat to death. Jmho. Snowman

 

Does anyone really give a rats ass about the state of our hobby once their done with it? If so why? I no longer fish as much as I used to but don't particularly worry about the fishing hobby dying out.

 

I've not seen anyone giving Model A's or T's away no matter what condition they are in.

 

How about buying one, putting a season or 2 on it and selling it for close to what you paid for it..now if it isn’t a loaded up bagger it will sit on the dealers floor.

 

...sounds like us older guys are livin in the right era...

 

Well as someone that works in the Auto Industry the general feeling is the next 10 years are going to be a time of radical change...more change then since it started. Demographics, buying habits, technology, regulations, less people owning cars, ride sharing, self driving, and yes electric cars...Manufacturer’s love the idea..you have a platform, it contains the workings of the vehicle, they slip a body on it and done..scary thing is all those suppliers, engine plants, transmission plants, etc all won’t be needed. It will be about batteries and an electric motor. I could also see body’s being aluminum or SMC...no rust and light weight..also less steel being used..another industry that will be affected. It really is kind of scary. I’m 50 and hoping my gig gets me to 60 any thing over that will be a God send...technology is really scary when it comes to a Job loss...retail...need I say more...and once it’s started it doesn’t stop..as a Father if 2 children I worry about their futures. Rant over...

 

Yea-just like horses would disappear-internal combustion cars will eventually end up like horses-used for recreation and pampered.No reason you won't be able to drive your electric car to the strip to see dragsters still burning nitro.taking public transportation to view the latest Hot Rod event.quit worrying

 

Many threads lately on this subject, I have stated this before, Us Baby Boomers have lived in the best of times. I have been in car Hobby always, stressing HOBBY and some here forget, the definition/reality of a hobby/Fun is costs MONEY. I have other interests but the big one/passion is cars/racing and never made any money at any of it, maybe broke even once or twice in 55+ years. I'm sure as I'm aging out selling off my last 3 hobby cars 1 HAMB, 2 OT I'm going to take biggest hit on the HAMB age car as market has definitely changed. A man that used cars as an Hobby/investment made a poor choice, if he makes money, it's a business not a hobby IMO. The world of high end cars might be different, Never been there personally and have a few friends that are and have stated they never made any money building/buying/selling as it's their Hobby, just at a different dollar level. The car Hobby will always be here different maybe But it's alive and well and will be till the end of cars as we know it. What has not changed ? Stop fretting over what you have no control over and ENJOY the Hobby.

 

I'm in my early 50's and was always a fan of muscle cars when I was younger. I guess that was a result of the 70's and 80's cars being very boring with no real performance. However, as I have aged my interest in that era has wained considerably. Now I'm more in to the earlier generations from the 20's thru the 40's. These vehicles have much more character, and I personally see a return to simpler vehicles that were not all that fast, but we're always fun to drive.

 

Fact is....everything is changing, literally everything. Right now we're looking at indian summer.....no....climate change, not that indian summer ever existed, electric cars and everything powered, but where does all the electricity needed come from? A realistic old codger knows that everything has a price, whether cars run on oil or electricity, it still takes oil to build them, I don't see oil burners going anywhere soon, our hobby will see prices drop to the point of affordability, and our cars will live another day. Take comfort in knowing we built the coolest old tech stuff on the planet, pre computer, fun to drive, just plain cool shit. Love your custom built one of a kind automobile as long as you can, its all we have.

 

When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up fast before all those old buggy sprung Ford's got crushed so that I could have a hot rod. I'm now 66 and there are still a few left out there. I'm amazed that this hobby has lasted as long as it has but it is definitely in decline.



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