How is the economy affecting hotrodding?

if you owe nothing, and don't live beyond your means there is no recession in your life. If it takes you more than one paycheck to pay all your bills, you are in a recession. It's really as simple as that.

 

It is all a game. When someones takes a lose, guess what? Someone else gains, and sometimes gains big time.

 

I saw your t go across last fall, 5500 I think, roller ,painted , no engine...
I listed my complete running-pretty much looked like yours did , but a driver- with a starting bid of 5500 last month. I had 2 interested people, and no bids. that was about what it cost to build not including labor!
I didn't think location would be too bad, because we are both in the pacific north west.

 

Thats the case I been in a recession all my life!!

 

One thing I've noticed is with the price of scrap metal going up there are fewer and fewer doaner cars (or cheap beaters)available.People are getting rid of the old junk cars and trucks in the yard to the scrap guys.One of my Son's buddies picks up scrap and told me that he can get $250. for any car,drive it in ,tow it in,complete with tires and gas tank.So snag all the engines and rear ends etc. while you still can!
Chris

 

At our last glub meeting we were asked how many of us were driving our rods to the York Pa. show most of the guys sayed yes. I had to ask the big question, what if gas is over $4.00 oops quiet in the room.

 

Just ride it out.

I too believe that we are constantly bombarded by negative information that becomes a self full filling prophecy. I believe the big companies are using the news media to jack their prices but that's just my personal conspiracy theory.

About 20 years ago the interest rates for cars and homes went sky high. Lead story on the nightly news. All the experts said that we will never see 10% home financing again!! Used cars were like 19%. We signed a contract on our house and the interest rate dropped 2% before we got to settlement. We were lucky with our timing but the point is this stuff changes.

As to the original question, if you are in hot rodding as a business... I'm sure you are concerned. The rent doesn't stop and you can't buy groceries with that expensive inventory.

I have a friend that is an amateur car dealer/hustler. For the last year or so he has been saying that the only real sales are going on between dealers. A friend sold a nice car to him a year ago. The car has changed hands several times but never to an actual driver. The car has escalated 10,000. in price without ever being tagged. I believe those guys may start hurting.

Will the prices drop to where they are affordable??? I doubt it based on my history. Sure there will be some great deals from people in a bind. If you are the one in the bind, that sucks. Do you ever wonder how those hoarders with 12 Deuce grill shells get that stuff? They have the cash when there is a dip in the market. But in the past the skies cleared, people came back out and the prices started off again passing the previous highs every time, every single time.

If I understand the foreclosure thing it's mainly people that couldn't really afford a house. They were not buying hot rods anyway.

Who knows for sure but it might take a temporary shift back to the home built hot rods. Actually it probably won't affect me.

 

Honesty...........If we had more people in the world like you it would be a better place to live.

 

I used to go to about every swap meet and car shows but I have slowed down a little because of fuel prices. I wont to sell my house to move farther out but would really loose with the market the way it is.

 

Personally, I've never had a better opportunity to build my car. I have a modest house with affordable payments, decent job and a little money saved up. I'll be done with my car by the end of this year, and I hope to pounce on a A or 32 roadster that someone else can't afford to keep. I don't feel sorry for those who bought outside their means, and I'll be happy to pick up their stuff when they fall. I don't think it is government's responsibility to bail out those who can't do simple math. Your debt is YOUR problem. My generation is full of morons ho want big screens, 20" rims, and don't want to pay for it. Screw em.

 

Not 12 ... it's only 11



Folks said that the price on original stuff would drop when all the repro stuff came out. When Brookville came out with their 32 roadster ... the same bunch said the originals would lose value. Same thing with the Brookville 32 3W coupes.

I have NOT seen a decrease in price or demand
Maybe, just maybe the price has not went up as quick as it would have without them ... but who knows.

I believe that the economy will hurt Hot rodding ...

Fuel prices drives up the cost of going to a event. Fuel prices drives up most everything up in the consumer world. Higher fuel costs, will reduce the disposable income of most folks. Most of us here have to budget their " HOT ROD " purchases ... be it parts, projects or services bought. Some here make extra project money by flipping parts and cars. This will be affected IMHO. Some cars and parts, are BLUE CHIP cars and parts ... just like on the stock market. They hold their value ... no matter the current up/down roller coaster economy.

The Johnny come lately rodders ... just like all the Johnny come lately Harley buyers/riders ... will be really affected ... because a LOT of them where playing on " PLASTIC credit card money "

 

I'm self employed in the used car recon market....Used cars ain't sellin so I ain't makin as much money....So it's slowin me down a little. Tryin to find ways to expand my market!!!

 

... because a LOT of them where playing on " PLASTIC credit card money "

Right on!. This will be the next big deal. Credit card debt. All those poeple who put their gas on the card and say, "no problem, my minimum monthly paymeny only went up $20" This can't go on forever. The card companies will either fold, or kill everyone with even more outrageous fees and charges. Either way, a big hurt is coming.

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That's called a Zero sum game and it just isn't so!

Talked to a guy yesterday that tracks business info for SEMA. Several WD shows this year have shown major increases! One open house in the midwest was flat. Not down, but flat.

B-J was off 18% this year and several other auctions were down. However, the hard core hot rod business will survive. I was writing ads in the seventies when everybody said that the hot rod business was down the tubes when gas hit a buck a gallon. Didn't happen then and won't happen now.

I have a WSJ cartoon under glass on my desk that shows a couple of guys in suits at a bar with one saying to the other, "If my energy stocks weren't booming, I'd be very upset with gas prices".

 

bigolds, you got a internet sales site? I moved to this little podunk town outside of Bowling Green lat year; its quite economicly depressed. (Got a .5 million dollar house for 300K!) Anyway there's one used car dealer here that is just raking it in. So I asked him what the deal is that he's the only car dealer in town doing well, let alone others are completely failing. he told me he sells on the web, and just recently sold a car to customers in get this...Africa, Sweden, France; etc.! I'm not talking about rare collector cars, I'm talking about run of the mill modern drivers. So it's back to "the creative ones will prosper" again. Seeing oportunity in adversity and all that.

 

Don,I will still drive my 32 to York.I havent been in 2 years and will not let gas prises stop me,damn it,I'm young and need to drive my 32,thats it.

 

I also build my stuff outta junk,junkyards are a real asset to a swapaholic/junkaholic,get you priorities inline and ride through it,if the market or hobby were to die out completely,I will still be doin it....to me Its a LIFESTYLE.

 

John all the guyes are still going just not happey with the cost of the ride.

 

Yes, I agree. And let me add this. The folks in my parents generations lived to pay off their house. Today, people are living off of their homes. My dumbass friend paid around $150,000 for his house 20 or so years ago. He now owes OVER a half a million on it. His fucking kids will never pay off that house. I'm glad my parents imposed their ways on me. I can sell pencils on a street corner and pay my bills

 

That's the 'secret' to this whole thing. I bought a house in Florida with 20% down, lived in it for 5 years and watched it triple in value as Lehigh Acres doubled in size every year. I warned my friend in Florida not to refinance at 110% to cash out. One guy was going to sell 'after he made a little more money'. My parents had friends that were ready to relocate, but wanted to get more money out of their place too. A girlfriend thought she was going to rake it in too.

Realizing that this wouldn't last forever, I sold and moved back to family and friends. I bought a house for $25K cash and spent 1 1/2 years off work fixing it up. Even after the housing bubble has burst, it's worth twice what I have in it (including all upgrade expenses and my labor costs). Don't get greedy and live within your means and there will be no recession. BTW, I only pay $3 a week more for gas than I did last year, because I work close to home.

 

Recession - quit buyin crap and work on what you already got. By the time you're done the recession will be over and you can buy more crap.

 

Well put!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Man, do I know a few Jackasses that need to read your words. Amen

 

Duece roadster got it right. The media is in a tailspin trying to get their guy/girl elected. Remember, the DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE is only 30 company stocks. Try looking at the S&P wich is 500 company stocks...and it is up over the last 60 days
And reread Sam_Fear's / Groucho's Comment. the truth is usually easy !

 

With the high cost of gas I see more garage time and a bit less road time for most guys.
Let's see, spend the money on gas and eats to go to a one day event 90 miles away or spend the same money on the car, fixings for the grill and beer and work on the car all day.
Looking at the schedule for the Northwest there is at least one rod trot aka car show within 100 miles every weekend from the middle of april until the middle of October. Even if I do get the truck back together I don't see myself making too many of those.
With it being 648 Miles from my driveway to Wendover Ut according to yahoo maps that means about 108 gallons of gas round trip with the daily driver if I don't get the 48 back together in time and probably about 70 gallons if I take the 48. That about takes up my whole budget for going to Bonneville then Plesanton and back up to wa 10 years ago.
It might be a good year to go to some of the big events though as the numbers should be down and a guy might enjoy it more.

 

Sure are a lot of mean spirited, holier-than-thou folks on here.
ehhh...its easy to be full of pride, piss and vinegar, until the rug gets pulled out from under you. Especially if your listening to people tell you what you wanna hear, just to get a buck in their pocket...but, alas, I won't get into ameteur politics on here, 'cuz the problems are entirely to great to point the finger in one direction. And
I am lucky enough to live within my means. At this time.

Anyway, Jim...I was watching that little truck of yours, and I was ready to list my coupe, so I could buy it! Your a decent guy, no games, just go...you seem to be in the minority, around here!

I thought the price was GREAT! I was surprised to see it sit dormant. Maybe hot rods aren't "hip" anymore?
I guess I could have put on my credit card...
nahh...then they'd make interest off of me!
I think gas prices are having an effect on long haul cruising, but, it seems like the entry level, wanna-be hot rodder may be throwing in the towel a little, however, the guy's with money, and the stubborn ( like myself ) are never going to stop competing over what they want. And that takes a little cash sometimes.

 

(IMHA, The biggest rapists of the car hobby there’s ever been)
Hopefully the economy effects Craig Jackson and his lap dog (Davis) in a big way and young people and all without a 7 plus figure income can join in on the car party. The old car thing to a very large extent has reduced to a televised egorama pissing contest for bigshots by these assholes and there bandwagon wanabe clones. By giving big $$$$$$ heros a stage.

 

Recession?or the beginning of the endof the way of life we know?
It`s not just the US...it`s getting in over here as well, virtually the same as I`m reading here.The big difference this time around, is that we have no manufacturing base to haul us back out of the hole....millions of people out east working for not much money(at the moment)doing what we were doing a few months/years ago...the whole thing has turned this time.The industries that we once had and went onto tickover during lean times have gone, lock,stock and barrel, so I don`t see how it will recover.as for buying domestic product..have you tried? EVERYTHING seems to be made in China....and all set up on a plate by greedy capitalists in the west ,who don`t give a f**k about the ordinary folks..just making more money than they could spend in a hundred lifetimes.Get ready for the phone calls on your car ads from china...the new superpower!Don`t think it can`t happen to you guys...when I was at school the world map was covered in what was once the British Empire, we made everything here..we are now just an island of the coast of europe, overrun by peoples that do not speak English and can`t even hold a pen!

On top of all this we have Gore and Blair and all the other eco nazi hypocrites trying to get us out of our cars and onto push bikes and buses....all we need then is to stop eating meat ,and eat rice instead.dump the ball caps and don a widebrimmed straw hat.....and save up for years to attend the Shanghai Roadster show.

 

Interesting read.

To me, it's all about balancing your priorities.

Fund your 401K / retirement account, pay some extra principle on your mortgage every month, NEVER pay interest on a credit card....

If you have money left over, then you can afford to be in the hobby of hot rodding.

Don't get greedy and carried away with investing / retiring early and not having fun however.

I spent almost $1000 just to make one pass at the 2007 CHRR. Could that money have been spent more responsibly?

Probably, but my family and I had a great time and have memories that will last a lifetime.