Hot Rods Is the hot rod market really slow these days?

I've had a car for sale going into the second year, under twenty grand, finished but for paint, properly titled and so far, proven. Really good little car, now, understand that I'm not complaining and really don't care if I sell this car, I love driving it, built it because I remembered my first roadster as nothing but fun, but I have noticed the increasing amount of unsold cars on some sites.
I know price figures into a sale, but a guy only wants to drop so low and not give a car away, I could sell if I slashed the price, but selling is not the issue, just that I have noticed the market seems dead at least around these parts, wondering if this reflects a change to the muscle car-restomod market, which seems to me to be where it's at these days. Are traditional cars bigger sellers than newer style hot rods?
Is the custom car market surging? I see some really nice customs not selling either, and I wonder if the market is flooded, or has Barret Jackson type sales figures scared the shit out of buyers. I think the hot rod market has fulfilled my wildest expectations as the hobby has grown to the point that we're building cars we wouldn't have touched years ago, like ad series gm pickups, or early pre 55 chev cars, once thought to be too much work to fix up. 4 door sedans come to mind, us older guys never thought of a four door as hot rod material, something totally accepted now. What are your thoughts? Here's the car I refer to, NO, it's not here to sell, just to illustrate the point that even a starter car is difficult to sell.

 

There is a limited number of people that can spend + - $20k on an unfinished car.

 

Nice car from what I can see. I sell mostly muscle cars. And most of them are fairly original or at least resemble the original. The more I deviate from the base line of originality, the harder I find them to sell. The reason being that as I customize them to make them to my own liking I start to eliminate buyers that don't agree with me.

Selling a hot rod or a custom has to be a hell of lot harder as they are built in your image and you are pressed with the job of finding someone who likes what you like enough to plop down 20k. Unless you follow the "rules" and build a hot rod for the masses.

Just because it is harder doesn't mean your buyer isn't out there. You just have more work to do to find them. Advertise nationally, consign it to a dealer that specializes in these cars, etc.

Good luck on the sale and may the HAMB be with you.

 

Bandit hit it on the head !

 

X3 on what Bandit Billy says. Expand your advertising area. It is hard to find a buyer with your exact tastes, at your price. IMO, it is probably priced too high.

 

I don't know about selling a car, but I've been buying a crap-ton of parts, so that side of the market seems strong...;-)

 

Proven, Time, An Time again, There's an ass for Every seat! I seriously believe the guy's that use to buy unfinished driver's or albeit rat fill in the blank, For 20K have all had a friend that bought an interesting "rod" to come ta find out it was junk an unsafe, Because for a while it was Very trendy, Said perp has a 100K built for him 32 , an a pos rusty throw together Steals said thunder, Oh... You'll take 20K for it...
Just a thought... No disrespect to your picture/car, Just general thoughts

 

I need to see more of your rod. more pics possible?
Ditto on Bandit

 

I sold mine last week. So far I have sent two to Australia and this one is going to New Zealand. Maybe Americans just don't want what I have.

 

I don't see your roadster listed on the Hamb classifieds. maybe try listing it there.

 

Yes!
KK

 

I think it has slowed down the only thing selling like crazy are station wagons now.Still trying to trade my 56 Chrysler for one.Bruce.

 

Maybe invest in a paint job. Nothing fancy but a color that anybody would like. Maybe a dark green or medium tan with a simple red stripe along the body line.

 

Don't get me wrong here, I didn't post this to sell it here, I just wanted to know if the market is soft all over, if I got aggressive, I could sell it for less, I'll probably take less, but I repeat, this post is not to sell my car. I also know that, where I live, roadsters are not easy to sell, knew that before I listed it. Not crying here, just wondering if it's a local thing or more of a trend? I've sold my last two builds before they were even finished, both guys hunted me down to look at the car in my shop, both made me offers I couldn't refuse. So.....definitely not complaining, this little car handles like it's on rails, zero bump steer, rides decent, four banger powered, but it will get out of it's own way. The lack of interest is mystifying.

 

Everything sells in time, looks like a solid car, take some photos with the top off, hood off etc, to show buyers the different looks it can have, the market can be slow for cars in the 20k range, hold your price, remember what it would take to replace it.

 

I'll go with Trend, plus where I am Western NY, fat chance really selling anything after sept./ Oct. Till spring Holidays always pinch selling, Good for buying...

 

Cars don't always sell when you want them to and sometimes a creative trade might be the solution,I suggest you post it in the classifieds.

Cars do sell on the hamb and that statement is from experience.

BTW, I'm a old fart and when I joined the hamb some 14 years ago I had a 32 Ford 4 door,I also have another 32 Ford 4 door today. HRP

 

yes, the hobby is dying, old tin is drying up, no one can sell their cars and the young folks are not interested. that about covers it.

 

$20k cars are where guys get to, when they build their own.

In my experience, those looking to buy a finished, turn-key car, be it a rod or custom, have the coin to go a whole lot higher.

It may have nothing whatsoever to do with the car, or the quality of the build. It looks like a really nice car.

I am sure that we would all have opinions about how we would make it "better", but those are just opinions.

All I will provide for advice is blanket advice: Wheels, tires, and paint draw a potential buyer in. Interior, overall cleanliness (if it looks well cared for, cherished), and build quality, makes the deal.

Make sure that you hit on all of those points.

Advertise it here, on Craigslist, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Los Angeles area. People have stupid-big money here.

 

Unless it’s my bucket list car. I too can’t get my head around spending 20 on an unfinished car.

 

I have also noticed that the market has been very slow for the last couple of years and prices have dropped significantly. Some say that the younger folks aren't much into what we play with and are more into muscle cars and tuners. I must be weird as I like them all.




As was stated, there is an ass for every seat. I disagree, I believe there are at least two or you'd be stuck with everything you ever bought. Have patience, the right buyer will come along and just love that little car, I think it is pretty cool.

 

I haven't sold anything all year and I've been the only guy buying from a couple people as far as parts go.

 

Yep brother just sold one going to NZ. I think NZ and AU has always been a somewhat steady market for early iron

 

Put some bias ply tires on it, paint a number on the door, take it to TROG with a for sale sign in the window.

 

Like this?

 

For a lot of people, a paint job = 5-10 grand.

Paint it, even if you dont sell it, you'll like it more. Mmmm, shiny.

 

Depends on the car. Early Ford coupes and roadsters sell real fast if they're good cars. Ford cars and parts sell fast. I'm not putting anyone's stuff down I like everything old just my experience. Also things either seem to sell well as raw material or finished cars.

 

I'd say no to your "like this" paint work. Far too personalized and a lot of guys would pass because they figure that they were going to have to paint it right away.
Sometimes a car is just too identified with the owener/bulder in the area and while a lot of guys like it they don't want to be driving _____'s old car and every time they go any where be quizzed about ____'s old car. There are still guys I went to school with in the 60's that ask me about "Darlington's old Merc" because I bought it from a teacher named Chuck Darlington in 1963 after he had driven it to work at school for a couple of years. The fact that I owned it for 32 years never hit them.
I'd have taken that car down to the Goodguys in Puyallup or the Goodguys in Spokane with a nice for sale sign on it and increased my market area. As others said you need to increase the market area on one like that to find a buyer.

 

I'm 33. I remember buying a 57 checy for 1k that was decent.
Velocity channel turned those deals into history.
15 years ago a 20k or 30k car was like a hugely perfect build.
Now I don't have the time to start with a 1k carcass, and don't have the dough for something 20k when I know that I'll dump another 5 in it to make it my own.
It doesn't mean it's not worth it, its just in that in between price range.
Hope that helps.

Sent from my LGLS992 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I think that is my problem, I'm asking 18 Canadian, would part with it for 15, but I think I'm in the range where guys don't think they'll get what they're looking for, or they think it's still a project, which it isn't. John Deere blitz black will fix the colour issue for 150 bucks and some elbow grease, and it's a great handling car, I love driving it. Here we have no shortage of canyon carving type roads and I built it to handle, it gets 30 plus miles to the gallon and has plenty of power.
Like I said, I watch the sites I have it listed on and the same cars are there this year as was last year, regardless of price. Most are in the 30-45 thousand range, none are selling, that's why I asked the original question in my first post, seems the market is flat. Does this have anything to do with us greybeards getting out of the hobby through attrition (death), and few coming in to follow us, or is the car world making a change away from hot rods and into something else?
Used to be, hot rods were considered fast and too much fun, but now the average showroom car will take on the likes of a hot rod with ease, so all we have to offer is the uniqueness of owning a truly different car that stands out in the crowd?