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Another cost of owning modern muscle cars is tires! My car has 15 inch tires and a decent brand is about $100 per tire. My mom's Saturn Aura XE tires are about $120 per tire or more. Remember when tires came in three diameter sizes; 13, 14, & 15?
You got that right the 19" Perelli's on my GT go for $400 a pop.
I think the base versions are aimed at the younger people. The higher versions at the older people. And that seems to be true on who I see driving these cars. At least with the Mustangs and Camaros. I don't see enough Challengers to make any kind of conclusion.
The Dodge Challenger is all the rage with the young hip-hop crowd where I live, for some reason.
Maybe so they can out run the cops, who have the same cars.
Being from the "Class of '79" myself, I see no comparison between the new muscle car versions and the "originals". Why bother.
I did have a co-worker that had a very tastefully, but not "overly" restored, 1976 Mustang in the appropriate "Olive" green color. Looked like it stepped right out of the day. I would have loved to have had that car just to drive around and play old Bad Company in.
Now these old farts are running around in these cars and ruining the entire idea IMO. This is a dead end for the big 3.
Now VW, Toyota and Nissan-they get it. They make cool cars that young people can afford and they build long term customers.
A dead end? Hardly, as all 3 of these cars have been on the market for some time it shows just the opposite, that there IS a market for them, I don't think any of the big 3 will lose sleep over the fact that you won't buy one, they don't care who drives them, all that matters is they sell them, which they are doing.
You second statement clearly indicates your line of thinking, which is the opposite of many car enthusiasts, feel free to drive your import, but many don't consider them cool in the least bit, and let us old farts drive what we want, and completely ruin YOUR idea of what a retro car is.
The OP pointing this out is a reflection of what is happening to the younger working generation.
Who can afford a retro muscle car or any new car for that matter other than those 50 and over?
This is shown in the red hot used car market and those currently driving vehicles 8 years or older with no plans on trading them in.
On top of this you now see the much younger generation of those nearing high school graduation to current college status not even interested in driving due to many factors with cost of vehicle ownership being the major hurtle.
If and when these people find employment it is usually the 8.00 to 12.00 per hour range including those with a college education.
How can any of them afford a vehicle and the costs associated with it?
I'm 46 years old and thank my lucky stars that I'm not any younger.
The younger you are generally the worse off you are.
I don't mean to be negative here but let's face the fact that if your under forty chances are your screwed.
I completely and totally disagree with the above. I'm 31 years old and make six figures, I have friends who also have good jobs, live in nice homes, and drive nice vehicles and they're far from "screwed".
Every generation has always bemoaned how much worse off the upcoming generation is going to be and truth be told, historically each new generation has enjoyed a quality of life higher than that of their parent's generation. With technology, advances in medical science, and an inter-connected world, I don't doubt the coming generations will enjoy a greater quality of life than my parents or myself.
I graduated from college back in 2003 and I didn't enter the workforce to make $8/ hour; I started making a decent, livable salary like many other of my fellow graduates. Granted the current job market is rough for college grads but it's starting to pick up at least around Phoenix. Employers are starting to hire more, new facilities and buildings are starting construction, housing prices are climbing and the economy is turning around slowly but surely. Maybe it isn't in your part of the USA but in the Southwest, life is starting to get back to normal.
Almost anyone can afford a new vehicle nowadays with the reliability and inexpensive cost of current models. You can pick up a new Fusion for $20k and it's been rated one of the best vehicles for dependability and safety on the road today. I don't see where you're able to say it's expensive to own and maintain a vehicle unless you're buying a BMW/Mercedes or something exotic.
I think you're pretty off-base and are coming off sounding quite ignorant.
Any of the desirable trims such as the Mustang GT, Camaro SS and SRT Challenger are generally driven by older people. The base trim levels are driven by a lot of younger individuals and particular women. I wouldn't own either of them without the V8 as I feel that it is part of the muscle car experience.
Any of the desirable trims such as the Mustang GT, Camaro SS and SRT Challenger are generally driven by older people. The base trim levels are driven by a lot of younger individuals and particular women. I wouldn't own either of them without the V8 as I feel that it is part of the muscle car experience.
All depends on your line of thinking, todays V6 retros have more HP & torque than the V8's had back in the day, but you need a V8 to get that muscle car rumble
A dead end? Hardly, as all 3 of these cars have been on the market for some time it shows just the opposite, that there IS a market for them, I don't think any of the big 3 will lose sleep over the fact that you won't buy one, they don't care who drives them, all that matters is they sell them, which they are doing.
You second statement clearly indicates your line of thinking, which is the opposite of many car enthusiasts, feel free to drive your import, but many don't consider them cool in the least bit, and let us old farts drive what we want, and completely ruin YOUR idea of what a retro car is.
When I see a Mustang GT or Challenger, I EXPECT to see a grey hair driving it, much like I used to expect a grey hair behind the wheel when I saw a Buick Park Ave.
See my point? It's a dead end for these cars, the younger people (mostly) don't want them and that is a problem for the automakers.
My older brother (60 years old) bought his wife a Mustang convertible. Really cool car IMO, but the young people don't give it a second look. I've driven in it quite a few times. My wife's '09 VW Jetta get's way more looks.
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