Collector car hobby in 2045 (F150, fast and furious, SUV, fuel)
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Many things have changed the hobby... for years a car would age out of smog inspection in California at 25 and then 30 and now it looks like my 1976 BMW 2002 and Triumph Spitfire will need smog check forever...
As to the hobby... I have at least one vehicle from each decade... starting with 1900-1910 with my 05 Olds... just added a 2001 that I'm attached to...
Biggest problem I see is most don't have the room and many cities have laws about inoperable vehicles stored anywhere but in a garage...
Next issue is I did all of my own paint... can't even buy the stuff anymore locally.
As a side note... I've never met so many 20 somethings that don't own a car or even have a license.
It seems to me that a lot of collector cars from the 50s to 70s are being exported to other countries already so if the prices start dropping here in the US, I expect to see more exporting of these cars to other countries where they are more appreciated.
The nostalgia factor passes as each age group passes into "old age". For example, there will be smaller demand for 1950s cars when those buyers who grew up in the 1950s pass away.
The other factor is the horsepower and quality of today's muscle cars. There is a completely frame off, rebuilt 1976 Trans Am (455, 4spd) for sale about a mile from my house. He is asking $29K (worth $25k maybe). I can find 5 year old Mustang GTs and 2 year old Mustang V6s (300 hp!) for around $20k. There are 2 low mileage 2014 Mustang GTs for $28k at the local Ford store and they are running 420hp! You can find similar examples in the current Camaros and Challengers.
It makes the choice of the T/A (or any old muscle car) a much more difficult decision.
This really depends on the reason one wants the car.
Many of todays cars are great. Faster, more efficient and safer than ever before. If that is what a person wants, they should buy new.
But any idiot can buy one, and there are a lot on the road. Some people want to stand out.
Few modern cars get the attention and thumbs up my restored 76 Monte Carlo does.
Real collector cars will always have a market; just look at prices they bring now. I can remember when there were few collector car auctions. Hard for me to believe the auctions price gotten over just a few decades ago and the number of such auctions. Heck I even attended one with friend where foreign dealers attended just to buy older American luxury cars to restore and sell. Have a friend of family who got rich buying and selling Older Harleys in Europe starting in the 70's. Just looking at TV shows the popularity of older cars. Never has there been the business in older car steel parts like there is now. Those who bought the dies from makers are now getting rich.
Well if I'm still alive and my cars are not legislated out of existence (which is a real possibility) I'll still be driving every day in my 70-94 model year cars. I've vowed I'll never make car payments again, or put up with dealer BS.
In the next 20 years or so the bottom is going to drop out of the of the collected car market, and it's going to drop hard. Younger people just don't care about these old cars.
This is going to be the long term problem. Plenty of things are falling in popularity from golf to yachts as younger people don't have the time nor money to engage in these activities. I read an article yesterday regarding homeownership being in decline due to high carrying costs of student loans that so many people have today.
I love cars, I have had everything from Alfas to Porsche 911s and while I appreciate them, I couldn't imagine owning more than one "collector car" due to the time/effort required to own one. I never considered it time consuming but I asked a wealthy retired dentist why he didn't get a boat when he moved to a waterfront home in a fishing paradise. He responded, he couldn't justify the expense for something he would use just a couple times a month! Then it hit me, collector cars/weekend cars are the same thing!
Real collector cars will always have a market; just look at prices they bring now. I can remember when there were few collector car auctions. Hard for me to believe the auctions price gotten over just a few decades ago and the number of such auctions. Heck I even attended one with friend where foreign dealers attended just to buy older American luxury cars to restore and sell. Have a friend of family who got rich buying and selling Older Harleys in Europe starting in the 70's. Just looking at TV shows the popularity of older cars. Never has there been the business in older car steel parts like there is now. Those who bought the dies from makers are now getting rich.
Once the tv shows are in the mix, the fad is over...... Auctions always amaze me, people getting caught up in the moment/ outbidding a total stranger just to overpay for something! The fees alone associated with auctions is insanity!
Hi, 20's something guy here. You guys are dead wrong about young people not wanting classic cars. Just watch the Fast & Furious movies, and the shift from cereal box cars to classic and newer muscle cars proves my point.
The main issue is money. These classics from the 60's-70's cost a fortune to buy and restore. It would be cheaper to buy a brand new Mustang, Camaro, or Challenger. Not to mention safer and more fuel efficient. When you guys were our age, I doubt many of you bought cars made during the 30's and 40's. You bought 60's and 70's cars because it was the 60's and 70's. Restorations are for middle-older aged guys with $. When my generation gets older, and (hopefully) has more disposable money, I suspect we will buy up the current generation of Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers, as well as various import cars, and become collectors.
Another issue is that cars have improved so much recently that anything made during the 80's and 90's (the years we grew up) is crap. Those 80's Camaro IROC's that put out 175 horsepower would get their lunch eaten by a 2015 Toyota Camry, and that is a problem. I suspect that 80's and 90's era cars will be overlooked by 2045. Most will opt for the newer generation cars, or go for the older classics.
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