Why aren't hot rods selling?

Young guy here (21.) Haven't got an antique car yet but do have a lot of fun with a 1996 Corolla DX (automatic. Yes, I know... At least learning to drive in that has saved a lot of vintage tin from getting bruised up. Besides, it's great on gas mileage.)

There is a similar recession going on in all antiques and pre-1960s stuff. I collect phonographs--think Edison wax cylinder, Victor Victrola, Columbia Graphophone kind of stuff. Everything I have has to be hand-cranked to start, the records are mostly ancient, and half my collection still has a giant metal horn stuck on top of it. I restore them to factory mechanical specs and they sound pretty good.
Unfortunately for sellers, these aren't bringing any money either really. I saw at a phono show where a collector was selling an 1899 Columbia for $75. In good shape it would have gone for $300 tops.

It's not that young folks aren't interested--it's that we can't afford it. I don't diss janitors but I would prefer not to be one, when a minimum wage job won't even get you an apartment. I'd like to have a real life--get married, have a family, live somewhere decent. So a college degree it is. So far I'm paying my own tuition with a little bit I inherited. It'll be all gone soon.

Weirdest thing is, most young folks my age get kind of miffed when you explain people make jewelry out of prewar typewriter keys (the glass kind) but older folks tend to treat everything vintage as "junk." That's kind of sad.

 

We need to spend time inthusing our children in all manner of things if we expect them to carry the torch . Too many of us havnt done this and are faced with the prospect of a generation of millenial snowflakes . Just sayin

 

I really feel sorry for some of the guys with cars for sale on the HAMB because they doing all the right things trying to sell their car with having it priced right and including or best offer and yet month after month many of them are wondering why they do not have much interest from buyers or even offers!

Another crazy thing is when you are trying to sell a car and are not having much luck you tend to get mad at the car and look at it as a pain in the ass that you wish you had never bought in the first place.

Don't panic and except the first low ball offer someone gives you and I understand that after months or years or trying to sell your car it's hard to just say let me cut my loss and except their offer just to get rid of the car.

I wise man once told me you have to have lookers before you will every have buyers and it is when you have no lookers or interest at all that you should start to worry.
Jimbo

 

I talked to Gene (the gentleman that bought the '50 coupe) last night and he told me after playing with the car the last few days he was extremely please with the car.

He went on to say the engines performance really surprised him and he had took the car to a friends shop and put it on the lift, he said the floors and workmanship was much better than he thought and appreciated my honesty, the car was much nicer than I had told him and they had already cut the outer rockers and the inner rockers only needs minor patching. HRP

 

Choose the right major or go get trade. If your up to it, a Lineman makes $200K a year easy with some overtime. Lineman’s school is required now but was only 15k two years ago. No school loan.

 

Keeping with the theme of the thread.
I feel i must express my opinion. There is a another project car. The guy is asking 30k? The guy knows who he is, I won't mention any names. I really need to know why someone feels a project car is worth 30k? You can buy a complete nice car for that price! This is just another contributing factor to "why aren't hot rods selling"? Too many people out there trying to profiteer...

 

YUP!!!

Guess never rust, all steel cars aren't worth anything. These very high $ cars I 'm seeing here in Pomona will sell at Barret-Jackson for pennies on the dollar in a few years.

 

I get a muscle car mag that posts auction results every month and the trend has been a lot of no sales or selling below average. the "price bubble" that big money investors/speculators created might have burst.

 

Sarcasm ,yes? I appreciate my wife's opinion on vehicle/bike purchases..Several times she saved me from buying some piece of shit and the one time I bought it anyways , it was a piece of shit...

 

I'd suggest, then, that you get a better paying job. Minimum wage was never intended to be a permanent thing. It, traditionally, set a lower limit for entry level jobs with the raises coming as one learned, improved, and found a high paying job. Or you could complain.

Actually, there is an option that is way cheaper. Join the military. As luck would have it I got drafted in 1966 and when I got out I used the GI Bill for 4 years of college. It didn't pay for all, of course, but it paid a chunk of it.
Or you could complain.

 

Amusing replies--

I'm going for a degree in English & the Humanities...grades are high at the moment and it's pretty fascinating stuff. The pay is nowhere nearly as high as lineman's work and there aren't nearly as many guns & tanks and such as in the military, but somebody will have to teach high schools & colleges in the next few years, and I'd rather help pass on the torch than be a bitter old man in sixty years complaining about why my generation's kids (if they even have kids; dogs don't count) cannot read a book, and think Shakespeare is the name of a fishing reel company.

But I can't stand listening to most of the "academics," so many of them are full of nonsense. So today I went outside & pulled apart a 1914 electric fan to fix it up. I'll be a while on that one...fun project though.

Wonder why people aren't exposed to old stuff anymore? Why are younger folks so worried about comfort & sanitation when they're isolated from reality?

And why aren't middle-aged & older folks able to get the prices for their classic cars? Maybe the nostalgia factor has evaporated for a lot of folks.

 

I see a lot of restored original cars selling for lower than that, and they look like they are ready to be cranked up and driven on a pretty long road trip.

 

Me again, after reading all these posts, I think most of us have forgotten that this is in fact, a hobby. Just like models, airplanes, pottery, rebuilding old gramaphones, and you never get your money back from hobbies, you're lucky if you break even, and thats how I approach it. I have my roadster pickup for sale for $15000, if I'm lucky enough to get it. BUT, I recently ran into a young fellow I haven't seen in ten years, used to work in my hot rod shop, started sweeping the floors, just wanted to learn, eventually learned metal shaping and turned out shit I wished I could do. Well, in ten years, he married, got some kids, and getting into this hobby is obviously not gonna happen anytime soon, but he still wants a car, so......he needs some help.
I can afford to help him, so, what to do? Easy, I offer my car for a third of what my asking price is, with the proviso that if he sells it in the future, we split the profit, because I know him and he deserves a hand. My car needs paint, an ongoing project, as yet unfinished but has been on the road two years, so he could load up his woman, cruise a bit and continue finishing the car as he can afford it, so he too can get into our hobby. I had help with my first car, So, rather than him looking in, wishing he could afford a car, we as old guys should mentor and help our younger guys if we are at all able. That my friends is how I see it. LeRoy.

 

Hey, ratcheteer;
Your call on the education/job choice, but I think what you're going to find when you get into the teaching system, is that things are not as presented. Just getting to a point of knowing you are going to stay hired next year (not having to be looking for a new job elsewhere each year - at the last minute or later; =tenure) usually takes a long time to accomplish.

You will find that very few administrators will back you up, & even fewer parents will back you up, much less ensure that their kids study & learn. Fuzzy math means whatever answer the kid gives is ok. Trophies for all that participate, even those who don't - no hurt feeling ya know. Proper pronunciation & enunciation? WTF?Fuggetaboutit. Phonics got dropped in the 80's. Actual historic events truthfully taught - hahhhahahahahahha... Politics brought (& forced) into the classroom(at/from many different levels, & I'm not talking about using them as a teaching aid in the now-non-existent "social studies". Useful books to teach from? Not a chance... Political Correctness? Like the Brea Tar Pits - Lord help you...

If you can make it past the gate, sooner rather than later, you will find yourself trapped in a system that is hard to get out of, esp when you have a wife/kids/home/etc. Tough starting from scratch. But worst of all, is you will find out what it feels like to be square tapered plug being sledgehammered into a small round hole. I hope you are very strong mentally & psychologically, don't even think of overestimating your ability to resist, as it's literally : Comply or else! While you might be good at appearing & doing things to fit it, it takes it's toll & you lose.

Fortunately, even though I geared my collage education to teaching (Industrial Tech) & also went through the Ed-Block, I did avoid the teaching gig after being warned & shown by a number of friends. I didn't avoid the "public service" (govt employment) trap, & it's not been fun, but at least I've very little time left in it. Also very little health, not to mention wealth.
Follow the advice of learning a good trade, & 5-7 yrs experience later, you can open your own business. Those who look down on you for that kind of work will willingly pay your price when they need the work done. Sweet revenge, & very profitable, too. . & no "collage debt", which btw, can never be written off in a bankruptcy.

If you are proficient at different languages, consider a few, as interpreters make decent $$, & you can always cross-teach in other countries. Won't get rich, but good work, appreciated, & usually a hell of a lot less living costs. Look before you leap.

Hope you do well in what ever you choose.
Marcus...

 

I am not interested in the nostalgia “Of a Future Buyer”of my project car. Hell, I’m trying to get it completed at 72yrs. old for my pleasure and nostalgia of the mid 60’s. I quit counting the money invested in it. As we all have said, we will never recoup the money. I just want to enjoy it before age and illness prevent it. My daughter knows my wishes for it, some day. I have a Autistic 10yr. old grandson who is crazy about my ‘57, always asking if I am going to take him for a ride when finished. I will do that and maybe give the car to a young person, if one may show interest, when I can no longer enjoy it. Selling is not likely. Enjoyment is the only goal.

 

In my case it's real estate that is the problem. I could swing the money for something lower dollar from the 60's but I have no place to work on one. I rent a duplex that has no garage or carport. Getting a place with a garage would leave me with little money for the car hobby. It's a catch 22. In populous locales that's the way it's going, single family homes are crazy expensive so younger people are renting/buying hi-density housing. Condos and apartment buildings are springing up in every empty lot around here.

 

Do all you can to buy your own place before buying a cool car. Long term it will give you the freedom you want.

 

Unfortunately that's just not a realistic possibility anymore, I'll most likely be renting until I die and so will most likely never own a cool car. Instead I enjoy my love of old cars through car shows, magazines, art and scale models. (BTW, I'm not exactly young, definitely too old for a 30 year mortgage and can't afford a 15 year).

 

Doesn't all of this discussion about hot rods not selling well run the risk of becoming a self-fulfilling prophesy? Why discuss it? Will fretting and hand wringing change anything? No. Is there any way it could help promote hot rodding? I think likely the opposite.

If the "how old are we" thread is anywhere close to being the demographic of the hot rod hobby, it is certainly an aging group with nearly 80% of those answering the poll over the age of 50. So, does it do any good to worry about car values? I believe the discussion can cause even more uncertainty and reservation in the mind of a potential hot rodder and buyer.

If I were a moderator, I would have closed this thread a long time ago. It's anti-productive.

Lynn

 

Lynn, get that new dragster going.

Chuck

 

"the thread is not ready to die yet,
Because everyone has an opinion"
Let's face some facts here, first of all, most of us are old, not all, but most! The old guys have the money, but don't have the motivation anymore. The young guys have the motivation, but not the money. There's other responsibilities when you're young in life.yes there are many nice cars on here that you could buy. Some of them are overpriced! And as many people have stated times change. interests change. And so it goes on and on.....

 

The question was the following,
So, does it do any good to worry about car values?
For me no because I already sold my car and I am not planing on buying another one any time soon.

But for all the others trying to sell their car yes car values are important.
Times are changing and so are things people are willing to spend their money on!

Just my opinion Jimbo

 

some cars are selling called earlier in the week about a 62 galaxie
on marketplace. called back today to go look at it. sold yesterday !

 

Can't believe this is still going...it's a hobby. Just enjoy your cars and hope someone in the family wants it if you get old or pass away. I have way more in my '49 coupe than I'd get out of it. If you want to make money forget hot rods. Restore old Porsches, Mercedes and Datsun 240/280Z. Times are changing and so is disposable income.

 

Hello,

As nice as some of the hot rods for sale on the HAMB, it is due to the price being too high for most buyers. We all understand that it takes time and energy to build something. But, with those prices so high, it is saying… “you are going to pay me to build what I want, now I want you to buy it…” that is a little quirky. If a hot rod sells for Godzilla prices on any of the auction sites, that gives others fodder to raise prices of their own.

Everyone has their own way to look at the prices of hot rods and cruisers. But as we all know, you cannot get what you put into it from the ordinary daily driver hot rodder. Those auction sales probably never see daily driving. They are probably put in a warehouse for storage and brought out when an event is happening or a hint that someone is looking for a 57 Bel Air hardtop or sedan delivery.

Everyone plays with their own wants and needs. If you can’t build one due to a number of factors, then a complete hot rod or cruiser is in the open market. If someone is spending 60k on a new pickup truck, it could also go for a completed hot rod with all of the top build items listed. That is the choice. If someone is building a hot rod in the garage for daily use and it takes several years of labor and money to finish, then recovering money spend is usually in the books.

Jnaki

In the housing market, if the house is in a desirable neighborhood and is worn down. People will flock to it because they can make it their own with new additions and custom construction. If it is your house that needs to be sold, do you spend thousands on redoing a kitchen or bathroom just to sell it? If the location and basic housing availability is pinching the market, then yes, spend the money. You will get it out.

That is not usually happens in the hot rod/cruising world. It is difficult to get what you put into a build when it comes time to sell. Unless, of course, it is a valuable rare commodity with a “fair” price, not one that is gouging everyone. If you want to start another project and need to sell, price it right and it will sell. Over price it like a lot cars listed in the HAMB classifieds and it will sit for months. Christmas is a bad season to buy either a house or a car. Unless the dealers make an offer your budget cannot refuse.

 

Jnaki:

Very well said and I agree with you for what it worth.

I also thing sometimes guys want to sell their car but cannot really bring them selves to do it.
When this happens they price the car high in many way's hoping no one buy's their car or even makes an offer but they can still say they tried hard to sell it but could not find a buyer.

There is one car for sale on the HAMB that has been for sale for a few years without lowering the price so either they are just stubborn or they really cannot bring them selves to lower the price. Why else would you keep advertising the same thing month after month unless you just like looking the car.
The definition of Insanity is doing the same thing today as you did yesterday and expecting different results.

Jimbo

 

Kudos to you for selling the car but more importantly being honest . It is always the right thing to do .

 

Yes, let a buyer come along with some of the above opinions and convince you to sell it cheap so they can flip it for a profit. Have a nice 32, 33, 34 car built; it's not cheap! What is the going rate for a dependable builder these days, $100 hr? Have met some very rude flippers over the years trying to get the price in the dirt! As mentioned in another post here, the HAMB probably isn't the best forum to sell vehicles for guys that build them. Check the prices in rags like 'Autabuy', The prices here are reasonable compared to what old car dealers are selling them for; or maybe old car dealerships are just rich people sitting on them to see them advertised in magazines.

 

Well the price range on those two will reduce your buying clientele to a select few. Just going to have to be patient and wait for the right people, nice rides, by the way.

 

As a teacher for the last 18 years you are wasting your time. I’ve taught all 3 of mine and time to find a new job. Dumber by the day. Just when you can’t think it can get any worse it does. Buy land, seeds, and ammo. You are gonna need it soon. Most of the parents, kids, and administrators are as useless as titties on a boar hog. All of my kids will do rotc and serve in the military and get jobs where they learn a trade to go with their degree. None of them would be a teacher if you Gave them all the money in the world thank god.