This economy is totally weird. I see more old cars and muscle cars and cool motorcycles and stuff for sale on CraigsList and other places than I have ever seen in my life, but the ads keep reappearing time and time again and the stuff is obviously not selling. Some old beater pickups and rigs like that I have seen advertised for almost a year. A car dealer friend of mine told me he can't sell anything at any price, even the $300 beaters at the back of the lot. But yet on HAMB classifieds and Fordbarn and other ad sites people haven't backed off a bit on prices for bodies or high dollar hot rods. Is everybody just dreaming and the reality hasn't set in yet that this stuff is no longer worth these prices, or is some of this high dollar stuff still actually selling? I don't get it.
I recently sold a car, it took a couple of months to get a buyer at an acceptable price, still went way too cheap, but.... I have noticed many cars on Ebay not selling, being re-listed multiple times. I think a lot of people have been crunched financially. This is probably not such a good time to sell, but it is probably a good time to buy, some cars are selling for considerably less than the cost of building.
The market is down, hot rods, classics, etc. are things nobody "needs". There still are guys (and gals) out there with money, some looking for a steal, others looking for the right car. There seem to be more for sale, but in most markets you have to find the person looking for the car your selling, and it has to be a good car. I'm trying to sell my Goat, have some interest so I have hopes that it will sell at areasonable price.
I had a buyer on ebay for my wagon....way below what it should be worth (and I really didn't want to sell it that cheap anyway) but he ended up backing out. I really think there just isn't a lot of extra money right now.....
My dad's boss is a high-end collector. Right now it is time to BUY BUY BUY because he is getting cars that are rarely available, and buying them for nearly nothing. He is going to make a killing on them. The market will come back...
I think things are still moving but just at a slower pace. Remember somebody out there WANTS what you are trying to sell, you just have to go to the right place to let them know you have it. Case in point. I had a '47 Chevy sedan delivery that I had tried for close to 3 months to sell here on the HAMB with a lot of lookers but no takers. So, I bit the bullet and put it on E-Bay, raised the price a few hundred and sold it on the second day the ad was out. So see, you just have to explore all your options sometimes. But by and large, the HAMB is THE place to present your item, but be posiitve in your pricing and not "test the water" so to speak with some rediculous inflated price to see if there is a "sucker" out there. Oh, also, you will not find a nicer bunch of folk than on here to do business with and believe me, I know.
I have noticed that while complete cars have suffered a big drop in value, parts seem to have held their value, especially the vintage speed goodies. There still seems to be plenty of people who will shell out several grand for two rusty, dented, chevy six bolt pattern milk truck wheels.
I have a real nice 38 Chevy 2 door Sedan for sale here on the HAMB and several other places. It has been 4 Sale for about a year now. All of my friends have said they can't believe that I still have it at my price. I have had several trade offers and a couple real ridicules low ball offers from dealers but I still own it. I put it on Ebay twice but only got half of my asking price. Craigslist only gets me the scammers looking to send me a bum check and I return the over-payment. The only reason to sell is I have too many rods now and don't drive it much any more. I refuse to let it set and dry rot away.
I can't sell anything right now. I've been trying to sell the '63 Electra for a few months, but to no avail. I've had a lot of lookers, I've even had people drive the car and such, but still no takers for whatever reason. Of course I didn't put it on Ebay, it's on here and that's it. I can understand that not selling though because it's a weird car. What I can't figure out is why I can't sell my '90 Honda Civic. You know the economic climate is in tough shape when you can't sell a Honda.
a friend sold his car ,now the buyer wants to auction it off, seems ok to me . I am quitting racing this yr, so I had the idea raffle the dragster, 100 buck a pop, limited no of tickets, let the raffle drawing be held at a race, present the package and give the winner 1000.00 for going home. might work. plus if I put it on here 750 to the HAMB.
Yea the market sucks I list 20 to 30 car part items a month on Ebay maybe realist 1 or 2 Now if I list 20 I re list 18 and they still do not sell <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o> </o>
On the flip side, it's a good time to buy. I picked up a set of 4.56 Richmond Pro gears for $50.00 and a set of never run Moroso tires and spindlemount wheels for $250.00 for my Anglia project. Buy now, hold and sell later seems to be a plan. I'm not sure I'll live long enough to see the economy boom again though. Larry T
yup it sucks alright , i have been tryin to sell my 05 bagger for a few months , i have gotten so many dumbass stupid fuckin offers i finally just gave up and unlisted the scoot ..
a collector car dealer stopped by on Saturday. he sells alot of cars. i asked him how things were going & the first words out of his mouth were: "BRIGHT RED" tri-5 convertibles or SS chevelles ill take a dozen that are ready to go. he said he just sold a nice mopar the right car, options & color for crazy money & he said he thought they were getting soft but he had a few guys after it & it sold right away. he said the desireable cars, done right are going strong. he said nice built mid 30s street rods like 37 chev sedans & 35-6 ford sedans stuff like that done right the right color can be bought right & sold reasonable & are selling strong if they have the right look & you can get in hit the key & everything works mark it sold! i asked him about a nice 3 window coupe & he laughed & said you, me & everybody else are watching & waiting for those to drop. one built right the right color is holding strong. they are out there but your gonna pay! said he bought himself a red 57 chev convertible for a summer driver & it sold before he put 10 miles on it so he went & bought a cherry of a gypsy red 55 chev convert, paid up for it, drove it one weekend & never advertised it or put it for sale & has a guy hounding him to sell so he said as soon as i can replace it ill let it go.
One of the big problems is not so much the economy, but the "rules of the game" which have been changed to the point that it is impossible to predict the future with any degree of accuracy. With no rules by which to figure the odds of success in any particular venture...including the future value and/or use-ability of old cars...nobody's willing to "roll the dice" and take a chance. Better to just hold onto what we've got and wait until new rules emerge...if they ever do. Wives are even more aware of this than we are, and are more likely to put the brakes on any deal, no matter how "safe" it might seem to us guys. So what's a guy to do? In my humble opinion, keep what you've got and...add three carbs instead of two, drive your hot rod as often and as fast as possible, and always, always TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME. God bless America!
My parts have been selling as good as ever, but it's a tough market for cars. I've got way more cars than I will ever need, but I'm not selling yet since buyers are rare. The guys who can hold onto their extra stuff the longest will come out on top, in my opinion. As mentioned, I have also noticed that a lot of the stuff that's come up for sale recently hasn't been bargain priced. But those people know how much they want and are only willing to sell if they get their price. There's nothing wrong with that. Real estate in my area is the same way. Plenty of stuff for sale, but no one willing to take much less than their asking price.
I have not had much luck with cars or parts. I may price things a little high but I always add that i am open to offers, still nothing. I did some trades thinking they might be a little easier to get rid of, still no luck. I am laid off so money is tight but I am not desperate. Right now I would be happy to sell one vehicle so I can get my truck fixed.
Hey guys/gals, Like I stated in my profile...I market cars for clients from project cars to high end stuff. Since last October just following the AACA Hershey show, I've sold 21 cars and two motorcycles with $$ ranging from $250k to $4k. Thats about 2.5 cars per month, which is about the average I like to do, part-time from my house. Most of the sellers have received the $$ they were looking for and some sold at a lower price, but that happens in a good market. Although prices are down on some cars...they are higher in other segments. Cars with good documentation are selling. Original Model A's are up as are 55-57 T-Birds and most 50's Glitz cars. Most of the classic dealers are keeping their own $$ up, while trying to steal cars from private owners. The economy does suck right now...but not everywhere. A lot depends on how/where the cars are advertised. Say what you will about Ebay, but it gets the cars noticed worldwide with a name everyone knows...and they go there at work, home or on a plane. Most high end car websites are totally unknown to the average seller/buyer, but everyone knows Ebay! So, I use it for what it does in that regard...it gets the word out and I could care less if it sells there...I'll keep the final value fee Thank You!. The contacts I've made there are invaluable. So, don't get discouraged about the sale of your car...get it out there...everything sells eventually!!! Good Luck. Murph Check out my Ebay auctions under username firsttrade26
I am a Butcher/Meat Market guy and everybody is still hamburger,fish sticks and chicken right now, we're not stocking the Halibut and Prime ribeyes as much till it comes back around....my wife is an upholsterer and she says the rich folks are just starting to get over their embarassement of riches and have started to bring in furniture after a 4-5 month lay off..I did just sell a 53 Packard non-running fourdoor for $2100 to a guy that needed one for a parts car and have been doing alot of trading so its not too Bad...
It's like the dot.com bust,,the bubble has popped,,to many cobbed togetehr cars going for crazy $$,,Kinda like houses,,oh its worth this and worth that,,The folks who were buying to be cool,,have spent there $$,,and alot who tired of that car they paid way to much for are loosing there shirts in resale,,,Prices will have to become more realistic again..also to the Fad has shifted..Remember what any flathead motor was going for 3 years ago?? now you can't give them away..Prats and reasonable project are where the $$ is at,,also alotta those new to the hobbie jumped in ( so many so ) that the prices went crazy,,many lost interest and $$ so alot of un finished projects outthere as well
i bought and 47 chevy 2 door with 7000 miles unrestored and 48 chevy 2 door with nova rear sub frame and 78 firebird front within the last 2 months for last then a grand in a better market around here the would of been about $6000-7000.thanks
As a swap meet vendor; I've had two great shows this year, better than ever. Have I dropped my price?? Yep. Do I take offers?? depending how long I have carried the item, I look at how long I've carried it and how much I have into it. I don't run a museum; everything that is out is for sale, don't want to load it and take it home.... and I rarely pass up anyone's money!!! Between swap meets and some train shows I have been to, if I stayed away from the media , I wouldn't know there was a recession. If you can, price to sell and you won't bring it home!!! My $.02 worth..... see you at Rhinebeck Goodguys.... gaspumpchas
I do appraisals on antique and collector cars for insurance companies, I have never been busier with new purchases and new builds. Go figure.
market for rods is off by at least a third of what its worth, sometimes more. like stock, if you got the bread, buy them up!!
I live here in Midwest and I watch the market pretty close. It seems to have really gone south just in the last couple of months. Buyers market big time. I feel sorry for the guy that's trying to sell his ride just to make ends meet. Somebody in an earlier post said the guys with all the $ will end up with all the stuff being sold, that's true, but if you have a car and you can hold on to it...do it. The market will recover in time and I think I would rather have my money in a hot rod than these friggin' banks.
yea and if this gas keeps going up again its going to get worse. i know things are not sellling i see the cars on here over and over for a long time/ but then some of these cars an parts are way over priced.
I have noticed that even though folks arent doing alot of buyin they are willing to do more trading of parts and such. Its worked out pretty well for me the last few weeks.
All I can say is that I'm glad I sold my '50 Ford last year and not this year. My parts sales have fallen as well, but since it's not my main living, I'll just wait until things turned around. I think the drop in the stock market killed off the last of the buyers, since many people in this hobby are retired or close to it. No income, no toys. Prices have not come down much from what I see, but not much is selling. That tells me things will come down more before they get better. I was at the RM auction this April and nothing was selling except at fire sale prices, although one person paid an insane price of around $140K for a restored '51 Monarch convertible. They couldn't give the pro-street stuff away. Many muscle cars are probably 1/3 off their peak, which probably isn't surprizing given how fast they went up.
The Jalopy Journal
