Fortune magazione: Bear market for many 50s classics...but not the Golden hawk

[JBOYLE]

Fortune magazine recently came out with a list of 50s classics that haven't recovered from the 2008 economy crash (where other cars...namely vintage imports have)..but the Golden hawk is bucking the trend.

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/autos/2014/02/14/classic-cars-bear-market.fortune/9.html

But aside from that good point...the main thrust of the feature is younger guys aren't flocking to 50s iron like the older generations did.
For years people in the hobby have been saying that once the current generation dies off, prices will fall. Over the years I've heard it predicted for Model Ts and As, Brass-era (which is currently enjoying a renaissance...so the doom sayer's might be wrong there), and stock prewar cars. Could the 50s be next?

[BobPalma]

Interesting, John.

I still maintain that the following article is as accurate an assessment of predicted market reality as you'll find:

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?78642-Car-amp-Driver-Excellent-Collector-Car-Market-Article

[avantilover]

The young ones likely gravitate to cars of their time or slightly before, like most of us do, maybe the cars of the 70s 80s and 90s will be the fad of the future.

[57pack]

It's amazing to me how few 1970's and 1980's autos are still around.
Appears that most have been crushed, least way around this area of the country.
We were in Jim Thorpe Pa. Earlier this year when a vintage Chevrolet Citation came
clattering down the street. We all stopped and were amazed, no one could believe it was
still running! Perhaps a candidate for restoration by a member of the "like" generation?

[8E45E]

The young ones likely gravitate to cars of their time or slightly before, like most of us do, maybe the cars of the 70s 80s and 90s will be the fad of the future.

At least where you are, John, 1970's cars are actually worth collecting as Australian market cars were unhindered by emission and safety regulations that did nothing for the car's looks or performance. If I were to ever get a car from that era that had 'American' looks without those ugly 5-mph bumpers, I would definitely go shopping 'down under' for one.

Craig

[southbend]

The young ones likely gravitate to cars of their time or slightly before, like most of us do, maybe the cars of the 70s 80s and 90s will be the fad of the future.

I largely agree with you. If anything, the interest in earlier iron will mostly be to take pre-60 cars and modify them to perform like cars of the 70s-90s and even today. I think many of the threads and posts on this forum here prove that out.

It's amazing to me how few 1970's and 1980's autos are still around.
Appears that most have been crushed, least way around this area of the country.
We were in Jim Thorpe Pa. Earlier this year when a vintage Chevrolet Citation came
clattering down the street. We all stopped and were amazed, no one could believe it was
still running! Perhaps a candidate for restoration by a member of the "like" generation?

I think there might be a couple of good reasons as to why '70s-'80s car went to the crusher. First, a lot them weren't built to last. I had friend who had an '80 Citation first-generation front wheel drive. Bought it brand new. The buzz around that "new" technology (forget the Cord) was huge. The car gave him nothing but headaches after the first 40k miles or so. You do say that the Citation that you saw came "clattering" down the street and that "no one could believe it was still running." Very telling. And don't even get me started on the '78 Pinto my dad bought brand new. On the other hand, my '88 Plymouth Reliant that I bought brand new was ugly but, well, very reliant, I guess. Or perhaps that should be "reliable."

Second, by the '70s and '80s we had become much more of a "disposable" society in general than ever before. It quickly became cheaper to replace than repair. That also might factor into the high crush rate for these cars.

[Bob Bryant]

southbend: While on the Interstate the other day I saw a nice Plymouth Reliant station wagon. It had the vinyl wood grain effect on it, but I don't know what year it might have been. A survivor and there can't be many! My '82 LeBaron has probably been recycled twice by now.

[Pat Dilling]

I would submit that a "value bubble" grew around certain popular classic cars. The tri-five Chevys, late 60s-early 70s Mopars, 69 Camaros, 32 Fords and a few others became over valued. These cars became so popular that you can get repopped parts to build them from scratch. I think they became so common that finally the value started to drop. That's not to say that these cars are no longer valuable, but rather unless one is particularly unique, or has special provenance, they probably have lost some value. On the other hand I think collectors and enthusiasts are discovering the less popular cars and many are searching for cars that are different and stand out among the others.

[jerezstude]

I remember in 86 when I first went to Hershey, the days of mud, there was much talk about the age of the vendors and shoppers. It was suggested Hershey would not exist in another 20 years because there would be no one left interested in buying the cars or parts. Today all the vendor spaces are still filled and the foot traffic is still heavy when its not raining. While prices will continue to fluctuate, I believe the old car hobby will continue to thrive into the future. I personally have three
pre-war vehicles that I have been offered some insane prices for, far more then their value 20 years ago. Jerry Kurtz