The Next Crash: Muscle Cars?

[illustratton]

I look for at least a 40% drop in Muscle Cars this year (NOT as bad as some of you think) - Just think of it as a "market correction". The true collector cars ie: Mercedes 300SL "Gullwing", Ferrari, etc. will drop a little 5-10% but come back in a year or two.

I bought and sold collector cars for about 20 years - in another life.

[deckeda]

BigGuynRusty wrote:
Maybe I mistyped, it isn't rarity alone that makes a car worth $$$, it is also the desire for the vehicle also.

Quite true. There are a variety of reasons, such as boomers who never had one when they were new and has always wanted one. These are an emotional purchase, there doesn't have to be a practical "reason" per se.

That other aspect, a car's character, is very much in play here too. I owned for many years an old Camaro. Even in my dreams and despite my numerous engine and suspension upgrades it was never a true musclecar, but one thing it had was a pleasing character. I have many fond memories of driving it and thinking, "this is what driving pleasure is about" -- and yeah, I had much more modern cars as reference too.

[Racer X]

Most of the GS/GN owners I know, or know of, wouldn't sell their cars to make improvements on their homes. Maybe a major illness of a child or spouse, but you need to understand that most of them drive their cars. They aren't trailer/garage queens. many of the trophy winning show cars get raced at the same events. Those are not the cars that were ever purchased as an investment, so their value has no relevance.

I will never sell my droptop, period. I will never sell my GSX, period. I will sell my house and get an apartment and put the cars in storage before I will sell them. Lots of the GS/GN owners are that way. many purchased their cars to replace ones they were forced to sell in the first place decades ago when starting a family and they needed the money, or a more reasonable daily ride.

You also need to understand that the high end GS/GSXs and GN/GNXs in pristine original shape, or perfectly restored, when they sell, never hit the open market. Its hard to define a price when they never hit the market. My Skylark droptop was sold to me for less that market price because it went to ME. Her son wanted it, and was willing to pay more, but he wasn't going top take care of it properly. She knew of me, and knew that I would value it for what it meant to me, and I would drive it.

But yeah, on the whole, any "luxury" discretionary high ticket item will take a hit in its value right now. Great time to buy a boat if you have the money and can afford moorage. I know some boat brokers that have seen the owners lower the original asking prices from several hundred grand down to the 60-80K range.

[Racer X]

deckeda wrote:
[quote=BigGuynRusty]
Maybe I mistyped, it isn't rarity alone that makes a car worth $$$, it is also the desire for the vehicle also.

Quite true. There are a variety of reasons, such as boomers who never had one when they were new and has always wanted one. These are an emotional purchase, there doesn't have to be a practical "reason" per se.

That other aspect, a car's character, is very much in play here too. I owned for many years an old Camaro. Even in my dreams and despite my numerous engine and suspension upgrades it was never a true musclecar, but one thing it had was a pleasing character. I have many fond memories of driving it and thinking, "this is what driving pleasure is about" -- and yeah, I had much more modern cars as reference too.
I agree 100%

Why is a LS-6 Chevelle SS worth more than a Stage 1 GSX? They made maybe 6-7 times more of them, and both are just as fast, and a very similar car in fact. It is an emotional thing, and a perceptual thing. From a pure investment standpoint, the Buick SHOULD be the better choice because of the rarity alone, but the market is far smaller. If someone really wants a Lime Mist GSX, its going to be expensive because they only made 6 or 8 of them, and are only 2 or 3 left. It will take a LONG time to find one for sale. Now if you want a Lucerne Blue LS-6 Chevelle SS, take your pick on any given day of the several dozen probably available for sale if you have cash in hand.