Wheels falling off muscle car dream

[JimNiki]

we can't take it with us, most of us aren't tightwads ...we like to enjoy things...
I borrowed off the home to buy my mach1 ...

what else am I to do? wait till I'm 65? I'll probably go for a camry by then! hehe
Be happy but allow for abit of cash flow to also live happily...

PS, I would never have bought an old Sunday car if I wasn't prepared to do all the work on it myself... I've saved at least the cost of the vehicle again just in labour...

[disco]

I actually think it's a sad indictment on the Muscle car scene, that the end of the muscle car dream has become all about your original GT-HO being 'only' worth $300K, instead of the $600K it fetched a few years ago!

It appears to me...the 'real' muscle car dream ended some years ago! Seriously this is nothing but an out-and-out disgrace!

My dream has always been to own a GT-HO Phase III, had I been in the postion to afford the very achievable price tag of $70-80K back in say 2001 / 2002, I could enjoy my muscle car dream. Instead now, less than a decade later when these wonderful cars have been around for some 40 odd years, we're all supposed to be crying into our beers over the fact that instead of a 500-600% value increase, the typcial Phase 3 owner now has to sleep at night knowing his car is only worth 300% more than it was 8 years ago!

So instead of an enthusiast having the chance to own a piece of muscle history for the same $$$ it cost to put a new HSV in your shed (as it was at the time before this madness), you now basically have to hock your house to the tilt (if you're mad enough to) to buy a 40 year old muscle car?

Gimme a f'kn break!

cheers,
Dave.

[mr smith]

Lots of cars have been for sale for a while. Prices are comming back to the enthusiast. Just about ready to put in some offers for some XR GTs. $35K - $45K is a realistic price for a nice original example.

[Coupes and More]

i think you would have a hard time finding a good coupe under $10k that wouldn't need some work. coupes that are in good condition that require no work are still selling for above $20k+ the only coupes or hardtops if you prefer that are cheap are lets face it rubbish but still bringing anything from $1k-$5k but then you end up spending at least $10k doing them up and finding parts

[Tote]

As a young bloke I always had a soft spot fo MkII Jaguars, preferably a 3.8 4speed with overdrive. As the prices took off for these cars in the 80s they went from 10,000 to $50,000 and above as the generation that admired them got the financial stability to buy their "Dream Car". The price of these vehicles 20 years later has now settled to around $20-25k as the buyers that were driving the market age and get rid of the vehicles they are no longer using. I reckon the Muscle car market will do the same eventually, if you paid $80 -100K for a RPO for example you will get it back but it's never going to keep appreciating as the market demand for that vehicle won't last forever.

Regards,
Tote

[GTPete]

Originally Posted by Tote

As a young bloke I always had a soft spot fo MkII Jaguars, preferably a 3.8 4speed with overdrive. As the prices took off for these cars in the 80s they went from 10,000 to $50,000 and above as the generation that admired them got the financial stability to buy their "Dream Car". The price of these vehicles 20 years later has now settled to around $20-25k as the buyers that were driving the market age and get rid of the vehicles they are no longer using. I reckon the Muscle car market will do the same eventually, if you paid $80 -100K for a RPO for example you will get it back but it's never going to keep appreciating as the market demand for that vehicle won't last forever.

Regards,
Tote

The Jaguar comparison doesnt hold any weight for me.The Jag market even at its peak wouldnt hold candle to the muscle car scene.

Enthusiasts aged 18 - 80 appreciate a good muscle car.
Demand still outstrips supply by a long way. The only thing slowing the muscle car market is the economy.

[mr smith]

Originally Posted by Tote

As a young bloke I always had a soft spot fo MkII Jaguars, preferably a 3.8 4speed with overdrive. As the prices took off for these cars in the 80s they went from 10,000 to $50,000 and above as the generation that admired them got the financial stability to buy their "Dream Car". The price of these vehicles 20 years later has now settled to around $20-25k as the buyers that were driving the market age and get rid of the vehicles they are no longer using. I reckon the Muscle car market will do the same eventually, if you paid $80 -100K for a RPO for example you will get it back but it's never going to keep appreciating as the market demand for that vehicle won't last forever.

Regards,
Tote

I think this is a good comparison. Jags have a world market as well v's our local one and demand still slowed down. I would love a nice MK II or XK120.
The next boom will be what young blokes want/have now. Late model Monaros will be popular as will Turbo Falcons.
Only the very best muscle cars will comand any real money in the future.

[blownvn]

When the economy bounces back I think we'll see the prices head upwards again.

Someone once said to me, "You can never pay too much for a genuine muscle car, you can only pay it too soon."

Now is the time to buy.

[JG34JA]

Disco said:

"I actually think it's a sad indictment on the Muscle car scene, that the end of the muscle car dream has become all about your original GT-HO being 'only' worth $300K, instead of the $600K it fetched a few years ago!

It appears to me...the 'real' muscle car dream ended some years ago!"

I'd agree, the days of being able to source a great performing local GT/GS sedan of XW-Y vintage cheaply, and the car not being an outright "celebrity" and highly visible are probably over.

For this reason it is great to look ahead - the same muscle formula exists at relatively cheap prices currently in the ED XR8 Sprint, EB XR6, EL Fairlane by Tickford, AU 220kw XR8, and to an extent the T1, 2 and 3 and EB/L GT. In this respect the dream is attainable.

The same sensation of driving a raw Aussie V8 is there in the Sprint (the car is an animal in manual form, its suspension is sprung with sheer purpose, steering is involved, gear ratios and engine torque range are superb, and it can hustle just as well as tour frugally in comfort - a true 'GT') The Sprint is currently next to invisible on the road (good!) and many people are shunning EA-D Falcons with a barge pole in general society and aspiring to very different machinery. Bingo! Here you have the recipe for superb bang for your buck: the muscle car dream for not too much money.

If they never become numismatic, fine. The driving will surely make up for any potential windfall gain, and that's the "muscle car dream" for me.

[jixel 78]

Just a thought, back in the early 80`s my uncle had a mustard VG Pacer he paid $800 for, drove it like he stole it, everyone hated it, cut the roof out of it and used it for a fox shooter. If it was hidden away for all that time it wouldnt have created ANY memories,and he would have a little cash for `hiding it`instead of giving it a hiding. I dunno but if he hadnt taken me to get fish and chips one Friday night in it I might not have been into cars at all. Burning brake pads and fuel vapour still come to the nostrils when I think of that night. Top end $$$$ cars are white elephants in my opinion.

[blownvn]

Originally Posted by JG34JA

For this reason it is great to look ahead - the same muscle formula exists at relatively cheap prices currently in the ED XR8 Sprint, EB XR6, EL Fairlane by Tickford, AU 220kw XR8, and to an extent the T1, 2 and 3 and EB/L GT. In this respect the dream is attainable.

Certainly, all those will become muscles cars in the future, plus the XR8's and XR6 to a lesser extent.

It wasn't that long ago that you couldn't give a Walkinshaw away, now look at the prices.

[Tote]

given enough money and a shed to hide them in I'd buy the following:

Ba MkII GT ( with the gauges on the dash, kinda A XW/XY THING)
Tickford Mustang. that litle 4.6 really screams
BA Typhoon
XH XR8 Ute
Subaru Imprezza, the model before they got the silly headlights, a 2 door WRX only for the rarity value
Holden VE ute, even I've got to admit they look good from the outside and the only other Holden I like is the SS Torana Two door
A 1993 Supra without any rice boy additions
A 4wd Celica

Regards,
Tote

[max_torq]

The decent exchange rates means US classics are much more affordable, aussie muscle cars have to compete with all the mustangs, transams and corvettes pouring into the country...

[XWGT]

I would think the dream is over. But I need to define the term "dream"

I was lucky enough to buy a mint XW GT around early 90's I paid a top shelf price for it at the time, which was still less than half of the new AU2 XR8 I drove as a daily driver.

I took that car to the GT Nationals, AFF Drag Days, Dromana Drive Inn, every club run, Aussie Muscle Car Day, Easternats, and fanged it around Tassie as fast as it would go as part of an annual trip down there 3 years in a row.

That was the dream. And I could do it because the price wasnt over the top and if I needed to fix it, repaint it, panel beat it etc it wasnt going to mean remortgaging the house.

By the time I sold that car, I was getting nervous about that stuff. It really was getting to the point that the prices and costs were so crazy the enjoyment went out of it. And that...........is where the dream died. When you cant do what you want with it because the economics have become to restrictive.............then your not having fun anymore. And muscle cars are about fun. And lots of it.

At least I was lucky enough to have enjoyed the dream. I have owned both XW and XY GT's and count myself as very lucky. Most these days will never have an XW or XY in the garage, let alone one to go nuts with.

RIP the muscle car dream. Sad but true