Are you worried who's going to buy our Chargers in the future?

[myk]

but seriously in 15-20 years there are going to be THOUSANDS of muscle cars hitting the market and prices will plummet, law of supply and demand I'm afraid 

How do you figure this?  IMHO, the price of our cars keeps them out of reach for many (especially the younger generations) and the cost to restore them keeps climbing at least for Mopars.  This seems to indicate there will be less or the same quantity out there, but I'm interested to hear your reasoning.

He probably figures that all of us and the rest of the older cars owners will pass on around the same time, which will leave a lot of Detroit iron without owners.  Sure, some will be passed down in families  but I imagine cars like mine with no family to go to will wind up in an estate auction or something...

[cavemanno1]

Myk,
I could be your brother from an other mother if you want,so you have someone to pass down your car
That good deed alone could get you into Heaven  !!!

Think about it,it's not to late!You don't want to end up down there with all those FOrd and Chevy people 

[pacegr85]

I'm 30 yrs old and the 69-70 charger is my dream car. I love the lack of electronics, the return to the basics and the roar of a huge V8... I consider mopars an art form.

Currently looking for one before I get married. I familiar with how that works.

[billssuperbird]

I know mine is not a charger. But my son will get it and I know him it will stay in the Family.

[myk]

Myk,
I could be your brother from an other mother if you want,so you have someone to pass down your car
That good deed alone could get you into Heaven   !!!

Think about it,it's not to late!You don't want to end up down there with all those FOrd and Chevy people  

Lol.  Well I just turned 40 and I feel like there might be more days behind me than ahead of me.  I don't have any family so I actually have thought about this: why leave my beloved car in the hands of strangers?  I'd die in peace knowing that you, Shawn, Dirk, Tony, Clayton, Troy, Ron or any of the good people I've met here would take my life's work into their home.  However, I figure that we're  all pretty much in the same age group, and extraneous circumstances aside, we'll mostly pass on around the same time anyway, which would either leave my Charger orphaned just a little later or even immediately.

Can we stop talking about this, lol...  

[cincyboy]

Ever see this movie?    I guess I kinda picture it happening like this. We weren't able to have kids. Yes I worry about it.  LOL, and i cant even drive mine yet. 

[HeavyFuel]

Not worried.

I'll drive it till I can't operate it safely anymore, by my determination or someone else's.   Then it's going to whoever gives me the most for it.......unfortunately my two boys aren't interested in it.   But all of their friends are.     Go figure.   Maybe they take it for granted, having a '68 Charger R/t in the third stall.......like it happens all the time.  


I'm almost 54, figure I've got about 10 more decent years left, then maybe a few more half-assed years after that.   Yeah, she won't be collecting a lot of dust in the summer months.

[Mike DC]

How do you figure this?  IMHO, the price of our cars keeps them out of reach for many (especially the younger generations) and the cost to restore them keeps climbing at least for Mopars.  This seems to indicate there will be less or the same quantity out there, but I'm interested to hear your reasoning.

It has happened to every previous generation of collectible cars.  They never become CHEAP as in daily beater territory, but the prices fall way below their high point.  


It's not that people will stop thinking these cars are cool.  The problem is that cool isn't enough.  I think '58 Plymouths or '49 Mercurys or '39 Fords are cool - but I'm not spending tens of thousands of dollars on any of them.  There are too many other things higher up on my want-list.  I'm dumping money into Chargers while the values of those others gradually fall.  

Once the generations that loved muscle cars as their #1 choice passes on, it's all downhill from there.  Future generations will still respect them, and probably cringe when they see one wrecked on TV . . . but will a classic 1960s muscle car still be what they spend their disposable money on?  When they have enough for ONE fun car?  Doubtful.    

[myk]

Not only that, but they're growing up with a new generation of muscle cars that connect with their generation better than these 60's muscle cars do.  They'll group up thinking, "yeah I wish I could've afforded a Hellcat but I was just in high school.  Now that I've got a grown up job the Hellcat's a reality..."

[HeavyFuel]

As far as timing is concerned, we hit the sweet spot regarding the cars we love and the hobby.

Even a ragtag, so-so mechanic wannabe like myself can produce a decent car that's presentable and safe.   The shade tree mechanic of 2050 is gonna have a much tougher time with a 2010 Challenger that's been sitting beside a garage for decades.  

[myk]

As far as timing is concerned, we hit the sweep spot regarding the cars we love and the hobby.

Even a ragtag, so-so mechanic wannabe like myself can produce a decent car that's presentable and safe.   The shade tree mechanic of 2050 is gonna have a much tougher time with a 2010 Challenger that's been sitting beside a garage for decades. 

And that brings up the old subject of the electronics and their sustainability.  How long will all of these advanced systems hold up?  Will there be reproductions?  Ah well, it won't be our problem. Lol...

[stripedelete]

How do you figure this?  IMHO, the price of our cars keeps them out of reach for many (especially the younger generations) and the cost to restore them keeps climbing at least for Mopars.  This seems to indicate there will be less or the same quantity out there, but I'm interested to hear your reasoning.

It has happened to every previous generation of collectible cars.  They never become CHEAP as in daily beater territory, but the prices fall way below their high point.  


It's not that people will stop thinking these cars are cool.  The problem is that cool isn't enough.  I think '58 Plymouths or '49 Mercurys or '39 Fords are cool - but I'm not spending tens of thousands of dollars on any of them.  There are too many other things higher up on my want-list.  I'm dumping money into Chargers while the values of those others gradually fall.  

Once the generations that loved muscle cars as their #1 choice passes on, it's all downhill from there.  Future generations will still respect them, and probably cringe when they see one wrecked on TV . . . but will a classic 1960s muscle car still be what they spend their disposable money on?  When they have enough for ONE fun car?  Doubtful.    

Well put.

I would like to expand on your last point.  An extra toy car in the hands of the middle class/working man is a very recent phenomenon brought on by the prosperity experienced by the WWII generation, "War Babies" and "Boomers".  The WWII generation were in thier 60's before they sought out and restored "our family's first car". The rest followed closely with mid 50's and the 60's muscle cars at an earlier age.

I believe this has given rise to a false sense of normalcy or affordability of the hobby to the following generations.  The war dividend has stopped paying.  The standard of living hasn't really risin much since the 80's.  Yes there are bigger houses and the camper has been replaced by Disnyland and resort vacations.  But this all comes with much larger debt which is disproportional to prior generations.   And the second car?  It's moms ride to work.  

Disposable income is shrinking along with the middle class.  Demand will follow and so will price.  So if "worried" means, "how will I recoupe my investment?" Or, you think the Charger is going to pay for your toddler's education.
Sell now!

You can look to the Model T for future demand based on emotions.  But, if you want see the future of demand based on economics/demographics,  look at the boating industry.

If you're young; teens, 20's or 30's, don't get in.  Your ticket to a nice muscle car is "delayed gratification".

[ikbrown]

Good points about the #1 choice and how 'cool' isn't good enough, Mike. I agree, and I suppose that time will come for our Chargers as well. Muscle cars will remain a first choice for project cars for me, but others in my generation are turning to more recent 'classics' as their first choice, and I imagine so that trend will continue. For example, buying and importing a 1990 JDM Skyline, or restoring an E30/E36 M3, or 90s subarus and dropping STI motors in them.  Many 'first choice' project cars for gearheads in my generation are quite different than what I like. I love driving my daily Saab 92x (rebadged Subaru WRX) but when it comes to throwing money at a project, I'd prefer to put it towards my Charger.

[303 Mopar]

All good points guys, and always enjoy good conversations around the future of muscle cars.   

[Challenger340]

I used to worry about owning a diminishing value asset, just part of my psyche having always been the main breadwinner in our family.
But lately,
given changes to what I see as economic fundamentals and asset valuations in general, my opinion is that the "classics" and american muscle will retain value and appreciation well into the 2020's.
IMO, until deficit spending is corrected, there will always be today's "cash" chasing future retained "value" in assets.

In the 70's the saying was...
DOPE will get you through times of no money... better than money will get you through times of no DOPE !

Until deficit spending is reined in ? and some normalcy returns to interest structures ?  Today's "money" purchasing power is bound to be far greater than in future.
and I believe....
that is why we are seeing these cars values being retained in future.