Have you realized… ?

[Nacho-RT74]

Have you realized while we were working on our Classic Chargers (60s and 70s) along these late 15-20 years, now more cars are into the classic car world range?

What cars from 80s and even 90s you think will be classified as a "valuable" classics like our Chargers (and others from several brands) already were 20 years ago?

True is also our cars become more desirable and got attention and help after the F&F film storm

[armor64]

its really weird to think about how different the next generation of vehicles became. MY first foray into Classics was my 78 GMC Heavy Half, that i got 15 years ago now. at the time it was 31 years old already. if someone did the same age gap today, it would be a mid 90's truck, and i don't feel as though the 88-98 OBS trucks are "classic" since they are so modern compared to the square-body years. and in that 90's era there are alot less iconic or worthy designs to keep around it seems.

[70 sublime]

I have been looking around for a cheap summer toy because I am pretty sure my 70 Charger will not be road worthy this year
So I have been looking for something a little different that might be neat and fun that I have never had before
So some of the newer stuff that is now getting older to be classic have been on my radar
Have been following a few of the mid 80's Firebirds and even a Fiero because they were new when I was at university
The listing for them do not last very long when they are in around the $10 000 range for a nice car
I had 85 86 Daytonas the first time around when they were current cars and have not come across many of them posted in good shape
Keeping an eye out for a 56 chev also because that was one that got away on me back in the 80's but it is already old 

[Wingnut426]

There has always been a "cult" following for station wagons. My 89 and 91 Country Squires are going upwards of $15K and up. I keep getting letters from my collector insurance company to "up" the values. WINGNUT

[426HemiChick]

Hi Folks,               05 April 2024

In the process of restoring our original 2000 Ford Crown Vic Interceptor. It's undergoing mechanical restoration at the moment. Then it'l have the body stripped and painted. Not a lick of rust anywhere. Once the body is done it'll receive a new 100% leather interior. Once it's done we'll sell our 09 Hemi Ram Laramie 1500. We have a shop Ford PU that is used very seldom so we can use it when we have need of a truck.

Our Interceptor will be eligible for a Classic Plate (or one of the other plates) in 2025. Hard for me to reconcile the time that has flown by since we started driving. We began by "borrowing" cars at 14, 70 years ago. Always returning them with a whole lot less fuel than when we took them.

We still have our 68 RR, 69 SB and 87 Stang Police car with 3.1 mi on the clock; the Stang will be next in the resto shop for cleanup after 37 years of sitting around.

Don't know what's going to happen down the the road. Sure not interested in EVs. Time will tell.

Best Always
426 HCs

[John_Kunkel]

Since they discontinued the LX platform cars this year, I suspect some will be considered "classics" in the near future.

[timmycharger]

My son is driving my Dad's original 2000 Chrysler 300m he had since new. It was garaged mostly in FL so the body is really nice. It is up to 235k miles now and still runs and drives well .

Hard to believe that next year it will be 25yrs old.  Still gets lots of looks from people which I am used to in my 68 but was surprised when I was in it last week with my son.

[Nacho-RT74]

Well, I think a Classic plate wouldn't make it a valuable classic.

Personally I'm driving here in Spain a 98 Diesel Range Rover (MKII or P38 as really known) . As far I know it can be "plated" as an historical car, but... really valuable as a Classic? Maybe not like the older version still made by 98 known as Classic Range Rover while sharing the P38 years production. But the "Classic" Range Rover long lasted almost 30 years with same design and just comfort upgrades. Maybe this one will be considered as a Classic car still on their last years.

I think the Ford Sierra (or Merkur depending on market) could be considered as Classic, since it was a very innovative car by those days.

Now, how many of these I mentioned or whichever car you can mention could be really saved and restored based on parts stock or repro market? Later the year production was, the less quality and surviving rate is.

[John_Kunkel]

Like many terms in the automotive world, the definition of what's a "classic" isn't agreed upon.

The dictionary says:

classic

1) Belonging to the highest rank or class.

2) Serving as the established model or standard.

3) Having lasting significance or worth; enduring.

Using that definition, a lot of cars are "classic" right off the showroom floor. I prefer the term "collector car" which has no age criterion.

[Old Moparz]

From the 80's I liked the Lincoln Mark VII LSC. Not neck snapping performance but they were nice & had the 5.0 V8 in them.

[LaOtto70Charger]

Interesting looking car. That thumbnail is Interesting. Click on it and goes full width, and available for download with a separate click. Cool.

[Aero426]

I now know how the Model A and antique car people must have felt when newer cars became collectible in the 1970's.   There are a LOT of modern-ish cars I have zero interest in that are suddenly worth some money.   

[Old Moparz]

I now know how the Model A and antique car people must have felt when newer cars became collectible in the 1970's.   There are a LOT of modern-ish cars I have zero interest in that are suddenly worth some money. 
 

That's how I felt about the VW Beetles & other models. I don't hate them but I don't want to own one & cannot believe what some of them are priced at, especially the bus with all the small windows. 

[Mike DC]

         
IMO the stuff that becomes the most "classic" is the stuff that peaked (or at least excelled) at something. 


1960s/70s muscle cars were the peak cars for teenage testosterone and drag racing. 

1990s Toyotas & Hondas were peak reliable transpo with decent comfort/features. 

1970s-1980s pickups were peak for trucks that worked hard without modern drawbacks.

1980s exotic sports cars were peak for looking like a Miami coke dealer.

Etc. 

[RallyeMike]

80-90's cars that will become valuable classics like out Chargers? Very, very few. Maybe some of the exotics and and special low production domestics. Probably some of the ricer crowd cars that I'm not up to speed on....  and that's about all. 

Any newish cars with multiple computers, hundreds of pounds of wiring and sensors, digital clusters, touch screens, etc. will not become classics in the sense a 60-70's Charger is today. There will be a few low mile examples that will remain, but most will be too hard for hobbyists to maintain after the
 manufacturers stop supporting them and interest will wane.

[b5blue]

I agree, just as the value depends on the "feelings" of the buyer. My 70 Charger was made when I was 15 and when I bought it I was 40. While rough after years of drag racing enough was there to put it in service. Many cars are not really serviceable long term without parts. Parts that fail tend to fail for all of the same type so used parts are all failed for repair use. (Our Chargers are rather simple still.) 

[426HemiChick]

09 May 2024

To us, it's a matter of what one likes and wants. The newer stuff with all the modern electronics are good for as long as those electronics have replacements available. Once that dries up, the car becomes a host for scavenging usable parts. Our 2000 Ford interceptor is a good example, still scrounging new parts. This is getting expensive. We want the car so we are willing to fork over what it takes. Like everything, there is a limit, just haven't reached it yet.

Best Always
426 HC's

[426HemiChick]

Hi Folks,            17 May 2024

Received some good news today, Vic, our Police Interceptor passed emissions, has a two year tag for her license. She won't need to be inspected again until May 2026.

We will head up to Chapman Ford, pick her up, drive her home for a short visit. We'll load her up with the parts for the last phase of her mechanical restoration. We have enough new parts to rebuild her front end at least three times. We are thinking of buying another Ford Police Interceptor and having it restored. I personally love these cars as they are roomy, solid on the highway, comfortable and are fast. Our Vic has been to 140 several times during chases.

Those chases were fun until I started noticing I had to air the tires everyday. Took the car back to NTB and had them tank them. All were leaking air through the tread. Tiny little bubbles all along the tread. Dismounted one tire and the inside of the tire was falling apart. All four exhibited the same problem. I paid $1K for each tire. I think they were Pirelli. Didn't make me happy, trashed them, put on a set of Michelin's and stopped chasing. The chase thing was one nut being chased by an even bigger one.

After seeing the inside of the tires, the enormity of my chasing hit me pretty hard. The damage I could have inflicted upon innocent persons was a wakeup call. If one is going to do stupid things, they should be done where no one other than the stupid actor is affected. Difficult to do so just don't do them.

Will keep you posted on the rest of her mechanical restoration.

Best Always
426 HC's

[426HemiChick]

Picked the Ford up today. Is running better than she did when new. It was nice driving her with her new round tires. The square weenies were a real bear. She was jumping all over the road.

Next will be rebuilding the front end. The ball joints are a wreck causing her to "Road Walk." Next week we are taking her back so the remaining items can be repaired. She needs A/C work, Front End rebuild, and last but not least, a 2:73 rear gear to replace the 3:08 she came with.

Once all the Mechanicals have been completed she will be off to the body/resto shop for a minor ding repair and complete repaint. Last but not least will be a new leather interior.

Best Always
426 HC's

[HANDM]

I personally like driving my pos 91 Honda Prelude 4WS. The younger kids really like it and it's way more fun to drive than the charger or challenger ever were. Plus it pretty much infinitely repairable unlike my wife's 18 challenger T/A which will be obsolete in short order especially if the electronics start to go. On the plus side a 440 and 833 could be bashed in the challenger so there's that

[426HemiChick]

I personally like driving my pos 91 Honda Prelude 4WS. The younger kids really like it and it's way more fun to drive than the charger or challenger ever were. Plus it pretty much infinitely repairable unlike my wife's 18 challenger T/A which will be obsolete in short order especially if the electronics start to go. On the plus side a 440 and 833 could be bashed in the challenger so there's that

Hi Frank,            19 May 2024
Forgot to mention the dealer took our Interceptor to the Smog shop for testing; she passed with flying colors. She now has an AZ title and an Arizona Navy Vet plate with the Hull number of the ship I spent the most time on. The new plate reads:  TAGS23

Miss the old gal, spent 5.5 years aboard her. She was declared "Unfit For Sea Duty" in 1975, three years after I left and then disposed of (meaning Scrapped) in 1977. Lots of fond memories.

Best Always
426 HC's

[Kern Dog]

I'll bet everyone is elated to learn about your Ford.









 

[hemigeno]

I'll bet everyone is elated to learn about your Ford.
 

 

There's no requirement to be Charger- or even Mopar-related in this section of the forum. 

[Kern Dog]

Yeah, Okay.
It is Car GUYS discussion and we are ALL men here.
EVERY one.
There was one woman awhile back, a Latina if I recall correctly. She posted a bit about her Charger she was putting back together. She posted a bit then just faded away.
Car girls are rare but certainly welcome. I'm impressed when a woman knows a lot about cars.
When a dude knows a lot about flowers and poetry, not so much!

[b5blue]

Dog really? You wonder why nobody is coming back here? YOU ARE THE REASON!!

[Kern Dog]

For celebrating what we are? Men?

[Kern Dog]

Slow site traffic could be for other reasons....like validating insanity or pacifying weirdos.
Moparts used to be a great site but their draconian Moderators ruined the place. Some sites are owned by people that don't care whether the forum lives or dies. Others have reasonable management and decent moderators that are car guys first and moderators second.
The latter are the best, in my opinion. They understand that we as fellow enthusiasts are traditionally male, blue collar and "hands on" types of men. We don't look to others to do everything on our cars, we fix stuff ourselves, sometimes with help from others.
If a guy puts a Pentastar on a Pinto, the car is still a Ford. I will not go along with some person's insanity. One fool is enough.
Regarding classics....I feel that a hard line is carburetion versus EFI. Analog versus Computers.
It is hard to believe sometimes that computers have been standard issue for over 40 years now!

[LaOtto70Charger]

I personally like driving my pos 91 Honda Prelude 4WS. The younger kids really like it and it's way more fun to drive than the charger or challenger ever were. Plus it pretty much infinitely repairable unlike my wife's 18 challenger T/A which will be obsolete in short order especially if the electronics start to go. On the plus side a 440 and 833 could be bashed in the challenger so there's that

Hi Frank,            19 May 2024
Forgot to mention the dealer took our Interceptor to the Smog shop for testing; she passed with flying colors. She now has an AZ title and an Arizona Navy Vet plate with the Hull number of the ship I spent the most time on. The new plate reads:  TAGS23

Miss the old gal, spent 5.5 years aboard her. She was declared "Unfit For Sea Duty" in 1975, three years after I left and then disposed of (meaning Scrapped) in 1977. Lots of fond memories.

Best Always
426 HC's

What kind of ship was it?

[426HemiChick]

I personally like driving my pos 91 Honda Prelude 4WS. The younger kids really like it and it's way more fun to drive than the charger or challenger ever were. Plus it pretty much infinitely repairable unlike my wife's 18 challenger T/A which will be obsolete in short order especially if the electronics start to go. On the plus side a 440 and 833 could be bashed in the challenger so there's that

Hi Frank,            19 May 2024
Forgot to mention the dealer took our Interceptor to the Smog shop for testing; she passed with flying colors. She now has an AZ title and an Arizona Navy Vet plate with the Hull number of the ship I spent the most time on. The new plate reads:  TAGS23

Miss the old gal, spent 5.5 years aboard her. She was declared "Unfit For Sea Duty" in 1975, three years after I left and then disposed of (meaning Scrapped) in 1977. Lots of fond memories.

Best Always
426 HC's

What kind of ship was it?

Hi LaOtto70Charger,          21 May 2024

Thanks for asking; she was a converted V2 cargo ship from WW II. In 1954 she was taken over by MSTS (Military Sea Transport Service), Later MSC (Military Sealift Command). At the time the project was so secret she was barely acknowledged publicly. When I received orders to her, no one at my current base had a clue as to what she was or did. Those orders sent me to an Army Base (Std procedure). When I walked into the post HQ the person I handed my orders to looked at them and said: "Your Navy, this is an Army post." A guy sitting way in the back of the office told him to send me back to him. He was the only one there that knew about our project.

He arranged a room for me and transportation to my ship when she came into port. We wore civilian attire and were expected to remain silent about our assignment.

Long story short, the project is no longer classified. It was a Black government project for the FBM Submarine program. We used a Multi-Beam Phased Array Sonar system to map the ocean bottom so the FBM Subs could safely navigate the seas without having to surface.

Most of the maps we created are still classified Top Secret and are still the best and most accurate maps ever produced of the oceans floor. I also have the distinction, shared by shipmates, of having swan directly over "Challenger Deep" located in the Marianas Trench; it's the deepest spot in the Pacific Ocean and the oceans of the world.

Dr. Robert Ballard convinced the Navy to loan him some of our maps so he could try to locate the Titanic. He found her right where our maps indicated she was lying on the ocean floor.

It was an honor and privilege to have served in this project. The folks selected for it were highly skilled Engineers and Technicians. Unlike most Navy ships, we wore civilian clothes, had staterooms, ate in a dining room, sat at tables, picked up a menu and ordered our meals from a waiter. Our food was served on dishes not trays. It was an Elite assignment and I am proud to have served in the program.

After my enlistment ended in December 1966 I received calls from General Instrument Corp offering me a job as an Engineer for assignment aboard one of the three ships in the program. As fate would have it, I was sent to my first ship USNS Michelson T-AGS 23. I spent four more years aboard her as a civilian DOD contract engineer.

I gave 8 years of my life to the NAVY; in return the NAVY gave me a Lifetime. I am thankful for the honor and trust they bestowed upon me; my selecting TAGS23 for my license plate is my small way of honoring the ships and crews that served in the program.

Hope this post doesn't offend this sites self assigned elite guardian: kern dog.

Thanks again for asking.

Best Always
Chris for the 426 HC's

[John_Kunkel]

Slow site traffic could be for other reasons....like validating insanity or pacifying weirdos.
Moparts used to be a great site but their draconian Moderators ruined the place.

IOW, they gave you numerous "time out's" and finally kicked you out for repeated violations of clearly stated rules. Want some cheese with your whine?

[Kern Dog]

Oh, you misunderstood.
That isn't whining. That was stating opinion which could be interpreted as fact.
The Moparts site is failing and has been for awhile. Only a scant few sites have thrived and Moparts isn't one of them. Just like government, when the overlords push the people too far, they will respond and it won't bode well for management. You can enforce rules without being assholes about it. Police don't arrest people for driving 10 mph over the limit but there are moderators that choose to use a hammer when a simple email or private message would work instead.
Sponsors will see a drop off in site traffic when decent members quit logging on, then the ad revenue drops off.

[b5blue]

Oh that's why your here so much....dog. 

[Kern Dog]

I am not sure that I mentioned this before but it is just an observation that I made recently.
We all know that the demographic of classic car ownership is primarily Men over 40, mostly white.
Nothing racist about that, it is just what I have noticed from car clubs, shows and events, forums and friends.
Lately when I've been out in the classics, I've gotten smiles, waves and thumbs UP from all kinds of people, even some younger black men and women.
I was happy to see that. They didn't see me as some rich and stuffy white guy, they saw me as a car guy. I saw them in as people that appreciated a shiny classic car. The younger set didn't see these cars on the road much in their lifetimes, they saw them on TV and maybe at a car show. For them to see a real one on the road, it must be really cool. I'm glad to do it. If stuff like this can let us interact as just people, I think that is great.
I like letting kids sit in the car at shows. They like to grab the pistol grip shifter and make engine noises.
Nobody sits on the hood though!

[LaOtto70Charger]

That is a great story, Chris! Very special service, especially considering the time period. 

Reminds me of some great stories a coworker used to have about his time in Germany when he was drafted into the Army.  One day, after reminiscing about one, he sits back and chuckles too bad he was so disgruntled about the draft. He actually had a pretty good time.

Regards,
Steve

[426HemiChick]

That is a great story, Chris! Very special service, especially considering the time period. 

Reminds me of some great stories a coworker used to have about his time in Germany when he was drafted into the Army.  One day, after reminiscing about one, he sits back and chuckles too bad he was so disgruntled about the draft. He actually had a pretty good time.

Regards,
Steve

Hi LaOtto70Charger,        21 May 2024

What I failed to mention is that I was originally drafted into the Army. During a lunch break while at the induction center, I asked someone where the Navy recruiting office was, They pointed to a door and said: "Out the door, turn right and go down about three doors. You'll find the Navy there." Went there and the rest is history. One of the best decisions I ever made. Still have friends from back then which was 61 years ago. How time flies.

Yes, I am grateful for having been selected for the project. It made my life after the service better than it would have been without it.

I love this country and hope she survives the beating she is taking. I believe she will because most US Citizens love her and will do right by her.

God Bless the USA and all Her Citizens.

Best Always
Chris for the 426 HC's

[Kern Dog]

Oh that's why your here so much....dog. 

I see that you edited your post. Good move.
I am here because I own a couple of Chargers. I work on them, take trips and take them to shows.
Few people are skilled enough to do everything on their cars but I do try. I'm not the type to let a shop change a distributor or swap from a 727 to a Tremec 5 speed. I love working on these cars and learning better ways to fix them.
What have you done to your car lately? Anything at all? I see your posts on the forum but don't recall seeing anything about your car.