I agree with the above. Yes, I am happy that my Camaros are worth a small fortune and could pay off my house for what they may sell for. But I hate the fact that I am scared to leave them alone in a parking lot for fear they will get stolen. The fact that I can't buy another project Camaro as even the horrible ones are astronomical. I hate the fraud and crookedness it has brought to this hobby. That I can't trust what a trim tag says. I hate that ebay has more RS Z/28 or COPO Camaros listed than were originally built. Heck, I can not afford to buy my own Camaros.
In 1987, I bought my first 69 Camaro for $90, and I drove it home. I spent $800 to redo the interior, fix up the motor, mag wheels and paint. It got me to college for two years. I parked it out on the street, many times, with the doors unlocked. I never worried it would be stolen. I sold it to a car dealer who approached me with $3,000, which was an absolute fortune in my opinion. I would pay 5 times that to have it back of course. My next several 69 Camaros were bought for $700 and $1,000, and were in solid decent shape. My 68 RS Convertible with solid perfect body and floors, was had for $1,600. You could go to the junk yard or swap meet and find every part you wanted. At swap meets you could find console gauges for $20, set of bucket seats for $40, and all the chrome trim pieces for .50 cents each. Those days are gone, and I do long for them. I would gladly give up the value of my Camaros to have those days back...but alas, like my youthful looks, and painfree body, are dust in the wind.
A friend of mine just sold his 69 for $137K at Barrett Jackson.
http://www.barrett-jackson.com/application/onlinesubmission/lotdetails.aspx?ln=769&aid=467It was a very nice car, but it was a non-numbers big block with standard interior. I am amazed at this. At this price, this car is not going to make it in the hands of the average young kid. Heck, the average anyone can not afford this. This car will not be seen at the local car shows, or seen tearing up the streets around town. It is now going to be traded and sold like a commodity. This is one of the reasons our hobby will die. Like jet-setting, yachting or playing polo, only the very few chosen can afford it. 15 years ago, this Camaro would have sold for about $15K, and that would have been about right.
Between the rich scooping up all the cool Camaros, the fraudsters contributing to the problem, I guess it's easy to see why kids are into small foreign jobs. If the cool cars are no longer obtainable, then make the obtainable cars cool. That's what we did if you think about it. We could afford Porsches or Ferraris, so will built them out of the poor man's cruiser. I laugh at the stupid kid that puts a coffee can muffler on his SubaMitsuYotaSsan, but this is not unlike me fliipping my air cleaner lid upside down, or installing glass packs. Today's spoiler monstrosities are my generations rear airshocks turning my car into a sliding board when tapping the brakes.
So, I guess I should give the rice burner kidz a break. There stupid tricks are just them doing as I did when I was young.
Thanks for the depressing, but fun look at our hobby. I suppose as long as all of us here have breath, there will be muscle cars somewhere.
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