NOHOME wrote:
For about 20 years (one generation) You had a core demographic that bought and restored these as a no cost barred labour of love. It is a nostalgia thing that harks back to the desires of their youth.
The same gang is getting a bit too old and trying to cash out. They are finding that the current generation does not have the nostalgic ties to the marque. Certainly, the Nintendo generation does not have a tolerance for cranky cars that require endless devotion. That kind of attention is reserved for themselves!
I call BS on the tolerance for cranky cars with a cheap shot at how self-centered you think we are. I'd consider myself a Nintendo G'er (the original, not the later upgrades) and I enjoy my cranky Fiat that's never satisfied. I do agree there is less nostalgic ties to marques of my youth but I think that has more to do with the fact that you had some sweet brands growing up whereas we got exciting vehicles like the Chevy Astro.
Most exciting cars in the late eighties or early nineties just weren't all that special IMO because of the huge push for autotragic FWD vehicles across the broader market. Even BMW and Mercedes moved to automatics as Americans have simply phased out the 3rd pedal (the trend continues today btw).
To be fair, the cars of my youth, you would call rubbish, Hondas, Toyotas, fox body Mustangs, 3 and 5 series BMWs, maybe the first Taurus SHO, a Mitsubishi Starion, ok a Grand National is a pretty cool one, but given its limited run and short staying power in the market, not really a big player (though they are still recognized even by my generation as bad-ass) and others just don't have the zing of a Jag E-type, MGB, Triumph, Fiat. We didn't get a plethora of sports cars and roadsters to play with, we got the Miata, which IMO has the same level of excitement as a Camry. I do have a bastard child of the 80s, an XR4Ti, and it's as annoying as the Fiat, I mean a West German built turbocharged Ford isn't exactly the pinnacle of automotive reliability...
Another thing to remember, 80s were a serious transition period due to emissions regulations, so in many respects cars you remember as cool, we got as castrated lumps...
I think all this combined equates to this in classic car pricing long term: Many in my generation lust after the same cars older generations have, restore, cherish, and adore, but we don't have the $$$ to keep up. We also recognize there are very few exciting cars from our youth and those cars' prices are holding as the little money in our generation gets poured into them (try pricing an early Toyota Supra or Acura NSX). I think older collectors/hobbists may have to hold their cars longer until the middle generation can make enough to buy them to keep the prices up, or they may not, in which case prices on older cars may crash unless its a truly special make.
All this is pure ramblings...