Other car talk

[Riley P]

I figured I would add a new thread about talking about old cars vs new as Mr. Howie was asking about the Chevelle and how the Chevelle is a better investment than the Corvette. This is sort of a response to this thread as it was getting nicely off topic.

http://www.canadiancorvetteforums.c...od-laugh-sorry-i-couldnt-resist.html#post8594

(Howie's last post)

"This is what happens when you invest way more than a car is worth. Your stuck with it or you just bend over and take ir dry! Riley that 66 is prolly a better investment than your Vette,is it a matching #s car? You really have to be smart about what car and how much to invest,comes a time when you are just throwing $$ away. Dont get me wrong I have spent a pile of cash on cars and never really got to enjoy it or ever re gain the investment. Ohhh our foolish love of the automobile, I am hooked,anybody know a good bank manager I want to borrow 10Gs to S/C my 15 thousand dollar car I payed 20K for.LOL "

And my reply to start this thread:

I bought my Corvette for my own enjoyment and not as an investment. I pretty much saw the prices hit the floor of C5's and who knew there was a basement under that! The Chevelle will maintain it's value which is nice but it doesn't have air conditioning, cruise control, sound deadening (not like I would want that), shoulder belts, air bags, abs, etc, etc not to mention you can't take a corner over 10km/h.

I could not build the Chevelle to give me all the stuff and capabilities the Corvette has from the safety aspect to reliability plus giving me three times the fuel economy on the highway! I know it will fire right up and I can have it on cruise all day with the a/c on while STILL being able to out accelerate the old car.

From what I saw, when I bought the Corvette, it was an absolute bargain. Hopefully I can keep it for a long time and not have to sell it as I bought it to drive and not make money off of.

I'll always be a 60's guy at heart but there are some things that old cars can't do without basically turning them into a new car.

PS, the Chevelle is not numbers matching. If I have my way, I will never buy another numbers matching collector car again.

 

[C5Howie]

I was just taking a guess regarding the value of 1 car vs the other,why would you not want a #s matching car? Yes I am sorry I highjacked that thread. No doubt in my mind that the Vette is a refined sports car where the Chevelle is a beast of a hadfull to drive car! Just explore the possability if one was to invest in a car with re sale value in mind wich one would be the better investment? Please dont take me the wrong way as I am in the same boat,I was not joking the book value of my car is 15k and I did pay 20k,and I picked the Corvette for all the same reasons mentioned in your reply. I know we motor heads seldome if ever buy with the intention of making a fortune. I want in the future to enjoy my cars for a few years sell and try something else without loosing my shirt. For me to achieve my objective I cant sink tons of cash into them as I have done in the past(although I would like to) I aswell would like to see the pics of the SS when you get them,I want to get a 60s car with a 2000+ drivetrain,not build one just find one turn key. Cheers Howie

 

[Riley P]

Oh, no worries Howie. I was just sort of going to reply and it turned into a long winded ramble. Very true that a numbers matching car will always be worth more than one that does not have the numbers matching however, I don't want a numbers matching car because I don't want to feel guilty if I modify it or worry if I am having fun with the car.

As for the value of the C5's, my guess is that you have to pay attention to how much you're putting in it if you think you are going to sell it, but if it's mostly stock, how much cheaper can they get?...Don't answer that.

As for high jacking the thread, well, I am pretty guilty of doing that as well. I'm not sure if we should try to get people to stay on topic more and if they want to branch off, we can always start more threads! I'll see how it goes over the next few days and try to be my best at politely asking people to stay on topic.

If anyone else cares to chime in on old cars, I'm all ears!!!!

 

[C5Howie]

Your the best!

 

[taylorsk8]

AH yes old cars. Luckily for me my corvette is my old car. Same thing though, no A/C, not number matching, etc, etc. Oh and the wind noise is crappy too. But I will pump thousands of dollars into it over time just because it is my car and my dream car. There is almost nothing I would want to sell my car for. Even my wife told me I couldn't sell it when I brought it up when we were looking to buy our house. She knows how much the car means to me.

All that being said. Cars like mine are not an investment (at least for me). I would have to have the plan to sell it eventually for it to be. Not gonna lie though, if someone offered me twice what I think it is worth I might consider selling it. (but I would buy another one )

T

 

[C5Howie]

X2^^^^^^^^^ my wife is always upset when I unload one of my cars,prolly because she love them as I do,and I as well don't consider my car to be an investment. But I don't want too loose my shirt when it comes time to sell. I have been loosing money on cars for too long. The only time I did not was with my 06 stang vert, actually made some money on that one,even if you think you are happy with a car you can always be happier with something else,and I have even felt remourse,and it nothing to do with A/C numbers that match! It all boils down to how the car makes you feel when your on a cruise,and the attention you get with it,and a lot of us enjoy just washing or wrenching! Take it from me I have had easy 20 weekend cars over the years and all of them have their own quirks and they all have their own characteristics that reach out and say drive me. Never say never,because that is when you will see something that grabs you attention! Taylorsk8 is 73 not the year when they had a polly front bumper and a steel rear? Those where really mean looking cars! Cheers Howie

 

[Riley P]

I'm going to need a really good job if I want to keep all the cars I want to buy...but maybe I should just start with a job.

 

[taylorsk8]

Yes plastic front chrome rear. One of a kind year (I guess tehy all have something unique though) I don't say I'll never sell it for anything I own. If someone made me an insane offer I'll sell anything. But for something like my car its gonna have to be a lot just to pay for how it makes me feel.

T

 

[C5Howie]

Congrats! I have a hard time falling in love with my cars. Although very anal,just ask my wife :nono: don't touch!

 

[Woodstock Car Guy]

Cars have been a passion for me but never an investment. I've been lucky to have had alot of weekend cars and once I had it fixed the way I liked it, I would loose interest, see something else I liked more and start over. My wife's contribution to my projects has been the personalized plates - FOR SAIL, guess that kind of sums it up. I am still enjoying the vette at this point and if it is ever sold, I anticipate replacing it with another one (and starting all over again). Several plans for spring repairs to help keep it fresh.

 

[C5Howie]

I love it! FOR SAIL,thats great!

 

[Manny@Dasilva]

started out with a 1978 Camero and have gone through some rare old cars .

1969 Camero RS/SS 396
1966 GTO 389 Tri power
1970 Chevelle 454
1979 Camero

These were just a few of my early cars. I have since gone through a host of other cars including a 1980 TR8 and some mini trucks I loved them all and hated to see them go . I never built anyone of my cars looking to make money, just a labour of love .