Original paint black LS6

[markinnaples]

My step-son is almost 15 yo, and he is muscle car crazy. He loves all cars, exotics, diesel trucks (so big now it's crazy at least here in SWFL), but most of all, old Muscle cars. He loves the FnF franchise and watches them literally tons of times no matter how many times he sees it and he's disappointed if there's more story than racing (F-7 was a disappointment to him), and he is more obsessed with my '68 Camaro than I am (well, almost). If there are more out there like him, the hobby will never die, and the old cars, although they may fluctuate just like any other commodity (of which they have become whether we like it or not), will at least maintain their values if not grow at a reasonable rate. Life is cyclical, as is pretty much everything, but the cars from the (first?) Golden Age of muscle cars will never be worthless and will, I believe, maintain their values very well in the future.

[notstock71]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: markinnaples</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> If there are more out there like him, the hobby will never die</div></div>

I have 2 here, 10 and 13, who love muscle, customs, trucks, motorcycles, you name it. 13 y/o is getting impatient on starting his Nova project. 10 y/o is determined to have a Mustang. There are plenty of young ones who share our passion for cars.

[markjohnson]

So POP's have no pull without a build sheet? Really? I think the Astro Blue car is very desirable despite not having a Cowl hood or gauges and I'm sure plenty of other people think so also.

[MosportGreen66]

That Astro Blue LS6 is awesome... Looks so unsuspecting. Amazing. To me the exhaust manifolds, missing smog, and a host of other smaller items are trivial. You can get all of those items in the course of a week...

For what its worth, I'm 28 years old and own an original '69 Z28 and '70 LT1 Corvette Convertible with my younger brother (who is also a member). We're about as rare as that Astro Blue LS6. My brother and I are always actively looking for parts and cars. I grew up on the show fields of NCRS and Bloomington meets and have met countless members at shows like MCACN, BJ, and Russo Steele, etc. I'll own vintage muscle cars and classics for the rest of my life.

Being said, I have lots of friends who are into cars (mainly Euro exotics) but not one who is remotely interested in the vintage mods, original numbers matching, dated components, etc. My friends like driving in my cars but we've all heard the gig - they're loud, smell bad, can't charge your phone in them, don't have a sunroof, etc, etc.

The future of the hobby will be uncertain for the Gen Y crowd. I will admit, the generation just slightly older than I am... The Gen X crowd with discretionary income, however, in my opinion, will continue to spend big $ on cars because they're art work. This is the generation spending six figures on restorations with multiple cars. The population of members who fit that bill far trump the participation from my fellow gen y folk.

Dan

[SeattleCarGuy]

I am 45, but my little guy will be 6 in a couple weeks, He loves classic cars so far, or at least he's willing to go to car shows with me.

[old5.0]

Something to keep in mind is that the automobile is well over 100 years old at this point, so the number of choices available to a young person getting into the hobby are astronomical. The WWII generation was into hot rods because that's what they had. Fast forward to the Boomers and you'll find a few hot rodders, but primarily musclecar guys because that's what they grew up with.


Now? How about a 55 Ford? 62 Impala? 70 Road Runner? Maybe an SS396 Chevelle is out of your price range, but what about a two-door Malibu, of either the A- or G-body persuasion, with a hot small block? No? Well then how about an 80 Trans Am? Ditch that weak suck 301 for a 455 and raise hell. Or maybe an LS swap is more your speed. Not really? How about an 85 Mustang GT? You can buy the nicest one on earth for less than 15 grand and another couple g's spent wisely will get you a drivable 10 second street sweeper. Even thirty years later, they're still the best bang for the buck around.


But Fox bodies aren't your bag, huh? Ok, so how's about an LT1 4th Gen? They're at the bottom of the depreciation curve right now and the LT1 is a solid platform. But you know what? The later 4th gens with the LS-Juan aren't <span style="font-style: italic">that</span> much more than the LT-powered versions, so why not spring for an '01 WS6 Trans Am? Lucky enough to have indulgent parents with a decent sized bankroll? So get <span style="font-style: italic">them</span> to spring for a new Mustang GT or Camaro SS.


American V8's not really doing it for you? Okay, what about a turbo'd Civic? Put it together for chump change. Mk. III Supra? Z-car? Early RX-7 with a SBC swap? How about a used Genesis coupe? Or one of those Subaru BRZ's? Lancer Evo? WRX STI? Nothing?


Okay, what about a diesel truck? Hot rod VW Bug? P71 Crown Vic's are a dime-a-dozen and that junkyard 32-valve modular slides right in. Slap a used blower on it and go stomp M5's on the LA-to-Vegas run. None of this ringing a bell? Okay, scrape the change out of your couch, get a tetanus shot and go drag that 38 Plymouth coupe out of Farmer Johnson's pasture.


The point is that young people today have exponentially greater choice in hot-rod material than their parents and grandparents had. The longer they keep making cars, the more choices each successive generation will have and the more fractured and &quot;niche&quot; the hobby will become. It's just the passage of time and there's no way around it.

[Keith Seymore]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: old5.0</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Something to keep in mind is that the automobile is well over 100 years old at this point, so the number of choices available to a young person getting into the hobby are astronomical. The WWII generation was into hot rods because that's what they had. Fast forward to the Boomers and you'll find a few hot rodders, but primarily musclecar guys because that's what they grew up with.


Now? How about a 55 Ford? 62 Impala? 70 Road Runner? Maybe an SS396 Chevelle is out of your price range, but what about a two-door Malibu, of either the A- or G-body persuasion, with a hot small block? No? Well then how about an 80 Trans Am? Ditch that weak suck 301 for a 455 and raise hell. Or maybe an LS swap is more your speed. Not really? How about an 85 Mustang GT? You can buy the nicest one on earth for less than 15 grand and another couple g's spent wisely will get you a drivable 10 second street sweeper. Even thirty years later, they're still the best bang for the buck around.


But Fox bodies aren't your bag, huh? Ok, so how's about an LT1 4th Gen? They're at the bottom of the depreciation curve right now and the LT1 is a solid platform. But you know what? The later 4th gens with the LS-Juan aren't <span style="font-style: italic">that</span> much more than the LT-powered versions, so why not spring for an '01 WS6 Trans Am? Lucky enough to have indulgent parents with a decent sized bankroll? So get <span style="font-style: italic">them</span> to spring for a new Mustang GT or Camaro SS.


American V8's not really doing it for you? Okay, what about a turbo'd Civic? Put it together for chump change. Mk. III Supra? Z-car? Early RX-7 with a SBC swap? How about a used Genesis coupe? Or one of those Subaru BRZ's? Lancer Evo? WRX STI? Nothing?


Okay, what about a diesel truck? Hot rod VW Bug? P71 Crown Vic's are a dime-a-dozen and that junkyard 32-valve modular slides right in. Slap a used blower on it and go stomp M5's on the LA-to-Vegas run. None of this ringing a bell? Okay, scrape the change out of your couch, get a tetanus shot and go drag that 38 Plymouth coupe out of Farmer Johnson's pasture.


The point is that young people today have exponentially greater choice in hot-rod material than their parents and grandparents had. The longer they keep making cars, the more choices each successive generation will have and the more fractured and &quot;niche&quot; the hobby will become. It's just the passage of time and there's no way around it. </div></div>

That is an excellent point, and one that I don't think I've ever heard voiced before.

K

[SS427]

Odds are very definitely yes though likely VERY hard to read.

[firstgenaddict]

I'm also a 1972 model and grew up around cars, my father collects pre WWII flathead Fords and my former Father In law collects 20's and older ranging from a 1905 Cadillac to a 1925 Lincoln Dual Cowl Phaeton, the more disposable income the younger generation accumulates the more expensive toys they will be buying.
My dad recently bought my 15 Y/o nephew a 1967 Chevelle coupe which they are going to work on together, although he had never really expressed much interest in cars... my dad asked him what kind of car he wanted and he said a Royal Plum 67 Chevelle. We were floored, apparently he had been eying them for years.


BTW Ken Bender... same dealership which sold the 70 RAIII M21 4.33 Judge Conv I painted 15 years ago.

[DW31S]

Wow! I think one of the things I am surprised most about this conversation is that Dan is only 28!!! I mean that in a good way. I, too, think that there are a number of younger guys who will pass the torch. Is the market back? On some stuff it is better. There are cycles in this hobby and now Oldsmobiles are hot; I'm glad, not only because I have a couple and have been with them all of my life (so far), but because they were the step-child for years. What is cooler than a '66 W-30. designed specifically to dominate C/S? Mopars were hot and they cooled off; what is next? I don't REALLY know, but we need to follow the market to protect our &quot;investments&quot;. I've NEVER bought a car solely as an &quot;investment&quot;, although many have done better than my REAL investments. I HAVE to LOVE a car in order to buy it! I think as a group, most of us are good ambassadors of this hobby/passion, but we can do better to get the younger people interested. Maybe Dan and/or Jed can give us some ideas on how to &quot;target&quot; there age group to make them more aware of the cars us graybeards cherish. I think the term &quot;NOSTALGIA&quot; is all relative as it depends on what age you are at this point in time. What is nostalgic to us is &quot;antique&quot; to someone younger than us. I, for one, gladly take the time to explain and interact with the next generation when it comes to these cars, and I appreciate and am grateful that my dad and others did the same for me.