Sad day in car crafting!

Boy, let me tell you that old american iron has sky rocketed in price real bad lately. I was out looking around for a new project car and everyone is just nuts with the prices!! In particular there was a 1965 chevelle I looked at that was just so-so and the fella was asking $5500.00 bucks for it! Paint was shot, old body work needed to be redone, engine had valve guide smoke on start up, interior was in poor original shape, ETC..... Just about six years ago that would have been a $1500.00 dollar car at best. As a hobbiest and a die hard car nut, we are pricing ourselves out of existance. How many of our youth are going to different things 'cause car crafting is an astronomical feat that most can't reach? Heck, my last project was completed for less than $4000.00 bucks! And that is what I sold it for! The way it looks, I practically gave the car away but it made a young person happy to have a cool classic that ran like a rapped ape and looked good doing it too at a price that wasn't out of this world. I'd like to hear some input on this subject so that I know I'm not the only fella out there that feels this way.  

well, there may be a point to that price. My nova aint exactly presitne, and I dont wanna sell it, but I get the occasional guy that stops and looks at it, then asks if I wanna sell it. I say sure, 10 grand and its yours. If someone paid me that, they could have it I wouldnt give a rats ass at that price. But since I know no one will, I get to keep my car and keep fixing it up as I want.  

I know prices are getting out of control. It sucks for me because Iam 19 and want a cool ride someday,But to say that all the cars are high priced is totally not true. I went to my big swap meet last weekend and to be honest I found some cars that would make great project cars. A guy had two camaros, (84 and 82) that ran awsome had shift kits, swapped in 350's and just needed paint. He wanted 1800 for both or trade. It was a good deal if you like Chevy. I also saw a 70's Z28 for 1500. It had a decent paint with minor rust. Granted these are just a few cars and that most  cars will be overpriced for the ones you want. Sometimes you just have to look high and low to find a good deal.

Check this one out....is this in your budget?

http://www.southwestdrags.com/forum_new/viewtopic.php?t=514

YEAH I GUESS MOST AVERAGE-WAGE FOLKS WOULD AGREE THAT PRICES ON MUSCLECARS AND MUSCLE-ERA CARS HAVE GONE STUPIDLY INSANE. I'M NOT WILLING TO SHELL OUT 3000-4000 FOR A USED UP PROJECT PILE.  IF GOING FAST IS ONE'S MAIN GOAL, THEN YES, THERE ARE MANY ALTERNATIVES, BUT LETS FACE IT, LATE '70S Z-28S ARE PRETTY CHEESEY, NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE THAT LIKES THEM, NOT TO MENTION THE HASSLE OF EMISSIONS COMPLIANCE. I OWNED ONE ONCE, AND IT RODE LIKE CRAP, AND I WANTED TO PUKE EVERYTIME I LOOKED AT THAT CURVED-AROUND BACK WINDOW. SERIOUSLY, YUCK, MAN.  ALL THE OLD SCHOOL DIE HARDS POH-POH THE IMPORTS AND LATE MODEL PLASTIC CARS, BUT LETS FACE IT: THEY HANDLE BETTER THAN ANY STOCK MUSCLECAR EVER COULD, ARE FAR MORE RELIABLE, AND IN THIS DAY OF 3.00 A GALLON FUEL, THRIFTINESS IS ALWAYS A PRIORITY.  OK ITS HARD TO BEAT THE BAD ASS STYLING OF ALL THE COOL MUSCLECARS, BUT FOR A DRIVER, LATE MODELS ARE WAY MORE USER-FRIENDLY, OF COURSE UNLESS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT EASE OF REPAIR.  BUT LOOK. THESE CARS WERE DESIGNED BY MERE MORTALS, AND THEY CAN BE WORKED ON BY ORDINARY BEINGS AS WELL.  IT JUST TAKES A LITTLE MORE PATIENCE.  I DON'T EXPECT EVERYONE TO SHARE MY TASTES, BUT 3.8 BUICKS ARE VERY COMMON AND HI-PO PARTS HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE FOR MANY YEARS (ALTHOUGH I PLAN ON SWAPPING MINE OUT OF MY '95 RIVIERA IN FAVOR OF A NORTHSTAR V8-SEE "NORTHSTAR V-8 SWAP" IN FORUMS. ANY INPUT? YA THINK I CAN MAKE A TURBO FIT SOMEWHERE?).  

Well Mr Vega you are right . I saw a totally clapped out no engine weeds on the dash holes in the rear 69 Chevelle at a swap meet here in Denver last Sept for $6000.00 . It was a 307 car. My Buddy in High school bought a 69 Chevelle with a a running 307 and not rust anywhere for $400 . Now yes there were 25 years between these two events but still. I do see third gens for sale for $200 sometimes though , and at the same swap meet a no engine third gen went for $200. So there ya go .  But yea people think they have a stinkin gold mine if it is any car from the 60's.  

sometimes it is so true that people think they have a gold mine if its a classic car. A perfect example would be my grandpa. I am Not bashing him in any way but, he owns a 1976 T-Bird and it is in near mint shape. drives it once a year garage kept. He was offered 20 grand one time for the car about 15 yr ago , he should have taken it. Now he relizes that deal won't ever come around again. Now he won't sell it for under 10,000. He even had it on ebay and no one bid on it, it's only worth about 2-3 grand.  

Thats not bad for the nova. That is totally in the budget! $600 for the car, $2000 for a junk yard 350ci and th350, (home rebuilt and souped up of course)$400 for paint done at home, $500 for used wheels and tires, and $500 for cheap interior work. Thatb is $4000 for a completed car. I've done it before and they usually come out nice. Too darn bad that car is in New Mexico.

dude, u'd be suprise whats over here sometimes. Last week someone posted a 65 elcamino for 1,500  

hey anyone want a 71 elcamino...on a lift kit? I'll take a pic, but its for sale beside the highway down here. Its sad cause the body and paint are in really good shape. but to each their own.  

I guess you have to be at the right place at the right time.  

yup...ive had my lucky purchases, in 2000 i scored a one owner 1971 nova, 307, powerglide,no ac, no power steering, 97k miles. Never been wrecked. It was a California car, super clean. 1,400 bucks,here in El Paso, tx. It had the baby moon hub caps with the bow tie on them. I traded them for some COPO ones. The old man that owned it was 77 years old. His wife made him sell it because his eye sight was gettting worse. . Ive only driven it 4 times, only because of *** Its put away, hopefully ill start driving it this year.  

 Aging American iron is just about as expensive as a restored piece. I went looking for a late 60's Chev PU. Local car event around here is called Iola Car Show & Swap Meet. Their Car Corral draws all kinds of projects and treasures. There were about 10 trucks that fit the bill, ranging from prestine to basket case. As I looked them over, it became apparent that everyone had been watching to much Barrett/Jackson TV. I had wanted to buy a project, but not at their asking prices. Most weren't interested in telling me why their trucks were worth their asking prices, so I had no idea where the value was. I wound up buying one for $8500 that was a strong #3, almost a #2. The basket cases started at $1500 and the drivers, mostly complete, were in the $3500-$5500 range. Trouble is, most of those needed everything repaired, rebuilt, repainted or replaced. When I pointed that out, I noticed I wasn't making any friends. In short, seems everyone wants to sell their 'collectable' vehicle so they can retire! It's hard to say what my kids will get to enjoy, but then again they may be collecting Atari's , Nintendo's, and Gameboys. Most of today's vehicles don't exactly inspire the way rear wheel drive v8's did. My son, (21), is more interested in trucks than cars. He did buy a 79 T/A though, so there is still hope! BA Pontiacs signing off!  

I don't feel that Car Crafters have to start with classics to have fun in this sport...lifestyle.  I get just as excited about a rusty FWD Caddy as I do a 64 Ramblers.  I think that many vehicles have been passed up over the years due to the cheap abundance of popular status quo cars.  Car Craft should have been featuring steel wheeled Delta 88's and FWD Caddy's doing burn-outs twenty years ago...maybe they could have derailed the whole Pro-street/Pro-Touring craze...imagine Pro-DemoDerby....or better Pro-Beater!

S-10's are cheap, free even, are easy to drop V8's in, have a huge support system and strong aftermarket.   There are a bluejillion of them on the road so you don't really have to shop to hard to find a decent starting point.  I am building one right now and will have less than 2 grand in it and because there are so many used parts for them, I will have a lowered great handling truck that will ride good and haul ass.

Mid-eighties Camaros can be had cheap.  I've seen two of them in the past two weeks under a grand.  Same with mid-eighties Mustangs.

Crown Vics-9C1s are great starting points and won't have the rust/Barret Jackson disease.  Demolition Derby and Dirt track Bomber guys don't pay alot for their starting points, neither should Car Crafters.

I wonder why there hasn't been any companies form to build street chassis like rail buggies and rock crawler suppliers have.  Imagine a rock crawler type square frame with a 8.5 Explorer rear end, a small block,700R, 17" steel wheels/sticky rubber and setting inches from the ground.  I'd drive one!  And it would be a cheap way for future Car Crafters to get in on the fun in an affordable way...of course there is always that Dodge Caravan option!

Lots of folks think their ride is gold-plated, apparently....LOL.

Case in point: a good friend of mine's cousin bought a 78-79 Monza a while back, sans engine and trans. It had been treated to a 10-bolt rear end out of a 78 Malibu, mini-tubs, and that was basically it. He paid $1000 for it, and thought he got a screamin' deal.....I was there with him when he made the purchase....I pulled him off to the side and told him that yeah, it's your money, but you'd be nuts to give more than $400 for it.......same guy he bought the car from had a '58 Cameo(don't quote me on the Cameo part, I'm most likely wrong) that had been tubbed, 3-inch top chop, and the paint and body was pretty good....only real fubar was the installation of a complete '68 Camaro dash......no engine or trans, that's all it needed to be a cool racer/driver.....guy wanted $18000 for it...funny....it still hasn't sold.....