SonnyD wrote:Cool deal on the Camino's! A buddy of mine had a 64 back in 71, he bought it without a motor and we put
a 400 sb in it. I had one of the few 65 396 Chevelles about the same time. I had a bunch of really cool cars
in a 2 or 3 year period of time back them. My parents thought I was crazy, everytime they'd see me I'd be
driving a different car, LOL.
Wish the collectors hadn't driven the prices through the roof on the old muscle cars.!!!!!!!!
Regards Sonny
Well, for each car that climbs out of reach, another becomes attractive & attainable.
When mid-years ('63-67 Vettes) became outrageous, and I mean
out-friggin-rageous in price, 3rd Gen cars suddenly came into vogue...although they have yet to really push the early full-on plastic cars into high prices. It does not help that the engines took a dive along with the styling after '74. They dropped verts in '75, big blocks & the Stingray name were dropped, Duntov left, CATs & emissions controls came in, so other than Indys (78 & 86) and Silver Anniversary (78), the Vette stable is kinda barren until the ZR1 showed up. BUT eventually the crappy Crossfire engine will be desireable...once everything is priced out of range.
The Richie Richs of the world also went after the Camaros, Firebirds, Mustangs and once collectors put pony cars out of sight, they started eyeballing the SS Chevelles, Malibus, Goats, HEMI 'Cudas, Road Runners, Gran Sports, 442s which then pushed into the rest of the muscle car pack...but there are always something out there.
There are still a few that are somewhat overlooked, although all the special models have been picked through:
Challengers. Cougars. Torinos. Montegos. Cutlass. Dusters. Rebels....just to name a few. I also have a special place in my heart for the station wagons...something we were told America did not want. Now look at all the new cars...moving away from SUVs and tall crossovers to...what are basically station wagons.
The big problem with the models that are left for us to choose from is
how they were used & cared for. Lesser, non-HP models were usually daily drivers. Family machines which picked up lots of miles and LOTS OF RUST. You are unlikely to find a lo mileage Buick Roadmaster or AMC Rambler station wagon left in a barn.
A nice choice right now might be a mid-90's Impala SS. She's a boat, but if you go back to the 60's & 70's, she was a boat back then too. You can probably find a decent model cheap. Should run well enough that you won't have to drop $8K just on the motor, hell you could almost bring it to showroom condition for that kind of money. Try reviving an old neglected fuel-injected 283 or 327 'vette for $8K!
You can also find a sh*tload of mid-70's to mid-80's sports cars on the market for under $10K, some under $5K, as long as you can live without a V8. MGs, Triumphs, Mazdas, hell...Porsches, 924's & 944's. E21 & E30 Bimmers. Dare I say it...a Fiat? Or how about the Miata.
You just need to adjust your sights and you will find a target. Maybe it was not the target of your youth, but you can still find some fun rides out there.