[DeTomaso] Panteras for sale

[gow2 at rc-tech.net]

I don't see cars ever doing better then the stock market as a group. As a
long term stock market investment you ride the highs with the lows but its
long term track record is actually good. Anything short term doesn't mean
anything.

As for cars, cars kept new and perfect don't bring enough value to do that
over the stock market. For instance at one auction last year an early
vette with 100 miles with the plastic still over the seats went in the
$20's. If he doubled his money would that even have been enough to store
the car for 35+ years? I did not even keep up with the current prices of
vettes.

The guys that make money with cars buy the right cars at the right time
and sell them at the right time. Any of us could have bought a Hemi Cuda
35 years ago if we knew that was the one.

At the same time people say that publicity ruined the muscle car market
that you cannot buy them any more. Well I don't think that is true either.
Sure you can't afford the original hemi Cuda but there were a lot of other
cars. With everyone bidding on the handful of Cudas sure the price will go
through the roof.

I went to the drag races this past weekend. It was interesting to see
about 80% of the cars were old 60-70’s muscle cars. They were not
specifically high dollar rare versions and many cars you had forgotten
about. All of them were quite neat with every bit the pizzaz the high
dollar muscle cars have.

This meant several things to me. First, while the Cuda and 429 Cobra Jet
mustang may be too valuable to run, race or to even own, there are many
cars still out there at quite reasonable prices if that is your thing.

Second, the lack of ricers and modern cars really showed how the those
cars were the “Originals” and still the pashion today. The 1969 Mustang,
the 1957 Chevy, the 32 Ford, the Model “T” (still many thousands out
there) as well as many pre 1980 cars are what I would call the
“Originals”. The 2007 Mustang is not an “Original” and little if nothing
today will ever be considered with the same regard.

Why are the “originals” so important? They defined us coming into modern
times. Not that long ago cars were buggies with a single cylinder engine
and a tiller:

http://www.rc-tech.net/cars/olds.jpg

everyone yelled “Get A HORSE!”. That was not that long ago. Now cars are
not that much different then a disposable cell phone. Hey this one looks
like one of the original Mustangs. Hey this one looks like an original
Dodge charger......But they will never be the originals and are as
disposable as anything from Best Buy!

Valuable? Make money? Yes for a gambling man; buy a car under valued here,
ride the wave, sell it before the bottom falls out. Good investment? Not
for me. I pick the car as the bottom is falling out. Restoration,
maintenance, near impossible to make money unless the focus is on turning
them around in short order with a keen idea of what the market is doing.
It takes too much money over time to keep a car maintained.

As far as the “Originals” I even noticed many off the wall cars from the
50’s and 60’s which were not particularly desirable or classic go for LOTS
of money when well restored. Why? It’s style, its chrome and everything
about it is not and will never again be reproduced!

Gary
1905
1280