I was just in ebay and this is what Im seeing: 17 IROC's (non convertibles) with BUY IT NOW prices $6000 or more (10 of which are $9000 or more). Is it just the time of year or is everyone starting to see the prices rise?

idk i had an iroc when i was 16 bought it for 1k and replaced the tranny and sold it for 5k. i just bought an 84 z28 h.o. for 750$

Ive been notcing that. Im on the lookout to buy one, and have seen some crapy ones that need A LOT of work go for almost 4,000. Didnt used to be that way. But thankfully im seeing a few decent-nice camaro's for a resonable price on craigslist.com
I love these cars, i really do. But i wouldnt pay 10grand for one....unless that is im one of those MR. MONEYBAGS collector.

I just want to buy a NICE one and keep it.

It will depend on a few factors...
1) time of year does play in, as most northerners would prefer an SUV or soemthing with FWD minimum for winter. Summer time, it is a different story, we like our RWD sporty cars.
2) As the economy plummets, and inflation skyrockets due to governmental spending and printing of money, the value of the dollar plummets, therefore the value will naturally go up because every dollar you worked for is worth less (not worthless)...
3) The prices of nice (performance orientated) 3rd gens has been going up for some time now, it has trended downward over the winter due to the economy but we are to point two, the price will rise due to the changes in Washington.

4) Performance models will always outtrend any other model, IROC, Z28, Formula, T/A, GTA will always increase better than a base... I just looked at a 3000 mile all original 1985 Riviera V8, he wanted $12,500, If it was a Formula, T/A or GTA I would have bought it on the spot, even tho the Riv was more new, the vaule of a 3rd gen is now higher because of demand.

John

Prices have been increasing slowly over the last decade and are now just more apparent to people that haven't been paying attention all this time. As some of these cars are getting into their mid-20s age-wise, the mint/top models are especially alot more than they used to be. Even the fixers ups have gone up as noted also. It's only going to get worse, like the 1st and 2nd Gens before them. If you want a nice 3rd now, pick one up before they get even rarer and out of your price range. There was a time just 15-20 years ago when perfect 1sts could be had cheap and weren't as desirable as today. History repeats itself.

The problem is finding a nice one. All the cars in my area are rolling screapheaps no offense. How the heck do these cars get like this?

You should have seen 1st and early 2nd Gens when they were only 10 y/o, nevermind 20 LOL. There's a reason that practically every Camaro that isn't super low miles from that time has been restored a few times. Hold up, they did not. Cars age, and not everyone keeps them perfect. That's what drives the prices up on the nice ones.

I believe low mile, excellent condition examples can bring a nice dollar but overall i don't see 3rdGens selling for significant prices. Yes, i know you will see an example on BJ or a Firehawk that will sell for good money but that isn't the norm. If you watch e-bay many times you will see the same cars show up time & again as they don't hit the buy now price. I'm not taking anything away from our cars...I have two myself but i just think we are a long time away from our cars bringing the interest that some of the other Camaro/Firebirds do. I see it at the local shows here in and around Philly. People walk by our cars. You will get some that make it a point to stop and look at a 3rdGen but most concentrate on the cars from the 60's & early 70's.

I've been wondering this myself as I fight the rust monster that's my IROC. When I bought my first IROC in '87 I spent the extra $300 on rustproofing etc. It never saw a winter road and when I had to let it go even though it had 160,000 kms on the clock it was in mint condition. I searched long and hard to find it but no luck.

I then started to look for another similar one to restore. As long and hard as I looked all I could find was a rust bucket in need of some attention and at that I paid a fair buck for it. I'm not begrudging the money I paid for it but damn, what the hell were the previous owners thinking when they abused this car? It definitely wasn't rustproofed (damn near mandatory in Canada even if you don't drive the thing in the winter). They've hacked the wiring to the point it's almost beyond recognition. I can understand sticking in an aftermarket stereo but damn, did they have to cut off all the OEM wiring where it's so short I've got no chance of splicing it back together?

Maybe it's just me but I can't imagine anybody abusing a car like that. Sure they're meant to be driven and in some cases driven hard. I drove mine hard but at least I didn't go screwing amplifiers to the bottom of the trunk with 2" drywall screws! I imagine our 3rd. Gen Camaro's and Firebirds will eventually garner higher prices once the economy recovers a bit and we learn to look after them as they deserve. If you let it sit in the field with the grass growing up around the floor pans well don't expect to get much for it when you try to sell it.

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as far as thirdgens go...I figure anyone looking for a clean Camaro / Firebird better get it within the next two years tops...or you will be paying a real high price for a clean one or lot's of money to restore...junkyard will not be an option for parts, probably after this year...

I have noticed a sharp decline in the number of 3rd gens I can find in junkyards the past few years. about 3 or 4 years ago, I could find a dozen or more in local yards pretty easily and now i'm lucky to find 2 or maybe 3 that are well picked over. The strange part is that I'm not seeing the 3rd gens being replaced with very many 4th gens either...

Up here (Eastern Ontario) you can't find any! None! Those that did exist have been crushed and shredded. A few years ago when steel prices went through the roof a lot of recyclers cashed out and started a massive crushing program. Of course that was before I needed stuff! *shrug*

I Appologize if I offended anyone.

John

I have a theory on our cars at car shows. One of the disadvantages of our cars' leading-edge (for 1982) aerodynamic styling is that they just don't "look" that darn old yet. They don't turn the average person's head the way a chrome-bumper, skinny-tire 1960s or early-'70s car will. Rubber bumpers, fuel injection, computer controls, Macpherson struts, airbag on later models...the design overall is still closer to today's cars than it is to 1960s cars.

I'm the opposite of most people, I guess. I will walk right past a restored '69 Camaro (seen a million of them at shows!) to look at a mint 1982 Camaro. I'm not old enough (38) to remember the '69 when it was new, but a 1982 Camaro would bring back tons of memories for me.

I have to disagree. I have seen a huge jump in the amount of camaro's driving around my area...and get this, all kids (16-20). I'd say out of the 7 or so new ones I have seen around 5 of those were only around the $1500 range. All in great shape as well. So to me I think they are going way down in price....that every kid I see is getting one.

Anyway, take care and have a good one

I agree that our cars don't look old, especially if you have a clean one. I get a lot of compliments on my (92) car. But it is black and if I go one or two days past it's normal wash days it will look a little older than if it is just washed. The styling of the body makes it acceptable along with todays car. Now when you see a multi-colored car with rust it makes our cars looked dated.

I am old enough (52) to remember the 1969's. In fact I am old enough to own one (see my signature) and they do turn heads a lot. But it does look like it is from the 1960's no matter how clean it is. My 92 does not and my 86 is starting to looked more dated but I think that is because it does not have ground effects.

I agree with the 86NiteRider & TOM-1LE. A very frequent comment I get at shows is, "I can't believe your car is 20 years old!". I've even had the odd person wondering who makes my new car?
What I have noticed much more now than even 5 years ago, is the number of people ~40-50yo surprised to see a 3rd gen among all the "old" cars. And then stopping to look closely at my ride and talking about all the memories coming back. These are the people that grew up with these cars (me included). I feel it is this demographic that will increase the prices on these cars as they look for a significant part of there lives represented in a 3rd gen.

15 years ago.... I remember going to a car show and this guy parked next to my 67 Riv, with this really nice Black & Gold 2nd Gen... I remember thinking "Why is he here"... now 15 years later it is a different story, I would not think twice about seeing a 2nd gen...

We are just in that gap of being old enough to show and being too new to be noticed. The more we go and people start expecting them there, the better off we would be.

The fact of being seen and the mention of the cars will eventually catch on. It is not like there were so few cars made that no one knows what they are, like an American Motors car, and there are subtle differences from year to year to have people start asking questions...

John

I would say that the value on are cars are going to keep going up as the older 1st and 2nd gens get out of most peoples price ranges people start looking for other options. Just around my area third gens have been becoming really popular. When i was in high school 10 years ago i had a 89 camaro rs and everybody else was buying older cars and telling me i should have got an older camaro. there was probably only two or three third gens in the parking lot. well i sold that one when i went to college. Three years ago i bought the 89 iroc that i know have and there is probably 10 people that i work with that have a third gen of some sort and a guy who has a 67 that i went to high school with that always tells me he wishes he had a third gen too not that he would trade his 67 but just saying he likes the third gens just as well.

I just noticed today how a lot of clean Camaro's and Firebirds are going for
$6,000 and up depending on the model. five years ago that would of been $3000. In five years it will be $12,000 and up.

Just keep living and keep cleaningg and restoring your car. Personally I will never sell my 92. Now maybe when I am dead my sons will sell but they have been lectured against that. My 86 probably will never be sold either, especially with it's high mileage. My family was saying that the 86 is like a family member and you would never sell a family member.

I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday that sold his Bonneville (the bubble looking one) and found out the buying tradhed it and got it police towed - all within 3 months. Now he is wishing he had kept it. That is another reason I would not sell my car. I probably won't find an owner I like.

Well with the release of the "new generation" Camaro's and also the elimination of Pontiac, our 3RD's take on bigger continuing role In great American classics......

are these cars getting expensive? nah, this ones for sale about 15 mins from my house. its pretty much being given away
http://www.nlclassifieds.com/classif...ehicles/230372

WOW! That engine is almost blinding! Can you say bling??