Heres another 82.... 14K miles with the Cross Ram 305 & auto. The air induction hood is pretty cool.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/3733723386.html

 

when you have 100 cars on the market thats not all that are out there obviously. at any one time you wont even have 50% out...more like 5-20%

when I got mine it was 4 years ago and had 19K on the clock. now have 21. the owner bought it in 90 and owned it since. He was asking 18K for it and I told him he was crazy. bought it for half that. the owners who bought them new are taking a bath. we can pick them up in the 7-14K range and then they will go up in about 10-15 years when guys my age start to retire... just like the smokey &bandit cars are going up now. Those are gutless. Just wait its coming... "I pity the fool" who bought new and sat on it. (get the 80s reference?)

 

At that point, third gens will be 40+ years old. A preserved low mile survivor will likely need some degree of mild restoration ($ and time) to be 100% show-ready.

 

That's real nice.

 

I agree. looks a bit dusty in the engine area but nice. wish it was black with the ground effects and red/silver stripe!

 

I wonder how well the re spray of the drivers side is and what happened to need one. Just think you store a car like that all those years then something messes it up.

 

A year old thread I thought I would bump to see what it's like out there now for these cars ?

For me, while I'm still able to find a nice looking low mile Third Gen, I look for Irocs mostly ... it's seems their a bit harder to come by now than a year ago in the 20K mile range or lower.

I look on Craigs...Ebay ... Hemmings..... a couple times a month or more.

What's your experience ?

 

I doubt thirdgens will ever reach a high value like 60s/70s muscle. Those days are slowly fading away. This is not the golden years. With the way things are going nobody other then an elite few will be able to obtain a toy car for fun. It is already happening. Shows and people bringing cars out around town has died down big time in the last 8-10 years. Has a ton to do with the middle class disappearing, interesting times.

 

I'm sorry that's been your experience, The_Wraith. And I share your concerns about the economy on the whole. But I could not disagree more about the hobby.

In the last 8-10 years around here (Metro Detroit), the number of car shows, local cruise nights, swap meets, poker runs, and special events like the Woodward Dream Cruise, has only grown. I actually subscribe to a publication called the Cruis'News, which owes it's existence to helping enthusiasts keep track of all the things that are going on.

The same is true for my old home town, and the scene in general, in that state. Compared to when I lived there, there are things going on every weekend, and multiple nights during the week.

The hobby is greying, and there are some old timers who refuse to come out. And there was an "investment boom" that brought some short-timers into the hobby for (IMO) the wrong reasons.

The economy has effected values, but I don't know any people who were in a position to be in the hobby 10 years ago and had to get out, or gave up their plans of getting in.

Will 3rd Gen. F-bodies ever have the same value as 1st Gen. cars? I doubt it, but I really don't care. I bought what I bought because it's what I wanted. And if depressed pricing for our cars makes them a good value, then all the better. Those with less to spend will find some great cars at great prices among the '82-'92 Camaros and Firebirds.

 

When mine was brand new.. back in 92..I sent mine away to LPE. .one of only 6 camaro done that year by LPE. ..wish I would have done 2...lol

 

 

There have been a lot of good points made here. 3rd gens may never get up to the same price point of a 1st gen Camaro and that's fine with me.

I like thirdgens and that's why I'm in to them. They are a great car to get and modify or leave stock. The handling on these cars is still second to none over 30 years since production started.

Truth be told a 100% bone stock L69, LB9 or L98 car with performance gearing will be able to out perform many of the muscle cars from the 1960's-1970's. You'll also get more modern creature comforts in a thirdgen and relatively good fuel mileage with the overdrive trans.

 

Well, you don't know me, but I was more in the hobby 10 years ago than I am today. A little over ten years ago, I had an '86 Olds 442, a '93 Camaro Pace Car, the '87 IROC-Z, a '69 Z28 and my two daily drivers. I used to travel the country to car shows. Since then, with the downturn in the economy, I've been laid off 3x from corporate America, sold the '69, '86 and '93 to be able to pay my bills, almost sold the '87 four years ago when I was last laid off, and have not been in the position to purchase any of them again. I've looked at plenty of cars that I would love to buy, but I just can't afford to spend the money these days and I make a lot more now than I did back then. With gas prices, food prices, taxes, medical costs, etc, things cost considerably more today than they did 10 years ago which makes things less affordable. So, in response to your statement, I almost got out due to finances and with the costs of life today, I would not be able to get back in. I'm glad I didn't have to sell the IROC-Z, but I wish I still had the '93 and the '86 Olds.

 

Your right Scott...I don't know you. I'm sorry to hear about all of the economic struggles you have had in the last few years. As I mentioned in my reply to The_Wraith, I share some of his concerns about where the economy and the middle class are going.

I simply said I didn't know anyone that had had that problem...an ability to stay in the hobby if they wanted to...I did not assert that it had not happened to anyone.

I live and work in the Metro Detroit area. Two of the three auto makers located here have gone bankrupt in the last 5 years, and the other had to hock everything it had, literally, to stay afloat. There were thousands upon thousands laid off in this area. I was laid off after 911, and out of work for 6 months. It's not easy, and I was not trying to imply that it was. The first thing that I said to The_Wraith was that I was sorry that his experience with things was not a better one. There's no denying that things have been very difficult for many people in recent years. A peak at the foreclosure rate of the last 5-8 years will show you that.

But he asserted several things did not match up with my experience, or of those of friends and family back home. In particular, he said "With the way things are going nobody other then an elite few will be able to obtain a toy car for fun. It is already happening. Shows and people bringing cars out around town has died down big time in the last 8-10 years." Trust me...my income does put me anywhere near any sort of elite category. And there are plenty of young folks on this forum buying inexpensive 3rd gens., and enjoying the hobby. As for attendance, as I mentioned before, the hobby is greying, and changing. Some local car clubs are disappearing, but forums and Facebook groups are booming. It's always been changing. It was not the same in the 1950s as it had been immediately pre or post war, it was not the same in the 60's as in the 50s, etc. As the culture and automotive technology have changed, so has the hobby. But not all of that change has been bad. As I mentioned before, many, many event exist today that did not 10 years ago. Attendance at some of these events is through the roof, and has to be capped. And the quality of the events, the way they are run, the facilities and staff, as well as the cars entered, is head and shoulders above what we had when I was growing up. My brother and I were looking back at some old mid-80's Car Craft Street Machine Nationals photos, and just laughed at some of the things we saw....things you could not get away with at a show today...no organization, cars parked helter skelter all about the field, dirt and gravel parking areas, clouds of dust....just a raw, early beginning to some of the events we have today.

So, while I don't know you, that does not make my opinions or experiences any more or less valid than yours, or The_Wraith's. Just different. And comparing notes, trading stories about our experiences, and learning, is what we are here for, right?

 

I never thought I find the exact car I wanted white 89 g92 hardtop coupe l98. Let alone 12000 original miles!