<VV> Priced To Extinction

[Dave Keillor]

Jeff and Lon,

I hear what you're saying about Corvair owners and their "frugal" ways.
But I think the times are changing.  The $25K+ sales at the two recent
B-J auctions are just a tip of the iceberg.  If the current '60s car
nostalgia thing keeps going (and I see no reason it won't), the Corvair
will inevitably be swept along.  

If you don't think that will happen, look at the demographics of the
baby-boom generation.  You can look at B-J and say these people have
more money than sense, but is that really true?  A million dollars for
the B-J crowd is more like $10K to me.  I'm in the process of doing a
rotisserie restoration on a '65 Corvair coupe.  By the time I'm done
I'll have upwards of $15K in the car not counting labor.  

Is this a case of having more money than sense?  From an investment
point of view, yes.  However, from the perspective of, "does this give
my wife and I pleasure?", the answer is clearly, no.  Would it make more
sense to spend the money on a foreign vacation?  I don't think so.

The '60s car nostalgia isn't just a muscle car thing.  Amphicars are
clearly not muscle cars.  I believe that Corvairs are in the process of
being "discovered".  The future of the Corvair hobby is likely not in
the hands of the younger generation, but in the hands of boomers.
Prices are likely to continue to rise with the "frugals" being replaced
by "boomers".

I'm not sure whether this is something I like, but I do know that it's
something over which I have no control.

Dave Keillor

-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of
Anarchyburger at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2006 1:08 PM
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: <VV> Priced To Extinction

 
Downgrading the worth of Corvairs ultimately detracts serious collectors

from investing in them. Keeping resale values low discourages
restoration and  
the market for Corvair parts and services. Young car buffs are
discouraged  by 
others who inform them that "those cars aren't worth restoring" and
therefore 
they will fade away from car shows and the public eye even  faster.
 How can you blame anyone for selling a tele column for three times  the

money to a Corvette guy rather than a thrifty 'vair owner. One day
there will be 
more tele columns than Corvairs to install them into anyway. Let's  face
it, a 
telescopic steering column is probably worth $300-400.00 dollars but  if
a 
Corvair owner doesn't want to spend that well so be it, the 'vette guys
will.
Corvair engines, steering boxes, columns, front ends, transaxles and  
"corporate" parts are commonly sold to others for use in vehicles other
than  
Corvairs. If the Corvair vendors had to simply rely on the thrifty
Corvair crowd  
they would be out of business.
 
 Jeff Williams

 _______________________________________________
This message was sent by the VirtualVairs mailing list, all copyrights
are the property
of the writer, please attribute properly. For help,
mailto:vv-help at corvair.org
This list sponsored by the Corvair Society of America,
http://www.corvair.org/
Post messages to: VirtualVairs at corvair.org
Change your options:
http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/options/virtualvairs 
 _______________________________________________