<VV> 5997 and Corvairvprices

[kaczmarek at charter.net]

Allen is a friend of mine too.  He does some amazing Bondo work, and has 
owned some very nice cars in the 23 years I've known him.  My comments 
are no shot at Allen or anyone in particular.  It's the market, spoiled 
rotten by the Barrett-Jackson Auctions.  The bubble broke when the 
markets took a dive.  Expected retails dropped over 100% at the 
beginning, and are only inching up slowly.  Those 200K COPO Camaros 
bought in 07 are now those 115K COPO Camaros.

Their whole system is set up to exploit their profit, not to see the 
cars sold for a fair price.  Did you know after you pay your 350.00 to 
get into the bidders area (it costs 50 to just watch), all the booze is 
free?   So what you get in many cases is  drunk millionaires playing 
chicken with their money.


Corvair Prices have always been low.  In 1990, a very nice 64 CVT went 
for 5K.  That was crazy low---at the time out of my range, but still I 
saw it as low.  In todays dollars, I have about 15K in my Monza, and 
we're still putting in the interior.  I MIGHT be able to get that, but 
I'm not interested in selling.  I COULD ask 20K, but I don't think I 
could get that with the current state of the market.

I appraised my 62 Rampy for the person I bought it from, a friend in the 
business.  It needs everything to be gone through, and a new 
engine/transaxle, but I told him at the time---"If it was mine, I 
wouldn't take less than 3K for it as it sits."   He got in a jamb and 
had to sell it quick so I got it for 1500, HIS asking price to me.  Once 
it's Running, I think it's worth about 7K.  Once I do a full mechanical 
and cosmetic resto, I think it would be worth 20K, perhaps more by that 
time.  Then again, I'm not interested in selling.  But I will have 
stated value insurance on both of them.   A CORSA NC member who owns a 
state farm franchise will help there.

End of the day, there is a difference between what you want to get for a 
car and what the market will bear.  If Allen can get 30K plus for his 
car, more power to him.  Matters not a whit to me.  I'm certainly NOT in 
favor of seeing prices for corvairs remain static.  If I take the dirt 
nap before my wife, I'd like to see her be able to sell my cars for a 
premium price.

Hank