This has been an excellent discussion so far. One issue that has not been mentioned is the price of all vehicles seems to be rising. Late model vehicles and older vehicles. There are a number of factors pushing prices up. many of these factors have been discussed on the board in the past. I came across something else that may increase the cost of older vehicles specifically.

Recently, I was talking with a family member. This guy has never really been a major "car guy." He has some mechanical skills, but he rarely utilizes those talents. In our last conversation, he said he is considering buying an older vehicle. This was quite surprising! He and his wife have been driving late model Honda vehicles. Unfortunately, he has had a number of issues with both of them. The problems have ALL been related to some of the newer fuel saving technologies. His Honda dealer has been having trouble repairing the problems. He is becoming disillusioned with new vehicles, due to all of the problems he has experienced. He is convinced these fuel saving technologies have done little or nothing to improve the actual fuel economy.

In addition to the hassles of having broken down vehicles, he was also complaining about the cost of having his vehicles fixed. Apparently, he has spent many thousands of dollars in the last year on repairs. So, he is now thinking about an older car. I don't know if he will actually follow through and buy one or not. One of his favorite cars was a 1972 Chevelle. He owned one when he was a young man. He has fond memories of the car and thinks he can repair it himself. Once he prices Chevelles, he may run back to the Honda dealer! I have no idea how common it is to find folks like him, so it difficult to say how this will affect the overall market.

Bottom line: The prices on older cars will likely go up instead of down for the foreseeable future. There doesn't seem to be much that will push the prices down anytime soon. So, spending a little more now, may turn out to be a wise move.



Now, back to the original question of affordable antique cars. I have noticed that some of the early 50's cars are very reasonably priced. These would probably not qualify as "Muscle cars" in stock form. On the other hand, these can be modified and turned into performance machines.