[quote=grancuda]is insurance not killing you for him driving sports cars or 2drs?

A V8 version of that Firebird, even in scruffy shape, would be 5k + out here easy. I have seen lower mile 80's and 90's IROC and Z-28's up around 15-18.

I don't think they are worth that, and would never pay that for one myself, but that is where asking prices have moved to. They may be dreaming and never sell it?

I said beater, not good used car.
But to answer your question it was late 80's early 90's.
My cars in that time frame.
66 coronet 500 2dr was 800 bucks.
71 gto was 500 bucks.
64 dodge 880 custom was 400 bucks.
83 new yorker was 550
67 coronet was 500
87 fury was 800

and sure no doubt a 2000 whatever is more reliable than anything on my list.
I just mean as a kid there were affordable cars I wanted to drive because they looked cool.
vs today what are your choices from 20 years ago that are anything more than a camry look a like?

Everyone says that but it’s only around $75 a month for full coverage, everyone at my work forces their kids into 4 doors & mini mom suv wagons because of insurance but we haven’t seen any high $ insurance imo.



He gave $5500 & it is a ‘92 Trans Am , true WS6 & L98 car & it’s in great shape, just has some cheesy recovered late 70’s TA seats in it. The ZZ4 heads, edelbrock TPI intake, headers & 3.73 gearset make up for the cheesy seats to him. It’s a great looking car & his buddies at school say he stole it for the money but he spends his spare time ever since he was 15 searching Craigslist & now FB market place. It’s like the Bargain Post days except now you can easily search states away.

I was able to snipe a decent deal last fall on a 2001 XJ for my daughter (first car). She really wanted one, but I told her most will be out of price range for sure.
Saw a marketplace post and next morning got it for $2K with 176K miles. Tiny bit of rust and a very tired suspension and interior.
Became a project for her and I. Of course, I got addicted and it became a mini resto project, including new paint (Maaco) and entirely new suspension and cleaned up interior.

I think there are a lot of useable beaters around, my 20 yo grandson doesn't seem to have any problems find them, but then again, he is not afraid to get his hands dirty working on them.

I think most of the problems with cars for kids these days are the parents. Too many are terrified to consider THEIR teenager in anything with some miles on them, or seeing their precious child driving something with a little body damage. It ruins the family image. Too many kids these days have been brought up with the expectation that they are too good to be seen in anything not perfect, and that mommy and daddy will be sure they get to drive the very best, because after all mommy and daddy will be buying the child anything they want, as long as it meets mommy & daddy's expectations. Mommy and daddy have been living beyond their means for years, and they have taught their children the same values. Gene

Buying used cars is a gamble and at a $3000-$5000 price point an even bigger gamble. Count on every car never having its oil changed in a manner/interval that preserves the engine. In fact plan on it consuming oil. If its a timing belt car it will never have had the timing COMPONENTS replaced even if it has 150k plus miles. Coolant will be the original coolant and we know heater cores and water pump replacement on modernish cars can be 10 hours labor. When my daughters got cars I seeked out financially set elderly people and middle class folks selling their cars. In the ad pics the condition of home and neighborhood- if in the pictures can say alot. With Face Book Market place you can see a pic of the seller. If he is wearing a backwards ballcap with a joint in his mouth flipping the middle finger its wise to pass on his car no matter how nice the car may appear.

My 'sweet spot' was the late '80's early '90's. I was able to pick up cars all the time for less than $200 and a lot were free. Now, granted, I'm talking about basic family cars, not muscle cars, but still. Most would be considered beaters, but a few were really nice.

At the time I lived in the tri-state area of NY, CT, MA. MA had strict laws about NO frame rust on cars, CT was the same way but with the added burden of having to pass emissions too. NY just expected the car to move and stop under its own power. Back then, people usually had to pay to have their car hauled to the junkyard. Yards paying you for your junker weren't around. People would have a running car that they couldn't register anymore because it wouldn't pass inspection and they couldn't easily sell it, so they'd end up kinda stuck with it. Then a lot of times, they'd get fined for having an abandoned car.

People just wanted their headache gone, and were usually more than happy to unload it on me. My only stipulation was that it had to run (I didn't have a way to tow a car). I would take it back to my little shop I was renting in CT, and evaluate the car's condition. Too far gone, it got parted. Minor repairs, I'd register it in NY and sell it. Being that I usually just dealt with Mopars, parts would often come from other cars I parted.
Then, as now, a neighbor ended the fun. Had a visit from the cops one day. I kept the outside yard clear. If I had to park something outside, it was on inflated tires and not jackstands, no parts strewn about. Gave me the riot act of how I was running an illegal shop, didn't have proper licenses and permits.

I never pursued it further after that. I kept what I wanted, got rid of the rest and less than a year later moved away. Ironically(?) the same town that I was in that was so against 'old cars' ,now hosts an annual car show/cruise in.

I'm pretty sure it's all by design. Gotta tread lightly since this isn't the right forum but it almost does seem like there is some clandestine plan to limit our ability to travel.

They're threatening the banning of gasoline vehicles. How many vehicles is that going to render useless and/our valueless?

Is there a fully-electric car out there that has even half the range of a gasoline vehicle?

Short-charge times are still minimum 4 hours and they claim that "damages" the batteries.

Insurance for young people is insane.

Some parts are already not available for Older-than 2000 model vehicles. There's already stuff for my 2004 Tiburon that I literally cannot get anymore. It's junkyard part, or go without.

Cars are designed to fail. When they fail, now there's no parts to repair. We spend a fortune to buy these things only to watch them become useless hunks of nothing.

I almost wonder if it's going to get to the point where people will take a 2019 vehicle, and swap in an old 350 with points and a carb because there were no more parts to keep the 2019-vintage stuff working!