Does anyone think these cars will start going up in value anytime in the near future. I know the 91/92 Z28's sold for 14-19K back in the day. Does anyone ever see them making it back to these numbers for clean versions of these cars?

How and why did the 68/69's turn into such a jewel that the demand for them put the prices in the 60's? Does anyone know how many were put out? Do you guys think the 3rd Gens will really start comming up in the next 10 years. I'm not looking at it as an investment just interesting to think about. Specially when the 69's sold for 4-5K new! Love to hear your opinions.

[IMG] [/IMG]

 

Good question its hard to say and only time will tell.We'll have to wait at least 8-10 years or so before we can see some good #'s again.By then we'll know what cars are still around and what cars aren't.For example firebird s/e's only a few were made throughout the years and they don't go for much these days they were just luxury optioned firebirds built from 82-86.But they might bring a good Price later on cause not many were kept in good shape or are still around today.You'll see more trans am's or formula's than firebirds s/e's in your lifetime.I know i had one

My guess Pontiac wise is

1982-1984 firebird's and trans am's(not being bias )For mainly two reason's first year (1982) for the third gen body and knight rider(1982) cross collectible,especially with the crossfire (only in 82-83 third gen's)engine how many of those have you seen lately in RUNNING CONDITION
huh thats what i thought Also take alook at ebay the turbo cast wheels for the 1982 trans am.They are the same wheels that kitt from knight rider used they go for as much as $1200 a set with the bowling ball caps.You can buy a third gen for that much 82-84 firebird/t/a parts are very expensive for some reason mostly because people are converting cars into knight rider kitt cars I think.

And sadly cause they weren't that fast.but that can be changed

85-88 (non gta)trans am with digital dash.

Formula's dime a dozen same with gta's more are taken care and preserved for obvious reasons.

Any 82-92 verts factory or not.I have seen more 88-89 gta verts than 82-84

89 t-top/350 cars I have seen quite a few.but that can change in a few years time will tell

1990 and 1992 trans am's,formula's and gta's low production year's.

89 turbo t/a's for obvious reasons

I think thats it for now.Hopefully i got it right

 

Some are starting to rise in value already.

I bet the most valuable 3rdgens in the future will be basically any early Z28 or Trans Am ('82-84), anything with an L69 and its original 'accessories', the Pace Cars, the Crossfire cars - mostly for the 'unique' factor, and the 5.7 TPI cars.

I didn't bother listing cars like the 1LE and TTA because they have already acheived collector status.

 

Traditionally speaking if you look back at the 1950's 1960's and early 70's the cars that have the most value usually have the following features.

1) They are good looking

2) they had big engines or are fast

3) In some cases Low production means NOTHING! take a 1957 Chevy. Essentially ALL of them were the same chasis. Except the Corvette. But you had the 150, 210, Belair etc and they made A MILLION of them in one year. Now they are desirable.

4) the 2nd gens F-bodies are now just beginning to gain momentum. With some exceptions, the cars that are pulling the highest value are from 1970-1975, the later ones may follow.

Buying a car as a Investment is not a good use of money, I hate to say it, but it is true. Invest your money in some Mutual fund and ride it out until you want the money, buy the car that you once wanted, and then retire on the rest.

Case in Point, last year or a few years ago, people were in Awe that someone bought a COPO 1st gen for some $110,000 at the Barrett-Jackson Auction. The car back in ints day was probably bought for $5000 or so. If you were to take that same $5000 and compound it for 32 years at the rate of inflation I figured you would have $130,000.

Its your money.

Edit: Yes I belive our cars will appreciate, matter of fact our cars (in good condition) are beginning to look the other way, but in 10 years or so I would not hold my breath, My Foirmula is worth about the same now as when I bought it in 1997. I would guess about 20 before we really see the results of the values.

John

 

I heard twice this past week that the cars that will drive the highest prices are the original, low mile cars. Legendary Motorcar rep ( on Dream Car Garage) stated that the original cars are only original and low mile once. He then commented that that alone can drive prices thru the roof. I also heard Dennis Gage and Sama Memmolo on My Classic Car make a similar comment.

Based on that, some of these cars are already seeing inflated prices. A low mile 87 IROC-Z sold at Barrett-Jackson last January for $18500. My 87 has been appraised at similar #'s. When the low mile cars see an early price increase, the regular drivers are not far behind. I would say that if the economy continues to gain momentum, the 3rd gen cars will start increasing. They have already leveled off at the bottom. The non performance models will not see much of an increase. A 69 Camaro 307 3 speed can be had today for less than $10k. That could be an original 40k mile car too. I've also seen recently that the performance models of the 69 lineup have actually started to come down. I saw a 69 Z28 with the original 302 and 40k original miles advertised in the mid $20k's, with SS396s in the $18-24k range. It's all based on demand. Current economic situations have slowed the 1st gens value increase.

 

I see one everyday , Although I've only driven it 70 miles since I bought it lol.

I'm not expecting the value of these cars to go up much which is fine with me becuase I can buy more . Time will tell though.

 

I do agree wth Scott Moyer, a low miles car does drive up the value for a car. But there has to be a desirabilty item associated with the car. A low miles Chevette will probably never have much value, no matter what condition. I could forsee where there may be some Chevette collectors out there, but it would be a poor investment in general IMO.

To me the 3rd gen F-body has the "right stuff" to be a collectors item. I personally think they look better than anything else made in the 80's. In time they will become collectable, but I am not holding my breath, I would definately turn bule before it happens.

John

 

I'm driving my mutual fund everyday and having a
good time.

To me, the value doesn't matter as much as the
enjoyment of having ( considered by multitudes )
to be the best looking, most stylish Chevrolet ever made.


Think about this- Even in 1982, the Z-28 was light years
ahead of many other cars in the styling department, and
it continues to be so today.

IMHO, there never has, or will ever be a better looking
body style than a 3rd Gen Iroc, Z-28 or GTA.

As for increasing value .... I'll be keeping mine.




Thannnkyaa, thhhaankyaaaverammush.

 

Sorry to revive this thread, but i think I should put in my .

Look at 2 Gens. Those are STILL easy to get at an affordable amount. I came VERY close to buying a 1970 Z27 for $8500. I looked amazing. How could that happen? It's a beautiful car to me, but it's just a toy and there were bunches of them made. 1st gens were new and had a certain magic. That's what makes them special. by the time that the 2nd gens came out, they were well established and sold well. when the 3rd gens came out, that magic was fully gone. In the 1980s, the Muscle car scene was gone in favor of fuel economy. Part of the drawbacks in the design was the poor craftsmanship and yawner engines. Besides that, The engines were bogged down with primative emissions equipment that starved what would have been an only less mediocre engine without it. Think about it. The center console with the fragile armrest. How many third gens do you find that have an intact armrest? The doors were big and heavy which made them impractial for getting in and out. The hinges were inferior. The Instrument cluster on the camaros was uninspired and featured a printed circuit board. T-Tops are notorious for leaking and weaken the car. What about the rear hatch? This is a sports car, not a family car. The hinges on the hatchback are too weak to support the weight and usually sag with age. Most 3rd gens have drum rears and open differentials when the corvettes of the time would have 4 wheel discs and posi rears almost standard. 3rd gens were the red-headed stepchild sports cars for GM then, and now. You guys can flame me all you want to, but i'm just stating my opinon. Overall, I love the design, but it was poorly engineered.

Look at the aftermarket. 1st and 2nd gens have an abundance of aftermarket and replacement parts. 4th and 5th gens too, but just try to find simple replacement parts for a 3rd gen. What am I going to do for hatch hinges for my '82 and '84? They don't make those anymore. Interior parts have to be salvaged as well. The lack of aftermarket for 3rd gens speaks volumes of the lack of respect and interest.

 

^^This plus the fact that the economy is in the dumps.

The whole collector car market is depressed and has been for the last 4 years. For example, a Restored, Numbers Matching Hemi car can be had for less then half a million bucks. That wasn't the case just a few years back.

 

It's all about rarity.
Second gens flooded the market right before the crash, their value has dropped through the floor with the recession.
Third gens in fair to poor condition are everywhere, hence low value.
Third gens in very good condition are quite rare, so are increasing steadily in value.
It will take a while for the 91-92 to be rare, they made hundreds of thousands!
Aftermarket is coming along for third gens, but you only have to look at the responses to hawks third gens recent posts about their new reproduction parts to see why manufacturers don't want to go there.

 

As a lot of us "old timers" on here say, a car is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. Every car is worth a different value to someone else, especially when you get into older vehicles like these. Some will pay a premium...some want to rob them. Its all in who is standing in front of you.

I have had luck selling 3 of my third gens in the past 18 months for what I felt were fair values...and knocked a total of $250 off of only one. Maybe I could've gotten more...but I've been selling cars professionally for 12 years now. All a higher-than-average asking price does is scare off potential customers.

The big thing is, the car has to "pop"...whatever that means to a sales prospect. It needs to be clean...a dynamic, attractive color. It has to have a decent pedigree. There has to be a REASON behind a strong value. People that get stuck with cars they cannot sell are normally either...

1) Asking "special" money for a car that isn't special
2) Cannot formulate a decent ad
3) Have no idea why they are asking so much...they just think its worth it. Press one of these sellers, and its hysterical the reasoning you'll get sometimes...

 

I disagree about the quality issues, insofar as 1960s muscle cars were also built like crap yet their values are high. I also disagree about performance. While the TPI cars aren't barn burners by modern standards, they are on a par with most stock 1960s-era muscle cars once all the mythology is stripped away. I don't think, for example, a 1989 L98 IROC would lose to a box stock 1969 GTO with the standard 400 cid engine, A/C and automatic (which is how most of them were equipped).

I agree on the aftermarket situation. It's abysmal, including key safety components like the fuel tank vent valve and parts that make the car run right like the HVAC valve. I think that reflects a lack of demand, which is caused by.....

We've had this discussion numerous times on here. Do a search. I think to sum it up, 1960s muscle cars have had the benefit of decades of positive marketing and good will, thanks to a large Baby Boom generation that could be tapped into. The Third Gen F-bodies? Well, let's just kindly say they didn't get that kind of marketing and have a small but enthusiastic cult following. And a small segment views them with the white-trash stigma. The middle is largely indifferent.

Hopefully it will change. Good news is I have been getting a lot of thumbs-ups and positive comments when I've been driving mine lately.

 

As the owner of a 1969 Camaro SS396 and 1992 Z28 (and previously a 85 Z28) I can most certainly answer this question......

I love the looks of both cars. But they are VERY different cars in many ways. My 69 can't handle worth a crap, but it can launch you into the back seat like no one's business. They are awesome looking cars that are mechanically very simple.

The third gens are mechanically between the space shuttle and the Apollo moon landing...... NASA still refuses to get involved with third gens. A quick review of the tech boards at this website proves my point.....LOL

My 69 is a true "muscle car". My thirdgens are more of a sports car. While the handling is far superior, until you do a engine swap, the power won't blow you away...... My 69 bigblock is so simple. A points distributor, a basic carb, and lots of cubic inches (and gas).

As for prices, I just sold my 85 for $5000 with 100,000 miles. I bought it in 2001 for $4,500 at 70,000 miles. But I did put about $5,000 into the car and lots of my time. I bought my 92Z for $2,700 with 90,000 miles.

Regardless of how WE feel, the general public does not drool over these cars the way we do and the boomers (who lived the muscle era) do not desire these cars the way they do the 60s cars. Price is totally about demand. I bought my 69SS (matching numbers) in 1997 for $7,300. Same car today would probably be $25,000. Its all demand. Low production means NOTHING. Look at the 90 or 92 Camaro production numbers.......my 69 is not that rare in comparison but in the money world, they don't compare.

If your looking for an investment, hed the words of my father: "Cars are the worst investment you'll ever make".

Nobody gets rich from collecting old cars. They get rich, then they collect old cars.

 

Truer words have never been spoken. At the same point, if you are smart, do your research, know what you're buying and take care of it during your ownership, you can enjoy a third gen for several years and never lose a dime when you sell it. You can even flip them and make a few bucks.

Someday when my generation starts to wax nostalgic for the 80s, I think the values will improve. Right now, Gen Xers are starting families, and simply trying to hold onto their jobs in a horrible economy. I am blessed to be in the position I am in...but many are nowhere near as safe at my age.

 

Agree 100% but the lack of value means lack of parts to keep the cars running. The nicest thing about a '69 Camaro is you can get everything, not so much that it's worth 25 grand. But because it's worth 25 grand, you can get everything. You see where my line of thinking is going here....

 

I agree with some of these responses....if you take your time, do your research, and find the right car, you won't loose any, may even make a few bucks....as I did when I sold my 85.

Always buy the best car you can afford, it pays off in the end. parts and body work are VERY expensive in relation to the value of the car.

and yes, you can buy every part for 69 Camaro (even the bodies!). You can build an entire car without one original piece. The value and demand for those cars creates the aftermarket. Hence, all third gens can get is the washer fluid tank and dash covers.......

would third gens be more fun if rusty 4-bangers cost $8k?

 

Yes, because you could fix them with new easily acquired parts! I think it's going to start to get difficult to keep these cars safely on the road as time goes on unless something changes in the market place. Those who just wave it off by saying "you shouldn't want to get rich off a car" aren't seeing the big picture. I don't worry as much about my car's value as I do about the used fuel tank vent valve which is probably going to go bad 2 years from now.

 

If you have 500,000 laying around your in Luck with a great investment

 

'69 is the Most Badass looking first gen, 1 year only Front & Rear, and Practically the entire Family Camaro Lineup was there in 1 year together, you had the Z28 available only with a 302 and 4sp, the Famous YENKO with a 427, the SS with a 396 and The Original ZL1 with a More powerful 427. Today you can take a shell of any '69 Camaro and turn it into your own big cube clone, the ease of cloning a v6 and swapping things out is another enticing factor which drives the price up, in '07 I saw V6 '69s selling for 15 to 13 grand on the low end, with just the body being in good shape, today I see them still selling for 5 to 8 grand, but a noticeable difference in price, now as far as the '91/'92s go, they made thousand more RS so their not in danger of extinction soon, but the Z28s are, mainly the 5.7 B2L L98 Z28s and even more rare the '92 5.7s 25th Anniversary, Heritage editions do demand a 5 figure price tag, more so if they are low mileage well kept clean history cars, but the market doesn't see things in sentimental or in moral value as we do, it just sees them in Xs and 0s :$

 

I think the 68 is more of a BADA$$ car. Like the one on better of dead.

It all depends on the car, and how much a buyer wants it. I don't believe this one is going to be worth very much.

http://galveston.craigslist.org/cto/3245413731.html

 

First gen 6 cylinder would be an I6.

And yes, they are easily cloned into an SS396.