1st Aug 2010, 09:57
I agree some cars called orphans are harder to sell. Odd domestic manufacturers or odd less appealing models. I stay away from ones possessing 4 doors, column shifts, weird colors, flames, wheel flares etc.
I like resale Red, Black and White cars. I avoid Green, Yellow and custom odd color paints.
Our family buys sports cars, and we make out well, buy right and flip in time.
I like many GMs and Fords with broader appeal, plentiful aftermarket and OEM parts down to the last bolt and nut available.
Just because you can buy an odd old car cheap is not always smart. I buy the best I can afford, enjoy for 6 months, maybe longer, and buy another.
The economy is challenging, but it also is great; people sell the toys when pressed, which presents good buys.
I have sold cars through my club cruises and networking.
I bought a 74 Vette 4 speed Convertible recently, because few were made in both convertible and 4 speed. Most were automatic and coupes. I was seeking chrome bumper C3s, but this popped up. I bought it 1 hour after a must sell ad appeared, and am positive I will not lose.
The moment I buy some cars, I drive them and only sell if I get a good profit. I have had some I flipped quick, but now wish I'd kept some; worth as much as I paid for some homes I have owned.
Some people overdo restorations, have a financial or health issue, and sell in a hurry.
I have seen 10k paint jobs, even higher engine work etc that are above market. I buy ones people did up and need money to keep the wolves off their door, job loss etc. It's still better than losing at a dealer.
I buy and sell privately, 1 or 2 a year, and am not considered a dealer. My son likes fixing up and doing the same with old Mustangs.
If you stick with popular models and broader appeal, and shop well, you can do pretty well. I can't see making money on a Camry unless the person can't make the payments, I'm sorry to say
1st Aug 2010, 12:36
"Is this the length domestic owners have to go to in order to make some argument about domestics being a better choice?"
Okay, let's get back ON TOPIC then. The latest J.D. Powers IQS (Initial Quality Survey) ranks Ford 5th out of 33 car makers in build quality. That's one notch ABOVE Honda. Toyota ranks 21st (very poor showing). GM and Ford BOTH have more cars rated in the top three slots in EVERY CATEGORY than ANY Japanese car maker. Every automotive source on the planet rates the Ford Fusion light years ahead of the Camry. And this is NEW cars, not classics. Anyone reading a paper or watching the news in the past year would have a very hard time arguing that any Toyota deserves to be called a "quality" vehicle. THREE Federal Grand Jury subpoenas in ONE year for concealing defects and using defective parts is hardly the mark of a "quality" car builder. Just this past week hundreds of thousands of late-model Avalons and Lexus models were put on recall for (guess what) DEFECTIVE materials.
2nd Aug 2010, 16:38
Sounds like you have a great time. Right now is probably the best time to buy a classic car as the market is very soft on them. I watch a lot of auctions, and am always amazed how low they are selling for. I have seen mint early 70's Vettes in the low $20K range, GTO's in the low to mid $20K range... crazy compared to 5 years ago!
Yep, you are also right about the Camry. Basic transportation will never be a money maker... it never really has been. Even a 30 or 40 year old sedan in mint condition only brings a fraction of what a sports car or muscle car brings.
2nd Aug 2010, 16:46
I tend to go with my personal experience rather than listening to paid sources for what is good and bad in the auto business. Funny how Ford and GM suddenly are so high quality when gee whiz, they were on the brink of failure and needed a boost to look better to the public.
Yeah, Toyota tried to be the 21st century GM... the biggest car maker on the planet. They've made mistakes and will pay for them for sure. Trouble is, I have never had any issues personally with any Toyota... or any import car I have owned. Nothing but basic maintenance. GM is a totally different story. J.D. powers can rank them however they like, but I am not listening until they offer to pay the $1,000's in repairs I have had to make on every GM I have had before they hit 100K miles. My Ford Focus was flatbedded to the dealer at 8K miles because the oh so awesome SYNC system drained the battery beyond being able to jump it. It still doesn't work right now, and has to go back when I get the chance.
I would buy another Ford, and really like the Fusion, but I have had my best luck for the past 26 years of driving, with imports, not domestics.
3rd Aug 2010, 11:53
Just wondering if anyone on here collects Toyotas and has done very well. The 76 Nova by the way is not a hot collectible. I would go for a 69 Nova SS 4 speed, or maybe you might find a rare Yenko if you have an extra 100k lying around for one. Another factor is having a garage if you get into collecting. Park the daily beater on the street and let it rot.
5th Aug 2010, 11:49
"National TV news and newspapers are "paid sources"???"
Thomas Jefferson said something about newspapers that always makes me smile when I think of it. "The only thing true in the newspapers, are the advertisements."
5th Aug 2010, 13:52
So where are all the 70s Toyotas number one selling import mid seventies? I liked my Celica GT (there were many around and it was easy to work on with rear wheel drive). Working on front wheel drive models, there's no room.
I own domestic GM V8s; no issues with mine. Smooth, comfortable, handle well and very good mpg on trips, getting 30 mpg.
I even rented a new Crown Vic, recently drove 70 mph legal limit Orlando to Jacksonville, and got 35 mpg with the V8. Set on cruise, the overdrive kicks in, and you get out without backaches.
5th Aug 2010, 15:10
Yes, but the blindly faithful Americans will follow anything the media says. No one stopped to think about the timing of the suddenly high ratings of domestic cars, and how coincidental it was with the failure of the auto business in our country. Toyota made mistakes, but things have been greatly exaggerated, as always, by the media, and these problems will be long forgotten in a few years, just like every last recall on a GM or Ford has been. I still see Firestone tires on Explorers... and after they caused so many rollovers.... yeah, exactly. Who even thinks about that major ordeal anymore?
I know quite a few Toyota owners, and none of them has had any problems or needed any of the "problematic" parts replaced when they took their supposedly recalled cars in for service. It was a very low number of ACTUAL cars that had any problems. They recall all of them just to be sure, which is why it seems like there are millions of defective cars out there.
1st Aug 2010, 08:45
Salt ate up any car fast in the '70's. I had a '76 Nova that was junk in 6 years due to completely rotting out. Imports weren't the only quickly rusting cars around. Technology in steel wasn't to the level it is now on any car, so there was always the challenge of keeping cars clean and rust free back then. This is why even old American cars need so much work in restoration usually.
Also, what does front wheel drive have to do with a '77 Celica? They were rear wheel drive until 1986.