I understood your point, Doug. I was just proffering that the cars need a
certain amount of monetary value in order to sustain the hobby (anybody seen
any restored Gremlins on the block lately?). The people who pay inflated
prices at auctions help pull up the value of all cars, and give extra
incentive to maintain and improve the cars (and you can tell the wife she'll
be able to sell it for $100K when you go to the real Healey Heaven).
Hopefully, we can find a balance where the cars are worth maintaining and
restoring--yes, I will treasure mine no matter the monetary value--and they're
not too expensive for would-be enthusiasts.
Have to comment on the 'customs' (again). I understand buying an original or
well-restored car to drive or hoard, and I can appreciate a guy building a
'custom' exactly the way he wants it, but I frankly don't understand buying a
'custom' on the auction block. Maybe it's the 'bling' factor.
bs
--------------------------------
Bob Spidell - San Jose, CA
o;?
bs,
The use of 'zero' is not a figurative term, but rather to illustrate that, to
me, value is not of importance. Even if the cars were relatively inexpensive,
there were still be a need for parts suppliers. I didn't say parts would be
cheap. The cars will still be there and need parts. Just because they have a
depreciated value doesn't mean they will become extinct. Quite the opposite. A
drop in value opens a window for new enthusiasts to purchase and the cycle
begins anew. Supply and demand, I would think, is based on numbers. If that is
true, even at a high value, our number will peak and as the finite numbers are
restored, the demand for parts will dwindle, leaving a few suppliers and high
prices for parts. Let the free market system work and eventually "value" will
return.
Doug
I don't have data to prove it, but I suspect if Healeys were worth 'zero' we
wouldn't have many parts suppliers and restorers available to help us out (and
most of them would have been scrapped by now anyway). Then, it truly would be
a rich man's hobby because you'd have to fabricate anything you needed (like
old Duesenbergs). The cars need to have some value beyond intrinsic in order
to support the hobby.
I watched a bit of B-J recently--anyone else notice Kurt Tanner bidding on a
muscle car (I think)?--it appears the value of the so-called 'customs' (i.e.
hot rods) is way down.
bs
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