"Rich men use them as trading cards." You're absolutely right. It is a club.

It’s a shame Barrett Jackson and mecum has destroyed the classic car market

You are spot on, Chris. Rich people buying these cars at Barrett-Jackson and Mecum have literally destroyed the muscle car market for the average working class person. I hate that.

Great presentation, lets face it, the problem with the over priced abandoned vintage tin has nothing to do with inflation, inflation fuels high prices of aftermarket parts, the problem is greedy people taking advantage of car enthuesiasts at the salvage level. They see the market value of a restored car and guage the salvage price from that. As long as suckers continue to pay too much, this trend will continue to escalate. I watched this coming for the last 66 years

You are 100% correct. The money people are willing to offer up is killing the muscle car/old car hobby. Pricing the people that love the car out of the hobby

My advice to anyone looking to get into this.. .don't think of resale value. Get what it takes to get it on the road. Do little things from there to improve things. Remember if it works, sometimes that's good enough. I know what I've spent on mine and I'll probably never get that back. I don't care, I just love to drive it. I could and may upgrade stuff, but my measuring stick is how long will it be off the road. Guys like you Chris and others, motivate me to just drive it. The world needs to see theses vehicles driving..

Great commentary. I’ve been a car guy since birth, now middle aged. I think 15-20 years and all the cars we love are going to be worth a fraction of what they are today. Everybody knows they are cool, but to own one you have to have disposable income, time, space, access to parts and oh yeah, gasoline. Young people/young families don’t have this unless they were brought up in the hobby. After the boomers are gone, there aren’t enough car museums in the world to take them all. Am i crazy?

You are absolutely spot on Chris. Before Covid, I was a highschool kid who went out and bought solid Dusters and 2 door Darts for 2k. Slam a RV 440 in them and enjoyed them. Sold them in 2019 to fund me going to college. Now I'm out, I got the itch to buy another one, and now people want 10k for a rusty shell of a 4 door dart. I can't justify that.

Thank you Chris for being this up. I've been noticing this recently, people are not driving their cars anymore. Ive had my 70 Cuda for 26 years. I finally got it going and semi presentable. I took it to its first car show in years last year (Mopars in the park). For the largest mopar show in the midwest area, it was pathetic. There were only a handful of e bodies and the rest of the show was low numbers. When I take my cuda out and stop at a cruise night, I am the only e body there. People tell me how cool it is that is still drive my car....my car is a rat and should be driven. Its pathetic on how this hobby has become. Also screw the flippers, they also ruined the hobby.

Thank you, Barrett Jackson and Mecum. Prices started to soar in the 90s, due to the advent of those televised auctions. Now nothing is available for the people who started this hobby. Even those that are "driving their 401Ks" are getting priced out.

My brother is an inspiration for me - he built a 71 Nova SS (real SS) into a bad-ass big block and drives it HARD. I asked him if he had ever "top ended" it (how fast would it go). He said, "no, because the speedo only goes to 160 (KM/h) - 100 MP/H - besides, with a car like this it's not so much how fast it goes, but how VIOLENTLY you get there!" 5 years it took him. Now he's managed to scrounge up an almost rust free 69 Camaro, which is really exciting to me because I view them as the prettiest car ever built. It's stripped right down and he's stroking a 6l LS that will run more HP than the big block in his Nova, but will drive anywhere (possibly exceeding the legal speed limit). Most of the work done by himself / friends.

You have certainly made plenty of good points. I’ve never been able to afford a Mopar so I’ve always been a Chevy guy, Chevelles are my specialty. The cars I was buying 10-15 years ago for $1,500-$8,000 and making better, playing with it for awhile and trading or flipping for something else are now $10,000-$25,000 which in my opinion is just more than I am willing to pay. I’ll just hang on to what I have and enjoy them for what they are. I’ve since went to a different hobby because I’m just sick of seeing what’s happening to this hobby. Heck I can barely afford to buy groceries let alone hot rods anymore!!

I am one of those who was so priced out of the market that I gave up on it. 20 years ago, Novas and Dusters were what we lower-income people gravitated towards. They were affordable (even on my VA disability income). Now, even those are absurd. I'm seeing absolute JUNK- no drivetrain, no interior, no glass, no floors, etc- going for 3-5k for a freaking Nova. But what gets me for ALL of these muscle cars, is once you add it all up- buying junk at hyper-inflated prices, all the metal to fix it, the body work, the interior work, the drivetrain- all of this NOT INCLUDING LABOR HOURS- and you are at a cost that is higher than what they are actually selling for! The people who own the overpriced junk like to defend themselves by making comments like "ooh, the poors are upset." But the truth is- people like me know the difference between asking price and actual selling price- which is why you see the same finished cars sitting on Ebay for three year stretches. If you can't buy a junker and restore it to the point where you can at least recover 3/4 of what you invested, then what's the point? It is NOT a $75,000 car just because you are asking $75,000 for it. It's only a $75,000 car if someone is willing to pay $75,000 for it. And it's even more absurd to take a junk heap that's only worth it's weight in scrap and ask $20,000 for it just because it "could" be a $75,000 car once restored. My dream cars are Chargers, B-bodies, and late 60's Mustang fastbacks. But will I ever own one as a project? Not likely anymore. I guess I better V8 swap another S10 or grab another Fox-body before someone decides that they are exotics too...

Wonderful focus on a subject that needed ro be brought to light. I am 82 and went thru the 50's to the 70's when it was affordable and fun. Too bad for us. Many thanks!

100 percent correct on this one. For years i’ve wanted a 68-70 charger or 68 coronet since my dad had a few when I was a kid. Over 30 years later i’m realizing it probably isn’t gonna be in the cards. Currently building a late model Duster in the driveway and just making a cool driver car. Wish there were more affordable B bodies out there.

You nailed it on the “rich guys” and “trophies” comparison. Nailed it on the head. And sideways in the General Lee for an extend curve to your heart’s content is LIVING!!! Living my man.

You nailed it on every point of the car hobby. It's down right disgusting how it has become. That hunk of junk isn't worth $2100.00 or even $210.00. Another part about our hobby that is a huge problem is parts. Local parts places have zero parts available. Let alone the "workers" there have zero clue on what they are doing there. Most all of those people that work in these parts places are completely clueless about cars and if it wasn't for their computer to look up what part I many need, they are lost. I have seen many of my older car friends stop with being a car fan/builders because of this and the cost of parts that are available. This shit is out of control. Places that have parts or make parts they charge a premium for their aftermarket "Chineseium" garbage. Some, very few aftermarket part makers do make a decent part but they are very, very expensive and made out of obtainium. Some of these brand name cars like Mopar, Pontiac, Buick, these parts places add on at least 10% on the price just for that brand name. This hobby is dying because of these parts places and manufacturing companies. It is also those little bits that are needed to complete a build that are not available that are making the hobby die. Chevrolet is the cheapest brand to buy parts for and build. Being that case that is why my 79 G body wagon is my toy.

love the 70's GM colonnade cars- tuck the bumpers- add HP and these are very fun and very affordable!

Same thing happened to the "vintage" guitar market in the 90s. Classified ads that read along the lines of "I buy old guitars." They all got flipped and the market exploded, and what used to be a useable affordable guitar became a commodity to be held onto to resell for profit instead of played. Usually by people that couldn't even re-string, let alone play a guitar. The Mopar "market" is nothing but rich people artificially inflating the prices of their overpaid shitwagons, and like you said -- the aftermarket parts to fix them are questionable. I've said it before - I'm glad that I bought what I have when I did (decades ago) and I use the stuff.

There is a one-word answer that basically blanket covers everything you're talking about. It's called greed everybody thinks whatever they have whether it's cars or parts is sitting on a gold mine everybody wants top dollar for everything. Just like you pointed out I have seen so many cars with price tags that I would never think would even be possible as a selling price. And anything with a Hemi in it whether it's numbers matching or not is just insane. It's harder to put your hands on a Hemi engine now than it probably was in the 60s people have just gotten absolutely insane with what they think things are worth. My favorite car is always been the 69 Dodge Charger I'm lucky enough to have one and I thought about selling it sometimes because I don't have a lot of time to use it but I know if I do I'll never be able to afford another one. For me it's not about the money it's about the love of the cars but unfortunately very few people think that way they just think about how much they're going to make. And that's what I spoiled the whole muscle car market it's not so much about guys fixing up cars because they love those cars anymore it's about the profit margins involved

You're on it 1000% It's utterly absurd how much prices have increased in even the last 12 months. Duster headlight bezels are a great example. Got NOS ones 3 years ago for $100 for the pair. Now? I see them listed on marketplace/ebay for $150 each!

Chris is fortunate that his interest and initiative got him all those Chargers before the market took off. I will add that my OER Tic-Toc Tach also stopped working soon after I installed it, and I haven't been to a show in years because all people do there is talk about money.

Preach brother. I don’t know but a hand full of guys under 50 that even mess with cars anymore. If you have a family it just isn’t in the budget.

This exact same thing has happened here in Australia a few years ago with the Holden Monaro and Ford GT Falcons ,way out of reach for the working bloke, and now even rust buckets fetch top dollar, the world has gone nuts EVERYTHING is overpriced . When the price of a common salad lettuce goes up to $10 you know we have an issue.....cheers love your work..

It's not just what most people consider "collector cars" that have gotten completely out of control pricewise. Pretty much ANYTHING from the '70s or older they want an absolute fortune for. Even 4 door sedans. I live near Phoenix, AZ, where there are a lot of nice older cars. And the prices are insane. I have a 1972 Ford Pinto Squire wagon. I bought it in 2001 for $800. It only had 37,000 miles on it, but had been sitting forever. Absolutely ZERO rust, no dents, perfect headliner, back seat was like new. It was a full option car, except it has a 4 speed transmission. A/C never worked. It has the original optional 13" Appliance 5 slot aluminum wheels, roof rack and body colored sport mirrors. Unfortunately, it had sat for so long that the engine, while it ran, had extremely low compression. The cylinder walls and rings had rusted, and were scored and pitted. So I put a new rebuilt long block in it. I did a lot of minor repairs to it, and cleaned it up good. It runs and drives great. The original paint is badly faded, and the woodgrain vinyl is peeling off. But all it really needs to look great is a new paint job and new woodgrain vinyl. The body is solid as a rock. No undercarriage damage. All the glass is perfect. I have been offered as much a $6000 for it. It's a PINTO!!! I'm still on the fence about selling it. It's really an attention getter. I have been looking for a mostly rust free 1977-1988 Chevy Impala/Caprice 2 door. I haven't found a decent one yet, but what I have found were ridiculously priced. I am a mechanic, not into bodywork or interior stuff. I want something I can do most of the work on. Seems like most of them have been crushed. I have seen very few in salvage yards. If I ever find a nice one, it will probably be out of my price range. I never thought something so common and still fairly new would be considered a collector car. I mean, it's not exactly a tri five Chevy.

I just had a conversation about this the other day. People are pulling cars out the woods that anit worth nothing and asking $5000 plus

Totaly talking out of my Soul ! After 8 Years of Mopar wrenching, i could afford my first 68 Charger here in Germany... it was flooded. Still payed a hell of money. But well i build her up and will drive this year. This is what the ❤wants...😄😄 Big Thanks for your tips! Love your channel man🤘❤‍🔥

You are absolutely right, I seen a video not to long ago and the gentleman said he paid 22 grand for 53 Chevy truck cab basically and he had to make all new floorboards and had to find another set of doors. That's insane!

Barrett Jackson destroyed this maket years ago when they started showing the auctions on Speedvision. Pretty soon anyone with a clapped out 68 Camaro thought it was worth a 100 grand and the body shops just encouraged this thinking so they could just soak the client.

Well said Chris..I’m totally out of it here too in Australia..Cars that were $30-45 k are now $65-90 k!!!! It’s absolutely ridiculous…..I’m being a little bit shy of what certain cars are really worth ,but what’s sad is half of these cars are never probably never driven! Look at everything now,the gougers and scalpers are there raping our hobbies..😒 Keep up the great work and content Chris for 2024..Happy New Year brother🇦🇺

As a younger guy in the hobby (26), I once daydreamed of having a muscle car like a Roadrunner. But around 14/15, I realized cars like that were way too expensive for me to ever get, especially in the foreseeable future. It did turn me on to less popular cars (one of which is my current project), but it is still quite disheartening to see these “blue collar” cars are no longer attainable for the average person. I completely wrote off Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers, Challengers, Roadrunners, GTOs, Cutlass’, Chevelles, Barracudas, and others years ago and never looked back. Perhaps the biggest tragedy is that these cars are actually quite popular with my age group and younger, but most will never get to own one, and will probably end up disillusioned with the hobby.

A handful of years back I decided I'd like to import ( I live in the UK) a 69 Charger. I started saving every spare penny I could, but all the time, all the prices were escalating and devaluing my savings effort month by month. I tried to buy a selection of Chargers that were already here in the UK, but either the owners wouldn't sell them, or were asking ridiculous money for them. Conclusion ; I've given up and scrubbed the project off my bucket list. Thank you Chris for doing your videos which are very entertaining and interesting .

Working on my 3rd ‘69 Charger. Crazy the difference in prices over the years

Been buying old cars for daily drivers since 1978. This is spot on. The prices ppl are asking for rusty junk are just nucking futz and I won't pay them. My last real deal was $500 for a 53 Packard 2dr hardtop with a seized flathead 8 and Flintstone floors that I found on FBM last Spring. Most ppl want something they can quickly get back on the road and flip. Few have the patience for long-term projects. Today my daily driver is a 2011 Mustang because I can't afford any of the old ones and can't compete with the flippers. Painful af.

I'm a Pontiac guy and have a 1979 Trans Am. Well-optioned and somewhat desirable car in that it's a 400/4-Speed car in black. Just no t-tops (which I'm fine with). I got super lucky in that I only was able to buy it because the seller happened to reply to a post I made looking for feedback on another 1980 Trans Am I was looking at. This was around March of 2020 when COVID and mandated quarantine just started. Everything tanked, people lost jobs or were furloughed... good time to get a classic, but very brief. It's a solid, presentable older restoration and very complete. A little above driver condition with no rust issues. Got it for 20k. Fast forward over 2021 and 2022. Well, we all know what happened during those years. Late 70's Trans Ams skyrocketed during those years, and yeah it's great to own one knowing that it has increased in value but I'm still sort of resentful seeing them parked next to Bentleys on lavish lawns when 2nd gen T/A's used to be cheap entry level classic cars. Conversations about them went from wrenching, driving, and working on them to speculating prices anr investing in them. It's like, are any cars safe from this market boom and these auctions where these Hawaiian shirt wearing old farts just wave their cash dicks around? At least Chargers have small sales figures ane performance heritage. I love late 70's Trans Ams with all my heart and would'nt dream of selling my '79, but the fact remains that 116,000 Trans Ams were sold that year, and even the 400-equipped ones were emissions-choked, poor performing, shoddily-built clunkers. Parts have gone up a lot, too. A set of door panels are like $600, and that's not even Legendary brand... that's PUI. It really is sad how unattainable classic cars have become. And parts? Don't even get me started. I'm grateful that the repro market does exist on these cars so that we CAN restore them to new (or even better than new) condition without having to rely on hunting for NOS, but still... I dunno, man. It's tough out there, and I genuinely wonder what will happen when the people who scoop up these classics start to lose interest or even die off. I'm an uncommon niche enthusiast in that I'm a millenial with a vintage muscle car. I'm a minority, and the fact is eventually my generation will assume control of the economy and most of my generation can give two shits about these cars.

I just found your channel, this is the first video ive seen, and it was a great one to land on. I used to be a car guy. I guess I still am at heart. I absolutely love cars. All kinds. 90s Japanese supercars? Yes, please. Muscle cars? Absolutely! I grew up with them. Italians? Oof, I just don't want the repair bill. But I've been priced out for years now. I always say, "Maybe one day..." I turned my now 12 year old daughter into a car guy. She knows more about cars than the boys at school. Oil changes, tune ups, you name it, she can either do it, or she helps with it. I turned 50 last week. My "one day" days are running out. We go to car shows, although they are getting fewer and fewer. We watch the auctions on TV, and talk about the cars. Some I grew up with, some her grandparents grew up with. But I don't think either of us will ever get the chance of owning one of the trading cards... and it's sad.

I've been priced out of the market for decades

Its worldwide as well, im into motorcycles and thats gone even more insane especially when the country you’re from has a not so good exchange rate, bikes that were 6k not that long ago in my 40’s (now 62) are now 17-24k !!! Sure ruins it for the young ones trying to get into it. Love your outlook and honesty, keep at it.

I hear you. Back in 2005-2018 I didn't make enough money to buy the cars I wanted. Had a '85 911 I paid $18k for an when the engine went I had to sell it for $10k and thought I'd be able to buy another a few years later once life got sorted out. That's now a $80k car. Now I make extremely good money and everything is unaffordable.

I bought a 73 challenger five years ago and I’m glad I found your channel. Lots of metal work to do and I think I’m going to daily it when it’s done

I bought my dream car, a 69 Charger, not an RT, juat a standard Charger, Green, with green vinyl top and green interior, 383 4 barell with automatic with my high school graduation money back in 1983 for $800 bucks. I fell in love with the 69 Charger after seeing it in Dirty Mary & Crazy Larry, boy was I pissed when they crashed it into the train. Anyway, I remember thinking she was rough, but she was complete plus she ran and drove pretty well. I did'nt have KZfaq to educate myself back then but in retrospect, she was pretty solid. She needed a trunk floor of course, and everything that goes with it, lower quarters on both sides, probably both rear wheel houses and some work on the left front frame rail where battery acid had done its dirty work but the floors and rockers were solid needing only minor patches here and there. All the other sheet metal needed work but was repairable. Got in way over my head with big dreams and a non existent budget. Later sold her as a basket case project for $1500 bucks in the late 80's just to get her out of my dad's garage. If only I had a flux capacitor and could go back and slap my younger self upside the head. The upside is, the guy who bought her was much more capable of resurecting her than I was and I nearly doubled my money. I hope he did her right and she;'s still out there some where sitting in a nice warm & dry garage all decked out in her former glory. Great video Chris, Old Chargers Rule.

Makes me so glad I still have my 73 AMX. I’ve considered selling it several times because it needs so much work and I rarely have the time and have other obligations. But it’s gotten to the point that I could never afford to replace it. So I whittle away at it a little at a time when money and time allows. I paid $550 for it 2000 and daily drove it for 3 years after that. All I needed to do to get to daily driver status was a little brake work, a new battery, and rebuild the carb.

Man you hit the nail straight on the head with this one. It’s ridiculous the price of these cars these days. I’m building a 68’ charger body swap and I’m definitely your average working guy trying to build my dream car. Great job on this video.

Great video and your take is spot on. I can remember 20 years ago a friend and I got into parting out old Mopars. It started as a way to finance our own projects because even then, some of the parts were either near impossible to find or crazy expensive. Cars like that Charger, while not cheap, were common place and could be had for a reasonable amount of money. We parted out a number that were in similar shape. There was no way that theses cars would ever see the road again but maybe we could help someone else who had one that could be saved and make a few bucks to help us get our cars back together. Whenever we did a swap meet, I would shake my head at some of the prices people were asking. I thought it was bad then, but it has gotten way worse. Recently started looking for a 2nd gen Camaro like the one I had in H.S. I miss that car and thought it would be fun to find one for my sons and I to restore. I can't believe what a total basket case one goes for. No engine, no trans, and needs everything.... $4500 and up. For a friggin Camaro!? I would have to dump $30 k into parts alone just to get it moving under it's own power. I would love another Mopar, but anything desirable is batshit crazy price wise. It has pretty much turned me off to the hobby. I just cannot afford to get back into it again at these prices.

I bought my Charger three years ago and I’m so glad I did. I drove down to Virginia in an ice storm with my wife and a buddy to pick it up, I’d never be able to afford one today. It’s insane how much the parts went up as well and you’re right about the quality. Not to mention how hard it is to get certain things because of the Covid. Hopefully it corrects itself in the next few years.

I'm looking for a new project now and it's making me feel like I should just take up bingo or something. I just pulled up some parts online to see what's out there and the prices are triple what they were just a small handful of years ago and you nailed it by saying you cant save as fast as inflation makes it worthless! It used to be 20large to buy and finish a good running car that would turn heads and get compliments but no trophy winner. I'm a chevy guy so for you Mopar guys that is probably 30k for you. And I don't know what the hell this other guy above me is talking about big block shit is disgusting expensive! I used to have machined then fully rebuild big blocks for 1500 to 2000 now you can't build one for under 5 grand! And all these people reliving their glory days of when they were young my ass! Car guys had them but these other folks that want to get into it they didn't have cool cars back then they had crap and just wanted what the one guy they knew had that made them jealous! I spend 1400 a month just on my garage that I keep my car and tools in because my fucking pos condo doesn't have covered parking and I can't work on cars in the lot and where do I store my tools even if I could? I feel like the only way to be into this hobby is if your rich and if your not you betterstart a KZfaq channel and get a few hundred thousand subs. I dance for peanuts as a contractor as is the absolute last thing I want to do is put on a performance when I'm in my shop and spending the only time I have to myself. I work 80 to 100 hours a week so I get about 2 hours a week to spend working on my car, if I work 80 hours I get about 6 hours that week on my car and I'm exhausted all the time! People think i make good money but they don't have any idea how many hours I have to put in to barely be able to do this! Life is just hell right now in America! If your one of those bullshit job guys that doesn't do anything that matters but are somehow right in the middle of a field that would be a lot better off without you, then you make the money I'm supposed to be making since what you do is worthless but you weaseled your way in with your collared shirt and fancy piece of paper with words like streamlining and optimal efficiency. That's it man there are so god damn many bullshit jobs out there for worthless lumps of shit with college degrees to pretend they actually provide anything to anyone when all they do is make it more expensive and ensure the guy actually doing the work or making the product hasn't gotten a raise in the last 30 years! All those raises never got went to the creation of your bullshit job! Were all screwed is what it looks like. Until we can stand together and say no, not anymore god dammit! We will continue getting shafted! By the very people and things that rely entirely upon us for their existance!

Your recommendation of staying on top of looking for the exact vehicle you want and being the first person to contact is right on. I spent three years scouring all of the websites every day for the exact Jeep Comanche I wanted. Eventually found one on Craigslist from a little dealer across the state that was unresponsive to messages. I found his website and shop phone number, called him directly and was able to buy the truck! It was reasonably expensive for the mileage, wasn't quite as rust free as advertised but easily fixed, but a very rare and highly optioned 90 Comanche Eliminator with a 5 speed manual and 4x4. It only happened because I looked for every ad that existed in any corner of the net.

Videos like this make me feel like I have no rust issues at, great video keep them coming

My uncle and I were just talking about this on New Year’s Day the car hobby is unaffordable to most people now. You should see the Canadian prices 🙄 the rich collectors and television ruined this hobby, I liked it better when these cars were nearly worthless circa 1980s to 1998. If I didn’t already own my Super bee I wouldn’t be able to afford one. I have owned mine 38 years it’s not perfect but it’s fun and dear to my heart and I drive it even on the backcountry dirt roads. If it gets paint chips who cares I fix it, blow it in and colour match it or whatever it takes. Who cares if the motor has a lifespan rebuild it. Long story short it’s a shame because the average person can’t own and enjoy a muscle car theses days.

i agree with you on the prices. there was a magazine article a couple years ago about the new generation buying the new super cars and totally ignoring the classic cars. i have to agree. with up dated brakes, suspensions, engines, powertrain with a warranty you cant go wrong. basically unless your rich, you cant drive em everyday with the price of gas. i love the old cars but, 440's and such are becoming dinosaurs.

You nailed it with this video. The reveal about how cheap these repro parts are compared to the retail price confirms what I’ve been thinking. They’re jacking prices up blaming it on inflation when they’re really just fleecing the customer. Jokes on them, I just stopped buying their parts. I’m a Firebird guy so parts are a bit cheaper but if it’s stupid priced, I ain’t buying. Luckily there are still cheap Firebirds out there that make good parts cars but my dream of buying a Charger one day is pretty much gone. The idiot with the 21k VIN Tag will still have that car in 5 years but he will be asking 26K. Other people asking too much for their project cars likely haven’t restored one so they have no idea of the time and effort it takes to make it good driver, never mind a show car.

As a kid I used to enjoy car shows, I loved learning from guys that built their cars. How they did it, what it took, the clever ways they fabricated or restored things, and the engineering/mechanical tricks they used. But now I'm 23 and the last car show I went to (debating bringing one of my own cars) made me sick of car shows. I want a 68-70 chevelle, so I asked everyone with one about their car. They all said about the same thing... "What do you mean you can't find one? Pfft, No I didnt build it, guys build these everywhere for you! We bought ours 100% restored and it's $100,000+ now." I stopped going to shows after that, I'd rather hang out with the old school guys that built them.

True true Chris. On top of the crazy prices, those of us up in Canada or anywhere outside of the US need to pay crazy shipping costs on top of parts prices. Luckily I've had my 70 500 charger for over 20 years, but now that I'm ready to start a meaningful restoration... Man it's expensive!!

I feel your pain. So much that I have to watch others with money build what I dream to do!

You hit the nail on the head, Chris. My first 2 cars I owned were '69 mustang fastbacks in the early 80's. They're my all time favorites but I got priced out of the fastback market years ago. I see complete garbage today listed for 25k. So recently I got the itch to get another Trans am and with the way the prices started increasing on them, I knew I had to grab one soon before I got priced out of that market too. I'd owned a '77 "Bandit" Trans am in the early 90's. Paid 300.00 for it with a blown motor. So I searched for most of 2023 for an affordable TA project . Any year between '70-'81 would do. Everytime I'd see one priced reasonably , it would sell immediately and then I'd see it reposted for sale the next week at a much higher price. I finally got an '80 in September and am now enjoying fixing it up. You just have to be patient and a bit of luck doesn't hurt either!

April 2020, I went to a local dealership with the intent to buy an '02 C5 Z06. When the sales rep when to get the keys, I was surprised to see they had what looked like a Dodge Viper on the lot. When I got to the car it was actually a '97 Dodge Viper GTS with 12,498 miles on it listing for $38k. It seemed a bit on the higher side, to me, at the time, but I was sure I would never see another one of these let alone have a chance to buy one locally again. So, why not? Post-COVID world prices for not only Gen-II Vipers, but parts for these things as well... even when cross referencing to the parts bin parts. Wholly crap, it is absolutely insane across the board in the automotive world now. I priced out a clutch slave cylinder for it at one point. Roughly $300 if bought as a Viper part, but only $48 when bought as a 1990's Ford F-250 part. I do drive the car. If I'm paying the cost to register, insure, and maintain it... I'm not going to just stand in the garage gawking at it.

Chris you have perfectly hit the nail on the head with this. I live in the uk and I’m only 26 years old. It was my dream from the age of 13 to own a class American muscle car when I was older and I use to look through eBay and selling sites then write down , document the prices and specs of them. As the years went on prices just doubled but i settled for a first gen Monte Carlo in the end because I couldn’t afford a decent challenger ,charger , road runner or a chevelle. 😢

Great video. I’ve driven muscle cars since high school in the 80’s and have seen several ups and downs…but am dismayed at the current covid-speculation price bubble we’re in. I daily a ‘73 Charger and ‘56 ford these days.

You hit it right on the head talking about this for the past few weeks everything's just getting out of sight out of priced and all the rich guys are just worn out this Hobby I'm trying to restore a 67 C10 and it's getting its defensive it's ridiculous I might not be able to finish it thanks for bringing this up thank you sir

When I was in high school muscle cars were a dime a dozen. We bought them working part time at a fast food place and still able to fix them up. Nowadays you have to be able pretty well off just to buy a piece of junk. Thanks Jackson Barrett for killing off the middle blue collar working class dreams to just dust in the wind!

Good video, Chris. All I can say is, do your homework. I've been following auction prices & finished complete cars are coming down. It's cheaper to buy a complete car than restore a rough vehicle unless it's a labor of love. Places like Maple Motors in Tennessee generally has a great selection reasonably-priced. Desert Valley Auto just aquire a bunch of clean Mopars. They had a 70 Charger that looked pretty good for 12 or 14 k, I can't remember exactly. This was less than a month ago. They're out there. I wish everyone happy hunting!

I've pretty much gotten out of the hobby for the reasons you stated. I've been into Musclecars and drag racing since the early 80's when I drug a 65 Olds F85 home. It used to be fun buying a car cheap, getting it running, get it looking good, then drive it for a while until another car catches the eye. Now you pay waay too much for the rusted hulk and pour another $20k into it just to get it to drive! Once in a while a good deal comes along, as I picked up a very solid 47 Ford Tudor roller with a garage full of parts for under $4000!! This will probably be my last one, and I'll be looking for another hobby. So sad.

Absolutely on point and has really been this way for awhile now. Honestly I think the bigger problem is the people that actually pay some of these crazy prices. No one is forcing anyone. Some are just too desperate to own some of these cars and that empowers the sellers to price them the way they do. Stop paying tens of thousands for a VIN and title and maybe things will cool off. I personally look all of the time and rarely ever come across something that I think is worth the asking price. As much as I'd like a Charger, I wouldn't even think about spending good money unless it was actually worth it Good vid. Looking forward to some more build videos.

Great observations, Chris! I've been a car guy since I could crawl. And "decent" parts have always been pricey. But now, you get crap for double the money. You need a days worth of work just to research & find "good" parts. Never mind the price! I'm effectively priced out of the Hobby. I still love old classics...but I can't justify doing anymore builds. Unless it's for a friend or family-member... Or a "gift"! Meaning; I got something that's 80% solid & complete and 20% off the market price. I never thought I'd miss the "old days"? Sadly, I do. Desperately!

Nailed it. It includes nearly every single car, no matter the brand, built before 1980. And it’s creeping deep into 80s cars, just the more popular ones for now. A little while back i started getting nostalgia for the cars I owned in high school and thought about buying them again. These were $500 80s POS’s that you literally saw everyday in the late 90s. I changed my mind when I saw the prices. $25k for a Bronco II. $13k for a fwd charger. $10k for a turbo Daytona. It seems like in 15 years (or less), 90s cars will be going for crazy money. And you’ll be watching $50k 86 Buick Century’s going across the auction blocks. Classic car shows will filled with Cutlass Cieras and Luminas once the rich guys start buying Fox mustangs for $100k. The 60s and 70s muscle cars? You won’t ever see them but in museums and wealthy guy garages. Our only hope is that the stupidly rich guys die and the next gen rich guys aren’t into them as much. People have predicted the muscle car boom will collapse in time, but it hasn’t yet in 25 years. The prices skyrocketed and only dipped slightly to big time law firm partner from the fortune 100 owner buyer from a couple of years ago.

You Nailed it Chris , Great video man!👍👍Just enjoy what you do guys and dont worry about paint jobs and interiors. Fancy paint just causes anxiety. Get it running and enjoy driving it.. Hopefully this will help keep someone spirits up 👆. Hot Roding during the depression people made due with mixing parts up Ford/GM/ Dodge. It was a time Guys were Engineering hands-on stuff in barns and backyards. NO MONEY no Internet. I think us true car guys will be fine if we stick together. Thanks for reading this guys I hope this helps someone out.

We’re getting priced out of every hobby. Whether you’re thing is cars, camping, collecting, concerts, sporting events there’s a pretty good chance it’s extremely overpriced

I have always admired your work and appreciate your videos that show how you bring these cars back to life.

Its happening here in the UK as well, cars locked away because they are to valuable, cars are overpriced even undesirable models

Ive been into Chevy since the 80's. I like em all too, but the small block Chevy is cheap so it was for me. By the late 90's I couldnt afford a Camaro or Chevelle so it was no emmissions needed 60's pickups. Hard to find anything running for under 10k. Picked up a great Bel air and drove it home....I look out in more rural areas where prices are better than the Phoenix metro. I love the LS craze as well because I can get big block stuff for good prices now! Great points Chris!!

Chris , I used the sell wheels at thr major Mopar swap meets , The Wheel Guy from Indiana. Before 2020 I was selling repop steel Mopar wheels for $125 each and that was competitive with Jegs and Summit. Now I see them at approximately $180 each. I know steel prices and labor costs went up and , but wow , not that much. Almost glad I dont sell anymore and have to deal with the compliants from customers.

Car ads be like: 1974 Plymouth Duster, Slant Six, Auto, 7-1/4 rear, floor pans rusted out, interior trash, wiring trash, doesn't run, transmission not working, no title - $6000.

This video really makes me appreciate my cheap 78 nova! I feel bad for you mopar guys.

Saw that car and thought the same thing. Almost did an episode on it myself. The prices reflect the lower value of the dollar due to artificial inflation. We can't legislate prosperity by paying unskilled labor 15-20/hr. The market will adjust.

I feel lucky to have what I have. A couple of C body 4 door cars. The '72 Fury III I picked up in 2005 for $800. The condition it's in now, comparable C bodies are going for anywhere in the $3500-$5500 range. I'm luck I got it when I did. Of course I've done work to it and have about $3500 in it. My '71 Newport was bought August of '22 for quite a bit more than my Fury, but I'm happy to have it because it's sure to appreciate in value. I'm always on the lookout for project cars and trucks because I love rescuing old Mopars. But with the literal insane pricing on rusted into the ground junk, sad to say I'm done.

Hi Chris, Excellent video. I recall 30 - 35 years ago when gentlemen in the 55+ age wanted to have a Ford Model A. They were spending $30-$50K to bring them back to running order. Once these gentlemen passed on the market fell for the Model A. Dulcich or Freiburger may remember this when growing up. Muscle cars are in the middle of this cycle and will go on for a while until the prices return to sanity level. You really need to do your homework before buying a car from a Flipper or Auction.

It was bound to happen, as the cars we like become fewer and fewer the price goes up. A lot of the cars have rusted away and the few worth saving have already been restored. The sweet spot for affordability is 20 to 30 years old, which would be early 90s to mid 2000s. I have a 72 GMC I restored but I only have it because I bought it cheap in high school and never sold it.

I'll usually look for chevelles, and I see the same thing, they have become priced WAY out. Minimum $10k for a malibu that has a cheese grader body,...but it's complete. No engine no trans....but it's a classic. Yup, makes me sick. Wish I would've had the sense to grab a bunch of them years back while the prices were reasonable. The other thing that annoys me is the guy who'd tell me, "yeah I wish I could drive an old car like you do, but I just can't afford it". mind you, this was like a decade before covid , but then that same guy buys a $50k brand new truck with all the creature comforts. He couldn't drive an old car...because he chose not to drive anold car.

Priced out years ago! I believe prices will drop 30% in the next 5 years and keep dropping. Next gens don’t want them as much &/or they don’t have the funds.

It's not just the classic cars. Sort of a segue here, I was looking at guitars on ebay, specifically the BC Rich Warlocks, and even the cheapie ones that would go for $50-$100 on craigslist 5 years ago were now listing at like $200. Everyone is charging more for everything it seems. But hey, no more mean tweets. 🙄

I'm 51 years old and I'm terrible with money but I've been fortunate enough to have owned a ton of amazing cars. I am now priced out of the market. I don't know if I will ever own another one.

You nailed it Chris. Still finishing mine and I am afraid to know exactly how much has been spent.

This is the best video I've heard in a long time that tells the story of so many people that would like to get in the hobby but just cannot du to the cost !!!

I so agree. 20 years ago I bought a gas tank for my 71 Torino GT for $180. This year its $700. And the quality sucks. Sad... great video. It needed to be said.

I have been pondering this since the late 60's . I have owned most of the cars in my dream list by careful trading and clean living ( joke) . The situation is a mirror of the 1980's classic car bubble where anything old was suddenly brinng huge money . A correction is coming,hang tight everyone!

I’ve gone to liking and looking for the cars that aren’t as desirable, for some reason I see something in them. I went from looking for one thing, I had the money but I was definitely in the bottom, beater end for what I could afford. I saw something else that really caught my eye and jumped on it. I’m glad switched gears.

Ahhhh love the duster man!!! That was the OG demon👍🏻 knew a guy who had a 70 duster with a 340 and it was gold sounded so good!

I bought a 1966 chevelle ss 396 4 speed project car 10 years ago for $5000. I've been working on it on and off ever since. I have it running and collected all new chrome and interior parts for it. I am planning to have it painted this summer. I have about $20000 invested in it .

great vid...very true about the rich guys...and most are assholes...narcissists who show off their shop full of trophies...but average Joe can still participate by owning old, patina oddball cars and pickups...

I have an Auto Trader from May 1983... unbelievable how affordable nearly all makes once were. It's outrageous today. I'm 61 and most cars were in reach back in the day. Flip burgers and drove a cool future classic lol

As a car person, I'd like to point out something obvious that I believe is a contributing factor as to why many of us are frustrated with the classic car market. I've been into muscle cars since the 80s, I've never made a profit on any of the dozen or so cars I've had since then, in fact I lost money on most likely all of them. I only had\have these cars because of the love of the hobby. Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way. I can go into more detail later, for starters if anyone takes a good look at places like ebay or looks regularly at other sites like I've been doing, after a while I started to get some clarity and I think figured some of this out.

100% right on the spot Chris! I could have bought a 68 Cornet 500 for $11,000 at Pigeon Forge 7 yrs ago. A very nice car for the price and I could have drove it home to Ky. Now, they are just crazy prices for a pile of rust. 55 Chevy is the same. Bought a roller for $10,000 in 2013. Now, 11 yrs later, I'm only 3/4 done and have $20,000+ in it now. I'm not trying to flip it. I just want to drive it, and the prices of parts and quality are 💩! I hope things turn around in favor for us car loving guys! Very nice collection you have by the way!

Pre or Post COVID ? B.S. !!! post-Biden or pre-Biden...

The car hobby today is just plain big business... I love to find abandoned piles and make them driveable, useable and fun.. But with today's prices on cars, parts and taxes, who can afford to play but the ultra rich? I work hard to find incredible deals, make trades and literally pick up people's garbage to try and make it run. It's also why I haven't sold anything, because I want it to be good enough to sell and most of them just aren't. Maybe for the right buyer? So ya, I'm a horrible flipper too.. But man do I love cars.. Since I will never be able to afford a charger and literally only want one to make into a General Lee, maybe I could go for a rip in the General next time I'm out your way? Great video Chris!

The car rebuilds, custom shows like GMG on TV did it too. By the time we find the car we want, it might have been flipped 3-4 times already. They say used car prices went up 40% after covid. I bought my 97' Honda Civic about a yr ago, for $2,700, 146k documented Miles, all options,1.6 vtec AC,,cruise, power sun roof, pw,..etc an unmolested car. And I see the same cars with 200k+ miles, beat up, for $3,500 $4,500, many other models I see for 5k,6k that need engine work, trans..etc it's ridiculous.

Hi chris, im not a car guy, but love to watch old car stuff, im building old gsx 1100 from 80s. Its like that accross the spectrum, i buy alot of parts on evilbay and sutch, damn scammers, brakers, and flippers just ruin it for the avarage joe. Nothing is affordable anymore. Thanks foe your videos they cool. Like when you show fab work. Keep it alive\m/

The main thing driving up the cost of these chargers is this guy in Nevada who is publishing videos of him having the time of his life fixing up and then having fun with the cars.

Dude we are exactly alike all the way down to the trophy cars and my daily driver is a 67 Chevelle SS that I have had since 1983 and although being a 100% Chevy guy on race day I’m a equal opportunity muscle car guy. I was wondering what was going on but now even more curious as where it’s all gone end up ✌️and keep on Rockin those Mopar No-Par Hotrods lol only kiddin. Be glad we collected what we got when we did👍

I envy guys like you and what you've accomplished, but I'm kinda glad I've just been a dreamer for the past 25-30 years. I've only had one project car. A 63 Impala 2D HT that I bought for 500 in 99. I tore it apart then gave up and sold it. I've saved a ton of money over the years 😂 But i can't afford anything anyway raising 2 kids and stuff.

I'm a victim of this. A dozen or so years ago I had to sell my hobby car (a very worked 1966 Corvair Monza coupe) because we needed the money and I had a standing offer on it from a friend. He gave me "book value" for it; I forget offhand which collector car handbook it was, but it was a reputable name. Their valuation was in line with the prices in the club magazine. Well, other expenses came up over the past several years, so there was no way for me to replace it. A few years ago, I got to the point where we thought that I could start looking at what was available. That's when I found out that asking prices for similar cars had nearly TRIPLED! Cars like the one I sold for around $5k were priced in the mid-teens! There was no possibility of spending that kind of money for a toy. I had a very hot engine and a 4-speed in it (5.0 Fox bodies were no challenge at all) and a suspension more suited to autocross than street driving (and I liked it that way!). Today, $5,000 will buy a 4-door with an automatic that needs upholstery and paint. I may be getting older but I'm not ready for a Grandpa-mobile just to have another Corvair. So you hit the nail on the head. I've been priced out of the hobby.