There is already a small industry for the rebuilding of electronic modules, dashboards, other IC stuff, so as long as this is available the potential to restore is going to be there, for those who can afford to do so.
Will modern cars become collectible?
- Thread starter y_p_w
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Anything can be collectible. So I’m sure some of the modern cars will become desirable in 20-30 years.
But I think getting them restored will be more difficult and expensive. Finding the electronic components like ECUs, TCUs, various actuators will be a challenge.
But I think getting them restored will be more difficult and expensive. Finding the electronic components like ECUs, TCUs, various actuators will be a challenge.
I don’t see a big run on anything collectable in today’s market. What I do see is maybe some youngling in 2050 finding an old barn find 1995 Corolla and maybe getting it running with minimal effort only because it’s easy, requires little parts, and is cool for the 3 months he’s gonna play with it.
There was one of the Star Trek series where one guy enjoyed his holographic simulation where he was working on a 60s Camaro. It did kind of factor into a plot where the idea of a carburetor metering air became something that was applied to a problem in the (fictional) real world.
Granted - who knows what the future holds. I suppose maybe all that's collectible is the shell and everything inside can be modified like the DeLorean in Back to the Future or like how Cubans managed to do whatever they could to keep older cars running that were still allowed to be privately owned.
Vintage stereo equipment is in demand. I have an old (1980s probably), powerful and elegant power amp. I've had it repaired (one or more capacitors failed) because it's desirable equipment and there are people who can and will repair them at a reasonable cost. I could even send it back to the factory for a total refurbishment. [Though the freight on something that heavy would likely kill the deal.]
So old electronics can be maintained. A recent video said that high end stereo equipment was not harder, it was actually easier to repair than more basic equipment.
So old electronics can be maintained. A recent video said that high end stereo equipment was not harder, it was actually easier to repair than more basic equipment.
Would have sold many more if it had not been for wifes. They generally don't like stiff clutches, no ac and a choppy idle lol
My dad had lots of old electronics tubes. Word got out and he was selling them to recording studios. They say tubes sound better than transistors.
Generally speaking I don't think so simply because they're are so full of electronics and have so many parts that it's just going to be cost prohibitive. NVM the degree of diagnostic ability one must have. Sure there will always be some collectables which sit in garages their entire lives but nothing mass produced.
There's a distinct difference between a lot of those older electronics and modern electronics with tons of digital communications. I'm wondering how repairable something with a complex digital display and control systems might be. Those started popping up in the late 80s and definitely almost anything in the 90s would be a lot harder to repair. Here's a classic Merdian 508 CD player that they're having a heck of a time trying to get the tray to work. A lot of the original parts haven't been made in 25 years and it can't just be replicated.
I see diagnostics getting easy in 50 years. Between AI and cheaper and easier to use scanners, it will be a piece of cake to run diagnostics. Finding a cable to plug into an antique OBD2 port might be the hardest part.
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SammyChevelleTypeS3
$50 site donor 2023
Todays cars all look too much alike. They are so many being popped off the assembly lines they will certainly not become "rare." Also appears there are certain generations learning to live without cars. Big cities and mass transit, outrageous cost of purchase, insurance and the mental demonization of ICE vehicles to many young minds , just some reasons the car collector fad will fade away. The costs a non DIY collector must pay is pricing lots of average Joes out. Already too many restored classics are languishing in storage. Deemed too valuable to drive. Many are trailered to car shows and right back into storage. If a guy gets lucky & finds a candidate car from the 1960s thru late 1970s he wants restored he can figure on a starting price well above $40,000 to $60,000. That price is NOT for some rare model everyone wants but just about any model. When we were young there was No internet/ No video games/ No cell phones/ No Ipads and on and on.... A Saturday night was to drive your car to the Snack Shack or Drive In. All you cared about in high school was a part time job to buy your first wheels ASAP. You went to Friday night football games, the drive in movies and to the places around town like the Sonic of today. You chased fast cars and girls and money to spend on those things. Far too many opportunities for entertainment for young of today for great numbers to care about classic cars. Even many mulitmillion dollar sports like NASCAR, the NFL and Baseball , NBA etc.... are losing great numbers of seats in the stands because those kids are NOT growing up playing sports outside or following it like we did. Too much internet and cell phone buzzing around keeps them occupied to much to even worry about those sports or collector cars.
I don't think most newer cars will be collectable. Maybe some of the performance vehicles like the special edition Dodge Challengers, Chargers, TRX, and various special edition vehicles of other makes but I think electronics will be the limiting factor if any of them will actually run. It's difficult sometimes these days to get certain modules and I can just imagine how difficult it will be 30 years from now. Even if the aftermarket comes out with replacements, how reliable will they be.
^ People collect what they wanted as a kid/ teenager but couldn't afford/ attain.
For us it was cars, or at least, cool cars.
When have you seen a restored 1985 Escort? But if you saw one, it would turn your head, remind you of your mom's car.
People are putting new guts in Motorola "brick" cell phones.
Nostalgia won't ever go away, but some stuff is forgettable. Some cars are, too. I thought poop brown Mustang II's would go away but there are collectors for those. They like irony, maybe?
For us it was cars, or at least, cool cars.
When have you seen a restored 1985 Escort? But if you saw one, it would turn your head, remind you of your mom's car.
People are putting new guts in Motorola "brick" cell phones.
Nostalgia won't ever go away, but some stuff is forgettable. Some cars are, too. I thought poop brown Mustang II's would go away but there are collectors for those. They like irony, maybe?
Things have to be rare to be collectible. Maybe after 50 years and only 100 left in the world a Corolla would be collectible, but most likely not unless it is a model that's "cool".
The problem is you won't find parts for it, and to make things affordable they have to be in large scale in each design to justify. So, very hard to be collectible.
The problem is you won't find parts for it, and to make things affordable they have to be in large scale in each design to justify. So, very hard to be collectible.
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2024
I didn't think I would be sitting here watching 4th Gen WS6s and SSs cross the block for more than what they sold for new, but here we are. My buddy's father, before he passed away, would go to car shows with us. He would see stuff that was normal traffic for him in the 50's and 60's selling for 30, 40, 50, 60,000 dollars and say "They were crap new, they are crap now."
The aftermarket will provide for cars that are popular or desirable.
The aftermarket will provide for cars that are popular or desirable.
Research the prices of restomods and replica vehicles. Then tell me if there's a market and who the customers are. Do you have a stomach for a one-off? Look up the Volvo P1800 Cyan.
I am not a collector so I don't know the answer. However older iPhone or iPod does not have much collectible value if I understand correctly.
I participated on an Apple forum where there was someone insisting on trying to repair something without updating iOS on an iPhone. He said that there was a certain collectors value that was much higher if iOS was an older version.
