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.
I'm a poor predicter of the future but I envision:
EV cars will be faster than ICE so there is little appeal of modern cars in the future for their speed. There might be a strong hobby of people that hotrod ICE vehicles because it's fun to do. In 50 years cars will be more autonomous and EV and driving a fast ICE cars will be on tracks. Just like today, 50 years from now, an old Camry is not going to be collectible but an old Mustang or Corvette will be. There are waves/generations. When I was a teen, 57 Chevy Bel Airs were collectible. And they were only 20 years old at the time. Don't see them anymore.
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 lolIt depends on their appeal and rarity. I think the Dodge Hellcats and Demons will be worth a fortune, based on the fact the EPA and CAFE is doing everything in their power to eliminate them, and V-8's in general. And they're aren't a lot of the Hellcats and Demons.
Today the only "performance" engines they, (government), seem to want to tolerate are the 4 cylinder turbos. And to many they're appreciated about as much as the last girl at the bar when closing time comes.
Large displacement, high performance V-8 engines will always have a large appeal. Look at the older (1969 - 1970), 426 HEMI Dodge and Plymouth Daytona's and Superbirds.
I remember when those things came out they could barely give them away. Many were discounted because the styling just didn't appeal to many. Today one that is all original can fetch over $1 Million at the big auctions like Barrett Jackson.
Yet when they came out they couldn't even be sold in the state of Maryland, because their laws required an attached bumper on all new cars sold. Sometimes these things are hard to predict.
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.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.
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.
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.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.
Star Trek: VoyagerThere 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.
That's the problem. If you replace all the old stuff with modern stuff is it still the same car? Or are you just keeping a shell on a new car? How collectible would it be?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.
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.That's the problem. If you replace all the old stuff with modern stuff is it still the same car? Or are you just keeping a shell on a new car? How collectible would it be?
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.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.