2020

[Chuckster]

Lots of posts lately about our aging T-birds, unavailable parts, high costs of repairs, owners cashing out.

I was a dumb 18 year old in 1972 with a little cash to spend, and I thought seriously about buying a '57 Bird and fixing it up. It wasn't that unreasonable back in the day.

In 2020 will there be any 18 year old car guys? Maybe they will be passionate about a Prius or a Leaf? Will there be any 18 year olds as passionate about a 2005 T-bird as I was in 1972 about a '57? And if there are, how much will it cost to keep them running? You surely don't fix our Birds in a back yard garage.

In 2020 will in be easier to find a simple part for a '57 Bird than a complex part for a 2005? You have to wonder if come 2040 will there be any Retro Birds at a classic car show.

[jerrym3]

Re: 2020

25 years is the accepted classic car age.

Will there be retros in car shows in 2027/30?

Probably, but will there be more folks looking at TBirds or Mustangs/Camaros/Challengers? Seems like the latter has all the attention from today's youth market.

TBirds will definitely be rarer.

I attend a lot of shows with my Galaxie. The newer Mustang/Camaro/Challenger crowd is growing. Not so much with the Corvette crowd. (Too expensive?)

As for 2040, I'll be 97 years old, so unless someone's willing to guide or push me, I don't think I'll be attending many car shows.

[007Cruiser]

Re: 2020

No problem, Jerry. I'll be glad to guide you. I'll only be 90.

[Mintgrn]

Re: 2020

There was an article in the NY Times last week stating that young people are not really interested in cars at all of any type.

[00mustng]

Re: 2020

....the later generations are less about cars and more about electronics......as an old guy , working with the younger generations....my collection of 3...'81,88, 02...vehicles...draw a blank.....

[Rondor]

Re: 2020

I think there will be some car guys then but not like the past. However one single thing could start a whole new passion such as a movie or TV show. A good yardstick will be whether we still have independent repair shops around. My guess is there will be more demand than cars as most cars after '90 are wind tunnel look alikes. The price and demand for '30's era cars has dropped significantly. I remember when a '36 Ford roadster selling in the $30 K range was considered out of site.

[jerrym3]

Re: 2020

No problem, Jerry. I'll be glad to guide you. I'll only be 90.

If I'm still around at 97, I'm going to need a lot more than just a guide.

[DaiUyTed]

Re: 2020

Rachel Veitch, age 92, was at a local car show yesterday with her immaculate '64 Comet Caliente. She's the lady who was on Leno and elsewhere, and mentioned in this week's Time, who has put over 673 thousand miles on that car. I saw her logbook, which includes entries for everything done to the car, including gassing up. I asked her when she thought she'd reach a million miles, but she announced she had to retire it. Now legally blind.

[lasuvidaboy]

Re: 2020

I was always into cars (cars from the mid-late 1950s, 1960s and early-mid 1970s) but few cars made after 1980 really interested me. I can imagine being a 20-something today and rarely seeing a car that inspired a real passion. When I was growing up in the 1970s here in Southern California, it was common to see cars from the 1950s and 60s on the road and in good condition. Heck, there are still a few older drivers still tooling around in their mid-1960s cars as daily drivers. I think it is important to drive our cars as that is the only way younger people will see them. A car sitting in the garage is not being appreciated by people who don't own one. When I take my 1975 Pontiac Grandville convertible out for a spin, I get looks and thumbs-up that no Bentley, Rolls or other high-end exotics rarely get. Great-looking well preserved classics and would-be classics (like our Birds) always seem to attract some sort of attention. When I am speeding along at 70 mph on the way home from work w/the top down in the Bird, I usually catch a glimpse of some drivers looking at the car and a few speeding up to get a better look-even in LA where high-end exotics can be seen daily. It is true that most younger people have little to no interest in classic cars (could be a financial issue as younger people today are generally not as well-off as previous generations and don't have the money to purchase them) but there are a few that do have an interest. Hopefully those young people will grow up to appreciate the great-looking cars that were once made in the U.S..

[fums6]

Re: 2020

I have two grandsons aged 19 and 20 respectively. One is a car nut like us and the other could care less. I also have a grandson who at 28 loves trucks! The bigger the better. But whenever I ask him to take one of my old cars out for a spin, he salivates !!! The Mustangs, Camaro's and to some extent the Mopars will be the collectables for that generation.

[jerrym3]

Re: 2020

I get a kick when a guy driving a new Mercedes or BMW comes up on my Galaxie's left side, paces me, and then honks as he goes by driving a car that's worth 20 times the price of my car.

I get an even bigger kick when the girl/woman in his driver's seat gives me the thumbs up.

[Rondor]

Re: 2020

I can't think of a car built in the last 25-30 years other than our T-Bird that creates emotion just by it's appearance, at least in a reasonable price range.

[5bird7]

Re: 2020

My grandson, age almost 6 years old, salivated when I handed him a Hot Wheels model of a Shelby Cobra from the 60s. He said it was his goal to drive one when he's older.

[DudleyM]

Re: 2020

There will always be 'car nuts' but probably less of them than when we were youngsters salivating over the new cars coming to the dealer each year. I think the high cost of cars, the complexity limiting the ability to work on them in your home garage, the high cost of fuel, etc. contribute to changes in attraction.

I remember someone saying to me, "while one of the first things you want when you're in high school is to buy that first car, lack of jobs, low pay, and higher prices for cars and gas make that harder for today's kids".

[JAB02LHS]

Re: 2020

My nephew, a senior in college, still takes HAILBIRD out for a couple hours every time I go to visit my sister. Yesterday he asked me if I would give him guidance in restoring an early Mustang.
He is willing to do the work as long as I tell him what he needs to do. His parents are Toyo minivan types but he gets cars and always wants to talk with me about them!