This hobby is dieing

Stingray70

Stingray70

Senior Member
I keep hearing that on this forum and from guys in our local club. That's not what I see though! Example:

A local car museum here in NC was liquidated last week. Nice private collection with about 100 cars. The owner passed away a while back and the family decided to close the place. They auctioned off everything from cars, memorabilia, even the furniture.

There were 8 pre war cars, two of which were model As. With the exception of a 68 Shelby GT 350 and a 66 GTO, those two Model As had by far the most bidding of anything else in the collection.

The first was a 30 coupe. It was pretty rough. Running but not driven in 15 years. Lots of incorrect and reproduction parts. It will need A LOT of time and money to make a reliable driver. It sold for $19,500

The second was a 29 Tudor. It was nicer. So-so amateur paint, good interior. Driving condition and looked fairly correct. That one sold for $26.5k.

So for those that think our hobby is dying, it sure seems like there is some strong interest out there. I hope this wasn't an isolated event!
 
well the prices you mention are not real........ in the sense that I can buy 100 model A tudors in nice shape for under 10k each.

so buy them up and resell them, if you believe those numbers.....
Go to the MAFCA site and see far nicer cars for less then the sums mentioned.

It could be that there werer memories attached to those 2 cars, but the pricing is totally out of wack. sort of like BJ auctions.
 
I hear you Ronn. And I agree about the prices. That coupe sold for three times what I thought it was worth. I guess what struck me as much as the prices were the number of bidders on all the old cars. They got more attention than the 50s and 60s "popular" cars.

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What I see that could be called dying is the fact that the people that were a big part of the hobby have aged out. Literally they are dying. I'm the youngest guy in our local chapter and I'm 63. Most of the members are too old to participate in tours or anything of that nature. There are no machinists here willing or able to do Model A work. (and I'm in Seattle not small town USA). Prices are actually dropping at least in the Pacific Northwest. Parts, if you can find them are often Chinese junk. Several Model A engine builders (that were really good) died of Covid. I could go on and on......
 
Wow Stingray those are crazy prices for those Model A's in that condition :eek:

With an auction, you just never know. It takes two people to drive the bidding. Here were two people who decided they needed those cars!

The beauty of a Model A Ford in your garage is, the little buggers don't take up that much room, and are still fun to play with and drive!
 
One other point. Check out this 44 second video of a recent Nighttime parade at the annual Old Car Fest in Dearborn held every September.

Look at the people in the cars and the spectators, a lot of them are younger people and the smiles are pretty evident. People are having fun and love antique cars!! People of all ages.

I don't see that changing much :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC82G2XFmdk
 
Well, I am 19 almost 20 and am a diehard Model A man. I will daily drive and work on my model a (soon to be plural lol) till I die. I might be young, but I have stage 4 model a virus !
 
'28 RPU said:
What I see that could be called dying is the fact that the people that were a big part of the hobby have aged out. Literally they are dying. I'm the youngest guy in our local chapter and I'm 63. Most of the members are too old to participate in tours or anything of that nature.
Click to expand...

This is basically what I have seen. We have lost 3-4 members this year and others either can't or shouldn't drive their cars to events anymore.
 
Just sold our last Model A on Hemmings that we have had for over 40 years. It took three days. Car had 702 views, 27 followers, and I received 11 inquires.

Sold for full asking price.

Some of us are just aging out of the hobby. However, I don’t believe the hobby is dying, just changing.

Enjoy.
 
WHN said:
Just sold our last Model A on Hemmings that we have had for over 40 years. It took three days. Car had 702 views, 27 followers, and I received 11 inquires.

Sold for full asking price.

Some of us are just aging out of the hobby. However, I don’t believe the hobby is dying, just changing.

Enjoy.
Click to expand...

DITTO!
We might have said the hobby is dieing in the 1950s and 60s when so many were cut up for hot rods. I never thought there were so many untouched cars out there. Boy was I wrong! About one a week are emerging from these hidey holes to a growing market.
Terry
 
I can't keep people away from me when I drive mine.

You have to consider what the A means to people. I think for most people, the A is a piece of nostalgia. For many folks, they had one when they were young, or grew up riding in them and it feels familiar. My mother cried when she first saw my roadster. I had no idea she even knew what a Model A was. When I drive past the senior housing up the street, people in wheelchairs wave. But sadly, things change and no one lives forever. Wish it weren't so but when our friends pass, the source of this nostalgia dwindles.

I was born in 1970 and owning an A is not nostalgic for me. Not at all. Instead, I see it as the most modern thing that one could own. That might sound funny, but for me it represents a moment where everything just clicked. It stands an example of clarity, utility, and pragmatic execution. Everything has a purpose and everything is in the right place. Nothing more and nothing less. Pure design and function. It doesn't get more modern than that, so for me I'm just getting started.

There will be others that follow that have their own reasons for loving As, and those reasons might be different or new.

But nothing lasts forever. All the more reason to get out and drive.
 
Technically you might say the hobby is actually DIEING here.
I made this die set a couple months ago to stamp out a small model A part.
 

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  • 4 inch square die set.jpg
    4 inch square die set.jpg
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Ah Ha! Very familiar with small dies! Is that a compound die ? It looks like at least two of the punches are mounted in the die chase. Would anyone here be interested in that part?
Terry
 
Terry said:
Ah Ha! Very familiar with small dies! Is that a compound die ? It looks like at least two of the punches are mounted in the die chase. Would anyone here be interested in that part?
Terry
Click to expand...

Single stage forming die and I doubt anyone here would be interested in the part. It forms a key for a 404A cam lifter.
 
I can't drive to Lowe's, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, the bank or the gas station without having people waving, honking, taking pictures, or stopping by to talk about the car.
No, the hobby is not dying, but I do see entry into the hobby being blocked by those that are hell-bend on destroying the economy in a misguided belief that it will be more fair...if everybody is poor...but that is a discussion for another forum.
 
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