What a deal! - Be concerned...


It's a Mercury. They've never been as popular as a like-year Ford and '41 isn't really a year that gets people excited.


...Either way, parts for 1990-2005 or so era cars are hard to come by. They aren't in the junkyards anymore, and if they are, well they're high mileage and wrecked. ECM's and other electronic controls are nearly impossible to find on most cars from that era. Don't forget about all of the plastic parts that are dry and brittle now, and nearly impossible to find...

I would agree with this take. Its harder to find parts for my '95 Impala SS than it is for a '32 Ford. Parts aren't reproduced, NOS ones are hard to find, and used parts from a junked car are often unusable. Not to mention there are simply more parts on a late model car.
 
I kinda disagree on the statement the trucks are losing value. I just don't see it. Good luck trying to find a GOOD 1978 Ford Bronco those bad boys are in HIGH demand they are very very popular. About any make pre-War pickup, in stock condition not a street rod, will bring 50% more cash than a comparable say 1931 Ford Roadster today. All day long.


New cars. Don't plan on buying a brand new Vette or Mustang or Challenger and put it away for 10-15 years and bring it back out into the light of day. As has been said #1. The plastics deteriorate and fall apart. #2. These cars are nothing more than computers on wheels. The Mfg.'s have already all said they will not support any 'computer upgrades' and good luck even finding a new module for these things they won't exist. A buddy has a '99 Cobra Mustang sitting in his garage, low miles mint condition, it needs a new 'ECM" or 'ECU' I forgot what he called it, and they do not exist. Anywhere. The main computer for the stupid thing. So the car can't be run.
 
I kinda disagree on the statement the trucks are losing value. I just don't see it. Good luck trying to find a GOOD 1978 Ford Bronco those bad boys are in HIGH demand they are very very popular. About any make pre-War pickup, in stock condition not a street rod, will bring 50% more cash than a comparable say 1931 Ford Roadster today. All day long.


New cars. Don't plan on buying a brand new Vette or Mustang or Challenger and put it away for 10-15 years and bring it back out into the light of day. As has been said #1. The plastics deteriorate and fall apart. #2. These cars are nothing more than computers on wheels. The Mfg.'s have already all said they will not support any 'computer upgrades' and good luck even finding a new module for these things they won't exist. A buddy has a '99 Cobra Mustang sitting in his garage, low miles mint condition, it needs a new 'ECM" or 'ECU' I forgot what he called it, and they do not exist. Anywhere. The main computer for the stupid thing. So the car can't be run.

I have a friend with a '92 Corvette with the same problem.
 
OK, story time.


I heard about a rich family guy who was so self absorbed that he wanted to buried with his money. He put it in his will and had himself psychologically tested to prove he was of sound mind.


It was well known in his community that he'd done this. He also had a VERY good attorney to make sure it would happen despite any protests.


He died and he actually was buried with ALL of his money. At the funeral people were at a loss for what to say to his widow and his children. Especially because the widow had a huge smile on her face.


Finally someone asked her, "We about your husband's direction that he be buried with all of his money. We understand that you couldn't get out of it and actually did it but we see you smiling. How can you be so happy?'


She replied, "I put a check in his suit pocket for the full amount."
 
OK, story time.


I heard about a rich family guy who was so self absorbed that he wanted to buried with his money. He put it in his will and had himself psychologically tested to prove he was of sound mind.


It was well known in his community that he'd done this. He also had a VERY good attorney to make sure it would happen despite any protests.


He died and he actually was buried with ALL of his money. At the funeral people were at a loss for what to say to his widow and his children. Especially because the widow had a huge smile on her face.



Finally someone asked her, "We about your husband's direction that he be buried with all of his money. We understand that you couldn't get out of it and actually did it but we see you smiling. How can you be so happy?'


She replied, "I put a check in his suit pocket for the full amount."

A perfect example of the term 'win-win'...
 
We are seeing similar values and interest in my other hobby, military vehicles. Many years ago, the WWII jeep was the "hot" item to have and values and parts were priced accordingly. But as WWII veterans are now close to 100 years old, the Korea and Vietnam era jeeps are gaining interest, and the WWII stuff is not so much declining as just staying stable. Now, the interest appears to be in the Humvees and more "modern" military vehicles, but they are plentyful, available through auction site and government sites and are turned into rock crawlers or special forces killer machines. The number of vendors is decreasing, more and more Chinese junk is on the market and the membership in military vehicles and Veterans organizations is decreasing.
Look at your church, your civic club, your car club or other hobby, and the values of belonging to a club or group is not of as much value to younger generations. It is what it is.JMO
 
It already has. Parts values, for the most part have plummeted in recent years. Hate to say, but just Monday I tossed out a full truck load of generators, heads, intakes, etc.


There better not have been any EAB heads in that truckload!
 
I’m only 82 but in the late 50’s when I was in high school there were very few cars driven to school in Calais, ME. There was a 56 Ford convertable, a 54 Ford two door sedan, a 48 Ford coupe and a 39 Chevrolet sedan that I can remember but I’m sure there were a few more. My uncle owned the local Ford dealership and there was not very many 32-48 Fords that I recall. He did take in a really nice Model A coupe on trade that I could have bought for $50 which was an enormous sum to me at the time as I was making 50 cents an hour on my side hustle!
 

Attachments

  • 3044761E-B81A-4842-B165-B87EF916D434.jpeg
    3044761E-B81A-4842-B165-B87EF916D434.jpeg
    61.6 KB · Views: 228
I’m only 82 but in the late 50’s when I was in high school there were very few cars driven to school in Calais, ME. There was a 56 Ford convertable, a 54 Ford two door sedan, a 48 Ford coupe and a 39 Chevrolet sedan that I can remember but I’m sure there were a few more. My uncle owned the local Ford dealership and there was not very many 32-48 Fords that I recall. He did take in a really nice Model A coupe on trade that I could have bought for $50 which was an enormous sum to me at the time as I was making 50 cents an hour on my side hustle!
578354
 
Old car values are pretty iffy today.
Very rare low production low mileage collector cars I guess will always hold their value.
This weeks Mecum Auction in Kansas City... a lot of the cars must be shiny re-sprays to 'pretty' them up and the rest of the car is garbage?? That is what the selling prices indicate, most are pretty low...
 
Those who only worship dollar $ign$ were not afraid to pay high because they knew they'd $ell even higher. Now, they've moved on to collectables that are easier and cheaper to store and maintain. Those investor$ never put their soft pink hand$ in engine oil anyway. Who needs them? It's good for the hobby that they lost their asses and we're done with them.
 
Those who only worship dollar $ign$ were not afraid to pay high because they knew they'd $ell even higher. Now, they've moved on to collectables that are easier and cheaper to store and maintain. Those investor$ never put their soft pink hand$ in engine oil anyway. Who needs them? It's good for the hobby that they lost their asses and we're done with them.

So true! It's a lot easier and more profitable to collect expensive watches, like Rolex, etc. No mess. No fuss. Easier to sell.
 
That Cabrio had only 17 miles since restoration after a whopping $240,000+ was spent on it not including the purchase price of the car itself to only get a $65k bid. I don't know how many zeros are in your bank account but I personally would not call that loss in value refreshing. More like sobering.
 
That Cabrio had only 17 miles since restoration after a whopping $240,000+ was spent on it not including the purchase price of the car itself to only get a $65k bid. I don't know how many zeros are in your bank account but I personally would not call that loss in value refreshing. More like sobering.
Two beautiful examples of the Model 40 - "Refreshing"...

Their value today? - "Be concerned"...
 
Last edited:
Pete, I agree. Both are really nice cars. I read on the 3 window that the deceased owner had it for 75 years and now the family is selling it. This is the reason, over and over, for all the cars coming out and flooding the market. I'm not complaining, I was able to get my '34 5 window this way, something that would have been impossible for me 5 years ago. I hope this leads to a resurgence of interest as the lower prices bring new younger (50's instead of 80's) people like me with less disposable income into the hobby.
 
Today on the Eahttps://www.earlyfordv8.org/classifieds.cfm?t=For%20Sale&c=Automobiles&id=21026rly V8 classifieds. Wood be a fun project. A little pricey but it is an icon....Bill
 
Back
Top