I think this is the biggest issue. Either you buy them because you love the body style or its sentimental. These cars were not performance cars. Even in the performance world, they were considered base cars with stickers on them. My Malibu right now with the 229 V6 in it, can barely make it up some of the hills around here without the speed going down. My wife laughs at it calling it an old man car. But I loved the body style in the 80's, owned 2 of them, and wanted to get another one to build something . As far as collectible or being rare, I don't think that market is going to help these cars.
Surprisingly Disappointing Values
- Thread starter 4oldsmobiles64
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I think this is the biggest issue. Either you buy them because you love the body style or its sentimental. These cars were not performance cars. Even in the performance world, they were considered base cars with stickers on them. My Malibu right now with the 229 V6 in it, can barely make it up some of the hills around here without the speed going down. My wife laughs at it calling it an old man car. But I loved the body style in the 80's, owned 2 of them, and wanted to get another one to build something . As far as collectible or being rare, I don't think that market is going to help these cars.
Some people are good at flipping cars. I am not; in fact, I suck at it. So, I accept my role, build weird sh*t, and drive it like I stole it. I'll crash it before it makes me any money.
The insurance companies are probably making good money off of you.
So someone's making bank.I totally agree with the last two posts. If I had $100,000+ to spend on a car and it was between an 87 GNX or a 67 Corvette fastback 427 tri-power, no way would it be the GNX . Theres always a better choice for me price. Molested to me is definitely NOT the word to be used for improving ALL of the factory short comings of our Gbodies .
You'll only lose money if you sell it. The sentimental value is so worth it to me. We don't have any kids to try and drain us of money, so I'd rather pour money into my worthless cars than some snot-nosed kid(s) that grows up to be Mayor of Loserville and makes me sometimes wish I didn't have kids. So I'm living my plan B wish, I guess. Bad investment either way, but at least I don't go to jail if I don't choose to feed the car or sell it. Try that with your kids....
Molesting has various meanings. (Especially if you end up in court over it. ) To me, molesting is different than modifying. IMO, molesting a car means you have done something to it that can never be undone, but you also leave the car in a bad place, like hacked wiring, mismatched parts that don't work together, backwoods engineering stuff that has to be rebolted into place every time you drive the car, etc. Stuff that just ain't ever going to be right. Stuff that would cost the next owner a butt load of $$ to un-f**k the sins that were done to the car.
If you enhance performance or you don't, you choose to do that for you. You can't worry about whether anyone else likes it. For example, you drop an LS in a Cutlass and put it up for sale? I'll never call. But someone might. Add a chrome air cleaner and beef up the cooling system? If you saved all the original parts and sold them with the car, and nothing was permanently hacked, it still may be something I'd look into. Nothing wrong with modifying a car if that's what you love. It's your canvas. And the car could run 9's. Good for you. Yeah, it'd be nice to have had a much more powerful engine option for the G-bodies, but, well, there wasn't any. I can live with that.
But if you go to sell it, you'll be limiting your buyer pool with every mod you make. Some people never think about that, and that's ok, because again, you mod to please yourself. If you go to sell your pristine rock stock Cutlass, everyone wants to buy it because of the fact is the pure stock lovers would be interested, as well as the guys with the LS in their garage looking for a clean G-body to stick it in. I own and have owned LS cars but they came that way. I'm not knocking them. But I don't need to tear up my G-bodies to have an LS. And it's not a best of both worlds. My LS Camaros handle and stop better than anything I could do with a G-body without spending enough to buy another Camaro, so I just grab the keys to the ZL1 and get my jollies that way. Or I can hop in the 87 442 or 84 H/O and cruise with the best of them. It's amazing that people normally have positive comments out in public with the G-body or ZL1.
Molesting has various meanings. (Especially if you end up in court over it.
) To me, molesting is different than modifying. IMO, molesting a car means you have done something to it that can never be undone, but you also leave the car in a bad place, like hacked wiring, mismatched parts that don't work together, backwoods engineering stuff that has to be rebolted into place every time you drive the car, etc. Stuff that just ain't ever going to be right. Stuff that would cost the next owner a butt load of $$ to un-f**k the sins that were done to the car.If you enhance performance or you don't, you choose to do that for you. You can't worry about whether anyone else likes it. For example, you drop an LS in a Cutlass and put it up for sale? I'll never call. But someone might. Add a chrome air cleaner and beef up the cooling system? If you saved all the original parts and sold them with the car, and nothing was permanently hacked, it still may be something I'd look into. Nothing wrong with modifying a car if that's what you love. It's your canvas. And the car could run 9's. Good for you. Yeah, it'd be nice to have had a much more powerful engine option for the G-bodies, but, well, there wasn't any. I can live with that.
But if you go to sell it, you'll be limiting your buyer pool with every mod you make. Some people never think about that, and that's ok, because again, you mod to please yourself. If you go to sell your pristine rock stock Cutlass, everyone wants to buy it because of the fact is the pure stock lovers would be interested, as well as the guys with the LS in their garage looking for a clean G-body to stick it in. I own and have owned LS cars but they came that way. I'm not knocking them. But I don't need to tear up my G-bodies to have an LS. And it's not a best of both worlds. My LS Camaros handle and stop better than anything I could do with a G-body without spending enough to buy another Camaro, so I just grab the keys to the ZL1 and get my jollies that way. Or I can hop in the 87 442 or 84 H/O and cruise with the best of them. It's amazing that people normally have positive comments out in public with the G-body or ZL1.
Or a Hellcat.
People have to do what makes them happy, and worrying about money or the value of something isn't happiness. That is pure f*cking misery. This hobby is supposed to be about having fun and being free.
Yeah, especially when the parts are FREE!Or a Hellcat.
People have to do what makes them happy, and worrying about money or the value of something isn't happiness. That is pure f*cking misery. This hobby is supposed to be about having fun and being free.
Another issue is the technology gap. G bodies are in a weird translation zone between old carb engines and modern computer controlled engines. Most old school hotrodders don't want to mess with G bodies because they view them as being too complex with their computer and emission controls which they refuse to learn about. On the other hand, most younger hotrodders who are used to OBD 2 EFI, don't understand nor want to learn how to work on carbs, primitive electronics and emission controls, outdated styling, etc.
Most car goons I happen across have zero clue that there was any kind of computer control in Gbody stuff. I guess they see a carb and figure it's straight old school. These cars in general are just too new to appeal to traditional muscle/hot rod people. They are the last proper GM cars and are still available for decent money if you forget about the collector cars. They ride a very strange timeline that alienates them from a large percentage of enthusiasts. Too old to appeal to tech savvy younger guys. Not a tri five Chev or something built between 1967 and 1971 which seems to be the only acceptable range of vehicles for faux car guys.
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