Seriously. I just did some local craigslist and ebay searches for 1st Gen 7's and the prices people are asking are ridiculous. Especially for the condition they are in. Many of them are kids who riced out the car and think the $5000 worth of crappy parts and ugly paint job they did means they should get $5000 for the car.

Unless people are actually paying these prices. Maybe these cars are starting to gain some value?

 

$5-6K+ for nice original cars is common now, tho still deals to be had. Exceptional cars (low mileage, specials) can pop $8K or more (occasionally, MUCH more…). Of course anyone can ask that for a basket-case too. But what are they actually _getting_?
"Starting to gain value…" - well, maybe. You won't be putting your kids thru college selling one anytime soon tho….

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

A little bit of both I believe.....

 

Lots of crack and little of value.

 

Too much crack for them.

 

There's a tender blue 83 in eBay now for 22k, I'm pretty sure the seller is on more than crack.

 

Just like kids with miatas that have 175k with needs of engine and body work asking for 4500 dollars. It's obviously crack

 

82 Mazda RX7 GSL

Like this one, 69,500mi on an 82 GSL - $6,700.

Way too high for that car in my opinion.

 

Seriously, when they get this old, they are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. If he can get 6k+, more power to him. What happens is we put a lot of money in restoring our cars and we think we should get most of it back when selling (but you won't LOL).

 

I think the issue is that no one really does a "restoration" anymore. It's all modification and customization but not truly restoration. A mint condition, full restored 1st gen I would pay top dollar for. But some hacked-up 12a with every low-budget modification and bolt-on go-fast part with a purple paint job and spray painted interior isn't worth $10. Unless, of course, you are REALLY into purple.

There is a local kid (and if you are on here I have nothing against you) who is trying to sell an 89 automatic convertible with a blue paint job, blue and yellow interior and a bunch of bolt-on mods. He's been asking $6500 for the last 18+ months with no buyers.

 

I understand what you are saying, but think our cars have only recently reached the age where a restoration is applicable. The 2 biggest problems are intertwined. First, is that even if properly restored, its a vary narrow market of customers with both the financial means and desire to obtain and pay for that factory fresh 1st gen. The other problem is that, with out that customer base driving a market, there is no supply of good quality OEM style replacement parts available. A bit like what came first, the chicken or the egg?

It's much easier and more appealing for the current crop of owners to customize the cars they love instead of restoring it to OEM. I believe you really don't see the value in "stock" until you get a little older yourself. Like other cars, their will be room for both the "stock restoration" and "modified" cars in the future world of colectable 1st gens. The same guys who scoff at the idea of high prices for our cars now will help create and drive that future. The disease is already inside them, as it is in me.

 

I think he's within a grand of the car's current "best price" value. For me, on Gen 1s, that kind of high value resides mainly on the ends of the spectrum ('79-80s and '84-85 GSL-SEs). Try bringing one "not so nice" to his level of quality. "If" you can find all of the parts you need, you'll easily top his asking price.

Certainly agree Banzai, but I'm concerned about any future "aftermarket" support of OEM-style parts. Just don't have confidence that the market will ever get to that level (volume-wise) for companies to invest, so stock up now boys and girls while the few parts still made by Mazda are available.

 

People are not smoking crack. It's bath salt laced meth

 

You see this in the car market all the time . Guys that bought a new one when they where 18 years old are now in there 50 and are looking to relive there youth . So what better way to do this then buy that car they had when they where young .The kids are gone and the house is payed for or almost and they are ready to relive that youth . They have money and will spend it on the right car for them no matter the cost .

 

$17.5k

1980 Mazda RX-7 with only 27K miles