No doubt, I would never sell my siver FB, I dont think any cash value could ever match its sentimental value.

 

The year we make contact....

But when will it be smog exempt especially if you're in CALI.

 

I am finally getting around to putting some time and effort into the '82 GSL that I bought last fall, and this is basically my plan, too. Finances and time consumed by trying to sell a house kept it on the back burner, relegated to only a short 30 minute blast up the road every now and again to keep it running. I have got my garage in order, ready for the surgery that needs to take place (ditching the dreaded 3-speed automatic and getting an exhaust on there), and then when it's realistically daily-driveable getting started on the minor rehabilitation that the exterior needs or that I want (shaved side moldings, blacking out chrome, little rust here and there, a couple of dinged up panels that need fixing, etc).

At one point a few weeks ago, I was thinking about maybe sticking a V8 in it. I've since canned that idea (not hard, with gas being $3), and now just want to have a fun little mostly-stock car that I can use, drive hard, and have a good time working on. Maybe when my son's older he'll get to drive it. By the time he's legal to drive, the little silver beast will be 40 years old. Since I have practically $0 in the thing, I think I'll be able to afford to keep it.

 

The problem is ricers and young kids getting ahold of SA/FB's. It'll be hard for the over 50 group to embrace a car this is associated with the young stupid kid scean...

 

Ricers, I agree but hey man! I might be 17 but I love the FB probably as much as anyone here does. That's like saying that it's hard to listen to classic rock when the kids catch on. But I definitly agree on the ricers with cofee can mufflers and those... morons with subs the size of a table.

 

the fb is cheap for run down versions, and dont worry, the ricers will thin the herd, so to speak. then move on to other cars.

 

There's no question that 1st gens will escalate in value in the next five to ten years. The question is, to what degree. For some reason, British and American classic cars are worth more percentage-wise than Japanese classics.

A 1970 to 1972 Datsun 240Z is a far superior car to the MGB of the same era, and a mint example will fetch 15K--- a four-fold increase over it's value in 1970. But a pristine 1972 MGB can sell for 20K.

Of course, the above example ignores inflation. A car that sold for 4K in 1970 would cost almost 40K now, ie: a 1970 Mustang Mach1 that sold for $4000 (in 1970 dollars) vs. a 2005 top-of-the-line Mustang that sells for $35,000 to $40,000.

An SA sold for around $7000- $8000 in 1979 and 1980. Today you would need 30K to have the same spending power. This means that in order for an SA to exceed it's original value it would have to sell for over 30K. Very few cars do this, which means that (exotic Ferraris and original Shelby 427 Cobras notwithstanding) cars are a lousy investment from a financial stand point. Real estate, stocks and bonds are better bets.

Having said that, we need to have a vehicle to get around in, and new cars depreciate like hookers in their 20th season. Might as well buy a (much more fun-to-drive) mint-condition 1st gen for under 5K now, drive it for ten years and then sell it for upwards of 20K.

Even after taking into account the cost of inflation and extra maintenance we should still realize a positive return on investment. Even if said return is only 10% per year it still beats the option of spending 30K on a new SUV, only to see it sell for 7K ten years from now--- a figure that represents a net loss of over 90% once inflation is taken into account.

 

See, with the ricer thing, I always see more FC's on the borderline of rice cars over first gens. I normally see the die hard rotary guys driving FB's, and then a bunch of high school kids with their fart can exhaust and huge spoilers with bright lime green paint jobs with license plates that say "Rice 4 Life", neons, and subs that make you feel like your head is caving in driving FC's. One of the reasons I dislike them more now than ever.

So anyway, what I am trying to get to saying is that I think the FC's are going to be a lot worse off than the FB's when it comes to riced out rides.