Owner of Recovered Ford Model A Doesn’t Want Vehicle Back

[jimalabam]

Pooch's statement is certainly correct, at least in my "A" club and my area. Sad but true.

[ronn]

Steve Becker,
head over to ebay and see what percentage of the cars are staying original.....

not so much....

unfortunate but true.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by ronn

Steve Becker,
head over to ebay and see what percentage of the cars are staying original.....

not so much....

unfortunate but true.

Someone can always make a valid argument that only the type cars that the owner doesn't want, show up on eBay. Therefore mostly the cut up, unfinished "butcher jobs" that won't start, stop, & steer" are listed because the young hot rodder lost interest! In other words, the original cars are more desirable in the owner's eyes where the owners wants to keep them.


As far as what Steve said, I agree with him. What many do not realize is that Steve (-and I) get to see the bigger picture of the Model-A collector status, and it is very different from what many of you perceive.



A couple questions for y'all to ponder is;
Out of the last 50 years that I too have heard the hobby is dying is how many Model-As have been crushed, scrapped, or totally-destroyed because there was not anyone that wanted it?
2nd question, If there is such a decline in desire of ownership, why is it there is more parts available for them now than there were a generation ago? If they are truly dying because of lack of interest, I would think it would be just the opposite.

[Keith True]

Ronn,That car won't go up for auction as we know one.If you find the insurance company,track down the folks who dispose of the cars,you can get a bid form.You won't be actively bidding against others.You put your figure in,and wait.I do know antiques are dealt with in a completely different manner than moderns.They stand to get a good portion of their money back with antiques.A few years ago I got a flyer at my garage to look at some cars flooded by the mothers day floods at the time.I bid on a 31 DeLuxe roadster,and lost out.I checked it over pretty good,and went to $10,500 on it.A street rodder got it,but I have no idea how much he paid for it.The bottom line on this sedan is the owner sold it for $20,000.Whether the car was worth $10,000 or $30,000 I don't know,I've only seen a couple of pictures.

[Chuck Kuntz]

My Dad and I started with the local club in the early 1950's. At that time, there were no updated Model A's or T's. The majority of the cars were restored by their owner's, although certainly not to today's high standards. The tours were mostly in the 25-35 mph range and if pre 1915 vehicles were on the tour the speed was reduced. When we participated in local festivals, we usually received 10 gallons of free gas and two dinners. By contrast, today most of the cars have been restored by shops not by the owners. Tours are in the 55-60 mph range, eliminating the participation of most pre 1940 vehicles. There is room in this world for everyone but it is a shame that the public doesn't get to see the older vehicles on tour. I tried to organize a low speed tour for our club and only one other person was interested. Sad!

[Greg Jones]

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Steve Becker hit the nail on the head. When I was younger I never belonged to a car club yet i restored some mighty fine old T's to original condition. I was into the mechanics and body work and not so much clubs. Yes I belong to a club now but still do most of my driving on my own time, not at club functions. Our club is mostly geriatric and we often talk about what it would take to attract younger members. Heck, I am 57 and one of the youngest members in the club. One guy is over 90 and still driving his Phaeton. All good things, but young guys do want to hang with youngeer guys....

[TonyM]

I am 50 and I belong to two National Clubs (and I belong to a few of the local groups associated with those National Clubs). I have attended meetings and events at the local level and one thing is clear: I am NOT interested in Bingo or Drive outs to Kraft Shows or Recitals. I am interested in Antique Automobiles, their repair and restoration. In my experience with the clubs I belong to, I would like to see more emphasis on the cars and less on the Bingo.

[azmodela]

Originally Posted by SteveB31

Many older folks tend to hang out with older folks. Most younger folks tend to hang out with younger folks. Many Model A clubs have the problem of being full of only older folks, so the younger folks are not interested in doing what the older folks want to do. The younger folks just drive their cars, without being members of a club, since the club is mostly full of older folks. My point is, the cars are here to stay- they just have different users after we are done with them.

Steve Becker
Berts Model A Center

Steve summed it up pretty well...

[Barry B./ Ma.]

Originally Posted by pooch

I think most of these original cars will die with us.

Then they will be just a typical deceased sale to go to who ever wants them.

The younger generation mostly have zero interest in old cars with old mechanicals.

Sure, there some that have kids that want to, and will inherit these cars, but I think that is in the minority.

I see all the vintage clubs over here steadily growing older and dieing off.

The clubs are just not attracting the young people with fresh interest to take over.

These cars are our own nostalgia, not theirs.

The hot rod clubs seem to have a similar age group of owners, but the mentality of the club is much much younger, and i do see far more first generation kids involved with the rod groups.

I see more grandkids involved with the vintage group, where the first generation of sons and daughters have grown tired of Dad's old car.

I feel the vintage clubs now are not much more than a social club.

Ralph , who owned this car in the topic, has had time to think, and the rose coloured glasses have come off and he has made a wise decision.

I know in the perfect world, we would all love to have our kids inherit and cherish our cars, but in most cases it ain't gunna happen.

Pooch, I think you hit the nail on the head. With my own situation I have 6 grandchildren and there isn't one that has any interest in my 2 Model A's and it's sad. I see it in the auctions, only a limited number of people are interested in the real antiques and most of the others are into muscle cars or real expensive classics or woody wagons any of which most of our age group can't afford. i guess it's time to try to peddle the roadster.

[pooch]

Talk about heading over to ebay to see where a lot of your model A/s are.

3 out 4 on Australia ebay are left hand drive.

The importers can buy them for about 10K over there and sell them for 20 K here.

A tidy sum after shipping.

We are getting a glut of them off the ships.

I bet there are zero going the other way.

[ronn]

2nd question, If there is such a decline in desire of ownership, why is it there is more parts available for them now than there were a generation ago? If they are truly dying because of lack of interest, I would think it would be just the opposite.

because the rodders only keep the bodies-hence a flood of parts............

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by ronn

2nd question, If there is such a decline in desire of ownership, why is it there is more parts available for them now than there were a generation ago? If they are truly dying because of lack of interest, I would think it would be just the opposite.

because the rodders only keep the bodies-hence a flood of parts............

Ohh Ok, ....but I was referring more to new reproduction parts being manufactured.


Something else for all of us to ponder. For those here who have been involved in Model-A's for greater than ....say 30 years, we have all heard how the popularity of these will dwindle with the next generation and no one will want them. Is it fair to say that at some point when the interest in Model-A's does indeed drop, ...then so will the prices? For those that have been around for awhile, has the prices dropped on Model-A's during the time you have played with these cars? Why???

.

[nhusa]

I am going on 69 years old and have the Model T and A that belonged to my dad.

I am ashamed to admit that I had little interest in them until a few years ago when my mom gave me the T that had been in storage since 1964. I thought that it would be nice to get it running so she could ride in it again. As I worked on it I remembered the times with my dad and became attached (passionate) to it but was not really interested in the A. The ride was great and my granddaughters loved the car

A few months after mom died the A was moved to my garage and it grew on me. It helped that the girls and my wife like it and my wife can see herself driving the A

[mjw]

Originally Posted by ronn

because the rodders only keep the bodies-hence a flood of parts............

Ron if that was true than there would be glut of running and driving chassis' listed everywhere at dirt cheap prices and that is just not the case and when there is a running and driving chassis they get snapped up quick by guys that slap bodies on them and flip them.

[1936ford64]

I wonder where the person with the ' A ' 4 door rat rod/ dune buggy drives it with no mufflers

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by 1936ford64

I wonder where the person with the ' A ' 4 door rat rod/ dune buggy drives it with no mufflers

With such blocked vision I can't believe it is even street legal.

When I was 18 a drunk ran a stop sign and hit me. I called the cops and they told the drunk to drive home, and gave me a $5 ticket for having my graduation tassel hanging from my mirror.

[700rpm]

Originally Posted by Barry B./ Ma.

Pooch, I think you hit the nail on the head. i guess it's time to try to peddle the roadster.

Yeah, them worthless roadsters. I'll give you $500 cash, just to take it off your hands.

In our area, our Model A club is bigger than it has ever been in its 40+ years. Yes, many members are over 50, but at least a third I would estimate at under 50. There comes a time (usually over 50) when we have enough time and money to pursue our hobbies, and in looking at the interest level in our club I would say that there is a whole new crew coming up. We seem to gain appreciation for old stuff as we ourselves get older, and I think that is human nature and that is what will keep the hobby alive.

[SeaSlugs]

Another thing to consider to is my younger generation is trying to figure out the whole work/life balance. Some of my friends are married and starting families buying houses all that expensive stuff.

When you guys were 25-30 years old were you financially able to afford to buy/own/insure/store a classic car?

Times have changed a bit: high school diploma used to mean something now its completely worthless, college is anywhere from $8-20K a semester (times that by 8 for 4 years) graduate and hope to find a job to be paying student loans off till your 38. Apartment rent is anywhere from $450-$1200 a month or your staying at mom and dads (if they let you rent free lol)

So yes younger people do still want to hang with younger people but also there's many more things to consider.

[Tinbasher]

The interest will carry on. I wasn't born in the era of the Model A but I saw and hear a Model A when I was 8 and I'm still hooked, 52 years later. I know of a couple of guys in there 30's that are interested in pre 1915 cars, keeping and maintaining the History. The interest will carry on, different maybe but carry on.

The Old Tinbasher

[29tudorsedan]

Originally Posted by azmodela

Steve summed it up pretty well...

I agree with the agreement! I'm 20, and while college keeps me busy and away from the garage with my A in it, it's driven every weekend, and on breaks it's my go-to vehicle! I don't belong to a club, but my great uncle had a coupe when I was growing up and would always let me help with anything, so naturally I ended up with my Tudor in wanting to continue getting to work on an A and drive one. The most fun is taking a ride with my great uncle every time I'm in my A, even though he passed away this summer, I just hope his coupe gets taken care of by the family members that have it now!