Thanks for the response and I understand your point man, but didn't mean the hobby is dying. The Mopar muscle car market hasn't died (yet). That happens when the last of the Era of people who originally owned or wanted to own them has passed.
Had the prices not skyrocketed into second mortgage range, or affluent class people investing in them for extra retirement money maybe a new generation of average Joes (or Josies) may have carried the torch so to speak. Two cases in point.
Before anyone makes a rude comment I would like to say yes, I do understand Supply and Demand, Free Market and the theory of Capitalism. I had Economics classes in high school when they still taught that subject. That is why I am so appalled at this not being understood by a good number of members here.
1). A couple in my hometown had a beautiful original 1927 Ford Model T (corrected) convertible. They bought it over half my lifetime ago and rarely took it out. When they did they always had at least one offer to buy but they never felt the money was a good enough profit to sell. About 10 tears ago I saw it for sale at their home, but never saw anyone stop. The price finally got down to $2500 before I never saw it again. They owned it for 40 years and in the end sold it for probably less than they paid for it in the 1980s. Plus they stored it in a climate controlled garage and rarely took it out to enjoy it.
2). The Mopar market went crazy about 25 years ago when some members of my generation got into a position to buy one. Prices went thru the roof and suddenly the market went from finding running cars for $500 to buying rusty hulls that had been stripped bare for $5000. That was great for the sellers, and for a while the average guy was still hanging in there. Soon though it became like horse racing, a sport of Kings.
A few years ago I was looking at a car sellers publication and I saw a listing that made me almost vomit on my waffles.
A seller had a 1972 Dodge DART 4 DOOR with a moderately built up 318, the Torqueflite 904 transmission and the gawdawful 7-1/4 rear end for sale at the princely sum of $18,000 American. When he built it you couldn't buy a 2 door and he wanted a Dart badly so he spent too much on a 4 door car and drove away a happy camper. Then when he tired of it and wanted to sell he saw 2 door Darts bringing $15-20k and thought his was worth that much as well
Everyone I knew made fun of the ad. I felt sorry for him in a way, he was the victim of his own desires for sure, but also of a market driven to unbelievable heights by ever increasing greed.
I don't know if it sold or what he got if it did. But I would bet my best pair of socks it was nowhere near $18,000 American.
Now it is bicycles, older stuff is going down in price. Musclebikes in particular have been making trips to the moon though. An earlier post commented on not being able to afford Musclecars anymore, but bikes for now are still reasonable in comparison. Those days are going away soon. I am happy for all you guys who can afford a stable of awesome Krates, Super Deluxe Stingrays and other almost unobtainable bikes like almost NOS Sears Screamer 5 speeds or Huffy Rail 5 speed bikes.
Here is a deal you should not pass on since some of you think the current market is fair and affordable
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But since not all of us can afford to pay $4000 to buy a pair of wheels to make our 1972 Disc Brake Krate roll again we can sit and look at our frames, repro forks and seats and dream.
Once again, sport of Kings.
At that rate it will cost $10,000 American for a disc brake Krate soon. I looked on the Bay, I couldn't find a real Krate for sale with a disc brake at all and that is a rare thing. At the price of these wheels I am sure they are getting parted out since that is more profitable. Paying $10k for a child's bike that originally sold new for $120.00 is rather exorbitant in my mind.
I yield the floor to my illustrious club members.