Ok. $1100 Q-Jets, $1000 N-25 bumpers, $2400 GS grills, $800 non rebuilt 8.5 posi rears, $750 Steering wheels for GS Rivs, $1500 nailhead dual quad setups that require rebuilding!!! Recently talked to a guy in Calif. who sold a nice 64 Riv for $28 grand. I used to think 5 grand would buy a very nice old car!!! Now, it buys 5 or 6 parts!! Is it finally happening??? Are Buicks catching up with Chevy and Mopar prices??? Good thing that I have most of what I need. If so, it is a sellers market and they better take advantage of it while it lasts!! Wild stuff, what do you think???:eek2: :jd:
I hope not. It's great having a nice car that is a bargain. Go to any car show, if there's not at least 1 chevelle there's more. Black ones, green ones, red ones, blue ones, white ones, you get the picture. Buicks are special, and harder to make perfect without as many aftermarket parts available. It's nice having a car to show that is different, I think many people respect that. I say buy the parts now while you can afford them and they are somewhat plentiful.:bglasses:
I'd have to disagree for the most part. Greed would imply that the sellers have any control over what the part will bring. Unfortunately, it boils down to a supply & demand problem. If you need a part and there aren't many out there - what do you do? o No: All the more reason to support the BPG!!:TU:
Call it what you want, but these plastic quarter lenses were just re-listed today. You can get these from Cars for $5.75 each. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&tc=photo&category=34206&item=2462795550 Of course, it may be worth paying that much more than having to deal with Cars.:bglasses:
The rare parts for all muscle cars have gone up in the last few years. I buy NOS Mopar and midyear Corvette parts in addition to Buick. Ebay is the main reason for the increase in prices. Before Ebay there was no competitive market. How about $3000.00 plus for Mopar NOS mufflers. Only Ebay can create that kind of "Barrett-Jackson type" atmosphere. This is also fueled by the spiralling prices of the cars themselves and the cost of high level restorations. Buy now and pay the price if you want NOS because once they're gone that's it. Some parts cannot be reproduced. I don't like it either but you have to look ahead. Dennis
Well, as fast as people are listing items on Ebay, they will be gone before long. I have seen it on certain items so far. Met a guy who finished his 65 Corvette a few years back. Paid $7500 for a NOS rear quarter for it. Found a NOS set of knock-offs for $7000 and opted for the cheaper ($2500) reproduction ones. I have a friend in NC that loves Mopars. He has turned down $12,000 for his 1970 disassembled Hemi engine! This stuff blows my mind. I have been wanting Buicks to rise, and I think with help from Ebay, they have.
If you are looking for a top dollar price for an item, this is the time of year to sell things on ebay. You have a captive audiance, every one has cabin fever this time of the year.:laugh:
while winter time is good, my best selling time is right before christmas. the kin folk know that dad or grandad, has a 1938 or 68 whatever, and they bid like crazy on my stuff, they dont seem to care what they pay. summertime it gets slow, i think because people are outside and forget to bid or whatever. late march and early april are the worst, everybody is worried about taxes and they aint spending no money. thats been my experience anyway. i sell year round. ebay prices vary wildly. henry
I noticed some too the other day for my Skylark that were twice as much as they are from Year One and people were bidding on them, brain damage I guess :shock:
The economics of used anything has changed with ebay. Everyone has a right to sell something for what it's worth. Before ebay, sellers of tough to find stuff that hardly anyone wanted couldn't find a buyer. And even though there were more buyers out there, they couldn't find a seller. Great stuff hit the garbage dump or went cheap in comparison to demand. Now that lack of information has been substantially reduced and prices are rising as the demand is finding the supply better than ever before. What's bothering me is to see that loose parts values are rising more than the value of the cars they're on. More decent cars are being stripped for parts. The car prices are bound to rise pretty soon too for those that need a lot of TLC. Once that happens, we'll lose this as a hobby to the people that can afford to buy them at current prices and put in some sweat equity to make them great. I switched back from Corvettes to Buicks because you never see a mid year Corvette owner banging gears on the strip anymore. They cost too much to fix these days. No fun anymore. My .02.
Economics, the law of supply and demand. However, there is more than one way to have fun. Call it "substitute goods". When an original part becomes too expensive, there is economic incentive for someone to build a replacement part, IF the demand is perceived to be sustainable and material enough to allow the replacement maker to recover his costs and make a profit. If the current demand does not exhibit these features and the replacement parts are not forthcoming, you can still have fun: Forget the 100% original restoration and do something different. "Substitute" another idea. Ever notice how people are now taking 50's era cars abandoned in fields and not restoring them. Rather, they are installing SBC engines, modern running gear and interiors, dechroming to save money; in many instances they are substituting sweat equity and smarts for costly original parts. Some of these are better than the similar car model restored to 100 point original status. Paying way too much for a car or parts that you can't use very often so that someone else can drool over it a few days a year is (fill in your own word). Dan
Unless it's a super rare model, we're on the same wavelength. There should be some alternatives available that are 'acceptable' to the market. Then we won't go crazy trying to find the original thingies.
I know. It breaks my heart when I see a quarter panel or a fender on ebay, and I only hope the car that was sacrificed was severely damaged in a colission and not repairable, though I know that is wishful thinking. Some of our old cars are rare specimens that should be exempt from this practice that will continue as long as a car is worth more in parts than whole. As far as Corvettes go, some of those guys just go too far with their matching numbers and put so much effort into the unimportant stuff, they can't enjoy their cars enough to race them or even just drive them around and enjoy them. That's no fun. I told my wife to just slap me upside my head if I ever get like that. :grin:
The guy I mention above with the restored 65 Vette had it featured in a magazine several years back. Never drives it and trailers it everywhere it goes. Wanted my father to consider buying it. The car was several hours away on display. Guess they cease to be functional and become a form of art! I don't think I would like that, but even if I did, I will never have the money to do it. Wouldn't have to tell my wife to slap me, she would do it on her own if I did that!!!:laugh:
Part$$$$$ btw . . . those lens covers are available from Mr. Goodwrench for about $3.00 - (ouwch !) ou:
I've mostly bought, sold few. 40 ebay purchases since 1999. One semi bad deal. Most paid $3,000. least paid $1.75. Like gambling people get caught up and go high. Whatever, you don't have to buy the stuff. Also, don't complain when someone with a faster line and savvy wins an auction. Ebay is for those who are willing to pay for what is easy to find. Since when did so many adults forget that life is not fair?
