is it just me or are our trucks getting expensive

[rustyrexiusrodz]

i have always loved these trucks 60-66 and i have always had several truck at a time buying selling etc (its and addiction) and as of the last year there has been not alot of trucks i would consider buying( quality rust lack of good parts etc) and just the fact that there not as many as there was two to three years ago. plus it just seems like everyone wants and arm and a leg for them know, and i'm getting old and cheap?

i want something to buy and flip so i can get my fix in

[markeb01]

I think it's all relative. Everything was cheaper many years ago, but compared to Corvettes, Tri-5 Chevys and Hemi-Cudas, our stuff is still relatively inexpensive!

[bonehead]

I would say that in my area these trucks have almost doubled in price. They are getting to be very popular because all the other classic cars and muscle cars are price out of most peoples pocket book. A lot more people are considering these 60-66 trucks as cool building material now, so demand drives up the prices.

[cortcomp]

I've noticed that with everything...tri-5s were hot, shot up in price, so then the 49-54's starting going up. A 54 two door that would have been 3-4 grand is now 10-12, and selling. Same with trucks, everyone wanted earlier trucks, price went up, then everyone moved to tri5 trucks, price on those went up, then 67-72s were really hot, and now 60-66s. The 70's and 80's square bodies are starting to get more popular with parts support, asking prices, etc. Also, consider as we get older (i'm only 32, but you know) the perception changes. When i was a kid a 70's truck was just an old work truck. To some of you, you saw or bought them new. To a kid born in 1995, that's as vintage as my father in laws 57 is to me. So, they consider them more classic, where we're like "an 85? I'd still just drive that."

[Softpatch]

drive you car in the city lately.?
five yrs ago if you drove a 60-66 p/u you were unseen
these day people are noticing these truck young and old
pointing smiling waving....Bazar.!
are truck are affordable right now.!
..... A few yrs from now they wont be
.
.

.

[duallyjams]

I went to a Father's Day car show today and there were more 60-66 then 67-72 trucks so they are way more popular.

[hotrod66]

its not just our trucks that the price has gone up on its all cars and trucks. you can thank tv. now every clueless poser with a pocket full of money is buying a old car or truck. our hobby has become a pop cult phenomenon. up yours g-ass monkey!

[padresag]

Originally Posted by rustyrexiusrodz

i have always loved these trucks 60-66 and i have always had several truck at a time buying selling etc (its and addiction) and as of the last year there has been not alot of trucks i would consider buying( quality rust lack of good parts etc) and just the fact that there not as many as there was two to three years ago. plus it just seems like everyone wants and arm and a leg for them know, and i'm getting old and cheap?

i want something to buy and flip so i can get my fix in

isn't ironical that you are complaining about the pricing. are you not one of them who adds to the problem by buying and flipping them for a profit?
ron

[imjeff]

When the sticker on a new Suburban is more than my house cost, I'm guessing it's not flippers or reality shows. Feels like good old 70's inflation. Hold onto your hats!

[LVPhotos]

The trucks I have had were cheap. I traded my mountain bike for my 1980 c-10. Now the 62 that I couldn't giveaway 15 years ago is now getting attention. I have grown up with trucks with some Cameros for parts.

[BR3W CITY]

In the last 5 or so years that I've owned mine, I've noticed two trends:

1. prices for a "runner" truck, have steadily increased. While field-fresh trucks can still be had dirt cheap, a reasonably clean driver seems to go for about $12-1700 MORE now, than it did in 09.

2. Parts prices have taken a SHARP increase. This is partially due to the popularity, but more to do with the resale market in general. ANY product that has a scrap/resale/swap meet potential, can end up in the hands of resellers. This happens with many old vehicles, and its a symptom of the "profit at any costs" mentality.

Years ago, if you didn't need a part, it wasn't worth anything to you. Now the thought is; if it isn't worth anything to you, it might be worth something to someone. This is the entire problem with the "picker" type shows....it gives yutz's the idea that anything old is gold, and we get bilked for it.

Hell, I GIVE parts away on this forum, even if I've gone out of pocket for them sometimes; just to be that guy. I guess you could say I'm "rebelling" against wasteful capitalism.

[jcramsey]

Originally Posted by hotrod66

its not just our trucks that the price has gone up on its all cars and trucks. you can thank tv. now every clueless poser with a pocket full of money is buying a old car or truck. our hobby has become a pop cult phenomenon. up yours g-ass monkey!

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

This is the entire problem with the "picker" type shows....it gives yutz's the idea that anything old is gold, and we get bilked for it.

I agree with this...too many make believe reality shows making people think their rusted-to-the-ground basket case is worth way more than it is. I did have to laugh at the last swap meet we were at...can't remember how many times I heard somebody actually say "you gotta leave me a little meat on the bone". Textbook "picker" show watcher.

[Old Truck Man]

Originally Posted by jcramsey

I agree with this...too many make believe reality shows making people think their rusted-to-the-ground basket case is worth way more than it is. I did have to laugh at the last swap meet we were at...can't remember how many times I heard somebody actually say "you gotta leave me a little meat on the bone". Textbook "picker" show watcher.

The only person who has to leave a little meat on the bone or some room for the next guy. Is a car wholesaler or a trader who needs the business of repete customers. Its perfectly Ok to want full retail market price thosers buyersy make their living working or doing a service for others. You can bet they get full market price for their labor service or product.

[imjeff]

Supply and demand? Groceries, new cars, houses, clothing and most everything else is going up faster than the value of these trucks. All these other items are currently being supplied/built and our truck supply is decreasing due to wrecks, rust and crushers. How would they not increase in value? Are there TV shows causing food to go up? I give stuff away to further my hobby and to give. It makes me feel good and has nothing to do with the value. I think the value of my house, stocks and cars is generally a good thing, but somehow our trucks are supposed to stay dirt cheap even though the last ones were built over 40 years ago? I must be too dense to get that one! The people on this board customizing them and getting noticed increases the value more than any TV show, but I kinda like that!

[Old Truck Man]

Yes the price has gone up. And everything else the price has went up also. The scrap recycling industry is a big factor. Every vehicle Crushed makes what are left more desirable. Back When I was Younger I considered any 4 door or station wagon tri five chevy a parts car. Now they all bring good money. The thing about the chevy PK,s is they are so versatile you can leave them stock. fix up and paint them or leave them rough. Daily driver & work truck , Race or show vehicle. And the parts are available. The drive line interchangibility is unequalled by any other makes. I have well over a hundred trucks 90% are chevys. and all that I drive & work are chevys. All else being equal a chevy truck will sell for double what a ford or dodge will bring. Its all good!

[Indian113]

How come everything I buy is GOLD and when I want to sell it it's turned into Junk?

[cortcomp]

Whenever i need to buy something it's at a premium, at sell time, well, they're just around so csn't get a decent price. Seems to be how it goes, or i'm just doing it wrong.

[supercharged]

Its the same problem with all hobbies that become fads.
In my 56 years on this old planet I have seen old cars and trucks rise and fall in popularity and price.

But it does seem a few years ago no one was buying or restoring old trucks and it was all about muscle cars. Now that muscle cars are out of the average Joe's price range, old trucks are popular.

Now old cars and trucks from the 70s and 80s are still reasonable...but wait.
I see more and more late 70s and early 80s showing up in local shows amd meets.

The huddled masses always follow the fads (and what their favorite TV DIY show is promoting).

I remember my wife was into quilting a few years back and there were quilt supply shops everywhere... today I bet only 10% of those shops are still open.

If you think prices are high today, did through some of your old issues of hot rod magazines from the 70s or 80s and you will see folks trying to sell their 1950s and 1960s model trucks for $3000.
What cost $3000 in 1975 would cost $13,219 in 2014. Now that's expensive.

[old cool]

So here's my two cents: A couple of years ago, I sold a sporty, two-seater rag top to pursue a classic pickup. I'm not sure why this pursuit became an obsession, but it did. I passed up on a few great trucks cuz I thought they were too highly priced (nice ones were 12-15K). So I waited and waited. Nothing came my way; not in Mich. Finally, this year I found a truck being sold by a flipper (that's another story for another day). I paid 5K more than I would have paid two years ago. But, it was take it now, or possibly wait another two years.
As we are now seeing it, trucks that are restored, or nearly restored, are expensive. I recently posted a seller refusing 45K on a '66 Custom, frame-off, all orig swb.
GOOD News: if you own a good truck you'll probably see appreciation as they are a hot item. Let's face it, trucks are an "American" symbol of hard work and liberty; and, they represent a time when life was simpler - I think of dirt roads and gramps, who was carpenter in the 30's-60's.
The BAD news is that someone will confidently ask $55 for a bent piece of rusty steel called an alternator bracket. LOL. And he'll get.
Ok, so the parts vendor gets $55 and we might get $10. Ridiculous. Yet they do have overhead and we don't (can't believe I just said that). Just for the record guys, this is not a plug for gougers
God bless you truckers!

[supercharged]

Originally Posted by old cool

Finally, this year I found a truck being sold by a flipper (that's another story for another day).

Old Cool

You touched on another hot button of why inexpensive restore-able iron is impossible to find.
The average car guy has a day job - finding and buying old cars only to flip is these folks job. And like all middlemen they add very little to the value but a lot to the price.

[imjeff]

Flipping cars is myth. If you buy a truck, fix it up, and recover the money you've got in parts, you've done something and given away your time. If people are "flipping" trucks then there is a ton of stupid cash out there. Unlike a house, 0 down loans on 40 and 50 year old trucks don't exist. Our trucks are worth what a willing buyer is willing to pay. Asking is just like fishing. You don't always get what you want. Are people "flipping" boats and Harley's too? I'd like to get in on that!

[supercharged]

I can't speak for Tacoma but here in Texas there are a great many folks that buy cars from retired folks, widows, haul them from fields and barns, drive them up from south of the border and many other sources - then get the car to turn over, load the crank case full of sawdust and heavy oil, slap on bondo and cover rust with undercoat, maybe even squirt on a cheap coat of paint then sell them as if it were their personal car, or that of a family member. Most without titles.

These folks drive around all day looking for cars they can buy cheap or haul off - sink a few bucks into it and then try to sell as a true collector car. What the newbie gets is a vehicle they can never title and one that quickly becomes a money sinkhole.

And since they have very little sunk into the vehicle, they can afford to sit on them for as long as it takes to find a sucker on Craigslist or eBay.

I think you must be talking about the rich collectors that go to Mecum or Barrett-Jackson sink $100K into a restored car then sell at the next auction. That's not flipping that is "investing"!

[imjeff]

Originally Posted by supercharged

I can't speak for Tacoma but here in Texas there are a great many folks that buy cars from retired folks, widows, haul them from fields and barns, drive them up from south of the border and many other sources - then get the car to turn over, load the crank case full of sawdust and heavy oil, slap on bondo and cover rust with undercoat, maybe even squirt on a cheap coat of paint then sell them as if it were their personal car, or that of a family member. Most without titles.

These folks drive around all day looking for cars they can buy cheap or haul off - sink a few bucks into it and then try to sell as a true collector car. What the newbie gets is a vehicle they can never title and one that quickly becomes a money sinkhole.

And since they have very little sunk into the vehicle, they can afford to sit on them for as long as it takes to find a sucker on Craigslist or eBay.

I think you must be talking about the rich collectors that go to Mecum or Barrett-Jackson sink $100K into a restored car then sell at the next auction. That's not flipping that is "investing"!

If people are buying non-titled, sawdust filled, undercoated, bondoed, heavy oiled trucks on CL for high enough prices to raise all our truck prices...they get what they deserve. You can find people doing the same with any vehicle. You should have a tougher time finding people that are that gullible (not a gulli-calf, the whole gulli-bull) that actually have that kind of cash. I've always had a higher opinion of Texans than that. There are plenty of knuckleheads up here, but few have the cash without the smarts to buy vehicles like that. I have a Jeep, a Harley, a K10 and a Chevelle. I'm confident that regardless of what I tell people, they won't pay more than they are worth.

[donthekawguy]

A friend of mine made over 50K last flipping cars. They weere all high end hot rods that needed very little. He just had to detail them, get rid of the 90's wheels and give them a good tune up. Not bad money and all semi tax free!

[60sIron]

Ah, yea people are flipping Harley's, boats, cars, trucks and anything else. A very good friend made fair money flipping both motorcycles and cars. He had time, always on craigslist. Happy to make $500 on a deal. It financed his car hobby. It didn't matter if it was old or new. Just priced right. He never touched them. Just be the first guy there with cash.