The difference between cars and trucks

[davepl]

A year or two ago, to start my project, I picked up a 1970 with a 396, buckets, console, and air-conditioning. It also had a number of other options, it was a solid one-family vehicle with no rust whatsoever, and it was in almost completely untouched, unmolested condition. For $6500.

That's a truck. And it's not an amazing story.

But now consider a younger person, in their late teens or early 20s, wanting to do the same with any 'desirable' musclecar.

What are the odds of his finding an unmolested, one-family, no-rust, buckets & console, air conditioned 1970 396 Chevelle?

Sadly, I think for the most part you're looking at already-restored vehicles or completely clapped out rust buckets with Chinese chrome air cleaners and corrugated one-size-fits-nothing upper rad hoses, big yellow Accel coils (yes, I had one too once), the wrong motor, and so on. And that's your best case. Most cars you'd find would need more than underhood accessories to return them to proper service.

While it's sad for the kids trying to get into the hobby who want a car, for those of into trucks, this is still "the good old days", as evidenced by the threads that pop up here every week with a new score as nice or nicer than my own.

Granted, I searched for 3 years for the truck I described in a short box Sierra Grande. I did find a 2500 Sierra Grande Custom Camper, which I now love more than I would a short-box half-ton, even if it's less desirable to others. While they're not falling from the trees if you have specific tastes, but how hard is it to find a 67-72 truck vs, to use my example, a 67-72 Chevelle?

I think there are a few main factors:
1) Cars were cooler before trucks were, so they cycled through the hobby much earlier
2) Trucks are more durable
3) Trucks were used for work, not merely transportation, and didn't go out of fashion as soon as square headlights or Collonade windows came along
4) They made millions of them (they made millions of Impalas and Caprices too though, you don't see them almost daily or weekly like we do trucks)

There are probably others, and I'm curious what others think might have led us here.