[Healeys] Healeys at Mecum

[Jody Kerr]

On Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 11:34 PM, Greg Lemon <glemon at neb.rr.com> wrote:
> That being said I am more worried about demographics hurting the
> availability of parts and services for "our cars" than car values, a friend
> of mine just had a talk with one of the managers at Victoria British (big
> North American supplier for our international friends) They are
anticipating
> a stagnant or shrinking market for their brit car business with much more
> growth in the their truck parts sales.  The people who buy Healeys and such
> aren't getting any younger for the most part, how many on the list are
under
> 40, show of hands, not many  I would wager.

(*I'm under 40*)

I think it's a pairing of demographics, availability and exposure. A
good example is looking at the pre-war car prices. When I was a kid,
going to shows, you'd see tones of 20's-40's cars. You don't see them
any more. Why is that? The generations that knew these cars and either
A) wanted them, but couldn't afford them when new, or B) had one, and
want to remember what they were like are gone or dwindling fast.
Certain marques will always be in high demand to high-end collectors
(e.g. Duesenbergs) but the lowly Model-T just isn't in demand any
more.

And over time, availability of these cars dries up. I've heard plenty
of stories from Healey folks about buying their cars for $500 to $2000
dollars in driveable condition. When does that happen any more? When
you account for prices, that drives many people out because the
average car guy doesn't have 40 to 50,000$ to spend on a restoration
(vs. a nice Chevy C-10, parts are cheap, they look good for their era,
and you can't walk 100 yards without tripping over one).

Finally, it's exposure. I grew up in a car family, most of my friends
did not. So, while my mum and dad were teaching me about 50's - 70's
british cars, and grandpa was teaching me about the pre-war cars, my
male friends had posters of Testarossa, Countachs and Deloreans
(thanks to Back to the Future). So, if you do not know something
exists, then you can't "want" it.

Interestingly, of late I've been meeting a lot of younger guys (my age
and as young as late teens) who are buying old british cars. But,
they're buying things like Spitfires and rubber bumper MGs. Why?
Because they're cheap, you trip over them frequently, and they're just
rare enough to be cool.

Jody

--
http://www.theymightberacing.com/
1953 Studebaker Champion
1960 Austin Healey 3000 (BT7L/5479)
1974 Jensen Healey MKII (14291)
1974 Jensen Healey MKII (18854)
1978 Triumph Spitfire (Mum's)
http://motors.shop.ebay.com/merchant/jodyfkerr <--I'm selling parts on ebay!

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