Model A prices rising?

[bart78]

Of course they have gone up in price the past fourty or fifty years ago. The prices on model a's reflrcts labor costs. You can add parts to that but most stuff is pretty affordable. Fifty years ago machine shop labor was not what it is now. If it would have cost back them what it does not to have someone work on your car. There would be no mod a's. They carry some value because they are old. They are not a rare car. And the fact that they make nice hot rods has made the price go up. In a few years the way things are going. But when you have 4,000 in a motor. And if you have someone put a good paint job on it. You are allready up there pretty good. And that's just two things. These cars will continue to go up. But my opinion it will be due to labor prices.

[hefty lefty]

Originally Posted by bart78

Of course they have gone up in price the past fourty or fifty years ago. The prices on model a's reflrcts labor costs. You can add parts to that but most stuff is pretty affordable. Fifty years ago machine shop labor was not what it is now. If it would have cost back them what it does not to have someone work on your car. There would be no mod a's. They carry some value because they are old. They are not a rare car. And the fact that they make nice hot rods has made the price go up. In a few years the way things are going. But when you have 4,000 in a motor. And if you have someone put a good paint job on it. You are allready up there pretty good. And that's just two things. These cars will continue to go up. But my opinion it will be due to labor prices.

Pretty much. Despite unemployment, car labor is skyrocketing because few people want to do hot or cold dirty work any more. And restored high dollar CCCA classics and exotics and pro built street rods are bringing stupid money and that's where the talent goes.

And the only way to learn to do this is to do it....you need a place to work, tools, and time and the drive to do something besides play video games or watch sports on TV. There is no school you can go to, really.

Pro shops are also getting a lot more expensive due to insurance, environmental and safety laws, and such. When you get a $100/hr bill from the stealer for labor on your out of warranty car, that all does not go to the mechanics. It goes for all the real estate, the exotic electronic tools, the smoke machines and nitrogen tire fillers, health insurance for employees, advertising, etc. Even if much of that is not germane to what you need to have done, you pay. The independent shops track the dealers.

There are still in some places guys that build up cars in their garages, work for cash, have no insurance, pay little or no tax. They aren't going to restore a stock model A because it is not profitable as compared to building or working on muscle cars and street rods. There's a guy like that about ten miles from me. Fixes up cars, drives them to LA and flies back with cash. survivalist type, totally under the radar.

[Ross/Kzoo]

Originally Posted by hefty lefty

Pretty much. Despite unemployment, car labor is skyrocketing because few people want to do hot or cold dirty work any more. And restored high dollar CCCA classics and exotics and pro built street rods are bringing stupid money and that's where the talent goes.

And the only way to learn to do this is to do it....you need a place to work, tools, and time and the drive to do something besides play video games or watch sports on TV. There is no school you can go to, really.

Pro shops are also getting a lot more expensive due to insurance, environmental and safety laws, and such. When you get a $100/hr bill from the stealer for labor on your out of warranty car, that all does not go to the mechanics. It goes for all the real estate, the exotic electronic tools, the smoke machines and nitrogen tire fillers, health insurance for employees, advertising, etc. Even if much of that is not germane to what you need to have done, you pay. The independent shops track the dealers.

There are still in some places guys that build up cars in their garages, work for cash, have no insurance, pay little or no tax. They aren't going to restore a stock model A because it is not profitable as compared to building or working on muscle cars and street rods. There's a guy like that about ten miles from me. Fixes up cars, drives them to LA and flies back with cash. survivalist type, totally under the radar.

Good points! Also there seem to less and less people working on their own cars. 40-50 years ago most work done cars seemed to be done by the owners. Now the owners, not all but very many, farm out a majority if not all the work.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by bart78

With cars like model a's I think it's labor prices bringing prices up. And hot rods. It's amazing what people will pay for a rusty body. I actually think car prices will come down in the next for years. Without getting into political junk. I think next year is going to be pretty rough on a lot of people. And these cars are some of the first things to go when people need money. And allso there are a lot more of these out there than people think.

Originally Posted by bart78

Of course they have gone up in price the past fourty or fifty years ago. The prices on model a's reflrcts labor costs. You can add parts to that but most stuff is pretty affordable. Fifty years ago machine shop labor was not what it is now. If it would have cost back them what it does not to have someone work on your car. There would be no mod a's. They carry some value because they are old. They are not a rare car. And the fact that they make nice hot rods has made the price go up. In a few years the way things are going. But when you have 4,000 in a motor. And if you have someone put a good paint job on it. You are allready up there pretty good. And that's just two things. These cars will continue to go up. But my opinion it will be due to labor prices.

Bart, I am not sure I understand what you are saying. One place you say the prices will be coming down yet then you say they will continue to go up.

Your comments about Model-As being more expensive now due to "labor costs" is possibly true, ....but couldn't that be said about other things too? Is there an area in our society where labor costs are not higher? Wanna talk health care?

The thought about Model-As making good hot rods is interesting too. A convincing argument could be made about how many nice Model-A's have been butchered up by an overzealous hot rodder who got started, made a big mess, then put it on eBay with a description that the hard part is done.

One thing that IS different is that back 30-40 years ago, I would venture a guess that 98% of all Model-A owners did all their own work, in their own garage, with their own tools! For different reasons now, that number is much less. If you must for pay labor, I guess it drives the cost of the car up!

.

Originally Posted by Ross/Kzoo

Good points! Also there seem to less and less people working on their own cars. 40-50 years ago most work done cars seemed to be done by the owners. Now the owners, not all but very many, farm out a majority if not all the work.

Yep, the casualty rate on the recent B/R Tour proved that!!