Black M Code GTS at Mecum

-
My investments with these cars is just fueling the addiction while not pissing off the misses to much in the process. :rofl:
 
My crystal ball. In 10-15 years I bet the electric car will become actually practical, and it has already been proven just how fast it can be also. They will be much of the norm. Our modern musclecar of today will in that time, become a collectable. We will have the purist and also the hotrodder playing with them. There will be some gutted and made street hotrods out of. Just the basics for a street driven car. No GPS, just bare escenials. Something that it does not take an engineer to work on. Lighter, faster, not complicated. The Stang has already been lightened, when will the Challenger!??
In 20 years all us guys that were raised around the 60's cars will be dead or in the home. There will still be a dedicated few that love the old 30-50-s cars. Their numbers also will decline very rapidly, so as they are today.
I see the classic car investor working two markets, just like Wall Street. If the market is bullish and everything increases in value, easy.. or if like today, volatile, roller coaster, that money dude has to always be ahead of the trend and market. Maybe for the $$$ guy, the old car deal is just a fun way to spend a bunch of $$$$ and get to some high end auctions a couple times a year!??? I say the guy that makes $$ with the old car resto deal is the high end shop, and the auction company!
Of all the cars selling at BJ this week, I wonder how many owners are upside down in their cars!?? I bet 98% of them can afford to be!?
 
My crystal ball. In 10-15 years I bet the electric car will become actually practical, and it has already been proven just how fast it can be also. They will be much of the norm. Our modern musclecar of today will in that time, become a collectable. We will have the purist and also the hotrodder playing with them. There will be some gutted and made street hotrods out of. Just the basics for a street driven car. No GPS, just bare escenials. Something that it does not take an engineer to work on. Lighter, faster, not complicated. The Stang has already been lightened, when will the Challenger!??
In 20 years all us guys that were raised around the 60's cars will be dead or in the home. There will still be a dedicated few that love the old 30-50-s cars. Their numbers also will decline very rapidly, so as they are today.
I see the classic car investor working two markets, just like Wall Street. If the market is bullish and everything increases in value, easy.. or if like today, volatile, roller coaster, that money dude has to always be ahead of the trend and market. Maybe for the $$$ guy, the old car deal is just a fun way to spend a bunch of $$$$ and get to some high end auctions a couple times a year!??? I say the guy that makes $$ with the old car resto deal is the high end shop, and the auction company!
Of all the cars selling at BJ this week, I wonder how many owners are upside down in their cars!?? I bet 98% of them can afford to be!?

Electric cars are already way ahead of the game. My uncle who has only driven Porches for the past 15 years (911s, gt3s, gt4s, cayenne etc) has switched to Teslas and hasn't looked back. He has one at his house in California and one in Vegas. He often drives one back and forth between California and Vegas . The thing not only is a rocket ship in the 0-100mph but it drives like a cloud. I can appreciate the car but I prefer polluting the world as I smash the gas pedal.
 
I mean the market for the cars softening is good for me right?!

I understand the new Detroit muscle and that is probably a big reason too. I will add to that point though.

When I bought my renegade in dec of 2017 I was actually looking at a challenger scat pack. Test drove it and walked away not to impressed. Sure it is "fast" but it didnt feel quick, it felt and looked like just another challenger with the same horrible blind spot. I've driven Tesla's, Porche GT3, Maserrati's, Ferraris, and various other super cars (friends and family members cars). For some reason they dont give you the same feeling of freedom or power as the old muscle car does, hell even my big turbo vr6 vw gti and supercharged vr6 gave me more enjoyment than those cars.

I want a new muscle car and will probably get one at some point after a new jeep truck but the old Detroit muscle has stolen my heart, garage and pocket book and I'm 100% ok with that.
Yes for me its better to feel like your going "fast" than actually going fast. Guess
I'm OLD...time to shovel off the porch and feed the chickens.
 
Yes for me its better to feel like your going "fast" than actually going fast. Guess
I'm OLD...time to shovel off the porch and feed the chickens.

If that was hard to understand I'm sorry, it actually may be coming across wrong. A 5klb car with 500hp doesn't feel nearly as quick off the line, around corners, from stop light to stop light etc as a 2500-3klb car that is 3-350hp that is running 10-20lbs of boost. Sure top end or qtr mile the more hp wins every time but I live my life more than a qtr mile at a time haha.

I just left the home depot! I'm old too, purchased a 200 pc socket set because I lost my damn 10mm. :BangHead:
 
Back in 1996 I decided to drive from Mo. to Ga. for my (yes that's right) 30th HS reunion! I had a bud in St. Joe that had a used car business but he was a Mopar guy with a 69 Hemi Roadrunner. He had this '85 gold vette on the lot, tells me he would wholesale it to me, I could drive it to Ga, and show off, drive it back and sell it and make $500-600, Yes it was a yuk color otherwise I would have made a couple hundred more and he would had a bigger price on it! So I buy it make the trip get back and make that $500.
For an 80's car it was pretty quick, and course went around curves like on rails. But like ^^^^ just said, the Vette could be doing 135 and my 68 383 RR felt like I was going 135 when it was only doing 70!!!!! ha
 
That’s awesome thanks for sharing.

I am not sure if I should laugh or cry.....
I really regret not busting a move on that car.
I had a friend bidding for me but I bailed early. I should have had a few more beers bought the car and figured it out Sunday morning.
I am going to try to keep track of this car in case it comes up again.
Thanks for posting this.
 
I am not sure if I should laugh or cry.....
I really regret not busting a move on that car.
I had a friend bidding for me but I bailed early. I should have had a few more beers bought the car and figured it out Sunday morning.
I am going to try to keep track of this car in case it comes up again.
Thanks for posting this.
It looked like he had a full garage of classic cars unless that’s where he picked it up.
 
I agree with reasons given for the drop in sales prices of muscle cars, and will add another.
In the last 5 years or so there has been a resurgence of new cars available with outstanding engine performance. Add in modern car features, fuel milage,,,you don’t get the thrill of driving a classic car, but you get performance that is every bit as good and then some.

i appreciate you noting the current crop of "modern muscle" also affecting the classic muscle car market. one of my favorite "non-mopars" is the 1969 427 4sp Corvette. i had two of them over the years and just think the big block performance and the beautiful styling of that car keeps it on my "most favorite cars" list. however, i am going to be buying a 2021 6sp Hellcat. i tried to get one now but the ordering process is closed till the new models. i drove a 392 Scat Pack Challenger with the Trans Am option and a 6 sp last week and it was a very nice car. but at 485 hp and over 4000 lbs of weight, it just didn't have the straight line performance that i want. and it did not present the same kind of "explosive acceleration" that my old Cuda's have. my 383 car with headers, high-rise manifold and Holley 750dp carb probably comes in around 350hp and over 400 lbs of torque. having the 4 speed and the 3:91 rear gear and only 3200 lbs of weight - that car is a "handful" if you dump the clutch at 3000 rpm and power shift second. the new Challenger Trams Am i drove just wasn't like that even though it was a 6 sp. frankly, i would be willing to run my 68 340 Formula S car against it. i "could" buy a fully restored 69 427 Corvette for about the same money that a new Hellcat will cost. and i've seen fully restored C3 Corvettes and they are beautiful cars. however, i have to be honest and a little "practical" and recognize that all of us from the muscle car era are now "old." i'm having problems finding anyone that i would trust to work on my Barracudas. i won't even talk to any of the local shops that have all the mechanics under the age of 35. there is a Firestone Auto Repair place close to me that has a couple of (what the Manager calls) "old guys" in their late 50's that do know mopars. i have talked to them about putting a new clutch in my 69 383 Barracuda. so if i spent $50k on a beautiful 69 Corvette, if it ever needed any work, i would have the same "lack of knowledge" problem that i have with my Barracudas. i am not really impressed with the "jet plane" sound of the Hellcat and much prefer the sound of the Holley carbs on my cars trying to suck the hood down into the engine. but "carbs" are dinosaurs now. the Hellcat is fast. the standard that i set for getting a new car is will it break the tires loose if you put your foot through the firewall in first gear. the 6sp Hellcat easily does that. so i'm going to join the "modern" muscle car gang. the Hellcat isn't going to be the same as my "ancient" Barracudas. but at least i'll be able to get it fixed if i break something - which is supect i will.
 
I sold high end cars for 25 yrs and have driven everything from Colt Turbos/ Omni GLHS to Porsche Turbos / 2nd gen NSXs and Farraris... I still get more excited about classic Muscle cars.
I got to drive an imaculate 70' HemiCuda around for the day back in the 90s ... as well as a 70 GTO Ram Air IV 4 sp car with 40k... a couple 6pak Cudas / Challengers and a Charger.
Those we're all more memorable than hotlaps in modern supercars !
 
I sold high end cars for 25 yrs and have driven everything from Colt Turbos/ Omni GLHS to Porsche Turbos / 2nd gen NSXs and Farraris... I still get more excited about classic Muscle cars.
I got to drive an imaculate 70' HemiCuda around for the day back in the 90s ... as well as a 70 GTO Ram Air IV 4 sp car with 40k... a couple 6pak Cudas / Challengers and a Charger.
Those we're all more memorable than hotlaps in modern supercars !

8 years ago i had money to buy a Subaru WRX STI. I test drove it, it was not stock and dam quick. But instead I spent that money on my M-code GTS and never looked back. Totally in love with the Dart. And it’s still worth the money i’ve put into it, the WRX not so much.
 
i appreciate you noting the current crop of "modern muscle" also affecting the classic muscle car market. one of my favorite "non-mopars" is the 1969 427 4sp Corvette. i had two of them over the years and just think the big block performance and the beautiful styling of that car keeps it on my "most favorite cars" list. however, i am going to be buying a 2021 6sp Hellcat. i tried to get one now but the ordering process is closed till the new models. i drove a 392 Scat Pack Challenger with the Trans Am option and a 6 sp last week and it was a very nice car. but at 485 hp and over 4000 lbs of weight, it just didn't have the straight line performance that i want. and it did not present the same kind of "explosive acceleration" that my old Cuda's have. my 383 car with headers, high-rise manifold and Holley 750dp carb probably comes in around 350hp and over 400 lbs of torque. having the 4 speed and the 3:91 rear gear and only 3200 lbs of weight - that car is a "handful" if you dump the clutch at 3000 rpm and power shift second. the new Challenger Trams Am i drove just wasn't like that even though it was a 6 sp. frankly, i would be willing to run my 68 340 Formula S car against it. i "could" buy a fully restored 69 427 Corvette for about the same money that a new Hellcat will cost. and i've seen fully restored C3 Corvettes and they are beautiful cars. however, i have to be honest and a little "practical" and recognize that all of us from the muscle car era are now "old." i'm having problems finding anyone that i would trust to work on my Barracudas. i won't even talk to any of the local shops that have all the mechanics under the age of 35. there is a Firestone Auto Repair place close to me that has a couple of (what the Manager calls) "old guys" in their late 50's that do know mopars. i have talked to them about putting a new clutch in my 69 383 Barracuda. so if i spent $50k on a beautiful 69 Corvette, if it ever needed any work, i would have the same "lack of knowledge" problem that i have with my Barracudas. i am not really impressed with the "jet plane" sound of the Hellcat and much prefer the sound of the Holley carbs on my cars trying to suck the hood down into the engine. but "carbs" are dinosaurs now. the Hellcat is fast. the standard that i set for getting a new car is will it break the tires loose if you put your foot through the firewall in first gear. the 6sp Hellcat easily does that. so i'm going to join the "modern" muscle car gang. the Hellcat isn't going to be the same as my "ancient" Barracudas. but at least i'll be able to get it fixed if i break something - which is supect i will.

FWIW, beyond the fact that it’s harder to find people with old car experience, C3 BB Vettes are a nightmare to work on.

However, late model cars are a complete ***** to work on, IMO, so they shouldn’t have a problem with taking off this that and the other to reach a spark plug. They just might not know how to adjust your points or tune your carb.
 
Last edited:
FWIW, beyond the fact that it’s harder to find people with old car experience, C3 BB Vettes are a nightmare to work on.

However, late model cars are a complete ***** to work on, IMO, so they shouldn’t have a problem with taking off this that and the other to reach a spark plug. They just might now know how to adjust your points or tune your carb.

I can see that. We had a 67 327 4 speed car at Matt's shop I pulled the engine on to detail it and so some small repairs. It was a really tight fit. I can only imagine a fat motor. It really wasn't that bad, as I have a lot of experience on engine swaps on cars from about 83-98, so it went pretty smoothly. I have done about the same detail and repair on a 68 427 4 speed Corvette and although it was tight, it had a bit more room than the 67. That was a badass car. 427 tri power car.
 
I can see that. We had a 67 327 4 speed car at Matt's shop I pulled the engine on to detail it and so some small repairs. It was a really tight fit. I can only imagine a fat motor. It really wasn't that bad, as I have a lot of experience on engine swaps on cars from about 83-98, so it went pretty smoothly. I have done about the same detail and repair on a 68 427 4 speed Corvette and although it was tight, it had a bit more room than the 67. That was a badass car. 427 tri power car.

I grew up with a buddy who had a 68 427 Vette. Him and his dad completely restored that car in their driveway and painted it candy apple red. I was a lot younger than my friend and every time he employed me to work on the car it was because he needed my small younger hands and flexibility. Last thing I did on that car was replace a brake light switch. I was upside down, feet in the air, twisted up and working by feel with my eyes closed because there was no way I could see what I was working on if I wanted to.
 
I grew up with a buddy who had a 68 427 Vette. Him and his dad completely restored that car in their driveway and painted it candy apple red. I was a lot younger than my friend and every time he employed me to work on the car it was because he needed my small younger hands and flexibility. Last thing I did on that car was replace a brake light switch. I was upside down, feet in the air, twisted up and working by feel with my eyes closed because there was no way I could see what I was working on if I wanted to.

They are not cars for the totally inexperienced, for sure. I will admit, after doing restorations on a 62, and a 67 with Matt, I have a new respect for them I did not have before. They are actually well made cars. I like how they are put together. Not everyone can or likes to work on them. I think they are kinda cool.
 
I wouldn’t hesitate to jump in either of the M code cars talked about here and bash the heck out of it. As rare as they are, I still couldn’t hold myself back from just enjoying the heck out of it for what it was intended for.
 
I was cringing watching him wash that car. He asks if there is a wrong way to wash a car. Yeah, don't use a sponge, it will scratch paint, particularly black paint. I also don't like dumping water down old cars. It gets in the crevices and stays wet. That car was clean enough he could have used a microfiber cloth and a spray on lubricant.
 
I wouldn’t hesitate to jump in either of the M code cars talked about here and bash the heck out of it. As rare as they are, I still couldn’t hold myself back from just enjoying the heck out of it for what it was intended for.

That's what I would do with a rare car. DRIVE IT. Sitting up kills them.
 
-
Back
Top