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just curious


sweave65

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been a bit since I have logged on here but just wondering what the climate is down under for the classic J-tin.  Here in the states it looks like the desire is declining quickly.  The forum activity is minimum, one of the forums is ending soon.  I have a classic 1974 TE27 SR5 clone project for sale and has drawn almost no interest.  DO not get me wrong, next weekend is the JCCS at the queen mary in Long Beach and there will be a crowd with 300-400 cars....but these are the die hards.  I have only dove into this adventure in the last 10 years but in that time I have seen a change here....very curious if this decline is seen down south or even in Canada.  would like to hear any feedback or thoughts...thanks.

scott

 

 

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All over.. Faceplant killed the forum, and Photobucket kicked it in the head while it lay dying..

Possibly intelligent people will get over their fascination with F'book and the instant idiocy then drift back to forums. Possibly Photobucket will change their mind and put all our photos back up, but until then I think all forums are dying. Certainly all the car ones I look at are, and they're all Sth hemisphere.

 

 

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Interesting.....I do not do social media so this is news to me.  either way, it should not kill the desire for these cars or I may be not seeing the big picture.  VIa faceplant or any other media....the want for our J tin should be the same, regardless if it by way of forum or social media.  I have a great project car on craigslist with minimal interest.  I have 3 more cars to build after this one....wife is going to be pissed if I loose money on these.....never would have thought that when I picked them up.  thanks for the feedback, it helps put things in perspective.

scott

 

 

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I see your posts on JNC.  I also follow various faceplant pages mainly for possible leads on parts.  However I only rarely contribute to any discussion on any of those sites.  Usually when I get frustrated....

I think the value of early cars such as KE1x and KE/TE2x, and the first couple of generations of Celica's are appreciating rapidly, for some reason Corona's are not following the trend.

But the pool of actual buyers willing to pay out those prices is pretty small.  Your car is done to a high standard and will always pull a higher price - if there is someone out there willing to pay it.  i.e. the cashed up hard core you mention.

I also think there is a group in the US actively trying to rationalise the inflated value of said cars and parts.  People can ask what they like, but if there is no one or only one person willing to pay that price, you may need to wait a while to actually receive it.  I'm not saying you are one of that group by the way.  Mind you, they have every right to do so.

So yes, I think the values are increasing, but the buyer pool isn't necessarily growing with it, so those in the pool can be choosy.

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Thank you for the input and kind words.....I am going into a sit and wait mode, I have decided to not attend the car show next weekend for many reasons but mostly I think it is better to sit back and wait for a bit.  I have my eye on a 21 window 66 VW bus on my buddys property that has been sitting for 15 years.  if you want to see a forum which is still flourishing it is VW Samba....lots of activity and very high prices.  I am not in this hobby to make money...that is for sure, I will loose on my current build and be lucky to break even on my next 3 builds.  I do it because I have always enjoyed making old things look new.....from the post high school days of doing tile work and walking into a customers kitchen and within 4 days transforming it.....I think that is where the bug started.  I have no problem spending 2 months doing body work if I know at the end of the day it passes my standards..which are high.  Times are interesting right now and I agree that the love for our cars will maintain and possibly increase, but it may take that one person who is willing to put their car on Barrett Jackson to see what kind of money it draws........probably a bit early for that but it would help jump start the J tin.

Peace

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A few years ago now, but a good friend of mine listed a overrated all original KE15 on Shannon's which is the Australian auction house for interesting cars.

It sold for something like $AUD1250.  And doubtless virtually everyone in the room sniffed and looked the other way and had a bit of a manly giggle.  They were there for big Healey's, Cooper S mini's, Falcon's, Mustangs, Toranas and Monaro's.  And investment number plates.....

He misread the market, where it would most likely have done substantially better on ebay.  But most people are sheep and can't look outside convention or what they think their friends will approve of.  The costs of restoration if you have it done professionally mean the cars mentioned are unlikely to turn a worthwhile profit unless you have the skills to do everything yourself.  These are enthusiasts cars for people who like getting their hands dirty and don't care what others think.  If I go out socially and people get wind that you are into cars, their eyes soon glaze over once they hear the word Corolla.  They want to hear Porsche, Alfa, Ford or Holden. 

Having said that, I've been into these cars for very many years, and sourcing parts over that period.  There is no doubt the price trend is very definitely way up for TE27 and early Celica parts, and that's clearly based on prices in Japan where there is an appreciation of these cars.  

Elsewhere, not enough people know what they are.

So those in it for profit I think are in it for the wrong reason.

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1 hour ago, ke70dave said:

After all these years, it really is the gift that keeps on giving. And to catch out a senior member, what a time to be alive. 

This made my day also.

 

This is quite an interesting discussion. Pricing is driven by supply and demand as with all things. As a friend of mine regularly says........ "just because something is rare does not make it desirable"...... and that could not be more true when discussing J-Tin. My Stout is super rare for example, but what's it worth.... Nothing. As mentioned above, J-Tin lovers and collectors are genuine car enthusiasts, not investors. The thing that has ruined the classic car market as far as pricing is investors. There are a lot of people buying up old Fords, Holdens and more recently Valiants as an investment. You have the rich people that accumulate a warehouse full of assorted classics from different manufacturers, but there are also a heap of people that buy one because they like the "idea" of having it and going along to the odd event where they can have a coffee and talk about world events with other people that are also not enthusiasts and don't know a lot about their cars. They know it's a safe investment because they will at least get their money back or possibly more if they need to free up some cash. As also mentioned above, most people are sheep. They like Mustangs because everyone else likes Mustangs, they drive Commodores or Falcons because everyone else drives Commodores or Falcons and they aspire to own a '69 Camaro or a '57 Chev because guess what.... that's what everyone else wants. In Australia Japanese cars were hated. They were considered cheap and nasty and let's not forget... the Japanese bombed Darwin. To my grandfather's era, that was enough to black ban all Japanese cars from the family. In 1965 for example, my parents went to my grandfather and told him they were going to buy an Isuzu Bellett. My grandfather stopped them and instead made them buy a Mk1 Cortina. People that did buy J-tin in the 60's couldn't sell them for much secondhand because no-one wanted them and most of them ended up in the crusher or in paddocks on large country properties to be picked over by future generations hoping to find that rare part they are missing for their restoration. Anyway, in more recent years J-Tin pricing has started to increase for certain makes and models. Datsuns generally seem to have trended upward with the hero models fetching stupid money. Early Corollas have jumped up on the back of what I like to call "the drift phenomenon" where AE86's became ridiculously popular and unaffordable and people were forced into more affordable E'sevs and then became interested in the history of the Corolla. I would love another KE10 but I can no longer justify the price they are fetching.

Anyway..... I don't know what my point was and I've gone on a bit of a brain dump for which I apologise....... but I agree with what others have said. Owning a rare Japanese car is itself the reward. You have it because you're an enthusiast, but in the current climate it's not going to make you money unless it's one of the hero Datsuns or an original rotor Mazda.

I admire you sweave65 for restoring cars even knowing you will not make money out of them. It keeps more of them circulating which is good for everyone. It's not easy these days to find people that take pride in their work. I wish you were local to me. I'd probably get you to work on my cars and do my re-tiling for me.

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18 hours ago, parrot said:

A few years ago now, but a good friend of mine listed a overrated all original KE15 on Shannon's which is the Australian auction house for interesting cars.

It sold for something like $AUD1250.  And doubtless virtually everyone in the room sniffed and looked the other way and had a bit of a manly giggle.  They were there for big Healey's, Cooper S mini's, Falcon's, Mustangs, Toranas and Monaro's.  And investment number plates.....

 

I believe this made it's way over to Perth and is now about to make it's way over to America... 

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Ha!  I typed in 'that' word and thought , "hang on a minute", but elected to leave it there.  One of the many things I love about this site!

 

Yes, I did hear the car I mentioned went to Perth. Apparently as a first car for the guy's daughter?  Strange choice for a first car in this day and age, I would have thought.

Do you know anything further regarding the US story?  There was another went to the UK quite a few years ago now, and I know the one I bought was close to being sold to the UK also.

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5 hours ago, ke70dave said:

After all these years, it really is the gift that keeps on giving. And to catch out a senior member, what a time to be alive. 

I saw the same thing and laughed.....

1 hour ago, Chobis said:

 I would love another KE10 but I can no longer justify the price they are fetching.

I reckon the market will stall soon enough. The vogue car will move elsewhere, the next 10 years will see the Hyundai excel or the mazda 3s become popular. Or something like that.

Prices and stupid expectations will dwindle, the time value of money will make them more affordable.

Funnily enough after a fairly long hiatus, I'm starting to kick the tyres back here again.... 2 kids, a shitload of renovations and quick refurbish on my new hobby, DRZ400's took me out of the loop., so I'm now looking at the warmer months and planning some work on the wagon... finally.

 

But it's scary that I don't have a CLUE where to buy parts anymore. I didn't even know there was an RC spacebook page! Ebay has gone to the dogs and gumtree does provide me with some gold but it's mainly for DRZ parts!

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2 hours ago, parrot said:

 

 

Yes, I did hear the car I mentioned went to Perth. Apparently as a first car for the guy's daughter?  Strange choice for a first car in this day and age, I would have thought.

Do you know anything further regarding the US story?  There was another went to the UK quite a few years ago now, and I know the one I bought was close to being sold to the US also.

I know all :)

It's a friend of mine and he's moving (to California from memory) shortly, taking the car with him.

Yup, it's for his daughter's "second" car. Was an absolute steal! 
I did steal some parts off the 15 but have since returned them :p
We were trying to confirm if it is 66 or 67 as 66 would be exempt from their smog laws but the only Toyota s/n register we could find (yes that same one that was floating around RC years ago) was very specific on all the other models but not the KE15. It just listed the VIN bracket as 66/67... no help at all. 

I will make sure I stay in touch and keep track of the car :)
 

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