Re: Original vs restored

Posted by ewrecks On 2016/9/9 22:41:20

There is certainly a growing interest in low mileage original cars of all vintages. The expression that they are only original once has a lot of merit. The " benchmark" cars afford the restorer with a template for the restoration process and also affords a guide for judging.
That being said, the popularity of shows like " What's MyCar Worth" and the hoopla over the Mecum and BJ auctions seems to lead to the perception that old cars should be treated like works of art or fine wines......something to be acquired but not used.
I can understand a museum paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a unique car, but what do you do with a Boss 429 Mustang with 8000 original miles that cost $450,000. If you drive it.....the value goes down. If you are not a museum, you store it and hope that someone else will pay you more.
The person who just wants a car to use as it was intended....as a means of transport....tends to be pushed out of the market by escalating prices.
I suggest no solution but feel that there is a place for the original, low miles cars and a place for the restored trailer queens but I prefer to own cars that maintain their original integrity but get to see the open road.
We are getting to the point where a goodly portion of the population have never seen or heard of the Packard.....and that is a shame.