Did anyone notice how expensive 67 to 71 Mopar mucscle cars have gotten?

[haywire 440]

lol so true. Smart man. I remember in the 80's a really really nice one was $5k. Buying and keeping these would have wound up better than the stock market.

And there you have your answer.

I went to a Mecum’s auction back then with 12g’s in my pocket and could not come close to a 426, 440 or even a nice 383/340 car. Best I could have afforded was a 318 convertible Challenger that Bob Hope had owned and used for some of the golf tournaments he was in. Could Uh, Would Uh, Should Uh, but not what I was looking for.

 

[hemi*guy]

My dad bought my numbers matching 70 Hemi Charger for 2000.00 off the orignal owner in 1971. Still have it but couldnt afford to buy it now if he didnt then.

 

[threewood]

I only started car shopping in 1989 when I turned 16. Mopars were still very affordable. Bought a rusty 68 BB Charger running for $800. Looked at a 70 BB Roadrunner 4 speed with fresh air hood for $1k. Convertible 70 Challenger 318 for $2500. Black 68 Hemi 4 speed RR, beautiful, for $21k at one of the Mopar Nationals, 70 Yellow Charger RT/SE zero rust 440 for $5k

Almost made a deal for a 1969 RR 440-6, black on black, ready to race for $8k around 1993. Or a 1970 Plum Crazy Challenger 383 4 Speed.

But I was broke and couldn't afford them at the time. I have money now and still can't afford them lol.

 

[Takoctopus]

A bodies are still reasonable. C bodies also. Not a B body and E body but still great cars.

 

[Beeorange]

I tell people I have been very blessed to have owned Mopars since back in the 80’s and rode the value up. I couldn’t afford to just go out and buy the cars we have now. I just bought and sold through the years.

 

[chargervert]

We are priced out of our own hobby. I bought most of mine years ago,sure glad I did.

 

[1967coronet]

Had a few mopar drivers in the 70s and 80s. At that time like you guys know they were pretty cheap.
We used to just plain beat the crap out of them ,
When you were done with it strip it for parts and go get another.
Best thing was the chevy guys would spend half their pay check at the speed shops just trying to out run our old stock mopars.

 

[68BabyBlue]

lol so true. Smart man. I remember in the 80's a really really nice one was $5k. Buying and keeping these would have wound up better than the stock market.

I played it both ways. Bought Baby Blue for $1800 in 1983. Made my first stock market investment in 1985, with $1500. The stock market did a bit better. In 2021, I sold Baby Blue for nearly 20 times the original price. But I was able to buy a numbers matching Hemi GTX with the stock market winnings.

 

[Ron H]

Bought my 1st mopar around ’72 or so, a ’70 Cuda vert BB 4sp. Traded it in early ’74 for a demo ’73 Challenger 340, first ‘new’ ride I bought. There are so MANY mopars I like. Elder cousin raced his new ’64 426 Polara when I was around 10 getting a like for that era; but the later 60’s early 70’s I drooled over.

Later research found that my ’67 GTO vert (all options available in it) and my Cuda were quite rare rides. Recall the Cuda (options/color/motor/trans) was one of just 68 made. How I wish I’d a been wise enough to keep it. Was close on a deal about 2 years ago for a Cuda vert at the low price of – 70 grand. Come to find it was a clone – even those are gold today. Still was interested as it looked nicely done and could swing the 70 g's; but someone snatched it.

I’m a bit concerned driving a ride that is crazy expensive, my ’63 Plymouth has over $30k in it.

When prices for muscle cars started going up in the 90’s, noticed many of them were being exported by rich folk, Japan being one of them. People with lots of cash to blow and their attraction morphed to classic muscle cars…toys for them parked alongside their exotic new rides for everyday of the week.

Ok, I like my early B, and spent a lot of sweat, blood, cash, and expletives restoring it. It’s part of my DNA now, so will be content I had a few rare rides – once..

 

[Bold & Old]

My car isn't a numbers matching car but 2-3 years ago i bought a originally a 67 4spd R/T + Dana car here on B bodies.

No motor or transmission was in the car... originally a 440 motor..... it came with a complete new black Legendary interior + a nicely installed new head liner...+ all new glass + a set of rechromed bumpers.... new dash pad installed for $5600 from one of are members here on B bodies.


The car was a race car at one point in its life... but there was a lot of poor welding done on it... but the car was nearly rust free..... since then I piled a ton of $$$$$$ into it because i wanted to restore one more car before I pass (78)..
.
I did not care about the cost at the time but its starting to look like I may break even at this point.

My story actually started before that when I bought a 71 B body 426 block....

anyways my younger wife will have a nice chunk of change added to her retirement in two years.

not paint yet but close and will be running & driving this summer.

Maby i will not be under water then if it keeps going up

if it dont then i will have a fun car til death do us part!

 

[WileE]

seems like Rip Van Winkle woke up ?

 

[SteveSS]

We all kick ourselves for not buying a $5,000 Hemi car in 1970. $5,000 Invested in the S&P 500 in 1970 would be 1 million today.

I know you can't drive your S&P Investment but cars are pretty risky. There are a whole lot of $5,000 cars in 1970 that aren't worth chit today. Thank God we are lucky we chose the right ones. I feel lucky I bought a pretty good '69 Charger SE for $22K about 10 years ago. We bought our 1971 Challenger about 15 years ago for $5,000 but with everything we have about $22K in it too.

 

[moparedtn]

How long have you had your Mopar? Remember decades ago that you could get a 67 to 71 Dodge or Plymouth for $5K? Back in the day my brother and friends all had em. All blue collar guys. Now it seems like a rich person's game. I just did a search for a 70 Dodge Charger and they range from $60k to $190k? What happened? I know the pandemic inflated them but it seems out of hand now or is it just my observations?

The original question in the title of this thread is of course quite silly:

"Did anyone notice how expensive 67 to 71 Mopar mucscle cars have gotten?"​

Obvious answer to that one is of COURSE everyone here is aware....
Many threads on here (and even more numerous articles out there in the world written) on how the hobby now
favors the investors over the grass roots types out there.
Doesn't matter if any of it is "fair" or if anyone agrees with what has happened - it just is.

A better question, in my opinion, is how many actually care about the inflated values of their cars?
I've never been in it for money and I'm not now; there's way more to it than that for me at least,
a lifetime in and about the hobby for the sheer love of the cars.

Yeah, Fred is supposedly worth considerably more than I have in him; I couldn't care less.

Most people see him and think "nice car, bet he paid a bundle for it" or some such....
They don't know what I know about him, though - and how many years of scraping together funds,
parts, physical stamina it took to get him this far.
Can't put a price on any of that, not that I would ever.

 

[Cojohnso1]

I bought my current '69 GTX 5 years ago for $21k. This was to replace a very similar GTX I bought in '87 for $3k. And had to sell in '90 for $4k when 4th child in 5 years was born. Did what I had to do then. But haunted me. Today's GTX is not close to numbers matching. But bought because it was the only '69 GTX 4-speed that I found in my price range. And of course I'm glad I did. The car is close to have doubled in price in last 5 years.

I also bought because I didn't have to pay premium price for an all matching numbers car. So can add performance if I so choose with no loss of originality value. But having problems pulling a very decent running (period correct) 440 just to add performance? Knowing full well I can screw up something that doesn't need fixing. Lol.

This guy rips on the highway. I have posted before stunning MPH on a stretch in Montana. Speedo pegged at 150. Tach just starting to touch 6k. Backed off because starting to hear and feel valve float. And fear of tire performance. All while floating straight with little shake. My first GTX all numbers matching could no way have done that. Even though a little faster thru the gears. My goal was to see if 50+ year old stock gauges were any where close. The gear and tire height math suggested tach was spot on. Phone GPS clocked at 142.8 MPH. So close enough on the old gals speedometer.

After, i pulled over on the next off ramp that I hadn't passed. Got out. Car running great with just a little steaming engine bay and tires. Looking at me like. "Pussy. I had more!"

Love this car. (And sorry to those that has heard this story already.)

 

[Jerry Hall]

I'll never recover what I putting into this 67 Satellite 383 4-speed now, but it's what I want so,.... so be it. It's never been about the investment for me anyway.

 

[Triplegreen500]

Everything is going up, as the dollar goes down.

What used to be $500 turbo Dodges from the 80s and 90s, are now $5,000 or more.

 

[beanhead]

60s-70s "muscle car" prices going nuts hasn't really surprised me, what with the TV auctions, shows and movies featuring the cars that we all love.
What makes me throw up in my mouth is seeing stuff like a /6 '74 Dart or Scamp, or a 4-door 318 B-bod or C-barge going for 10-15K as a major project...

 

[Cojohnso1]

I'll never recover what I putting into this 67 Satellite 383 4-speed now, but it's what I want so,.... so be it. It's never been about the investment for me anyway.

You never do. What I failed to mention is the work just in maintenance to the '69 GTX. Everything from radiator and coolest work, brakes, fuel system, clutch.

It's my car now. Just wait for the next component work that's needed. But the car does respond nicely. The more you rub. The better she runs. (I've had cars that didn't seem to follow that direction. Something else breaks while fixing the original problem!) Errrr.

 

[chargervert]

I'll never recover what I putting into this 67 Satellite 383 4-speed now, but it's what I want so,.... so be it. It's never been about the investment for me anyway.

None of mine are investments, but it's nice to know that I can get the money I put into them back out of them if I needed to. You never get your time and labor back out of them, we do that for the love of the cars. When I got into this in the late seventies these were a losing proposition, the thought of ever making a profit on them would get you a stay in an institution!

 

[gtx6970]

I remember when my dad bought my first car, a 71 Pontiac Convertible for $100 in '86. It was a good deal because it was from a friend and it was dirty from sitting from being stored outside under a tree. Back then 87 gas was $.67 a gallon. Today 87 gas is 5 time as much. No way I can get that Pontiac for $500 today though. I hear what you are saying but these classics seem to have gone more than other stuff, but maybe it is just inflation with the times. Just seems like these classic are out of reach for the regular Joe unless you have pretty good body and mechanic skills.

Sign of the times I guess.
My 1st car was a 1966 Pontiac Lemans , 6 cyl auto. Paid a whopping $50 for it back in the summer of 1976 ( I think ) Sold it 6 months later for $150
Paid 85k for my first house the fall of 1993 , sold it 5 years later for $135 I think.
Yet paid 280k for my current house and its actually about the same sq ft as my first, just now all on one floor, 1st one was a bilevel. Wife and I have both said this is where we stay until the end. I have no interest to move ever again.

I don't worry too much how my car is worth now, it isn't for sale unless someone wants to pay seriously WAY OVER current value. I paid $50k for it and have turned down real cash offer of $100k, on 2 separate occasions 2 separate people.
I didn't buy it as an investment. Nor do i treat it as such. But it feels good to know I can cash out right now and make money if I want / need to.

My girls have laid claim that it's THEIR car when I'm below deck. And Im good with that.