PHS predicts some future American Collector Cars

Suppose you've gotten tired of 1960s and early 70s muscle cars and want to try something new. What would be a good bet in today's uncertain market? I always go by the one maxim that is failsafe. Buy what you love. If you just buy with the aim of selling it later for a profit, the kind of car chosen is different. Resellers aim for a price advantage on a popular make that can be resold for closer to market value. There's a bit of that going on right now.
If I were to bet on the future for classic cars that will appreciate above market norms, these are the cars I'd pursue.
Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 convertibles 1989-1992 This was a very popular car with a frugal engine compared to the 1970s V8 behemoths. They were mass produced and the number one compact seller in Canada for eight years running. A generation grew up with these cars. That's important.A lot of people will have memories of these cars in their youth. It also didn't change much over the years and the engines were pretty good. No one is restoring them right now. In fact, they're just leaving the sphere of ultra hipdom in the tuner world as later model Asian iron starts depreciating enough to become attractive. GM is in dire financial straits today. One tax deduction companies use in tough times is to write off unsalable merchandise via parts scrappage programs. Chrysler did it in the 1980s making classic Mopars of the sixties expensive to restore. Expect a whole bunch of Cavalier parts to vanish from the parts books. If you want to restore one of these with NOS items, start NOW.
Pontiac Fiero: The only one I qualify here are the 1987 true fastback models with hot V6. Otherwise it's a pretty dull car.
Volkswagen Golf convertible: This one surprised me when I wrote it down. On second look, it's a pretty good candidate. Aftermarket support is strong and a number of extra hop up parts are around. The evergreen allure of a convertible makes it cool while the durable engine makes it practical.
If you're hankering for something more exotic and V8 powered but not as obvious as a Mustang Cobra, consider the 2002-2004 Thunderbirds. It's very posh inside, has excellent European lineage with engine and design connections to Jaguar. The 3.9 V8 is just an underbored Jaguar XK mill. I had two of these cars as factory press pool vehicles doing road tests for magazines. My 2003 'bird was Mountain Shadow Grey with Grey hardtop and grey interior.Very classy and quite strong for a GT style cruiser.
The 2005 was a 50th Anniverary Edition in metallic white with beige interior. It was another class act with loads of power toys. The white 'bird had a nasty test week with record rainfall in the springtime. No roof leaks, no problems with traction. Everything worked without fail except for the odd radio miscue. These are classics and they're near the bottom of the depreciation curve. Four more years at the most and they'll start climbing. The tie in with Jaguar during Ford's ownership era makes these Anglo American hot rods in the true sense. I'd take one of these over a Buick Grand National any day.

Barrett Jackson 2009 an interesting show

The Barrett Jackson January extravaganza is over now. Prices have been a major focus at this Arizona venue since they've dwelled on it in their press releases every year for the last decade. The word spreading through several forums and chat rooms now is how much the prices of cars have fallen. To which I say, compared to when? Compared to 2006, certainly. What must be remembered is double digit gains in one calendar year isn't normal market appreciation. That is predatory gain driven by speculators.
Another issue to be concerned about whether it is a fair comparision car to car. This is pretty difficult to do with two separate auctions. Instead, I'll look at the car itself and its attributes and offer my opinion on what it may represent in today's market place. First we have a 1967 Pontiac GTO coupe that sold for $82,500. It was Marina Turquoise with a 400 and four speed transmission. A very nice car with documentation and correct parts including delco shocks. The exhaust is a new Gardner system. $82,500 is very strong money for a coupe. The buyer obviously liked what he saw and wanted to own it. By way of contrast, a 1968 GTO Verdoro Green vinyl top and some nice goodies including power steering, brakes, console, Rally II wheels and Hurst shifter went for $22,995. This is more like what you'd read about in your local classifieds. Yes the non numbers matching engine may have hurt it a little, but this was still a decent price for a desirable car.
The first picture on the screen is a 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible RT that sold for $71,500. This was a sweet looking ride. High Impact Yellow paint, 340 V8 with pistol Grip four speed, console, black top, black interior, RT side stripes, rally wheels, all of it looking brand new. What's the catch, you say? Well, the auction report did mention the words "rebodied" and "upgraded". It also said Galen Govier inspected and gave details.Makes me wonder about it! I couldn't help noticing the base two spoke steering wheel inside an otherwise luxury interior. You'd think it would've been a woodgrained one at least. That certainly would've been one of my "upgrades." I also can't help but wonder about the strange rake of the suspension from too low up front to too high out rear. I suppose the rear could be air shocks, but the front to me suggests poorly set torsion bars or perhaps 318 or straight six torsion bars...is this part of the "rebody" note they were referring to?
Now, Mopar did build cars using the computerized sales bank method which would select options at random. However all 340 Challengers were special order.
While many dwell on the super high end cars, it should be mentioned that many did sell for relatively normal hobby car prices, say just about ten grand above private sales. Many cars were way down on price compared to 2006, but this is likely more than a correction. Rather it is the new reality for cars that aren't trailer queens and number matching rarities. I welcome this development.