Whats the next "67 to 72"??

[Tinkermc]

If I knew the answer I would be on about a ten year buying spree and storing them in a climate controlled building.

[aod92]

Originally Posted by bpatrol

that early 90's 454 truck in black? I don't recall the exact year

I agree....Cool truck for sure!

[BHM298]

Originally Posted by leftybass209

The gmt400 is already getting to their own collectible status but I think we are nearing the end of this type of era. Better manufacuring techniques and less rust means more vehicles remaining on the road. I reference the 1990's Acura Integra and Honda Civics. Regardless of what people feel about imports, these cars seen huge aftermarket support, but little mechanical and electronic support. The end result was beautiful vehicles that couldn't be registered because of numerous issues like ABS, crank sensors, air sensors and faulty gauges. They cost more to rebuild and maintain than discarding and buying new vehicles because people can't afford the high priced electronic equipment used to diagnose issues, and the auto zone and oreillys scanners just don't cut it a lot of the time. The allure of these classic vehicles was that they were easily modified and the average mechanic could afford the parts to do the work. Don't get me wrong, vehicles will always be modified certainly, but you could never expect an "lmctruck" or "classic industries" restoration type all inclusive magazine carrying gen5 camaro or 2015 Silverado replacement door panels, misc gaskets, and reproduced parts.

I agree. Working as a mechanic, I see so many people come in and give up on cars that don't really need that much work. Cars are more sophisticated and are seen as throwaways. That's the world we live in. I have a 1500 dollar scanner that STILL doesn't do a lot of things needed to diagnose newer vehicles. Its hard to tell what will be the next classic. But, as mentioned, it's not a hobby/necessity for the next/current generation to tinker with cars. Even the "gearhead" kids base their mechanical theory on "crossthread is better than no thread." Oh well. We'll keep as many on the road as we can, right?

[BHM298]

Originally Posted by Tinkermc

If I knew the answer I would be on about a ten year buying spree and storing them in a climate controlled building.

I was just watching barrett jackson and told the wife if i had a time machine we would be billionaires.

[speesh]

Just thinking about this question makes me a little sad.....I think there will never be "another 67-72". Like some one said, today's kids just aren't interested. I got my learners permit at 15 1/2, license as soon as I was 16. My kids couldn't care less, I am having to force them to get their licenses at 19 and 21! (Mom drives them everywhere....)
Anyway, cars and trucks are just too complicated now. I do think there will always be some of us, but we will just keep driving our pre-smog trucks, at least as long as we are ALLOWED to........like the guys who drive '23 T's and 32 coupes.

[57taskforce]

You know, at 26 I'm sure I'm one of the younger people in this community. I will always be into my classic Chevy trucks. If the Feds outlaw them they can come and take them. the keys will be in my gun safe...read into that however you choose... Regardless of what is popular and barring some unforeseen circumstance I'll be alive in 20 years. I've got three trucks that I've got no plans to ever get rid of. My dad owned my k2500 for a few years before I bought it off of him.factory L29 454, indigo blue metallic on light grey leather power everything interior. It's pretty well optioned. I've got my 3100 that my dad and I built mostly when I was in high school. And my '72 Cheyenne that I'm building now. You guessed it my dad had a '71 custom deluxe k10 when I was young. That truck was my life until he sold it when I was ~8. My dad has taught me everything I ever needed to know about building these old trucks and I will do the same to my kids. I don't care what mainstream popularity consists of. I love my trucks and I'll do my best to drive them till the day I die. My kids can fight over them after that. If they get sold bet your butts I will be visiting them from the other side! I do believe that the gmt400's will have their time to shine. And if that happens I will be the old fart that has the big block truck in patina that people salivate over. If not. So be it I don't care...
Here 2 of the three: (57 normally has much bigger tires and needs paint for the second time in 7 years...damn omni lol)

[Cali72K20]

This is a truck I really miss, my old trusty '02 first Gen LS SWB. These are getting hard to find now for a fair price. She was LS optioned, but if I find the right '02 LT with a 5.3...

[joeydurango]

I'm 32, which makes my truck 10 years older than I am. Always have liked the 67-72 model years, even before I knew what model years they were. Never really got into the more "modern" trucks - I think there's something particularly classy about the 67-72 lines, more than anything. I have trouble seeing the plastic/fiberglass/upcoming carbon fiber vehicles of today being something worth restoring in 20 or 40 years. But maybe it's just because I grew up driving old GM products...

On a related note, I was looking through coverage from the Detroit show this week - trucks that have 10-speed transmissions, trucks that are made with carbon fiber, trucks that have an "auto-crawl" mode so you don't have to do anything but steer if you're off-roading under 5mph (stupid), trucks where it's considered a selling feature to have a GoPro camera mount on the windshield. A lot of "features" without much of anything I care about. One interesting note is the 3.5-liter V6 in the new Raptor, which will probably be putting out 450-500 HP (!). Makes my 5.3, 300 HP engine seem a little ancient - and it's 30 years newer than the truck.

[special-K]

I'm sure the LS powered shortbeds will be a highly desired modern classic. People want what they have in a 67-72 as it is.

[Already Gone]

For starters I hope I'm still around in 2035. I think the 67/72's will always be popular, in 2035 I'll be 86 and will probably still have my 72, but think the 88/98/early99 GMT400's will be very popular.

[kitsbeach]

Originally Posted by imjeff

67 to 72.

Jeff

^^best answer.!! Too funny..!!

Originally Posted by tommys72

theyre gonna have to shoot me!

And they will..!! They will do whatever some Washington lobbyist tells them to do..!! <oops sorry for the politics>

[skorpioskorpio]

Sorry to say I fear this whole hobby is in it's midlife crisis before it dies off completely. Watch a Mecums or Barrett Jackson auction sometime there is almost nobody under 50 bidding. I really don't feel future generations will care about restoring anything or for that matter care about what you restored. My prediction is that you'll see in the not so distant future the value of collectable cars plummet as the owners die off and the kids inherit these cars and flood the market trying to unload them, because frankly they don't really care about them for what they are. They may have sentimental value because it was dad's (or grand dad's) car (or truck) but they'll have no hobbyist interest in them. It's just not the mentality of the Gen Ys or Millennials these are generations who, as a general rule, rent things as opposed to buying them, have things done for them as opposed to doing things, an only concern themselves with knowing things well enough to use them and not how they actually work.

I would guess that the vast majority of people on this forum have either completely disassembled a bicycle or built one from parts of other bicycles, have built more than their share of models, and had some sort of mechanically creative hobby in their youth, model trains, slot cars, Lincoln logs, non themed Lego sets. Modern kids have none of these things nor do they care, a surprising amount of kids now will graduate high school and will have never owned a bicycle or built a model, something most of us would find unthinkable. They lack the skills, the desire, the knowledge to find this sort of hobby interesting or even fathomable. Simple fact is that we are all just kids making our childhood dreams come true from a simpler time. As children we probably already understood 75% of how one of these trucks worked and learned the skills in childhood to develop the rest. Modern kids understand probably 25% of how one of our trucks works and maybe 10% of how more modern vehicles work and lack the skills to develop the rest. How many people under 30 do you know that have ever changed their own oil? ...and surprisingly few have ever even washed their own car, it's just the reality of things.

[57taskforce]

I believe there are more of us "millennials" into this hobby than you might think. I know I'm not the only younger member on this site and I dang sure know that I've never had any shop work on any of the vehicles I've ever owned. I do everything my self and don't ask for help unless I'm drowning. ( this includes all aspects of my life) sure I'm different than most people in my generation but I'm not alone. I know I'm not alone.
There will always be someone tinkering under the hood trying to squeeze a little extra power out, trying to make what they drive stand out. I'm not convinced this hobby is dying anytime soon!

[dan42]

Originally Posted by 57taskforce

I believe there are more of us "millennials" into this hobby than you might think. I know I'm not the only younger member on this site and I dang sure know that I've never had any shop work on any of the vehicles I've ever owned. I do everything my self and don't ask for help unless I'm drowning. ( this includes all aspects of my life) sure I'm different than most people in my generation but I'm not alone. I know I'm not alone.
There will always be someone tinkering under the hood trying to squeeze a little extra power out, trying to make what they drive stand out. I'm not convinced this hobby is dying anytime soon!

This 57 year old agrees.

[skorpioskorpio]

Not saying there isn't any youth coming into the hobby, I'm saying it's nowhere near the level of the boomers in the hobby. These trucks and cars of the same period have a huge following and this has created a huge aftermarket network for them, to the point that there are many models that can be built using a substantial ratio of reproduction to original parts. I honestly don't see this situation ever existing for mid '70s and later vehicles. Without enough of a following to develop that market there isn't anything to compel a following.

Even the series of these trucks after the 67-72s are almost valueless, with the 73-75 full top Blazers being the only possible exception. I had a 1991 Suburban with all the right options on it, last of the straight axle '73 based 4x4s of the era, and was actually told when it was delivered (I bought it new) that it was the last non-white Suburban of the series to come off the line. It had a few minor issues, needed a solenoid in the trans replaced and the paint was fried, but there was no way that fixing even those 2 things on it would pay for itself. It was a 1 owner truck, 3/4 ton, fully loaded, clean interior, rust free and I had a hard time getting a grand for it, in a solid #2 condition I doubt I could have gotten five grand. In the end I sold it to a guy who is going to ship it to Japan, and at least I felt it would a future life. 10 years ago I would get offers for more than I paid for it probably a couple times a month.

I also don't see '80s and later vehicles becoming the next gold bar with wheels, even cars from the early part of that era that should be highly prized struggle to better their initial purchase cost, mid seventies to late eighties Astons, 924,944,928 Porsches, Ferrari 308s and 328s, can all be had for less than their initial purchase price in decent condition. I don't see many six and even 7 figure auction prices on the horizon for cars from the mid seventies on, there is so many cars from '72 and earlier in that boat and almost all of these cars had an initial purchase price of under ten grand. There has been C4 'Vettes and late '70s and early '80s Z28s and Trans Ams come up for auction recently, that were bought and parked, never driven, a couple were even never prepped and had all the original delivery packing, and they went for less than a new Fusion at auction.

Is there a future for the hobby, well yea of course, but I think the days of investment cars is nearing its end. There is a couple million old guys carrying a torch thinking there is millions of young guys to carry on, and they're just not there, there is some but not anywhere near the same level.

[special-K]

The hobby is in a boom now that has built-up over the last 25 or so years. It won't last. It started with baby boomers, then the internet blew it wide open. There are many younger enthusiasts who will always be into this hobby, just like it was before the boom. But I do see it shrinking in the future for various reasons. It used to be an affordable blue collar worker's hobby and it's getting out of reach for many who did it all their lives. What bugs me with the younger interest is it's mostly in trucks hugely altered to suit their momentary tastes. it is getting harder to find an unmolested truck and/or one the price hasn't gone through the roof due to all the alterations. It's like old Harleys. Young people made choppers out of a huge amount of Panheads, then people started wanting originals. You had to pay for a custom bike, then search out all the right parts. It made it very expensive and hard. I see the same with trucks in the future. Sure, people will always want mods, but will they want the same ones in the future they want now? I know people sure have a lot of comments for a truck obviously built in the '80s or '90s with their dated mods

[BrianG]

I agree with others that the 67-72 will stay 'the next cool thing'. At least for quite some time. Look at the first series Camaro. They have been a hot sought after car for well over 20 years now and I don't see that ending. They even used that body as inspiration on the current generation of Camaro. Maybe we'll see a future generation of trucks made to look like the 67-72 body.

[UMDSmith]

Skorpio, the reason you don't see too many young people at the auctions is not because they don't want the vehicles, but because they don't have the disposable income of retirees and people that have their houses paid off.

My generation (I'm 35), currently are dealing with mortgages, kids, student loans, etc.

Thankfully, my situation allows me more disposable income than most, and the wife and I aren't having any kids. I often joke with my wife that I plan on going to a Mecum auction or two when I retire (not Barret Jackson, too pricey).

Once my 70 c20 is finished, I'm already leaning towards my next project vehicle being a 30's Ford, as I am starting to love the older hot rod look.

[imjeff]

The younger set has resigned itself to making payments on an import until it dies, then starting over. I know some kids with $600 truck payments that think they don't have enough money to have a classic. If they quit buying new cars and blowing their money on interest and depreciation they could drive a classic every day. They would end up with a great vehicle, no loan, some tools and the knowledge of what they're sitting in.

[EARNHARDT#3]

With a few grand down you can finance one hell of a classic too!

Originally Posted by imjeff

The younger set has resigned itself to making payments on an import until it dies, then starting over. I know some kids with $600 truck payments that think they don't have enough money to have a classic. If they quit buying new cars and blowing their money on interest and depreciation they could drive a classic every day. They would end up with a great vehicle, no loan, some tools and the knowledge of what they're sitting in.

[Coley]

Originally Posted by imjeff

The younger set has resigned itself to making payments on an import until it dies, then starting over.

....interesting but here is a simple correction:
'The younger set has resigned itself to their parents making payments on their import until the novelty runs out, then starting over'....lol
ahhh, modern parenting...lol

Coley

[no1udknow]

c'mon, it's only 20 years from now, I'm sure it will still be pre-smog and square bodies, they have been collectible for the last 30 years. They are true American made machines without as many foreign parts, and I believe that is what will always make them a classic collectible. They represent an industrious time in our nation when we still cared about our work force and companies were focused on employing the nation rather than saving a buck. When you say " American muscle" or "classic car" the first things that come to mind are pre-70's cars, and I believe it will always be like that.

[no1udknow]

Also, When I think of a sturdy built vehicle, the first thing that comes to mind is a car with a steel or chrome bumper. I would say the minute we started affixing cars with rubber coated bumpers, things went down hill. We started building cars on a cost bias rather than a quality bias (with a few exceptions).

[UMDSmith]

Originally Posted by no1udknow

Also, When I think of a sturdy built vehicle, the first thing that comes to mind is a car with a steel or chrome bumper. I would say the minute we started affixing cars with rubber coated bumpers, things went down hill. We started building cars on a cost bias rather than a quality bias (with a few exceptions).

See, it is this thinking that really needs to stop. A modern vehicle is far safer, and FAR better designed than ANY old vehicle.

The 67-72 trucks are wonderful trucks, and they are also death traps. If it is a 10mph collision, I would much rather be in the 67-72, as it will barely have a dent. If it is anything over 10mph though, a new car will protect the occupants far better.

Oh and cars that are mass produced are ALWAYS built on a cost basis. If you want quality, buy a ferrari, or something else hand made. Since the model T was built, it has been a cost basis. The allure of the old trucks is not their quality, or safety, or efficiency, and especially not their power. An old truck is easy to work on. I have seen lego sets more complicated than the 67-72 chevy pickups. Honestly, a monkey could probably work on them and make them run. It is about as simple as a car can get, and that is NOT indicative of quality, as simple and quality are not mutually inclusive.

[Elliot949]

I am going to say the 88-97...