Woodward Dream Cruise

Woodward Dream Cruise (Special "Classic" Car Watching entry)

Like many people, I was out on Woodward Avenue, just north of Detroit, MI this past weekend, for the Dream Cruise and pre-cruise days. I was not just watching the cars, but also who was driving them.
The collector hobby is changing, and in many ways, things aren't looking up. Many of the greatest, most historically important cars are not appealing to future generations. Ford Model A's and Model T's are seen in small numbers, all driven by senior citizens.As they die off or simply get out of the hobby, there doesn't look to be enough people currently interested in preserving such cars. Cars older than a certain decade simply are unrelateable to newer generations, and they neither admire or appreciate anything beyond a certain decade. We are at risk of losing entire generations of cars and makes due to lack of interest.
Todays enthusiasts overwhelmingly buy newer cars-Late model Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers and Jeeps. The older vehicles they buy tend to be sports cars, often foreign brands. They are more likely to drive an Acura NSX, Toyota Supra or Porsche 944. A few were seen in 1980s-era Corvettes.
African-American collectors are more visible and growing. Large GM cars are quite popular in the black community, with Oldsmobile and Buick gaining favor and Cadillac remaining a staple.Large Chevrolets are immensely popular as well, with blacks buying up Caprices as quickly as they enter the used car market. One trend prevalent in this community, that the majority of black enthusiasts partake in, is the use of large rims.Many find these tasteless and believe they spoil the looks of the car. But another school of thought is that they should be commended for their continuing interest in the cars, which keeps them out of scrapyards and the hobby continuing.
Hispanic cruisers are out there, too and the future of the hobby needs them. Hispanics are often associated or stereotyped with the lowrider movement. There is an element of truth to that. Many of the large, older cars used for lowriding are purchased by hispanics. They also buy smaller Japanese trucks that would otherwise be disposed of. Hispanics have customized many of the few remaining Toyotas and Mazdas from the 1970s. There are a handful of Toyota Starlets in the US, usually race cars owned by Puerto Ricans. They also buy Dodge Colts,Toyota Corollas and 1970s Mazdas. The Hispanics have single-handedly saved these cars from complete extinction in this country, and lowriders are often bringing rusting old cars back from the dead.
The Asian community is also growing strongly and are very inactive in the hobby. Most come from forward-thinking cultures where the focus is on improving and advancing current technology, not thinking about the past. In China, cars can not be legally registered after 10-15 years.That means, basically, that they are banned from the roads. Japan is very aggressive with inspections, and few cars last more than 10 years.South Korea has specialized in ordinary, disposable cars so they never had anything that people admired. As a result, most Koreans see cars as something that must be replaced every few years.People from India rarely have interest in the car hobby and tend to be quite conservative in their purchases.Understandably, people from these countries can't quite understand our love of old cars, having had so little exposure to the hobby in their birthplaces.
People of Middle-Eastern descent like cars, but won't consider classics. That community likes current Mercedes-Benzes, Range Rovers, Mustangs and exotics (Ferraris, Porsches, etc). Cool cars, but not helpful to the collector hobby.
Another threat to the hobby is environmentalism. Many younger people prefer public transit or mopeds, often for reasons pertaining to "saving resources" or "Clean energy". Trust me, people in this camp won't be buying muscle cars.
So, now that we have discussed why the market is dwindling and what cars todays Americans would rather have, lets discuss what has survived the best.We will only discuss cars made before 1980, since thats where the generational divide seems to really be.
Obviously, muscle cars were stored and preserved, with owners knowing the future collectibility of them. There are a lot of Camaros,GTOS and Chevelles still smoking their tires.For a smaller, modest car, the Chevy II can still be seen in good numbers. Of course, tens of thousands of old Mustangs are alive and well. As an overall brand, Cadillacs have a good survival rate.And, being made of rust-resistant fiberglass, Corvettes are abundant. VW Beetles and several styles of Mercedes-Benzes have the best survival rate of the imports, and convertibles far outlast their hardtop brothers. I saw 3 Cavalier Z24 convertibles but not 1 hardtop. I saw a very rare 1984 Pontiac Sunbird convertible this week, but its been quite a few years since I saw a hardtop version. The large Pontiac and Oldsmobile coupes sold in much larger numbers as hardtops, but now may be outnumbered by surviving convertible editions.
A final trend that we continue to see is the explosion in popularity of old pickup trucks. And strangely, its often younger cruisers buying them.Interesting "Fuel" for thought.