Looking back we have a long history of cars that fell in the cracks or just did not matter enough to.
These were not bad cars or even ugly car but cars that vanished because few loved them enough to preserve the.
We do have a long history of cars that do matter some are ugly and some were not popular but today like a Superbird you can no longer find one. The yet many of Chrysler’s best selling sedans and wagons are gone.
We will see much more of this moving forward as there are so many vehicles today people like enough to buy but they have no real love or passion for. People today just see cars as transportation and not a part of their image.
I blame many of the Imports from Asia as many of the cars we got were good cars but had little soul or passion to them. Few people want to be represented by an Accord vs a BMW. But the Asian cars were reliable, safe and did the job at hand.
Now we have soulless cars from all nations anymore. As they age ther is little market for parts as who is going to restore them. In many cases the cost to restore is much more than what is left of the car is worth.
Even on some cars with value to restore some rare option items like TTop gaskets can go into the thousands as no one is reproducing them. God forbid you drop a rarer glass top. I know I remove mine with my trade marked Pontiac death grip.
It will be interesting moving forward as the hobby is is a slight decline. Will we be forced like the old days to search harder for parts even using the web. We once relied on meets and Hemings.
Worse yet junk yards where I used to find he I engines in now scrap cars so fast that they are gone before they are even old or out of production.
It had gotten to be best to seek out low mile cars and pay extra for them if you want a clean car. To buy the parts to restore would be more.
What I feel is more lost is the thrill of the hunt for parts today. Also the satisfaction of rebuilding many cars that are different.
I have a Fiero today not because it was ever the Ferrari killer. But I have it because it is different. Many like with this V6 Tempo may not be the first choice but it is different. I love Camaro’s, Vettes and Mustangs but too much they are all the same after a while.
I appreciate those who take the tough road in the hobby.
I need to find a good junkyard this coming weekend and just go take a walk in the history. I still have a few hidden away and like to just see what I can find.
One last note. Those of us with these orphan cars have one clear trait. We do it for the love and passion not for the money. Too bad more are not like that.
