Food for Thought
For those of us who love Tri-Five Chevys it is often hard to think of our belovedClassic Chevy as just an investment.But for many of us these cars are a significant investment. I have bought and sold many 55-57 Chevys over the years and love every minute my time in the hobby. Recently in discussions with club members and others the increasing value of our tri-5’s came up. We would all hope for the increased value! But this may or may not necessarily be true. I attend 15-25 swap meets and car shows a year and like many of you watch Barrett-Jackson and other auctions on TV. I along with other long time tri-fiveenthusiasts continuously watch the investment potential of tri-fives. One would think classic chevys will always increase in value. But this is not always true. Many factors enter into the equation. Think about it? Quality of the car, style of the build, color of the exterior and interior, options and accessories, wheels and tires, age of the potential buyer, and other factors enter into the equation.
Lets look at these factors.
First–the quality of the car.:
Quality being fit and finish the most important. Many shows I attend I see beautiful tri-fives with bad fender gaps, bumpers aligned poorly, Missing bolts, and easily found parts absent. Simply making adjustments and installing bolts or missing parts add value.
Second, Style of the build:
Everyone should build the car of his or her dreams. But, I prescribe to the belief that if you build something different then the rest, you better be in love with it cause your keep’in it. Trends change
And value is in the current trend.
Third, color of the exterior and interior:
We all know about resale red. Paint it red and it will sell. I love red myself. But many other colors look great on the body and interiors of our tri-fives. Two tones are hot right now and show off those body lines. Lets just say a purple/pink exterior with bright yellow interior might not work.
Fourth, Options and Accessories:
Modernizing our cars with updates like fuel injection, electronic ignition, disc brakes, power steering, power windows, better cooling, air conditioning, etc. is always value added. But these upgrades tend to be expensive. We can only do what we can afford.
Fifth, Wheels and Tires:
Choose this update carefully! A very trendy update. Let me say, I’m not a big wheel and rubber band tire fan. Increasing rim diameter and tire size is a good thing, But consider the overall look and future trends.
Sixth, Age of potential buyer:
Probably the most important consideration with your investment if you wish to sell your ride in the future. I have noticed a leveling off of tri-five pricing this year. Yes, many factors are in play here. The economy, supply of vehicles, auction pricing, and age of buyers. What makes your tri-fiveinvestment so valuable? The desire to own it by others. Think about it? Who is that. Someone just like yourself. The popularity of any car is the desire of others to own it. Four years ago when I bought my current ride (a 1955 Chevy Sedan Delivery) The previous owner asked me why I wanted the car. I told him it made me think of my youth, good times brought back. Most car people I know want the cars of their youth. Mostly to bring back good memories. But consider we are all getting older and so is our potential buyers pool. The hot sellers right now are muscle cars of the 60’s and 70’s. That pool of buyers is generally younger then that of our Tri-fives. I’m not suggesting we don’t have great value in our tri-fives. But the pool of future buyers, I believe is getting smaller. Now don’t go out and sell your ride just think about your investment and its value as we move forward. Remember your choice should be what interests you.
Seventh—Other factors
Who knows what changes in the collector hobby are coming. I don’t! But, I can tell you I am encouraged by new youth at the shows interested in the older classics. I attended the Coast Mesa Show in
Chuck Thomas
