What does this say about the hobby...?

Bit of a rant perhaps, but I just finished loading a 25 year hoard of MGB parts into the scrap-man's trailer.

Tried to sell stuff (cheap) for the last 6 months and have not had a single call. Decided that the space in the garage was of more value than the parts since I see no scenario where I will use most of the parts.

My suspicion for a while has been that the classic car hobby has peaked and there are just not enough people moving in to take up the inventory of cars and/or parts.

Curious if this applies across the board or if it is more to do with the plebeian nature of MGBs and the easy availability of new parts?

E36 M3, I had trouble moving '85 XJ and '81 Chevy PU parts and this area is like 4X4 truckville. New repro XJ fenders, new fuel tank, rebuilt t-case, 3:73 axles etc., can't give 'em away, might as well scrap 'em. Even new Chevy parts sat w/o interest. If I couldn't move 'em on ebay might as well give up.

I'd imagine MGB parts are prolly 10X harder to sell, that niche has narrowed over the years, not like todays kids are interested in old lumps like these.

Any clubs in your area that might help put the word out?

Yeah I'm kind of gathering the same vibe on some stuff. I've successfully sold some Spridget parts on Craigslist but others I gave up on and they met the same fate as yours.

I don't think its the classic car hobby peaking just the cars of interest have shifted. I don't understand what isn't to like about the old BMC stuff since they're easy to work on, fun to drive, and the parts are cheap but I think a lot of 80s and early 90s cars are now filling that void. There will always be people into the British stuff I just think it will be a smaller crowd.

The other thing that I find interesting is the price disparity between a total pile-o-junk and a fully restored car in many cases. There is a decent looking 67 Sprite on Ebay right now that the owner wants $10k for. It needs a few small things but even with those it still isn't a $10k car but I'm sure he has more than that into it. Meanwhile there are several $4-5k cars that are just as nice if not nicer but someone else took the hit getting them there. There are also some total rusted through ones that end around $1k and don't meet the reserve. Sadly they probably aren't even worth $1k when you consider the amount of time and effort required to make it a good car (based on the pre pics I've seen of your Bugeye I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir on this one!)

atm92484 wrote: Yeah I'm kind of gathering the same vibe on some stuff. I've successfully sold some Spridget parts on Craigslist but others I gave up on and they met the same fate as yours. I don't think its the classic car hobby peaking just the cars of interest have shifted. I don't understand what isn't to like about the old BMC stuff since they're easy to work on, fun to drive, and the parts are cheap but I think a lot of 80s and early 90s cars are now filling that void. There will always be people into the British stuff I just think it will be a smaller crowd. The other thing that I find interesting is the price disparity between a total pile-o-junk and a fully restored car in many cases. There is a decent looking 67 Sprite on Ebay right now that the owner wants $10k for. It needs a few small things but even with those it still isn't a $10k car but I'm sure he has more than that into it. Meanwhile there are several $4-5k cars that are just as nice if not nicer but someone else took the hit getting them there. There are also some total rusted through ones that end around $1k and don't meet the reserve. Sadly they probably aren't even worth $1k when you consider the amount of time and effort required to make it a good car (based on the pre pics I've seen of your Bugeye I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir on this one!)

I was lucky with the bugeye...it had huge sentimental value to the original owner and I sold it back for what I had into it.

An acquaintance of mine passed away and left a monster horde of bugeye parts and his project. Widow wants like 4k for the lot and not a single offer.

Not only are there British car clubs in my area, but a number of vintage racers too. I have two friends with MG restoration rejects who are always looking doe deals on parts -- but You guys are just too far away!

These folks:

http://www.mgexp.com/phorum/

Have a very lively forum for MGs, Sprites, and Triumphs. I've bought and sold items in the "Buy, Trade, Sell" forum and on the sub-forums as well.

Too bad to have scrapped your parts and pieces, they're always in demand on these forums, it's usually just the shipping costs that get in the way of the deal.

Luck ! !

I think at least with the LBCs, there is a thriving new parts/repro scene that makes used parts potentially less attractive than buying new.

As a longtime serial MGB and Midget owner, I feel the biggest issue is these cars were so plentiful and inexpensive (like Miatas are now). Many MG's broke down or rusted away quickly. So most owners now have a parts car and/or lots of spares, or have friends who do.

www.mgexp.com/forums is a great resource for new and used parts and advice.

I've got a crapload of TR7 stuff laying around as spares for my TR8. Wouldn't get much for it and the non interchangeable stuff from the earlier TR7's I probably couldn't give away.

But am surprised you can't sell MGB stuff. I'm just sorry that I scrapped so much Porsche 356 and Austin mini-Cooper stuff when I sold those cars 25 yrs ago.

The time and effort moving my older BMW 1600 and 2002 parts got to the point of almost no return. Making sure parts arrived in good order (the boxes built at my choice of shippers were outstanding) and paying the shipping cost drove the costs over the top.

What I have left I will be keeping but some one will need the smog equipment for their square tail in the concourse events of the future.

Yea right.

It might depend on the market????

For example... much of the "over 30" Jap tin is nearly priceless... partially because few if any people are in the restoration parts production market... so things like taillamps, or body gaskets are tough to come by... no one makes repro metal for these cars... engines... transmissions for the most part those bits are around... but from a purely restoration POV, much of the detail bits of the engines are broken, corroded, damaged, or discarded, and as with the other bits mentioned, there is no reproduction manufacturers

Not necessarily classic... but i have an enormous amount of spare 88-92 MX6 parts laying around. When i see one in the junkyard, i pull the hard to find stuff. When i part them out, i tear them down to nothing.

Everyone is always looking for parts for these cars, because well... they're 25 year old cars.

However, nobody wants to pay for it. No, i won't take a loss on a headlight just because you need one. You don't like my price? You can either pay $150 for one on Ebay, or roll around with a broken one.

That community would find a way to lowball or bitch about a part listed for free. It's unreal. I don't sell stuff to make a mint, but it's not rude to expect to be paid a couple bucks an hour to help people keep their uncommon cars running.

With all the interest in this board for the cars, though... there's hope.

As my own MX6 gets wilder and wilder, the need for me to hang on to this parts is lessening. I figure in about 5 years, i'll just give everything to JamesMcD that isn't a motor or transmission. I almost hope the current forum "community" for these things dies out.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

I agree that this is where the Fiat hobby is now. There are more and better new parts from the vendors than the old used stuff and owners are more willing to put a bit more money into these cars than ten years ago as well.

Well as we've mentioned when discussing Volvo bits, it's not the desire - it's the location.

Where did you advertise them?

"I agree that this is where the Fiat hobby is now. There are more and better new parts from the vendors than the old used stuff . . . "

Just the opposite for MGs and Triumphs. TONS of aftermarket junk that is honestly JUNK. The originals are far better even if they need rebuilding entirely. Luckily a thriving market in rebuilt and rebuilding parts and pieces for these LBCs.

Swank Force One wrote: That community would find a way to lowball or bitch about a part listed for free. It's unreal. I don't sell stuff to make a mint, but it's not rude to expect to be paid a couple bucks an hour to help people keep their uncommon cars running. With all the interest in this board for the cars, though... there's hope.

Sounds like the Swift/Metro crowd.

We're having the same problem with our parts too. You can't give stuff away anymore, and cars are being scrapped due to lack of interest.

I heard someone say that cars gain the most value when the people who remember them when they are growing up are old enough to afford them and as they start to age and die the prices tank.

TeamEvil wrote: "I agree that this is where the Fiat hobby is now. There are more and better new parts from the vendors than the old used stuff . . . " Just the opposite for MGs and Triumphs. TONS of aftermarket junk that is honestly JUNK. The originals are far better even if they need rebuilding entirely. Luckily a thriving market in rebuilt and rebuilding parts and pieces for these LBCs.

Then you rebuild the one that's on your car instead of searching out one that was pulled off a car 10 years ago and has been mouldering in someone's garage ever since. Sometimes you can find gold in a stash like that, but usually you just find the stuff that wasn't quite good enough for the owner's car. It's all the "in case my good one ever fails" stuff.

And yeah, LBC owners are cheap. The cars are cheap. If you want to make money on parts, it has to be on cars with value.

Ian F wrote: Well as we've mentioned when discussing Volvo bits, it's not the desire - it's the location. Where did you advertise them?

That is also 100% the case with Saab parts. If you don't get them in front of the right people, they'll never move.

I think the market is simply changing because of a few different realities. The market for MGB's is shrinking. Went to two car shows this summer, and at both, the people under the age of 50 was less than 25% of the people attending. That market is turning into the same market that 30's car are now. They don't create the emotional response in the younger guy's like me. I Like MGB's, but at the price they are at, they just don't make any sense for me to buy one.

Also, MGB's have reached an age where they are either basket cases, or they have been restored. I haven't seen a nice survivor/driver MGB in a few years. You buy used parts for those cars. If you buy a basket case, it's to restore it, and restoration is hard enough as it is, if you can get a new part, and save yourself a little effort, why shouldn't you? And obvisously the restored cars don't need used parts, because once they are restored, they usually aren't driven enough to need parts.

I think the "nice survivor" part depends on your location - there was a very nice GT survivor for sale around here earlier in the year and I regularly see Bs and Midget advertised. Mind you, some of the Bs may be survivors, but nice they aren't.

I tried selling a bunch of E30 interior stuff on Craigslist. I wanted it gone, so I made it dirt cheap. After a month without a single inquiry, I hauled it all to the dump.

Tom_Spangler wrote: I tried selling a bunch of E30 interior stuff on Craigslist. I wanted it gone, so I made it dirt cheap. After a month without a single inquiry, I hauled it all to the dump.

See - I wouldn't try to sell E30 stuff on CL. After I sold my E30, I put parts I had left on R3vlimited. Just about everything sold. Just trying to find interesting cars on CL is hard enough. I can't imagine trying to sift through the mountains of B.S. there looking for parts. That takes a special kind of patience I don't have.

An original used part is only as good as its rebuild and that surely varies a lot. The new replacement parts also vary a lot in quality. This is where you must trust and work with your vendors. My original 93 Miata top lasted 10 years and the $120 replacement lasted 4. So I found an original 15 year old top ($100)that had been removed for a hard top. It lasted 4 years and the stitching rotted and window got brittle. A good quality $350 top now is still good after 6 years. 15 years ago the best Fiat starter was a rebuild (likely cleaned up solenoid, brushes and greased bearings) but now I can get a new high quality part just as easily.

"If you want to make money on parts, it has to be on cars with value."

Tell me about it, you're SO right ! ! !

I sold both of my Porsche 356 coupes; on a '55 Pre-A Continental, the other a '65 SC. Sold them both as shells and made good money of each of them, Been selling the parts that were removed from/came with both cars for the past two years now.

These parts seem to be made of solid gold. Insane prices like three and four hundred dollar speedometers, six hundred dollar steering wheel and horn ring, a thousand dollars for the original "Continental" script.

Just last night I found the defroster controls with chromed dash plate from the '65 SC, haven't found one for sale anywhere on the net in order to set a nice price for it. The random small parts are as rare as can be.

Just insane ! !