shelbyscarab wrote:"Yea, that did go too cheap..... someone got a great deal..."
Agreed - they stole that car. I would've gladly paid the difference for such a low-mile original '90 model instead of my '88... but unfortunately this car wasn't available 3 months ago. And that's the way the ball bounces. Even factoring in the buyers premium it was still a home run. Hope it landed in the hands of a real enthusiast.
shelbyscarab wrote:
"I'll never understand how GTs, the red/yellow/white feature cars, and the green seven ups go for more money than '87-'90 ASCs, its BS."
Not disagreeing on that point either, but personally, I believe there are pros and cons to ASC cars trading hands for what most of us would consider 'below-market-value'. Ironically I was seriously contemplating a manual-trans Feature car this winter... and even with several feet of snow on the ground in many parts of the country they were STILL bringing big $$$. Bigger than I was willing or able to spend. All about public perception I suppose... the Feature cars were widely advertised as limited editions and everyone knew that '93 would be the final year of this body style.
When my particular McLaren popped up mid-winter, I grabbed it without genuinely knowing much about the cars at the time other than what I'd read briefly online or in magazines. Sometimes you just have to take a shot. I'd seen a few around over the years and I was looking for a relatively inexpensive admission ticket back into the Fox-body Mustang world. It fit the bill. In retrospect, I'm very thankful for the opportunity to acquire such a rare, essentially 'hand-crafted' automobile for less than the cost of a 5-year old Toyota Corolla. As of right now, it's great if you're the buyer... but a tough pill if you're the seller. Current global economic conditions probably aren't helping much either.
My bet is eventually the ASC's will get recognition from the collector car market, but for the time being, fortunately the attractive pricing allows many of these cars to fall into the hands of enthusiasts who will enjoy and properly care for them (along with some who surely abuse and neglect them), rather than speculators who care about nothing other than turning a profit. Good thing I wanted a Mustang and not a '70 Hemi-powered convertible 'Cuda. 30 years ago they traded hands for pennies. You have to be a Hollywood Superstar or a hedge fund manager to touch one today.
As Sandy has frequently mentioned, unless purchased for an absolute song, unfortunately the low pricing also makes an ASC car economically unfeasible to restore for the moment unless one does it as a labor of love without real consideration for resale value. Remember though, even Chryslers wildly garish 'wing-cars' like the Superbird were very UNpopular when new and throughout the 70's. Even though built in limited numbers, many languished on dealers showroom floor and had to be sold at huge discounts to move them out. Even the mighty Shelby Cobra was at one point, just an affordable used car. Go price an original one today and prepare for cardiac arrest. The buying public is extremely fickle... but eventually almost every rare or unusual car has its day. The ASC McLaren's will have theirs as well.
