Dan things are seldom "this" or "that". They are usually a little bit of "this", and a little bit of "that". (Any Seinfeld fans here?)  I certainly did not chose my Dart to make money. I love this old lady, and have since these cars were plentiful at $500 each. But, I have put more money into this car than any other car I have ever owned. And if it looks like the market, which can admittedly change at the whims of the group consiousness, now sees these cars as having a little more value than when I started, I can;t feel bad about that.
What kind of a dealer could buy six of those Hemi Darts at a time? It seems like a real specialty market at best. I wonder how many of them you could sell in a year? My guess is only established, high value, "purveyors"of restored muscle cars would venture there.
Dan, You bring up an interesting point. Not just you, but anybody: Why do you treasure your older cars? What appeals the most to you in your projects? Is it the historical accuracy, or the challenge of keeping an older piece of equipment in top form? Is it the admiration you recieve from pedestrians as you drive by? Is it the satisfaction of engineering a fix for something no longer made or not readily available. Is it being different in a slightly off beat way (slant sixers are a small group after all)?. Is it perhpas the desire to prove that older American Iron was superior in some way generally not recognized by the masses today? Is it just the good, healthy alpha zone energy of any hobby that you lose youself in; the kind of thing you ponder during the day while you are at work, making you eager to get home? Is it the social aspect of it,(and I put this forum in that category)? I feel like I know you guys, and have a long term connection to most of you.
And finally, yes, a part of me feels bad for the guys who get priced out of the car hobby as prices go up. That is kind of the nature of the sport though. I sold my first hobby car, a '37 fast back Ford for $90 in 1963, and bought a screaming '57 Pontiac for $350. At what they sell for today, neither of these cars would fit my hobby budget now. On the other hand, I have a friend who bought a Mercedes 300 Gullwing in 1969 for $5K. This year he sold it for $130K after doing nothing to it but driving it and then parking it, and keeping it safe. Selling this car allowed him to stay in his house after retirement. Do I think that is cool? You bet. Do I expect that to happen to my Dart? No way. Would I be happy if it did? I wouldn't be unhappy.
Sam
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