One of the things I enjoy checking out is increase in the value of some of our US classic cars.
I recently ran across this breakdown in Hagerty Insurance magazine…it normally has some good articles. This one was about American Motors and it had a section on original cost of the cars and the current collector’s value. So check this out:
1967 Marlin – a cool looking car if you ask me – had a base prices of $2,963. Today that car will cost you about $23,100.
A good looking car in Two Tone paint.
1969 Javelin SST – love these cars – I once dated this girl who drove one and..oh…um..nevermind – back in the day they cost $3,144 and today average cost is $33,900.
69 Javelin SST
1970 AMX 390/325 – I know I’m suppose to love these cars – they being, perhaps the sporty-est of the AMC brand, but I don’t – they would run you $3,798 back then and now you can pick one up for a mere $55K!
1970 AMX
1972 Javelin SST – see my comment for the ’69 – base price in 1972 was $3,807 and today $22,400.
1973 Gremlin X Coupe – ok I really don’t care at all about these, except when I see them at the drag strip with a huge GM block stuffed between the fenders – they would set you back $2,098 back in ’72 and today you can get one have it mounted on a pole in the front yard for $11,700 (pole not included and labor extra and you’ll have to sign a waiver).
1973 Grebmlin X Coupe (Seen here without the pole)
1976 Pacer DL Coupe – well.. if wasn’t a DL coupe….ok even though it is…insert comment for Gremlin above – except for $15,000 you can pick one up today, remove the body from the frame, bury it upside down in backyard and with a little tweaking you can have a really cool hot tub.
1976 Pacer DL Coupe…just before it was turned into a hot tub!
OK..that was mean..here ya go:
’76 Pacer DL Sport Coupe
1978 Matador Hardtop Coupe would have tapped your wallet for nearly $5K (4,799) – I sort of liked these cars – but not a lot and today you can sort of like them for about $12,500 big ones.
78 Matador Coupe
Unless it look like this one!!!
This is the Matador X
Want to see some more brands laid out like this? Drop me a comment and I’ll dig some up.
Thanks for reading
Tim
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There’s an awesome Marlin that cruise’s Depot Town in Ypsilanti Mi. all the time.
Great looking car now for sure, but I remember what we thought of them back in the day.
There are so many cars I’d give my right arm for today, ones I didn’t give a second look at back then. I guess our tastes for all types of cars gets better with age… 🙂
I’m with ya Roy. I use to have a ’70 Dodge Dart. We thought they were toss away cars.
My neighbor in Calif was a certified AMC nut. He had a few straight six stripper Rambler American’s with three speed on the column, a few beat to death Gremlins, and a Hornet with the 309V8 that would fry both back tires indefinitely.
I helped him wrench on the cars on weekends, and was always wondering why these cars got such a bad reputation. As the old joke goes; “AMC is an acronym for ALL MAKES COMBINED”, and it was true. AMC cars used Chrysler transmissions and rear ends, Ford Carlite glass and Rotunda steering/suspension pieces, and GM stuff such as Delco alternators, AC compresors, and radios, Harrison radiators, Saginaw Power Steering, and so on. You would think that using components from other makes, and by selecting the right suppliers, AMCs should be great, relaible cars. At least ‘on paper’ this idea makes sense.
Perhaps they got a bad reputation beacuse of quikery styling, or crappy dealer networks?
But what do I know? I still think the K CAR is one of Chrysler’s best products in decades?
I think it was a combination of using other companies parts, but more the poor nextwork of dealerships and some god awful styling. I would own a Javelin and a Rebel but that’s just enough – quirky just didn’t sell back then and really not even today.
Thanks for the comment Bill.