Vintage Skylines?

[grigor]

How many owners expect their Skyline to be around in 10 years? 20 years? 30 years?

My Dad had an import when I was a kid in the 60’s, a 1935 Chrysler Airflow. I hated that car, all my mates families had FJ Holdens and we had this 30 year old tank.

What finally killed it was a lack of spares. There were only 3 straight 8 Airflows in Queensland and we knew where the wrecks were. No problem keeping engines and transmissions going but bodywork is the killer. Things like door handles, panels etc are impossible to re-manufacture. All the laminated glasswork had mica sandwiched between 2-layers of glass, but water penetrated the mica and it went all foggy. She beat all the Red-X trial cars and was good for 110mph, but ended her days at the speedway bombers.

That car would be worth a small fortune today.

So my hint when buying a car is to look hard at the bodywork, get a good one and look after it. Mechanicals come a poor second to bodywork, especially in 25 years time.

[racsov500]

yes the old sigma is worth more in scrap metal than as a car now but in 20, 30 years, gold!

[racsov500]

come to think of it in even 10 years all the 32's and 33's will be worth a bit, think of the old rx2s and rx3s, after the supply dried up. face it, eventually the flow of cars like 'lines will stop, and the ones left will go up in value.

[grigor]

Skylines come from a country where they put salt on the winter roads and It's really hard to find one without rust. I've chopped some and every one had rust in the seams, especially across the floor pan. Most owners wouldn't know this but the half cut suppliers sure do.