With the economic downturn, recession, depression, or whatever you want to call it, we already know that new car sales are taking a long vacation from existence. And cars like the Ferraris and Alfa 8Cs of the world shouldn’t have too much trouble selling, since there are still millions of millionaires. But how about the muscle cars? By and large, the boom in muscle car prices was the result of nostalgic shoppers, laying out significant – but not exorbitant – sums for the dreamcars of their youths. We’re talking about people that had been buying and selling drivable muscle cars in the $20k to $50k range, not just the Barret-Jackson shopping insanity. With financial “gurus” like Jim Cramer telling punters to cash-out all their investments, we can expect a glut of reasonable condition cars on the market, as folks look to pick up more money before the storm. And then consider that in the context of a hugely reduced buyers’ market: how many people are looking for five-figure toys these days? I’m far from an expert, but I’d guess we will see something on the order of a 60 percent drop in the market values of cars like Camaros, Mustangs, Chevelles, and Pontiacs. The rarer and collectible models will no doubt fare better, as these tend to go to buyers that do more polishing and less driving (if ever). While some sellers may decide to hang on to their cars because there are so few buyers, there will still be plenty of cars on the market. It’s a buyer’s opportunity, no doubt about that. If, like me, you’ve ever just wanted an AMC AMX in the driveway, the next few years might be the time, should you be employed.

While some early models of Mustangs are worth ten times their original value, many of them ended up in the local boneyards. There are plenty of classic Mustangs out and about in the marketplace, however if you were to graph their market value, no other generation stand out in such great numbers as the Fox body Mustang. One has to wonder, what phenomenon went on for the production run of the fox body, as these cars are retaining their value like no other.

Due to their workhorse characteristics, their endless supply of parts available, that have provided to be good groundwork for both small and big time tuners to get their start on. A clean fox can still bring in $20k in value, when a fairly new ’06 GT can be had for the same amount. Personally I feel that a large number of these vehicles have been butchered, but that does not stop people from buying them.

Elite production runs of the ’93 Mustang Cobra R have been known to bring in well over $60,000 in today’s economic conditions. That is a small miracle, considering one can buy a small house for $60k in some parts of the States.