Why are there so many FJ40's still for sale?

[Pierps]

Although I'm way upside down financially on my restoration (and I don't care that much, to be sure), a selfish part of me is excited to see the price of awesome classics come down. There are a few I'd love to own.

I like the idea of car collectors getting into it purely for the joy of driving and maintaining the cars, and not as some kind of investment strategy.

 

[1911]

I got my daughter fixated (accidentally) on air-cooled beetles. I’m hoping that sticks around until she’s 13 or so and we can build her one as a first car.

My first car was a 1961 Beetle, that I paid $150 cash for with my own money when I was 15. $150 was a chunk of change back then.

 

[Chungas Revenge]

My first car was a 1961 Beetle, that I paid $150 cash for with my own money when I was 15. $150 was a chunk of change back then.

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My parents 1st new car..63

 

[sogafarm]

Also my father’s first car, 1961 in black

My first car was a 1961 Beetle, that I paid $150 cash for with my own money when I was 15. $150 was a chunk of change back then.

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[1911]

Also my father’s first car, 1961 in black

You can't tell from the photo obviously, but mine was red.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Although I'm way upside down financially on my restoration (and I don't care that much, to be sure), a selfish part of me is excited to see the price of awesome classics come down. There are a few I'd love to own.

I like the idea of car collectors getting into it purely for the joy of driving and maintaining the cars, and not as some kind of investment strategy.

This has always been my complaint - a lot of cars are expensive just because “investors” snapped them all up. My neighbor has a garage with 16+ old muscle cars that he backs onto a trailer periodically and rolls off at a car show - sells one here, buys one there, etc. but rarely if ever, so they leave the driveway.

What’s the point? They were built to be driven!

My first car was a 1961 Beetle, that I paid $150 cash for with my own money when I was 15. $150 was a chunk of change back then.

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Nice! As a dad, I worry about safety in modern roads in an old beetle. As a car guy, I think it’d be a fun father/daughter project. As a realist, the chances of my 5 year old becoming a 16 year old that still wants a 70 year old German compact car are slim to none… but I can dream!

 

[GA Architect]

They were built to be driven!

^^ THIS!!!! ^^

.......and drive my 40, every chance I get.

 

[archie73]

My thoughts?

I'm ready for the sub $10k FJ40s to show back up!
Can't wait!

$10k?!?! I paid $1500 for a running(rusty) and drivable 40. I drive it from Vt to Wi AND back. Then to Mt. Bring back those days!!

 

[MYSHERPA]

Just my opinion but I think the FJ40 is becoming an obscure oddity, however cool they seem. The longer I have mine, the more comments I get of “I’ve never seen one of those before!”

I got passed by an original VW bug on the freeway the other day (I know, embarrassing) but it occurred to me how long it's been since I had seen one. When i was a kid those things were everywhere.

 

[archie73]

I bought a 91 camaro 305 5 speed for my 13 year old son. He's helped me put new struts, springs, tie rods, ball joints, dakota dash, etc. In it. He can drive the 5 speed very well at 13.
I'm a Gen X born in '69, and I will NOT raise a useless kid, despite the uselessness of his private school classmates.

I picked up a 59 F100 shell to work on with my boy (now 12). Told him if he helped build it up it’d be his. He’s spent 3-4 hours total in the garage so far(2-3yrs). I hope it’ll change, but I’m trying to be realistic on the attention span in the world of phones.
Btw- he thinks the 40 is kinda stupid. Old, loud and cold. Accept when I let him drive- then he’s the only kid he knows who can drive a stick…

My first car was a 1961 Beetle, that I paid $150 cash for with my own money when I was 15. $150 was a chunk of change back then.

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My o look older brother paid $100 for two beetles in 1986. Made one running college car. I think dad felt he over paid…

 

[MYSHERPA]

The world is going to need help when the middle/9th/10th graders I teach are graduated. they are the laziest I have ever seen. They would not even know the direction of the tires moving when they were driving forward. There are a few exceptions but in general I am scared for the future.

You're the second teacher I've heard say that today. Scary.

 

[MYSHERPA]

I picked up a 59 F100 shell to work on with my boy (now 12). Told him if he helped build it up it’d be his. He’s spent 3-4 hours total in the garage so far(2-3yrs). I hope it’ll change, but I’m trying to be realistic on the attention span in the world of phones.
Btw- he thinks the 40 is kinda stupid. Old, loud and cold. Accept when I let him drive- then he’s the only kid he knows who can drive a stick…

My o look older brother paid $100 for two beetles in 1986. Made one running college car. I think dad felt he over paid…

That's awesome though. My son and I are rebuilding a 1972 Yamaha JT2 mini enduro for him. It takes some whip cracking to get him off the screens, but he got the engine finished the other day. Hopefully he gets it done before he's too big to ride it.

 

[archie73]

That's awesome though. My son and I are rebuilding a 1972 Yamaha JT2 mini enduro for him. It takes some whip cracking to get him off the screens, but he got the engine finished the other day. Hopefully he gets it done before he's too big to ride it.

Mine is a two prong issue-
1- Lifes too damn busy between his school and sports and my job.
2- I may have made the project a bit to complicated- ifs/irs, slammed and electric drivetrain.

Don’t get me wrong he’s excited at the “idea” of the build, but the nitty gritty is tough to get him involved. He gets his permit at 14.5 yro here, so maybe that’ll light a fire under…

 

[MYSHERPA]

Mine is a two prong issue-
1- Lifes too damn busy between his school and sports and my job.
2- I may have made the project a bit to complicated- ifs/irs, slammed and electric drivetrain.

Don’t get me wrong he’s excited at the “idea” of the build, but the nitty gritty is tough to get him involved. He gets his permit at 14.5 yro here, so maybe that’ll light a fire under…

I completely understand your issue 1, dealing with the same stuff. I am glad we started with a relatively easy motorcycle project, as even that has proven to be quite the challenge.

An electric drivetrain in that sounds really interesting. Do you replace the engine with an electric motor and keep everything else, or do you run motors at each axle/wheel?

 

[aztoyman]

I'm on other car/truck forums and you see the same discussions. Times change, generations are different and things go through cycles. Eventually the people that are interested in (fill in the blank) age out basically.

 

[Chilkoot]

All the above variables mentioned relating to prices coming down are probably true. The pandemic craziness couldn’t stay forever.

As for the younger generations and raising the next gen tractor keepers it’s on us! I’m a millennial (1990) and grew up with beaters that I fixed and maintained with my dad and grandfather all through high school. Those memories are ones I will never forget and will be sure to recreate with my kids to spark that interest and give them confidence to work on their own machines.

 

[igotta40]

I’m not concerned about the market. Mine will never be sold (by me) bc it will be my son’s. He’s not a big car guy but he appreciates that I’ve had the 40 since long before he was born. He had a big dream of criss crossing the US in a vintage VW bus. He bought a 73 and we restored it. He got really lucky, it had no rust. When the reality of ownership settled in he modified his plan. Also, being 6’4” he literally couldn’t drive it because he didn’t fit in it. I spent many hours on the Samba forum rebuilding that bus, and it was nearly perfect when he posted it for sale. What a bunch of sh*tty gatekeepers on that forum. This was during covid, so there were a lot of interested buyers but what a headache dealing with them, especially the long distance ones. In the end it went to the Houston Mecum auction in April of last year. We had high hopes it would do well. It wasn’t just lipstick on a pig, like most of them, it was the real deal, fully restored. But he only got back what he spent restoring it. BTW those old buses are a major pain in the ass.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

It’s like there’s something in the water - or maybe generations of “gentle parenting” or kids being raised by daycares. My daughter is 5, kindergartener, with two working parents, and I will say she is a MONSTER challenge behaviorally - getting her to do anything you need her to do or try anything new is like pulling teeth. Manners and respect need work too, but we’re trying.

I see it at work as well - I’m in sales - it’s a demanding job that requires a lot of self-starting and follow through. It has always been high-turnover, I’m a veteran, in my 8th year, at this point, but there is NOBODY behind me - everyone we hire bails within in a year, or limps along on their base pay for as long as they can until they get fired for underperformance…



I hear this - we bought a house with some land in a rural (poor) area with crappy schools as a starter house because it’s what we could afford at 30. Now, even though it’s worth almost twice what we paid, and we are packed to the gills with 2 kids in it - we’re staying - the low interest rate and mortgage are game changers - we would literally have to pay double or triple to move anywhere else. Granted, we had to put the kids in private school with the difference so we’re not as flush as I wish we were!

I never got a new car growing up - I shared my dad’s 1989 Plymouth Colt Wagon (in 2004) and then “upgraded” to a hand-me-down 1994 Buick Century (in 2008). I always enjoyed fixing them and had a fascination with anything mechanical and the look and style of classic cars. I always knew I’d get one eventually. Both my younger brothers (1989, 1991) can barely change their own oil, and have no interest in old beaters. Bought brand new F150’s with tech packages, leather interiors, and the smallest possible engines to commute to their office jobs in .



Where there’s a will, there’s a way! I bought my FJ40 when I still lived with my parents, and dragged it to my girlfriend’s townhouse and hid it in her garage (I couldn’t tell my parents, I was supposed to be saving for a house) . Then, when she and I moved in together at a house with no garage, the 40 got moved to a family friends unused garage, then, into another friend’s pole barn. When we got married and bought a house 5 years later it finally got a space in its own garage.

I got my daughter fixated (accidentally) on air-cooled beetles. I’m hoping that sticks around until she’s 13 or so and we can build her one as a first car.



Same, I have the FJ40 but I’m waiting for a bargain basement Triumph GT6.

I love the old beetles and things. If I didnt live where I do Id already have one. or a Thing! the beetles look so good when dune buggy modded right.

You're the second teacher I've heard say that today. Scary.

It is scary! its weird its just the age group I mentioned. They are all entitled and lazy. I think lots of factors to this lazy group of students but covid being one that stands out. Just not being socialized in the formative years is bad. but correlation does not mean causation.

Upside though - 5 of the 13 graduating seniors want to pursue welding and go to a trade school for it. They are going to come by this summer and do some welding with me. Its the smallest public school in NC thats why only 13 seniors.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I’m not concerned about the market. Mine will never be sold (by me) bc it will be my son’s. He’s not a big car guy but he appreciates that I’ve had the 40 since long before he was born. He had a big dream of criss crossing the US in a vintage VW bus. He bought a 73 and we restored it. He got really lucky, it had no rust. When the reality of ownership settled in he modified his plan. Also, being 6’4” he literally couldn’t drive it because he didn’t fit in it. I spent many hours on the Samba forum rebuilding that bus, and it was nearly perfect when he posted it for sale. What a bunch of sh*tty gatekeepers on that forum. This was during covid, so there were a lot of interested buyers but what a headache dealing with them, especially the long distance ones. In the end it went to the Houston Mecum auction in April of last year. We had high hopes it would do well. It wasn’t just lipstick on a pig, like most of them, it was the real deal, fully restored. But he only got back what he spent restoring it. BTW those old buses are a major pain in the ass.

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I will never get out what I payed for my fj40 over time. Thats ok though, I have loved every part of it and have learned so much that I can use the next time I rebuild or tinker on somthing. I have been looking at old willys jeeps latley or an m38a1 or Fj55 is the prices come down. Thats really awesome that your son built that van. it looks fabulous.

All the above variables mentioned relating to prices coming down are probably true. The pandemic craziness couldn’t stay forever.

As for the younger generations and raising the next gen tractor keepers it’s on us! I’m a millennial (1990) and grew up with beaters that I fixed and maintained with my dad and grandfather all through high school. Those memories are ones I will never forget and will be sure to recreate with my kids to spark that interest and give them confidence to work on their own machines.

I think its a little bit of a culture shift back to moving to a city and not having a car/walkability that hurts the hobby. You are right though its us early 90s kids that will need to pass the torch. I also am a 1990 guy.


I hope to impart some knowlege of mechanical ness to my children when I have them.

 

[1911]

Btw- he thinks the 40 is kinda stupid. Old, loud and cold.

I tried to get my youngest daughter to drive my 40 to high school, but she was not interested.

At least now (14 years later) she is a Toyota gal.