Eagle extinction theory

[83Eagle!]

Ya know, if I ever hit the Lottery you guys will see me on an episode of Hoarders with my wife chasing me around my 100 acre compound of salvage Eagles swinging a rolling pin at my head!!

Hahaha!  That's great.

[Whuntmore]

I still consider myself a bit of a 'newbie' when it comes to the history and knowledge base about AMC's and Eagles, but I am old enough that I was shopping for cars when AMC was still a company.  (I bought my first car in 1984-85).  I also owned a 81 Spirit before American Motors was bought by Chrysler.

I noticed even back then, alot of people I ran into had nothing nice to say about AMC.  I found people were fast to drop the cars then.  I know this is redundant, but I noticed it back then where I grew up.

After AMC was folded into Chrysler (into the early 90's) where I'm from, you couldn't give away an AMC unless it was something like an AMX or a 'Machine' - Something really rare or sought after.  Even still, they didn't fetch the price they do now. 

So I'd say the first 'die-off' I noticed is just before AMC was sold.  It wasn't really a die-off, but sales and interest did decrease.  Maybe that is more accurate.  I did notice in around '86-87, that people's interest was lessened.

But the real 'die-off' was just after AMC was sold.   After that, I'd say into the mid to late '90's.

It's only recently, that the asking prices and interest in the cars have increased. 

As a side note...

I find that soo strange, because as the cars get older, and the parts get harder to get, the cars are worth more???  when 15 years ago, the cars were still newer, had more life in them, less abuse and neglect, you could still buy most of the parts, and people couldn't wait to get rid of them. 

Buying trends are weird...

[83Eagle!]

It's not worth it to many junkyards to keep them on the lot because there aren't many on the road in most areas.

Most of the junkyards around here are what I call "production" junkyards - they bring in the cars, let them sit on the lot for a prescribed length of time (a month? 6 weeks?) and then move them out, regardless of the historic value or how many usable parts are left.  They certainly aren't like the old school junkyards where the cars were brought in forever, and you could literally find cars that had been there so long that there were trees growing through them.

Yeah production junk yards are all we have around here.  There was one north of here that sold when the owner died 4-5 years ago that had a number of older cars.  They had a dozen or so AMCs.  I remember seeing an orange eagle in the auction ad.  when the owner died everything old was auctioned off.  There are 2 yards still like that down near my college.  The one guy keeps what he's interested in plus anything he can make money off of, then crushes everything else.  He doesn't like AMC though.  The other one I have not been to since high school.  At that time it was a predominantely old Ford lot.

[Budwisr]

 I think the reason Eagles aren't around much anymore is two fold. And I don't think the 60 or 70 Eagles taken off the road by Cash for Clunkers contributed much to their disappearance.
 First as someone mentioned, they're reached the end of their normal lifecycle. In a couple of years, every Eagle will be an antique. Antique cars just don't get used as much as a "used "car. Not too many cars of any make or model on the road daily without fuel injection for instance. Even in Kenosha where AMCs were everywhere as recent as the 90s, they are now pretty scarce on a day-to-day basis.
 Second, they will continue to be crushed and disposed of until they are worth more money either whole or in parts . When they are worth more as scrap metal than as a car, simple economics say they will be recycled. Once they become rarer and the demand starts to outweigh the supply, the prices will go up and the disposal of the cars will slow. Just four years ago I sold a 28,000 mile wagon that needed very little and it took a while to sell at $3200. I originally bought it to use as a second car but after buying it I didn't want to run it into the ground. Hopefully it is not used a a daily driver but for $3200 it could very well have been. It could have 100,000 miles on it by now and all rusted out. If it had been worth $8,000 to $10,000 it more likely would still be in pristine shape. IMO Until the Eagles are viewed as collectors items and not as drivers to be used up, they will continue to become scarcer and scarcer and even nice ones will be crushed.

[maddog]

if i ever won the lotto i would try to buy AMC from crysler and bring it back.

[shanebo]

im sure as far as amc's lost to the the cash for clunker the wagoneers, older cherokees and comanchees took the brunt of it. Eagles were already fairly scarce in 2009 when the program took place. Just think if cash for clunkers took place in the early to mid 90's...there would be no amc's left at all.

[amc78concord]

if i ever won the lotto i would try to buy AMC from crysler and bring it back.

Cheers

 

[greythorn3]

if they were produced today they would be crap! computer assembled chinese garbage. i could almost guarentee it..

speaking of sx4's i see alllot of crossovers nowadays that think they are a new thing.. the sx4 was the original! and allot more ground clearance compared to todays crossovers.

[IowaEagle]

I see Subaru is now using:  "The original SUV alternative."    I guess they can get away with it now.

[craigp29690]

I would join you all in the AMC rescue program, well actually I have but had to stop due to space and our zoning laws that require a non-registered car to be in an enclosed carport or garage.  So since I don't have room for a warehouse and I don't want to have to license and insure every car on my property, I've had to let a few slip past.  ARGH!

Even though I'm pout in the country on acreage, the social snobs who have migrated into the south have brought their attitudes and desire to control everthing and everybody to town. 

I've let one Eagle pass by, and Ambassador Sedan and a Rebel in the last year.

[tougeagle]

if they were produced today they would be crap! computer assembled chinese garbage. i could almost guarentee it..

speaking of sx4's i see alllot of crossovers nowadays that think they are a new thing.. the sx4 was the original! and allot more ground clearance compared to todays crossovers.

If amc was truly brought back, it would be made i America, with non-obsolete features like fuel injection... Most crossovers these days are car-based.

[shanebo]

I think AMC would have benefitted greatly if they would have jumped on the fuel-injection band wagon in the mid 80's ...That whole Renault thing didn't go over very well either. Come to think of it I havent seen a renault in forever.

[ammachine390]

Its strange how AMC was one of the first, if not the first company to experiment with EFI in 1957, yet ended up never offering it on any cars, even when it was becoming mainstream in the 80's.

[greythorn3]

Its strange how AMC was one of the first, if not the first company to experiment with EFI in 1957, yet ended up never offering it on any cars, even when it was becoming mainstream in the 80's.

thats because they didnt want to make cars that would leave americans stranded! a carb is allot simpler to make work in a emergency situation..

[amc78concord]

Come to think of it I havent seen a renault in forever.

Believe it or not, there is one '87 Renault Alliance Convertable that I always see around my town.  It's usually parked at a local repair shop, but it's pretty beat-up looking.  But very restorable by what I can see... But they are still out there