He thinks the new bikes are hideous, and I don't blame him. One thing to keep in mind is that this 17-year-old isn't one of those new little bastards that smokes pot and spends hours in the school parking lot showing off a Civic with the engine out of a lawnmower. He's the kind of guy who shows up in an F-150 and plays games with the Civic crowd using the big, manly V8. He's into no-nonsense vehicles with a raw, rough sort of presence.
Besides, it's not like Husky parts are hard to get. I thought about buying a new front brake lever for mine the other day (in the end I just fixed it myself) and found myself with five different options of where to get one just on the first page of a Google search. Husky Club? Husqvarna-Parts.com? Even eBay had a nice selection for my specific bike. I guarantee you a 1979 Husky will be easier to find parts for than an '03 KTM. Maico parts would be easier still, but he's not interested in those.
And for what it's worth, I'm not exactly an old-timer myself - I'm just 18 and the proud owner of an '82 Husky. And exactly what is wrong with a metal tank and twin shocks? Husqvarna had the best suspension of anyone in the business, even though they stayed twin-shock almost half a decade longer than everyone else. The metal tank doesn't really add weight (srsly, it's aluminum) and it looks a lot better than some milk jug stuck between pieces of plastic like we see today.
As for resale value, vintage is the big thing right now. Five years from now, an '06 bike will be practically worthless. No one is going to want it anymore because it's "too old" to race in modern motocross and it's not allowed in vintage racing. Meanwhile, old bikes have been going up in value like you wouldn't believe. Just a few years ago, you could pick up a 490 Maico for $1500. Now you'd be lucky to find a good one under $6500. The Husky we're buying here would probably net 3-5 grand on eBay. And off-road and off-track, where we ride, these bikes do better than a new one anyway. You can lounge about on the seat for days on end of you want, and the suspension is a lot softer, and the horsepower is just about the same.
Oh yes, believe me, this is the perfect bike for Mike.
http://motorbikearchives.com/Bike-Tests/Motocross/Husqvarna-250CR-1980.html