Classic cars as investments?

[Nibblet]

I reckon you see a lot more of the people who made money rather than lost it. The former want to boast about how clever, or more likely lucky, they've been, the latter would rather people didn't know.

As my mother says 'going upstairs wearing hobnail boots, coming down wearing silk slippers'.

[Nibblet]

Classic cars make awful investments; if, however you're already loaded they make quite a good place to park money out of sight.
If you have cash floating about I would say invest in good quality clothes, shoes anything you use really, if you like camping go buy a better tent, if you like cooking buy some British made pots and pans, that kinda thing. They'll always retain a high residual value and occassionally become valuable collector's items. You'll also keep skilled people in business.

[captain_70s]

I think investing in cars only work in the short term (under 10 years) if you get lucky, or over a long period if you already have the money to lose.

As said earlier, factor in storage costs to keep a car in decent nick and the returns diminish quickly. Of course if you bought a nice big barn in 1975 back when property was multitudes cheaper and filled it with flat floor E-Types and mk1 Minis you might make your money back. Assuming you had the foresight to think those bottom of the curve shit boxes would ever be worth anything.

In the short term you can win. Think if you'd bought a nice Marina for £800 in 2012, done a few hundred miles a year and kept it in a warm garage attached to your house. That'd now be worth £2.5k. Not mega money once you factor in the odd repair and insurance, but you'd not have lost anything.

I think the boat has already been missed for a lot of stuff and I wonder if the next generation of cars will have the same long term appeal. 1990s stuff is already shooting up in value, especially Japanese cars. Once you move into the mid/late 2000s you're into a generation of people who were never really into cars.
Are they going to have a nostalgic connection to the cars they had in the same way the Escort boys did? Will a mid spec BMW 118 in resale white have the same attraction in 20 years?

[LynehamHerc]

I think I've said before on here that there were 3 Daytonas for sale at 5k each in 1974 near where I lived. Even if I had the money to buy them, they were about 2x my then annual salary. I'm also not certain parking them outside a 2 up 2 down in one of the roughest areas in Leeds would have been a wise move.

[cros]

In the short term you can win. Think if you'd bought a nice Marina for £800 in 2012, done a few hundred miles a year and kept it in a warm garage attached to your house. That'd now be worth £2.5k. Not mega money once you factor in the odd repair and insurance, but you'd not have lost anything.

Only your self respect, and thats from someone who likes Marinas.

[Warren t claim]

No mention of the Honda Civic Type R yet? Already on the increase I know but got to be a good bet?

The other I think is the very early Disco's, preferably on Range Rover running gear. Once all the Land Rovers become unattainable where will people go to next? They're a better vehicle anyway, at least they are comfortable to drive. That or the P38 as their attrition rate is truly dreadful but they are a really good looking truck, especially in certain colours.

The P38 will only rise in value after I've sold mine.

[paulplom]

That has happened with every car I've ever owned.

[Nibblet]

Aye, tell me about it....houses started going nuts just after I sold the first I owned. I couldn't be arsed with the maintenance of an old property, after all I do that for a living.

[Scruffy Bodger]

I might have done alright over the years if I'd have had more cash and a shed. I tried to get my mate to fill his dutch barn with Mk1 Golf gti's and 205 1.9 years back but that would have meant getting rid of his old English tat...
The 350Z I influenced my old man to buy is hopefully holding it's money, I suggested one as I reckoned they had pretty much bottomed out before this shit show started. He paid less than 5.5K for it iirc and it's now on 66K miles, fingers crossed he will carry on being not pissed off with me for steering him towards one.

[Hooli]

No mention of the Honda Civic Type R yet? Already on the increase I know but got to be a good bet?

The other I think is the very early Disco's, preferably on Range Rover running gear. Once all the Land Rovers become unattainable where will people go to next? They're a better vehicle anyway, at least they are comfortable to drive. That or the P38 as their attrition rate is truly dreadful but they are a really good looking truck, especially in certain colours.

The P38 will only rise in value after I've sold mine.

I daren't check XJR prices as they'll only rise if I sell mine. I predict a few weeks after the sale they'll be worth the same as E-types, so as I plan to keep it forever it'll always be worthless.