Future Classics

af_thefragile

Ferris wrote: »

Although I think rx7s would be a better bet for a classic due to their performance. Actually any of the jap rwd coupes that haven't been micked or drifted will be future classics imo.

I'ld say rx7s are already on their way to becoming classics. Good ones seem to easily go above 5 grand, some even 10 grand...

Supergurrier

Ferris

af_thefragile wrote: »

I'ld say rx7s are already on their way to becoming classics. Good ones seem to easily go above 5 grand, some even 10 grand...

I'd agree, in saying that there are lads over on irish rotarys trying to sell sound examples (original examples, rebuilt engines etc.) and not getting much interest so deals could be had. A lot of them seem to be selling to the UK and germany actually.

One of these is defo a fun investment. Low tax and big power, albeit with a driking problem. I'm nearly talking myself into one here.

bmwguy

I bought a 406 coupe recently and joined the owners club website, most of those guys are convinced it is a classic in the making. Only 10,000 registered in the UK according to them. I wouldnt be so sure though, they're trading at less than a grand for decent ones at the moment. It is very good looking though

af_thefragile

^When I bought my Ford Puma, most people on the owners club website were convinced its a future classic. Now I don't really think so. Its a fun car but it never became special.

bmwguy

af_thefragile wrote: »

^When I bought my Ford Puma, most people on the owners club website were convinced its a future classic. Now I don't really think so. Its a fun car but it never became special.

Yeah they really died away didnt they? I havent seen one in a while, I used to like them. A girl I was seeing for a while had one. That said, and no offence, it was a bit of a girly car, and girly cars dont make classics. Cultural icons such as minis, beetles would be the closest but they become forgettable quickly. Another of my old cars. e39 sport might fit the bill in the future, but they were very popular they sold a lot

Cee-Jay-Cee

djimi wrote: »

Id like to think that the DC2 Integra will one day be considered to be a classic. Thats assuming enough of them are left unmolested and unabused to make it that long of course...!

I agree but the problem is the vast majority of them have been hammered by boy racers. I owned 3 of them, I was the first owner of all three when they were imported here and kept them in brilliant condition. The first one I seriously regretted selling as it was one if the very best ever, the other two not so much. If I could find a low mileage 98spec in white with red recaros I'd keep it forever.

af_thefragile

bmwguy wrote: »

Yeah they really died away didnt they? I havent seen one in a while, I used to like them. A girl I was seeing for a while had one. That said, and no offence, it was a bit of a girly car, and girly cars dont make classics. Cultural icons such as minis, beetles would be the closest but they become forgettable quickly. Another of my old cars. e39 sport might fit the bill in the future, but they were very popular they sold a lot

I'll agree its a girly car but so are the New Mini, MX5, Beetle, BMW Z3 etc.
I don't get why girls seem to like small sporty cars and then they quickly become "girly cars".

Anyway, even the Puma Racing which is quite aggressive looking didn't make a big impression. Now I'm looking to replace the Mini with something more "iconic" so to speak. I'm mostly fixed on getting an old Mini which I can work on and improve over time to make it a proper fun little car but it may be a bit small for my needs. The Subaru Impreza is another choice as its a saloon with a big boot so much more practical but I'll really like the STi version and they're a bit pricey. RX-8s are another good option but they've got high motor tax and its tricky to find one in a decent nick for the price range I'm looking at.
I'ld say right now I'm most inclined towards the Mini. Seem to be selling around the €2-4k mark which is about what my budget is and I'm really toying with the idea of working on it to fix and uprate the suspension, breaks etc. to make it a proper fun car to drive!

Nash Bridges

bmwguy wrote: »

I bought a 406 coupe recently and joined the owners club website, most of those guys are convinced it is a classic in the making. Only 10,000 registered in the UK according to them. I wouldnt be so sure though, they're trading at less than a grand for decent ones at the moment. It is very good looking though

+1. This is what I thought of too for a car that is cheap to buy and likely to appreciate. Great looking car.

skyhighflyer

Have to echo other posters, it's all about the limited production runs. Classic cars are no exception to the law of supply and demand: the greater the supply, the lower the price.

Sure, a mint Impreza might be of interest to a collector in 30 years time, but they'll never fetch big money, there's too many of them. A Lancia Inegrale has the same rally pedigree and is a lot rarer but they still don't go for massive money. Likewise the Escort Cosworth was made in far smaller numbers.

However, if I had lots of liquid cash I'd happily buy an Alfa 8C. Safer than money in the bank and a lot better as an investment: only 500 were made.

Also, prices of Ferrari F355s have been climbing because AFAIK they made less of them than either the 360 or 430.

M3 CSL would also be a good shout. I'd liken it to the 190 Evolution II: prices are stratospheric for those. Not amazingly fast, but have great history and are rare.

renofan

As I'll never afford an F40 an F355 is on my list of "to own" but as the last poster says they are steadily increasing the last few years.

I've an original Irish reg E30 which I'm hoping becomes worth a lot so I can sell it to fund the F355

Matt Simis

bmwguy wrote: »

I bought a 406 coupe recently and joined the owners club website, most of those guys are convinced it is a classic in the making. Only 10,000 registered in the UK according to them. I wouldnt be so sure though, they're trading at less than a grand for decent ones at the moment. It is very good looking though

10k in the UK alone is loads and loads.
Given the original version is LHD, the RHD (con)versions are already worth less and will continue to be worth less. 10k in UK would suggest about 50-100k globally. So unless they all explode bar a handful, there is zero chance of them becoming a classic, though likely will always remain a nice car of the age, almost in the vein of the Mk1 Golf etc.

JohnBoy26

How about a Renault Avantime? They are certainly rare enough even these days.

dgt

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

How about a Renault Avantime? They are certainly rare enough even these days. http://archive.cardesignnews.com/events/geneva2000/gallery/images/renault-avantime525.jpg

2 out of 8557 in that photo :pac:

Zcott

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

How about a Renault Avantime? They are certainly rare enough even these days.

Next you'll be adding the Vel Satis to the list...and it's not a classic at all.

ottostreet

What about the Mitsubishi FTO?

About 20000 in total built I think is the figure. My particular model is a 'Version R' of which only 350 were built.

While I love the car, and think it's great, I don't think its really a 'classic' but I'd love to be convinced otherwise.

JohnBoy26

Zcott wrote: »

Next you'll be adding the Vel Satis to the list...and it's not a classic at all.

I didn't mention a thing about a Vel Statis nor did I have any intention to either.

The thread is about what will become future classics not what are classics already so it's irrelevant if a Vel Statis is "not a classic at all" at the moment.

Wibbs

CJC999 wrote: »

I agree but the problem is the vast majority of them have been hammered by boy racers.

That's the biggest problem with a lot of the Japanese stuff C. That said it may turn out to be an advantage too, as vanishingly few will remain unmolested and deboyracerfying them would cost big money in a lot of cases.

I do see the point between true hyper rare classics and everyday "cultural" classics. I think they're generally two different markets. A McLaren F1 is always gonna be a classic, but for a very rarified ownership*. For most of the rest of us the classic label is more based in reality. Few would suggest an early MGB isn't a classic, yet they made shedloads of them. E Types, even the early flat floor jobs weren't exactly one off special editions either.

The other advantage of looking at Scoobies, Type R's, certain Beemers etc for future classic status is parts availability. You're fairly sorted with those. That said interior trim and the like will become increasingly hard to find through official channels.

Cars of today may be a harder one long term. Cars have become a lot more complex and with complexity comes issues with longterm longevity. That era that sat between needing to oil your trunions and everything requiring a laptop to talk to your car will likely last a long time if looked after. In 50 years time there may well be more cars left with 1995 regs than cars with 2015 regs.

I'd echo the Honda NSX. Indeed it was the car that the McLaren team used as a baseline guide when designing the F1. Though I'd aim for the NSX type R in particular. A lot rarer(IIRC the UK only got two official ones) and a far better car dynamically.








*I recently read of Rowan Atkinson's one and the costs involved of running it as a daily car. Mad crazy money. 10 grand service charge, that can run to 40 grand depending on parts. Even the petrol tank wears out. The prop shafts only last 10,000 miles IIRC. :eek: Now fair bloody play to Rowan he clearly loves the car and actually drives the yoke as an "ordinary" car, commuting, driving it on holliers and all that, but he'd be a rare chap and has the funds to do so.

discombobulate

The Alfa Romeo Brera S only had a run of 500 units in the UK. The standard Brera's around 20,000.

Matt Simis

discombobulate wrote: »

The Alfa Romeo Brera S only had a run of 500 units in the UK. The standard Brera's around 20,000.

The Brera S, while a nice idea, it just one step above a UK dealer special, which likely will not be recalled in the future as a real/legit model. It would also require the Brera base model itself to become some sort of cultural classic or sought after car, which its not and unlikely ever will be. Note I actually really like Brera's.

discombobulate

Matt Simis wrote: »

The Brera S, while a nice idea, it just one step above a UK dealer special, which likely will not be recalled in the future as a real/legit model. It would also require the Brera base model itself to become some sort of cultural classic or sought after car, which its not and unlikely ever will be. Note I actually really like Brera's.

True. Its really just different wheels and upgraded suspension with a couple of other minor alterations. I can see Brera's being very rare over here though in the future. Trying to buy one myself at the moment so i'm probably a bit bias too!

bmwguy

Matt Simis wrote: »

10k in the UK alone is loads and loads.
Given the original version is LHD, the RHD (con)versions are already worth less and will continue to be worth less. 10k in UK would suggest about 50-100k globally. So unless they all explode bar a handful, there is zero chance of them becoming a classic, though likely will always remain a nice car of the age, almost in the vein of the Mk1 Golf etc.

Yeah for some reason they retain a lot of value in LHD markets and are virtually worthless in RHD markets (well Ireland and UK they are worthless, but are expensive in Australia but I think thats just down to shortage). My brother is in Australia and he just priced one over there out of interest and a car i paid €700 for here costs about $10,000 dollars there. So theres the supply and demand aspect confirmed anyway. Plus relative motor tax/fuel costs etc....

working fool

Renault 11turbo
If you could keep gearbox's in them they where a usable sporty hot hatch

Ferris

What are peoples thoughts on small/medium hot hatches becoming popular. Cars like Renaultsport Clio's/Meganes, Pug 106/306 GTI's.

I would also agree with any Honda Type R being a future classic in this country if in original nick.

af_thefragile

Matt Simis wrote: »

The Brera S, while a nice idea, it just one step above a UK dealer special, which likely will not be recalled in the future as a real/legit model. It would also require the Brera base model itself to become some sort of cultural classic or sought after car, which its not and unlikely ever will be. Note I actually really like Brera's.

I can see the Brera becoming a classic.
It was an instant hit when launched and most people absolutely loved the styling and its still an extremely good looking car imo. The performance didn't match the looks but that's expected with an Alfa. They were extremely desirable when launched none the less and they still kind of are.

They seem to be getting quite rare though and although they're still depreciating, they seem to be holding their value fairly well after that initial massive depreciation all Alfas suffer from during their first few years. There don't seem to be that many of them around either. I'ld say in another 5yrs or so most of them will hit their bottom values at around €4-8K and they most probably might start slowly appreciating after that.

keithsfleet

af_thefragile wrote: »

^When I bought my Ford Puma, most people on the owners club website were convinced its a future classic. Now I don't really think so. Its a fun car but it never became special.

It could well be a future classic but it's a long long way off.

The mitsubishi fto could well be one.

I reckon give it another 5 years and once the galant/legnum vr4's hit rock bottom they could start rising again.

discombobulate

af_thefragile wrote: »

I can see the Brera becoming a classic.
It was an instant hit when launched and most people absolutely loved the styling and its still an extremely good looking car imo. The performance didn't match the looks but that's expected with an Alfa. They were extremely desirable when launched none the less and they still kind of are.

They seem to be getting quite rare though and although they're still depreciating, they seem to be holding their value fairly well after that initial massive depreciation all Alfas suffer from during their first few years. There don't seem to be that many of them around either. I'ld say in another 5yrs or so most of them will hit their bottom values at around €4-8K and they most probably might start slowly appreciating after that.

Love the original Top Gear review

I will own one within the next year. Just waiting for that perfect one to pop up. Ideally looking for a diesel though which mightn't be ideal classic wise! Can't justify 2 grand tax and 20 mpg on the 3.2 and the 2.2 just doesn't make sense

af_thefragile

^I'ld love to get a 2.2 Brera sometime in the future. They're beautiful and real classy cars.
A diesel Alfa just doesn't look or sound right! And yeah its hard to justify paying 2 grand tax and 20mpg for the 3.2. I'ld much rather get a M3 if I was to go down a big engined car. I remember reading in a review that the 2.2 was just as good as the 3.2 because the 3.2 V6 was heavy and added a lot of front end weight to the car although the v6 was a lot smoother engine than the inline4.

Wibbs

working fool wrote: »

Renault 11turbo
If you could keep gearbox's, and turbos and pipes and clutches and headgaskets and...in them they where a usable sporty hot hatch

FYP Wasn't too easy to keep them from going backwards into ditches either.:eek: BUt yea I haven't seen one around in many a year and they used to be common enough. I'd say the flimsy build quality was a big factor. They really weren't well screwed together. That and the way the underbonnet "design" was just a tad haphazard and I dread to think what the exhaust emissions were like. Fun though. Pity they're not a classic as I have a shed full of bits for one.

discombobulate

af_thefragile wrote: »

^I'ld love to get a 2.2 Brera sometime in the future. They're beautiful and real classy cars.
A diesel Alfa just doesn't look or sound right! And yeah its hard to justify paying 2 grand tax and 20mpg for the 3.2. I'ld much rather get a M3 if I was to go down a big engined car. I remember reading in a review that the 2.2 was just as good as the 3.2 because the 3.2 V6 was heavy and added a lot of front end weight to the car although the v6 was a lot smoother engine than the inline4.

I know what you mean about the sound alright. Love my diesel GT but do wish I got that roar when I started it up! The 2.2 is over a grand tax on emissions after 08 and the diesel is around 600 plus nearly twice the mpg and an extra 40bhp (albeit a little heavier) which can be increased by bypassing the DPF to make it more reliable also so makes a lot more sense for me.