Classics dwarfed by moderns
Discussion
MGJ2 said:
Oops, sorry for posting the picture of my MG J2 next to a Grand Cherokee. I really thought that it was about posting pictures of a classic car that is dwarfed by a modern car... My mistake, sorry again.
FYI: in the first post (ie: the spirit of the original post) there is a picture of an AC 3000 with a tall Polo and a vast Focus. Not really the same segement, is not it?
I loved seeing your MG next to the Jeep FYI: in the first post (ie: the spirit of the original post) there is a picture of an AC 3000 with a tall Polo and a vast Focus. Not really the same segement, is not it?
As created there was never an agenda or segment aim to this thread, nothing will cheer me more than someone posting a Brutsch Mopetta next to modern Maybach - polar opposites in market segment! 
mph1977 said:
andyps said:
Very true, except I would have put the Alfa as a segment above the Focus - wasn't it a Sierra/Mondeo competitor when new? Thinking a Ford competed with an Alfa seems just wrong, of course!
although arguably sizes have moved up a class in that period , hence the reason everyone has a car smaller than the one wearing the supermini badge and the 'family car' position once held by cavaliers and sierras and held by astra and focus etc ... Edited by andyps on Wednesday 23 March 16:38
I'd say that sizes have gone up a few stages since then, I parked my 75 next to a neighbours new Fiat 500 when they came out and being a bit surprised at how small the Alfa looked. It seems tiny if you put in out in the street these days although 20 years ago they didn't.
Mound Dawg said:
mph1977 said:
andyps said:
Very true, except I would have put the Alfa as a segment above the Focus - wasn't it a Sierra/Mondeo competitor when new? Thinking a Ford competed with an Alfa seems just wrong, of course!
although arguably sizes have moved up a class in that period , hence the reason everyone has a car smaller than the one wearing the supermini badge and the 'family car' position once held by cavaliers and sierras and held by astra and focus etc ... Edited by andyps on Wednesday 23 March 16:38
I'd say that sizes have gone up a few stages since then, I parked my 75 next to a neighbours new Fiat 500 when they came out and being a bit surprised at how small the Alfa looked. It seems tiny if you put in out in the street these days although 20 years ago they didn't.
williamp said:
Mound Dawg said:
mph1977 said:
andyps said:
Very true, except I would have put the Alfa as a segment above the Focus - wasn't it a Sierra/Mondeo competitor when new? Thinking a Ford competed with an Alfa seems just wrong, of course!
although arguably sizes have moved up a class in that period , hence the reason everyone has a car smaller than the one wearing the supermini badge and the 'family car' position once held by cavaliers and sierras and held by astra and focus etc ... Edited by andyps on Wednesday 23 March 16:38
I'd say that sizes have gone up a few stages since then, I parked my 75 next to a neighbours new Fiat 500 when they came out and being a bit surprised at how small the Alfa looked. It seems tiny if you put in out in the street these days although 20 years ago they didn't.
Quite right, and so they should. They look better, are technically way more advanced, have more space and are safer. Very shortly they will be far more economical as well.
However, the title of this thread is true at a deeper level too.
By and large, you won't buy a classic at a bargain price these days, or if you do it will need a fortune spent on it. Classics are now collectors items for the mega rich. We are in an era when you can make your dreams come true if you have more money than you know what to do with. Fancy cruising the Riviera like Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn? For a few mil it's not an issue. Want a lightweight E Type or an XKSS just like Steve McQueen's? It's yours. Want a spanking new Aston Martin DB5 Convertible that drives they way you imagine it should rather than the way it did back in 64? Sign here. Want to live the Bentley Boy dream? Step this way. If I had money to burn, I would probably do the same. With a few exceptions It's not the enthusiasts garden shed game that it used to be, where you could buy the XK150 of your dreams for a few coppers and rebuild it yourself if you had the skill and the time. I applaud all this, because it has created a fantastic industry.
However, in the real world, you can buy modern cars that can blow the socks off classics at a fraction of the price. IMHO someone who pays £500k for a DB5 when they can buy a brand new DB11 for 160k or even a DB9 for £40k, or buy an old 964 when you could have a 991 GT3 for £100k - or £500k for an undoubtedly beautiful R Type Continental when you can pick up a new Mulsanne Speed from Crewe for £250k or a two year old one for £150k is either super yacht rich or stark raving mad. I don't think that it's even an investment at that level just playthings for people who insulate their attics with £100 pound notes.
However, the title of this thread is true at a deeper level too.
By and large, you won't buy a classic at a bargain price these days, or if you do it will need a fortune spent on it. Classics are now collectors items for the mega rich. We are in an era when you can make your dreams come true if you have more money than you know what to do with. Fancy cruising the Riviera like Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn? For a few mil it's not an issue. Want a lightweight E Type or an XKSS just like Steve McQueen's? It's yours. Want a spanking new Aston Martin DB5 Convertible that drives they way you imagine it should rather than the way it did back in 64? Sign here. Want to live the Bentley Boy dream? Step this way. If I had money to burn, I would probably do the same. With a few exceptions It's not the enthusiasts garden shed game that it used to be, where you could buy the XK150 of your dreams for a few coppers and rebuild it yourself if you had the skill and the time. I applaud all this, because it has created a fantastic industry.
However, in the real world, you can buy modern cars that can blow the socks off classics at a fraction of the price. IMHO someone who pays £500k for a DB5 when they can buy a brand new DB11 for 160k or even a DB9 for £40k, or buy an old 964 when you could have a 991 GT3 for £100k - or £500k for an undoubtedly beautiful R Type Continental when you can pick up a new Mulsanne Speed from Crewe for £250k or a two year old one for £150k is either super yacht rich or stark raving mad. I don't think that it's even an investment at that level just playthings for people who insulate their attics with £100 pound notes.
Edited by cardigankid on Saturday 9th April 09:18
cardigankid said:
Quite right, and so they should... have more space...
Don't agree. My urQuattro is far more spacious than my wife's S1, which while technically a segment below is actually a bigger car externally (not quite as long I'll grant). If you compare the old Coupe with a current A5 then the old car wins hands down.cardigankid said:
Classics are now collectors items for the mega rich.
Well there you're right back in the "what is a classic?" debate. If you only consider DB5s etc as classics then fair enough. But if you broaden the scope even slightly most classics are just as affordable as ever, some even more so as fashions have changed.Rich G said:
Breadvan72 said:
Modern cars are of course technically superior to classic cars, albeit that modern cars can be prone to computer cock ups, but I don't agree that they look better than classic cars. Most modern cars are either ugly or bland to my eyes.
Amen to that BV!! (And I can't afford any of them)
Breadvan72 said:
Modern cars are of course technically superior to classic cars, albeit that modern cars can be prone to computer cock ups, but I don't agree that they look better than classic cars. Most modern cars are either ugly or bland to my eyes.
Modern cars, in my experience, often drive in a bland way too...cardigankid said:
However, in the real world, you can buy modern cars that can blow the socks off classics at a fraction of the price. IMHO someone who pays £500k for a DB5 when they can buy a brand new DB11 for 160k or even a DB9 for £40k, or buy an old 964 when you could have a 991 GT3 for £100k - or £500k for an undoubtedly beautiful R Type Continental when you can pick up a new Mulsanne Speed from Crewe for £250k or a two year old one for £150k is either super yacht rich or stark raving mad.
Quite apart from the incredible bloat and ugliness of almost all modern cars, maybe the 'stark raving mad' value the simple bygone pleasures of steering feel, throttle response and the right to select their own gears.Lowtimer said:
cardigankid said:
However, in the real world, you can buy modern cars that can blow the socks off classics at a fraction of the price. IMHO someone who pays £500k for a DB5 when they can buy a brand new DB11 for 160k or even a DB9 for £40k, or buy an old 964 when you could have a 991 GT3 for £100k - or £500k for an undoubtedly beautiful R Type Continental when you can pick up a new Mulsanne Speed from Crewe for £250k or a two year old one for £150k is either super yacht rich or stark raving mad.
Quite apart from the incredible bloat and ugliness of almost all modern cars, maybe the 'stark raving mad' value the simple bygone pleasures of steering feel, throttle response and the right to select their own gears.The simple fact is there are of classics that have all those desirable features and there are also lots of new cars that do likewise. There will always be a longer list in the classics though.... That list has over 100 years of cars to choose from.
robemcdonald said:
I think rose tinted glasses are the order of the day here. Plenty of classics also suffer from being ugly, bloated with no steering feel. As for throttle response try driving a classic with a fast road cam on twin carbs....
The simple fact is there are of classics that have all those desirable features and there are also lots of new cars that do likewise. There will always be a longer list in the classics though.... That list has over 100 years of cars to choose from.
Agreed. There's only one thing required to make modern cars acceptable and that's wider parking spaces. The simple fact is there are of classics that have all those desirable features and there are also lots of new cars that do likewise. There will always be a longer list in the classics though.... That list has over 100 years of cars to choose from.
To be honest for travelling 150 miles somewhere I'm perfectly happy in my Volvo with decent sound system, built on phone and a/c. However it's always a pain when you park in a multi story because usually there's only 12" between cars these days.
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff