Anticipating the next rising classic stars...

[srob]

Quality + scarcity + hype = desirable

[gothatway]

No mention yet of maintainability. I had to replace my 944's ECU recently; fortunately they are still available, but are they for other 80's cars mentioned ? Maybe the old one is repairable (which is why I have kept it) but the skills to know and implement the repairs will become ever rarer and more expensive. Also the car has lots of model-specific relays dotted around (though they can usually be hot-wired if they're not available).

[slomax]

Don't know if its been mentioned, but decent pumas are getting rarer and you can still pick these up for a few hundred pounds.

I'm very tempted to get one! Especially one of the specials like a thunder or a millenium. Racing pumas have a bit of a cult following already.

[srob]

gothatway said:

No mention yet of maintainability. I had to replace my 944's ECU recently; fortunately they are still available, but are they for other 80's cars mentioned ? Maybe the old one is repairable (which is why I have kept it) but the skills to know and implement the repairs will become ever rarer and more expensive. Also the car has lots of model-specific relays dotted around (though they can usually be hot-wired if they're not available).

Think that depends on the era you're into. We're restoring a 20s motorbike and you simply can't get anything so you just make the stuff.

Same for many rare classic cars, I assume. There must be 'common' ECUs available that you can program? Not that you need it, but meant for others

[MC Bodge]

robert78 said:

I don't think a Mondeo will ever make more than the odd enthusiast paying for a smart one

I don't know, the word on the street (from a friend in the trade) is that the Mk4 Mondeo 2.0 TDCI estate will be following in the footsteps of the 964 RS.

Remember, you heard it here first.

All enquiries for mine will be turned down until the price starts going up massively, as it will.

[gothatway]

srob said:

There must be 'common' ECUs available that you can program?

I wouldn't be so sure, particularly from the era when ECUs (and relays for that matter) were first being introduced. I believe that the ECU in my early 944 was only in use for the first couple of years of production.

[northo]

I guess if you knew someone at an insurer that would help. When the phones start ringing on a certain car for an extended period they are going up/ We have found that this is a very reliable way of predicting what will go up.

[Piersman2]

oldnbold said:

Sparky137 said:

Jaguar XKR both in convertible and hard top versions. To me this was the sucessor to the E-Type. Currently available for beer money but give it another ten years and these will sky rocket. Buy a good one now and store it away.

Missed the boat on XKR convertables, they are a long way from beer money, unless beer money around your way is £18 - £25k

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/j...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/j...

Well if you will pick out the most expensive ones as examples.

I bought a 2001 XKR convertible 3 months ago for the very reason that it's not gonna be falling in price any time soon. I paid just over £8K. Not beer money, but not £20K+ either.

[srob]

gothatway said:

srob said:

There must be 'common' ECUs available that you can program?

I wouldn't be so sure, particularly from the era when ECUs (and relays for that matter) were first being introduced. I believe that the ECU in my early 944 was only in use for the first couple of years of production.

I'm fairly sure though that a generic ECU could be programmed to suit almost any car from that era now though. Modern programming is incredible, so those cars must be pretty easy by comparison. Certainly if nobody is doing them, there's a hole in the market there for someone!

[klunkT5]

Muzzer79 said:

wildcat45 said:

Any thoughts on the Ford Puma? Most are rusting away. Not my cup of tea but they were well regarded by many.

I saw an ad for a pretty ropey looking MK II Escort the other day. Nothing special it was either a Popular or L model, and the sort of motor that 25 years ago would have made a council estate look shabby. It was something like 3k

Maybe I should buy a brand new low spec Focus and shove it in a lock up for three or four decades....

Puma is a good shout

MkII Escorts are popular because they're RWD, simple to work on, etc.

I can't see a Focus having the same appeal in 30 years time

If Ford had badged the FRP Puma as an RS they would be going for silly money now!

[12TS]

Much as it pains me to say it, as mine was the most unreliable car I ever owned, a nice VR6 Corrado would be a good bet.

Good to look at, nice to drive, not too popular and well reviewed at the time.

Run out models were well specced and avaialble in some different colours.

Low mileage could be a bit of a challenge it would seem.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/v...

[oldnbold]

Piersman2 said:

oldnbold said:

Sparky137 said:

Jaguar XKR both in convertible and hard top versions. To me this was the sucessor to the E-Type. Currently available for beer money but give it another ten years and these will sky rocket. Buy a good one now and store it away.

Missed the boat on XKR convertables, they are a long way from beer money, unless beer money around your way is £18 - £25k

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/j...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/j...

Well if you will pick out the most expensive ones as examples.

I bought a 2001 XKR convertible 3 months ago for the very reason that it's not gonna be falling in price any time soon. I paid just over £8K. Not beer money, but not £20K+ either.

I'm aware that you can pick up scruffy high mileage ones for less than than £10k. I looked at loads of them when my pal was buying his last year. But in the fullness of time it will be low owner, low miles, well specked, full and detailed history cars, in outstanding condition that will appreciate in value.

These have already got as cheap as they were going and have bounced and are on the way back up (for the very best cars). IMHO

Same as the XJS, you couldn't give these away a few years ago. Now the very best remaining cars are making very strong money.

[bakerstreet]

swisstoni said:

The fun in all this is nobody has a clue. It also assumes that there are rising generations that will continue to give a toss about old cars.
Today's kids could easily regard old cars the same way as most of us regard old washing machines or computers.

But we do know. I've watched E46 M3s go from bargain basement £5.5k and upwards to high 7s and low 7s now.

I'm gutted as I wanted to buy one in a few years time, but I can see them starting at 8 and 9k by then

[Dal3D]

bakerstreet said:

But we do know. I've watched E46 M3s go from bargain basement £5.5k and upwards to high 7s and low 7s now.

I'm gutted as I wanted to buy one in a few years time, but I can see them starting at 8 and 9k by then

I was lucky that I bought my E46 M3 for £11250 last July and sold it with 1800 more miles on last month for £13000.

Low mileage, clean manual coupes have been going up steadily for a while.

[bakerstreet]

Dal3D said:

I was lucky that I bought my E46 M3 for £11250 last July and sold it with 1800 more miles on last month for £13000.

Low mileage, clean manual coupes have been going up steadily for a while.

The convertibles seem much cheaper than the coupes and the desirable colours also bump up the prices too. Blue and grey seem to be popular. Then there is that dreadful yellow...

I think some of it has been driven by the limited availability of decent E36 M3s. They can have serious rust issues that you just cant inspect when you are checking a car out on someone's driveway.

My next purchase will be something to replace the wife's C-Max, so I shall be waiting at least three eyars until I can buy something decent for me I shall just soldier on with my Saab Aero Estate...Sigh...

Skulks off to look at E46 M3s on AT.

[cahami]

Alfa brera has to be in with a shout quite rare in uk, good looking coupe only downside is its front wheel drive. But ive heard its all the rage now.

[RDMcG]

I like the E39 M5 and the E63 M6 in the mind term. The first because at the time it was the best car of its kind on earth, the latter because the V10 had such a short life....

[waynedear]

cahami said:

Alfa brera has to be in with a shout quite rare in uk, good looking coupe only downside is its front wheel drive. But ive heard its all the rage now.

Apart from the four wheel drive ones...

Prices of the 155's are slowly starting to move upwards 😄

[james_gt3rs]

I think the Porsche 911 996 will eventually go up in value... I'm not brave enough to buy a cheap one though!

[waynedear]

The Crack Fox said:

waynedear said:

Prices of the 155's are slowly starting to move upwards ??

Like the GTV, doesn't the FWD and Tipo underpinnings go against these? I really like 'em both but they've been very cheap for ages, perhaps for a reason?

I don't think so, I think that people's thoughts on the cars were based on the common belief that they were all rusty, unreliable cars, usually spouted by people that had never owned them, of course there are badly maintained ones about.
I have had 7 GTV's and 6 155's, all have handled and performed well, I have occasionally wanted 'a bit more' but never been disappointed.
GTV prices are on the up for good ones, same as 155's..... Get them quick folks