Future Classics

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Discussion

Cactussed

Original Poster:

5,292 posts

212 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
Interested in people's views on potential future classics.
I'm not talking about value here and what will go up or down..

What will people actually want to own, drive and tinker with when they retire.

Is there much modern or semi modern stuff that falls into the category now?
Is there much that might constitute an enjoyable ownership proposition in say 20-30 years, or has the ever increasing level of technology, complexity and rush to remove the driver from the experience of driving mean that the golden era of classic cars has been and gone?

Any thoughts?

Lowtimer

4,286 posts

167 months

Cactussed

Original Poster:

5,292 posts

212 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
I read that and it almost exclusively focuses on what's going to make the next big £ rise or be worth the most, which isn't the point of my post (and sort of misses the point of classic car ownership).


jdw1234

6,021 posts

214 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
I the 1990s was the pinnacle for most manufacturers (with the exception of Aston Martin).




cat with a hat

1,484 posts

117 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
I expect most of the 'special stuff' of this generation will become classic.. The real problem is predicting when the market is going to bottom out for each vehicle.

benjj

6,787 posts

162 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
All watercooled RS Porsches
All Ferraris
All cars made in limited numbers with motorsport pedigree

Basically the same as now but, erm, then.

jith

2,752 posts

214 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
benjj said:
All watercooled RS Porsches
All Ferraris
All cars made in limited numbers with motorsport pedigree

Basically the same as now but, erm, then.
Sorry ben, note a hope in hell. Modern cars, especially exclusive makes are doomed as dinosaurs. The technology now is so ludicrously advanced and fragile they will be non repairable when they get to 20 years old. Some of them now are almost impossible to fix even at 5 years old! The cost is enormous to rebuild an engine on stuff like Audi RS and BMW M series cars.

The concept of restoring something like this is just ridiculous. It won't happen. There will be no more classics. As someone pointed out the '90s was the last and possibly best era for the motor car. I have a '95 Audi Coupe. Doesn't matter what goes wrong with it I can fix it. A new RS5, forget it.

J

cat with a hat

1,484 posts

117 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
jith said:
benjj said:
All watercooled RS Porsches
All Ferraris
All cars made in limited numbers with motorsport pedigree

Basically the same as now but, erm, then.
Sorry ben, note a hope in hell. Modern cars, especially exclusive makes are doomed as dinosaurs. The technology now is so ludicrously advanced and fragile they will be non repairable when they get to 20 years old. Some of them now are almost impossible to fix even at 5 years old! The cost is enormous to rebuild an engine on stuff like Audi RS and BMW M series cars.

The concept of restoring something like this is just ridiculous. It won't happen. There will be no more classics. As someone pointed out the '90s was the last and possibly best era for the motor car. I have a '95 Audi Coupe. Doesn't matter what goes wrong with it I can fix it. A new RS5, forget it.

J
I Think some people will pay ludicrous amounts to maintain 'special' porsche/bmw/audi's despite having chocolate engines/complex electronics

//j17

4,471 posts

222 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
The 'standard' classics of tomorrow will be much the same as the standard classics of today; convertables and sports cars. So Mazda MX5, BMW Z3, etc in the first camp and hot hatches, etc in the other.

Basically the car's you wanted to own when you were younger and either couldn't afford or had to seat a family.

Edited by //j17 on Thursday 30th July 13:23

Cactussed

Original Poster:

5,292 posts

212 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
jith said:
Sorry ben, note a hope in hell. Modern cars, especially exclusive makes are doomed as dinosaurs. The technology now is so ludicrously advanced and fragile they will be non repairable when they get to 20 years old. Some of them now are almost impossible to fix even at 5 years old! The cost is enormous to rebuild an engine on stuff like Audi RS and BMW M series cars.

The concept of restoring something like this is just ridiculous. It won't happen. There will be no more classics. As someone pointed out the '90s was the last and possibly best era for the motor car. I have a '95 Audi Coupe. Doesn't matter what goes wrong with it I can fix it. A new RS5, forget it.

J
This is part of my point. Carbs, plugs and new points are relatively easy. Trying to track down a cracked circuit board and components for an old ECU? Not so much.

Plus, and old convertible that feels and smells mechanical and requires some skill, sympathy and finesse (and patience) to get the best out of it and feels like warp 9 when doing 30mph vs turn key, go fast (but feel like you're doing 20).

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
Cactussed said:
Interested in people's views on potential future classics.
I'm not talking about value here and what will go up or down..

What will people actually want to own, drive and tinker with when they retire.

Is there much modern or semi modern stuff that falls into the category now?
Is there much that might constitute an enjoyable ownership proposition in say 20-30 years, or has the ever increasing level of technology, complexity and rush to remove the driver from the experience of driving mean that the golden era of classic cars has been and gone?

Any thoughts?
At the more modest end of the spectrum I think we'll see more Jap cars at classic car shows of the future. While at present they are still fairly rare and in the past unheard of, except for maybe a 240-260z.

So I think things like

DC2 ITR's
Impreza Turbo's (classic shape)
MR2's (MK1/2)
MX-5's (MK1/2)

And maybe even some of the horrid currently fashionable hatches like the dreadful Civics.... They are today's "Escorts".


And on that subject I'm sure XR3i's and XR4x4's and the like and even nasty Vauxhall Nova's will make appearances.


Other modern classics have to be sports cars such as the MGF, Z3, smart Roadster and Barchetta.

Moving upmarket Jag XJ40, BMW 8 Series, Merc SL...


And anything sporty and expensive, e.g. any Porshce, Ferrari, Aston, Lotus. These always become classics because they are niche even when new.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
jdw1234 said:
I the 1990s was the pinnacle for most manufacturers (with the exception of Aston Martin).
I'd have to beg to differ, best Aston Martin ever IMO.


jdw1234

6,021 posts

214 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
300bhp/ton said:
jdw1234 said:
I the 1990s was the pinnacle for most manufacturers (with the exception of Aston Martin).
I'd have to beg to differ, best Aston Martin ever IMO.

That is wonderful, but isnt the base Virage meant to be a bit rubbish?

I don't particularly like the more modern Astons so I will agree with you.

Cars went downhill after the 1990s.






300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
I think the Virage and V8 Coupe as it became where fine. The latter looked better IMO. The Virage just a little less pretty. But very similar cars.

Big Brit bruisers, not featherweight Italian supercars.





An alternative to these:

jdw1234

6,021 posts

214 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
Bentley - good example. 1990s ones = amazing.

2000s onwards - rubbish.


Robert Elise

956 posts

144 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
i'm a rwd fanboy with no fwd cars.
But with RenaultSport working hard over recent decades with great cars and creating a fanbase, the Clio & Megan Trophies have to be there in 20 yrs.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
Robert Elise said:
i'm a rwd fanboy with no fwd cars.
But with RenaultSport working hard over recent decades with great cars and creating a fanbase, the Clio & Megan Trophies have to be there in 20 yrs.
Bit more than 20 years I think.

It is 2015 after all. Yet few people think kindly of Ford Mondeo being a classic yet. Despite the fact the oldest ones are now 23 years old.

Yet even the newest Ford Cortina's probably are considered 'modern' classics. But they are a decade older.

52classic

2,447 posts

209 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
All very well, but we're still thinking about money and investment aren't we?

The OP's criteria - As I understand it - are cars that would be fun to own, curiosities to have on the road, sufficiently useable that you wouldn't need a 'modern' at all. Cheap and easy to maintain etc.

As he says, the sort of cars to have when you retire...........

I'll start with a Volvo 245GLT. Then an MG Maestro 2.0 EFi and a Rover Tomcat. Peugeot 205 Rally (not sure why really) Any MR2. Range Rover P38 and a Renault 4 (or if that's too old a PH1 Twingo). Finally an Old shape Subaru Imprezza.

You could buy the set and run them for a year for under 20K then get at least your money back if you ever wanted to sell.

Happy retirement!

CRA1G

6,501 posts

194 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
As already mentioned the BMW 8 Series has to be a good contender i think very underestimated and nice ones becoming rare now.!


Fingers crossed....driving

mph

2,316 posts

281 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
jith said:
Sorry ben, note a hope in hell. Modern cars, especially exclusive makes are doomed as dinosaurs. The technology now is so ludicrously advanced and fragile they will be non repairable when they get to 20 years old. Some of them now are almost impossible to fix even at 5 years old! The cost is enormous to rebuild an engine on stuff like Audi RS and BMW M series cars.

The concept of restoring something like this is just ridiculous. It won't happen. There will be no more classics. As someone pointed out the '90s was the last and possibly best era for the motor car. I have a '95 Audi Coupe. Doesn't matter what goes wrong with it I can fix it. A new RS5, forget it.

J
Have to agree.

With the possible exception of a very few highly desirable exotics which may justify the cost, cars of the current generation will be virtually impossible to restore on any realistic budget.