£40k For a Mid 90's Escort - The World Has Gone Mad!

[markcoznottz]

mwstewart said:

k-ink said:

But come on! A reality check is required here. Remove the rose tinted specs and see old Fords for what they are: flawed, cheap, mass produced vehicles. Yes they represent some great memories of us all growing up. But that should not mean prices getting pushed up to absurdity, far beyond properly engineered exotica. They are cool up to a point and that is it.

Most classics are essentially crap in driving terms compared to the vehciles of today.

It's a lot about rarity, romance, and nostalgia.

That's it really, although the escort is much improved interior wise over the sierra, (wouldn't be hard). Comically antiquated suspension, designed some time around 1982, chocolate gearbox, very strong engine, best bit of the package.

[interloper]

Reading the OPs first post I do get the impression that he's simply miffed that a car he doesn't like much, can possibly be worth more than a car he does. Stamps foot, its not fair I tell you!

Part of me sort of agrees though. For example flicking through classic classifieds, Lotus Cortina's seem to be worth more than Sixties Lotus Elan's (which it shares an engine with) and yet in most subjective tests its not as good, mostly because its bigger and heavier.

Market forces are weird. In my head performance Fords should be affordable, I do get the attraction, I kick my self that I didn't get a deposit down on a 2.8 Capri, which was going for a grand back in 1999, thanks to my suddenly failed appendix!

The problem is the market is now so skewed that when the "Council estate Ferrari" costs the same as an actual Ferrari, you do start to think somebody is having a laugh!

Until the bubble bursts, I would recommend that people take a sensible view and slum it, maybe buy a TVR, a Lotus possibly a Ferrari instead.

[s m]

interloper said:

Reading the OPs first post I do get the impression that he's simply miffed that a car he doesn't like much, can possibly be worth more than a car he does. Stamps foot, its not fair I tell you!

Does smack of that a fair bit.

I can't really see the issue or concern for him though - a car he doesn't like and would not entertain ever buying is worth more at present than a car he does like? He can afford the car he does like and presumably owns one? If cars were valued on build quality and performance then some of those old £10 million quid Ferraris wouldn't be worth than some of the more recent supercars. As people have said, nostalgia and 'want' have a say as well.....

[PAUL500]

Come the revolution comrades lol there is not going to be an bubble burst, didnt happen during the last recession so wont happen now either, levelling off maybe but people wont be buying back their old cars for half the value they recently sold them for, if you missed the boat then you missed the boat....move on

k-ink said:

Planter said:

I loved my escort Cosworth, wish Id of held onto it a bit longer now..............

When the crash comes present owners will be wishing they bailed earlier at their current peak. So don't beat yourself up too much. It is just Tulip Mania. There will be something else to jump on soon enough.

[iva cosworth]

Here's a previous thread by someone who just didn't "get" the Escort RS Cosworth.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[s m]

interloper said:

Market forces are weird. In my head performance Fords should be affordable, I do get the attraction, I kick my self that I didn't get a deposit down on a 2.8 Capri, which was going for a grand back in 1999, thanks to my suddenly failed appendix!

By the way Steve, you'll still get a useable 2.8 Capri for a few k if you look around - there was a decent one I know someone one bought for just over 3 a while back that just needs the seats retrimming - plenty of MOT and runs fine

[interloper]

s m said:

By the way Steve, you'll still get a useable 2.8 Capri for a few k if you look around - there was a decent one I know someone one bought for just over 3 a while back that just needs the seats retrimming - plenty of MOT and runs fine

Good point they haven't gone as silly price wise as some Fast Fords. But I wont be looking at Capris, well not until I have finished building and have my fill of my capri powered Scimitar!

• Just need to get the gearbox in, the prop, the rear brakes, front suspension, the steering, get the body back on, yad yad yada. Ye gods its taking forever!

[s m]

interloper said:

s m said:

By the way Steve, you'll still get a useable 2.8 Capri for a few k if you look around - there was a decent one I know someone one bought for just over 3 a while back that just needs the seats retrimming - plenty of MOT and runs fine

Good point they haven't gone as silly price wise as some Fast Fords. But I wont be looking at Capris, well not until I have finished building and have my fill of my capri powered Scimitar!

• Just need to get the gearbox in, the prop, the rear brakes, front suspension, the steering, get the body back on, yad yad yada. Ye gods its taking forever!

Remember buying my XR4 for £1200 some 20 years ago - used and enjoyed it for a few years and sold it for a smidge more than I paid. Even now, ones in similar nick with a good Mot length on are still available for 2.5k -> 3k although you can pay 5 figures for a garage queen

Good luck with the Scimitar!

[Legacywr]

I'm pretty sure that most of the expensive cars in the classifieds, are the same cars that were for sale in the £20's the last time I looked?

Does anybody know someone who has paid 30k plus for one?

[k-ink]

PAUL500 said:

Come the revolution comrades lol there is not going to be an bubble burst, didnt happen during the last recession so wont happen now either, levelling off maybe but people wont be buying back their old cars for half the value they recently sold them for, if you missed the boat then you missed the boat....move on

There was a massive classic car price crash in the late 1980s. It happened before, it will happen again. Much like the house price cycles of boom to bust. Or the stock market experiencing a correction. Any market which is driven by human greed and fear will follow the same path.

[TA14]

k-ink said:

PAUL500 said:

Come the revolution comrades lol there is not going to be an bubble burst, didnt happen during the last recession so wont happen now either, levelling off maybe but people wont be buying back their old cars for half the value they recently sold them for, if you missed the boat then you missed the boat....move on

There was a massive classic car price crash in the late 1980s. It happened before, it will happen again. Much like the house price cycles of boom to bust. Or the stock market experiencing a correction. Any market which is driven by human greed and fear will follow the same path.

I seem to remember that it was 1990/91. I also remember a Stag going for the low 30s, maybe £34K, in about 88/89; I don't think that those values have flatlined for 25 years.

[MC Bodge]

At a time when I could consider buying an older/classic, the sort of things I might want have mostly become silly money....

A chap I know bought a late 60s 911S for a low price during the last price crash, and still has it. There may be hope!

[GreenArrow]

Not sure why everyone is so worked up. If you don't think the Escort Cosworth is worth 40 grand (and I agree with you), just don't buy it!! IMO, the Focus RS mk1 is the one to have right now. You can get one for 10 grand, it has a bit of rally pedigree thanks to Colin McRae's efforts in the Mk1 Focus and is every bit as quick as a standard Escort Cosworth, quicker round most tracks too I reckon...that's where my classic Ford money would go. Either that or one of Fords 00s efforts, which were generally pretty decent. After Parry Jones got stuck into Ford with the Mondeo, most Fords were class leading or close to, in terms of ride and handling..

[s m]

MC Bodge said:

At a time when I could consider buying an older/classic, the sort of things I might want have mostly become silly money....

A chap I know bought a late 60s 911S for a low price during the last price crash, and still has it. There may be hope!

Maybe do as the OP suggests? Buy one of the cheap ( in comparison ) front engined 4-cylinder Porsches in the interim

ChimpOnGas said:

Consider a mid 90's Porsche 944, 968 or 928 with its front engine transaxle layout which is clearly an infinitely better engineered design than a 911, so why have 911s from the same period gone nuts while the way better front engined cars still languish in the cheap seats?

[MC Bodge]

s m said:

I doubt I'll ever be in the market for an early 911, but an 80s/early 90s one, maybe.

A 944 or 968 would be good though.

[s m]

GreenArrow said:

Not sure why everyone is so worked up. If you don't think the Escort Cosworth is worth 40 grand (and I agree with you), just don't buy it!! IMO, the Focus RS mk1 is the one to have right now. You can get one for 10 grand, it has a bit of rally pedigree thanks to Colin McRae's efforts in the Mk1 Focus and is every bit as quick as a standard Escort Cosworth, quicker round most tracks too I reckon...

Certainly just as quick on most tracks

http://youtu.be/aGEymxBPgB4

Chris Harris liked his old one

[hwajones]

Supply & Demand...
As a car, they are of course ridiculously over priced.
A mint M3 or good 997 turbo at the same money is a no brainer!

[Basil Brush]

Cossy Escorts have always held their value and they do have plenty of motorsport success

I'm not sure about the TVR engineering excellence argument though....

[MarshPhantom]

Basil Brush said:

Cossy Escorts have always held their value and they do have plenty of motorsport success

I'm not sure about the TVR engineering excellence argument though....

No - the OP seems to be annoyed that his TVR is worth less than some old Escort, but you can get a nice R129 Merc for peanuts, so why should the TVR be worth more than one of those?

Genuine engineering excellence, cost a fortune new, still very useable now etc.

[GrizzlyBear]

It's just the speculative bubble in old cars - money finds a return. It will all go nasty soon enough; people won't be able to find a greater fool than them. After that no-body wants to catch a falling knife...