RE: HPI's top 10 future classics
Discussion
mhurley said:
Manual roadster V8 Vantage is my tip for increase (and V12)
New shape out, many prefer the old...
4.3 V8 Vantage is good value for what it is, the shape is glorious, the engine fantastic, and the handling entertaining. Also, the new one is very expensive, meaning that there is no real "baby Aston" anymore.New shape out, many prefer the old...
The problem with the V8V is that the running and maintenance costs are big (I know, I own one!). A budget classic needs to be able to be run economically and these cost much more to maintain than the contemporary 911 they were aimed at.
wolfracesonic said:
peter450 said:
If electric cars become mainstream in the next 15 years, and a cheap petrol substitute that can be made at home on cheap equipment does not come along I expect the market for anything classic will vanish on all but the most expensive exotics.
We're on the verge of a big change in the automotive landscape and if it goes electric (as is looking increasingly likely) the market could change for good. Most people buy classics to use (even if sparingly) if you can't use them, or continuing to use them becomes a major hassle or very expensive, I can't really see the appeal in owning a car that just sits in a garage. If the market survives it will I expect became a preserve of the very rich who can afford expensive fuel deliveries.
I wonder if this is the most prescient post on this thread? I know people say horses are still around even after the introduction of the motor car but horse feed is/will always be available. I don't think the same can be said for petrol, unfortunately; are we all deluding ourselves on here?We're on the verge of a big change in the automotive landscape and if it goes electric (as is looking increasingly likely) the market could change for good. Most people buy classics to use (even if sparingly) if you can't use them, or continuing to use them becomes a major hassle or very expensive, I can't really see the appeal in owning a car that just sits in a garage. If the market survives it will I expect became a preserve of the very rich who can afford expensive fuel deliveries.
i look forward to the day I can buy an 512BB for £2k and park it in the driveway as art.
Harry Flashman said:
4.3 V8 Vantage is good value for what it is, the shape is glorious, the engine fantastic, and the handling entertaining. Also, the new one is very expensive, meaning that there is no real "baby Aston" anymore.
The problem with the V8V is that the running and maintenance costs are big (I know, I own one!). A budget classic needs to be able to be run economically and these cost much more to maintain than the contemporary 911 they were aimed at.
I genuinely always wonder what these running costs are?The problem with the V8V is that the running and maintenance costs are big (I know, I own one!). A budget classic needs to be able to be run economically and these cost much more to maintain than the contemporary 911 they were aimed at.
Service is just a service isnt it? 20-25mpg or less if thrashing.
shrs2000 said:
The way to do it with any of these is to put them on limited mileage, agreed value insurance & only tax them a month at a time via direct debit. Cost of tax then works out much cheaper. Also keeps the mileage down & keeps them off the road in Winter when all the damage is done. Downside. Winter withdrawal symptoms from not driving them! 
Which is exactly what I do , but trust me when you have a lot of cars you don't want to be paying forty odd quid a month for each one to drive them a handful of times a month. I’d say, of the cars in that list that are not obviously already classics, only the cube would be a safe bet. Rich Hipster couples that I know all love them. It’s the only car many of them would consider - those people still have plenty disposable cash.
Early TTs in nice colours maybe as well. For the same reasons. Ditto the Mk1 LS400.
The RX-8 is a funny one. I can’t call it. Personally I love them and the engineering is pretty wild. Based purely on Hunch - I’d say yes.
In Merc world - good V6 engined W202 seem to be rising.
My feeling is that the classic car boom is starting to rapidly deflate. That Escort was the high water mark.
Early TTs in nice colours maybe as well. For the same reasons. Ditto the Mk1 LS400.
The RX-8 is a funny one. I can’t call it. Personally I love them and the engineering is pretty wild. Based purely on Hunch - I’d say yes.
In Merc world - good V6 engined W202 seem to be rising.
My feeling is that the classic car boom is starting to rapidly deflate. That Escort was the high water mark.
peter450 said:
If electric cars become mainstream in the next 15 years, and a cheap petrol substitute that can be made at home on cheap equipment does not come along I expect the market for anything classic will vanish on all but the most expensive exotics.
We're on the verge of a big change in the automotive landscape and if it goes electric (as is looking increasingly likely) the market could change for good. Most people buy classics to use (even if sparingly) if you can't use them, or continuing to use them becomes a major hassle or very expensive, I can't really see the appeal in owning a car that just sits in a garage. If the market survives it will I expect became a preserve of the very rich who can afford expensive fuel deliveries.
I don't think petrol has to become very expensive in the future. On the contrary, if 99% of driving goes electric, then limited supplies / global warming / urban air pollution cease to be problems, so the 1% of remaining fossil fuelled drivers should have little problems running their historical curiosities. I imagine you'll be able to look up the cheapest petrol deliveries on Amazon and have them come and top up your petrol tank on your driveway (just as many people without mains gas have heating oil delivered).We're on the verge of a big change in the automotive landscape and if it goes electric (as is looking increasingly likely) the market could change for good. Most people buy classics to use (even if sparingly) if you can't use them, or continuing to use them becomes a major hassle or very expensive, I can't really see the appeal in owning a car that just sits in a garage. If the market survives it will I expect became a preserve of the very rich who can afford expensive fuel deliveries.
Aes87 said:
totally with the Z3 mention - the M roadsters are ridiculously cheap and are a completely different animal to the Z3, and are probably one of the best sports cars of the modern era - that amazing straight 6 320hp from the E36, perfect chassis, steering, gearbox, from the mid 90s etc. - new year's resolution is to start saving for one, in Estoril blue. Even if they come up to the 993 Porsche (to which they compare favourably on every objective criterion) they will double or triple their present value - money to be made.
Looking at the 17 Z3 M’s in the classifieds, I’d suggest that the chancers are already chancing/the boat has already set sail. Aes87 said:
totally with the Z3 mention - the M roadsters are ridiculously cheap and are a completely different animal to the Z3, and are probably one of the best sports cars of the modern era - that amazing straight 6 320hp from the E36, perfect chassis, steering, gearbox, from the mid 90s etc. - new year's resolution is to start saving for one, in Estoril blue. Even if they come up to the 993 Porsche (to which they compare favourably on every objective criterion) they will double or triple their present value - money to be made.
Except that the chassis isn’t perfect, and the rear suspension is inadequate. 
I have had 4 different 205 Gti variants, 2 were CTi Cabrios, one a 1.6 the other a 1.9 automatic, the best being a late 1994 205 GTi 1.9 Classic, no. 7 of 30 limited editions in Mayerling Green with full black leather upholstery, aircon, power steer & factory sunroof. I live in New Zealand. But the best "future classic" Pug is my '02 406 Coupe 3.0 V6, 5 speed manual, had it for 10 years, siiver with black leather, 9 speaker sound with 6 disc CD in boot and came with factory strut brace. A proper 4 seater with a huge boot, best grand tourer I have ever owned and I have owned 4 different 405 Mi16s incl a 4WD version and a Targa NZ 1.9 fwd rally car. The 406 has been superbly reliable, only used for out of town trips, long distance. I still own a 1970 404 saloon and a '98 306 cabrio , being my daily driver. I am retired and maintain my own cars
Citroen C6 - well yes, quirky, but a friend of mine had one and it nearly bankrupted him. It had an uncanny ability to soil its pants on a monthly basis, each time requiring a four figure bill. In the end he _gave_ it back to the garage that sold it to him.
Alfas - let's hope they go to the moon, I've got lots of them. Anything GTA is heading north of 10 grand for decent one. Any car (GT, 156, 147, 166) with a 3.2 is worth £2500 for the engine, £1000 for the box and £700 for the ECU - that's the base value of something that merely starts. The usual story with Alfas is that vast majority get scrapped and suddenly the rest are worth keeping. I suspect the 2.5 V6 156 will start to rise - the cheap good ones have all gone, and what's left is rotten rubbish.
Alfas - let's hope they go to the moon, I've got lots of them. Anything GTA is heading north of 10 grand for decent one. Any car (GT, 156, 147, 166) with a 3.2 is worth £2500 for the engine, £1000 for the box and £700 for the ECU - that's the base value of something that merely starts. The usual story with Alfas is that vast majority get scrapped and suddenly the rest are worth keeping. I suspect the 2.5 V6 156 will start to rise - the cheap good ones have all gone, and what's left is rotten rubbish.
Notanotherturbo said:
shrs2000 said:
The way to do it with any of these is to put them on limited mileage, agreed value insurance & only tax them a month at a time via direct debit. Cost of tax then works out much cheaper. Also keeps the mileage down & keeps them off the road in Winter when all the damage is done. Downside. Winter withdrawal symptoms from not driving them!
Which is exactly what I do , but trust me when you have a lot of cars you don't want to be paying forty odd quid a month for each one to drive them a handful of times a month. 
samoht said:
A previous posted pointed out that production numbers are a key criteria in classicification, and have been overlooked. For instance, the Figaro/Cube comparison overlooks the fact that the Figaro was a one-year-only model, whereas the Cube sold from 2002-08 in fairly large numbers. We think of it as a rare car because they're rare in the UK, but the total pool available is quite large. If demand increases, rather than price rises I'd just expect to see more people importing them at the same price. Plus, it's relatively hard for a car that most people have never heard of to become a classic, and I think the Cube is fairly unknown outside Japan.
I'm saying all this even having driven a Cube and liking it a lot, I think it's pretty cool, I just don't see it as an investment.
The original Lexus SC400 could be one to rise, it's getting scarce and is both distinctive and distinguished; the LS400 too, perhaps.
I wonder if the just-out-of-production Scirocco might rise in the future? It's quite a looker and apparently a decent drive.
Indeed, I looked into a Cube as the look pretty handy for a family, but they were the best selling car in Japan for a number of years so forget it. Still cool tho bro. I'm saying all this even having driven a Cube and liking it a lot, I think it's pretty cool, I just don't see it as an investment.
The original Lexus SC400 could be one to rise, it's getting scarce and is both distinctive and distinguished; the LS400 too, perhaps.
I wonder if the just-out-of-production Scirocco might rise in the future? It's quite a looker and apparently a decent drive.
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