Timewarp classic car prices

[Jukebag]

I know it's another one of those "I wish they were that much now" topic once again, but as I was rummaging through a heap of old Practical Classics magazines (from what I found in the loft there were quite alot; I maybe tempted to try and flog em on ebay like some people seem to be doing for about 6 quid each - year right!). But, whilst doing so its nice to browse through the usual, mostly pre-internet day ads to see the bargains that could be snapped up back in the day.

Looking through the Aug 1999 edition there was a two page spread on Aston Martin DB models, a decent spec DB5 could be bought for around £37 grand, with a DB6 coupe for around 22 grand. Compared those prices to the ridiculous eye watering money those models fetch now (700-800k?), particularly the iconic DB5.

In the same magazine, Runnymeade Classic Cars were selling a 1968 Aston DBS6 Vantage for a bargain £7,995, albeit it had some "minor" chassis corrossion, a 1953 Aston DB2 for £16,950, Jag XK150 for £19,950, and a 1969 Jaguar E-Type FHC for £12,750. An E-Type for 12 grand?. Just think this was only 19 years ago. Dosen't seem that long ago.

[crankedup]

Kno exactly what you mean and expect most posters in this section agree. Just remember how much a house cost back then as well!

[vixen1700]

Probably around that time we looked at a lovely green DBS at the Ally Pally classic car show, and gave it some serious thought about buying it.

Would have been gloriously ruinous.

[ARHarh]

I remember being offered a very clean 3.8 mk2 jag for £500, it was too expensive to insure as I was quite young so I didn't buy it. Missed out on plenty over the years. Also made some cash on the ones I did buy, never a lot though.

[vixen1700]

When did Volvo P1800s become so expensive? Sold mine in 1995 (my daily driver) for £3500, now look at them.

They always seemed comparable to MG BGT prices.

[Mr Tidy]

I know that feeling - I sold this in 1984 for about £2,500.

[a8hex]

A quick look on my shelf of old car mags shows an ad for an XK120 "will swap for a Morris Traveller"
or you could have a 1952 C Type for 678gns.

[jjwilde]

I sold my '87 635 fully loaded Highline for £2500 4 years ago. Now seeing similar on ebay around £20k. Sigh. Hope it went to a good home.

[Jukebag]

Yeah we all look back at those prices and look at what they sell for now and kick ourselves for letting them go. I do wonder what the then owner of a DB5 back in the late 90s would be feeling now considering they fetch upwards of 500k, even a million, and they sold it for a measely 30k. Or the bloke who sold his Aston DBS Vantage for a peanuts 7k to a dealer, now realising they fetch as much as 80k today. Somewhat regretful I can imagine.

There were, however, many classics in those ads I've been browsing through that just haven't budged; lots of Morris Minors, Spitfires, MGBs, and Reliant Scimitars. Scimitar GTEs and Wedges go for the same as they did 20 plus years ago, even the GTC hasn't moved upward as there was one for sale for about 5 grand (they fetch around that kind of money even now).

[P5BNij]

I know it's all relative, but have a gander at the nearly new Miura in this ad from Motorsport in July 1970, at £7,250 and only a few months old it's about 25% below the list price for a new one...



Today it would be somewhere around the £1m mark! What was the average house price in 1970, about £3k maybe..?

[carboy2017]

say in 1990 what was the price of a 1962-64 Triumph Herald or a 1960 Morris Minor?

[Lotobear]

I sold a good, solid, honest Austin 1275 Mini Cooper S in Snowberry White, black roof and Dunlop alloys in 1988 for £650.

I could cry now - worst decision ever

[aeropilot]

Lotobear said:

I sold a good, solid, honest Austin 1275 Mini Cooper S in Snowberry White, black roof and Dunlop alloys in 1988 for £650.

I could cry now - worst decision ever

Crikey, even in 1988 I would have thought that would have been a couple k at least. I bought my Sunbeam-Lotus in 1988, and I'm sure very good, restored 1275 S's were around the 5/6k mark then?

I sold my Escort Twin Cam for 1000 quid the year after I bought the Sunbeam-Lotus and thought I'd got a good deal on that at the time........

[medieval]

Jukebag said:

I know it's another one of those "I wish they were that much now" topic once again, but as I was rummaging through a heap of old Practical Classics magazines (from what I found in the loft there were quite alot; I maybe tempted to try and flog em on ebay like some people seem to be doing for about 6 quid each - year right!). But, whilst doing so its nice to browse through the usual, mostly pre-internet day ads to see the bargains that could be snapped up back in the day.

Looking through the Aug 1999 edition there was a two page spread on Aston Martin DB models, a decent spec DB5 could be bought for around £37 grand, with a DB6 coupe for around 22 grand. Compared those prices to the ridiculous eye watering money those models fetch now (700-800k?), particularly the iconic DB5.

In the same magazine, Runnymeade Classic Cars were selling a 1968 Aston DBS6 Vantage for a bargain £7,995, albeit it had some "minor" chassis corrossion, a 1953 Aston DB2 for £16,950, Jag XK150 for £19,950, and a 1969 Jaguar E-Type FHC for £12,750. An E-Type for 12 grand?. Just think this was only 19 years ago. Dosen't seem that long ago.

Ha - I went to see that DBS vantage back in 1999 and really wanted it but we had to move house so the funds were not available and we had received a offer on our house. Runnymede kept calling for months as it did not sell and then our house sale fell through so I called to buy it but it had sold that very morning so it was just not meant to be sadly

Oh well...

[Jukebag]

Another curious thing I often notice when browsing through those old ads is that many of the more exotic classics likes E-Types were private sale rather than via a dealer. Now, it seems to be mainly dealers and classic restorers selling, with one or two private sales.

[dinkel]

vixen1700 said:

When did Volvo P1800s become so expensive? Sold mine in 1995 (my daily driver) for £3500, now look at them.

They always seemed comparable to MG BGT prices.

In the shiny stores P1800s seem to be 30-50k cars... In the public trades they are 10-30 max.

[OFORBES]

Prices for classics have been all over the place for the last 18 months fluctuating dramatically on sometimes a daily basis.

Just look at the prices of 80's and 90's hot hatches. In 2001 I bought a low mileage Renault 5 GT Turbo in original condition for £750 and now they are commanding nearly 15k for non standard spec cars. 205 GTI's for over 20k, and thats without looking at the classic fast Fords!

At the Silverstone Classic this year I witnessed an E30 M3 sell for £120k!

What is most upsetting for the majority of us will be all the cars we nearly bought over the years! I came close to buying a 355 Berlinetta in 2005 for £30k and in just the last 13 years they have flown to prices in the region of £90k!!

I will now spend the rest of the day reminiscing saying "coulda woulda shoulda" on a lot of cars a should have bought.

[Elderly]

£10,600 in 1953

[droopsnoot]

I recently posted this in another thread, from a local paper in 1971



In another display ad on the same page, there's an Escort estate for slightly more money.

Oh, the benefits of hindsight. And having unlimited storage, of course. My cars have gone up in value, but any "gain" is taken up by what it's cost to store them and maintain them over the years.

[duka]

carboy2017 said:

say in 1990 what was the price of a 1962-64 Triumph Herald or a 1960 Morris Minor?

I bought my D plate '66 12/50 herald in 1984/5 for £300, needed a bit of work - sold it probably 1990-ish for £800