In reply to Bardan :
A nice MGB is worth $20,000-30,000 now.
In reply to Bardan :
A nice MGB is worth $20,000-30,000 now.
The basic premise of the article is a big part of the problem. Choosing a vintage car based on speculative future value...
Long before there was a plethora of classic car auction companies, there were classic car folks. They bought and DROVE vintage cars for the sheer fun and adventure of it. No one was strategizing their purchases based on future value. You bought, fixed, & drove the type or model cars you loved.
Then came the auction houses capitalizing on proximity to big shows. The "Classic Motorsports" type of magazines, geared to the "collector". "Curated" cruises through wine (or orange...) country, instead of simply hitting the road with no destination.
Up sprang an online site that featured odd, weird, or simply decrepit old cars found for sale. The concept, was that you had to bring a trailer along to drag it home. But even they morphed into the ridiculously high-end stuff, along with their fees. $175,000 restomod Land Cruisers?
The common guy who just wants to cruise around in an old MG is largely ignored by these money machines. Replaced by the fat greybeard exuberantly bidding on an over-restored restomod Chevelle at Mecum, or buying another Ferrari on BaT.
The vintage car world felt much cooler when it was simply for the love of the car...
I know you're trying to get the people with more money than sense to read the magazine, but the common Joe who is looking for a "classics-you-should-buy-now" is looking at a sub $30,000 bargain that might appreciate as they enjoy it on a nice sunny day. No one I know is looking for a $100,000+ car. There are still some great cars that can be bought that will interest that demographic you need to sustain your magazine for the future. How about the Honda S2000 or a 6 cylinder BMW Z3, or the Mazda RX7, or maybe the Pontiac Solstice Coupe? The list you have is all fine and dandy, but give that new generation hope that something they see on the road today will be the collectible of tomorrow...
I agree with the previous poster - everything I own has been called a collectable, but there are lots of other lower priced cars that fall into the same category and should be exposed to those who might be interested in joining the club if it doesn't cost them XKE money.
(PS to the last poster - already have my Solstice GXP coupe nailed - bought it new in 2009)
Come on GRM, you guys are better than this. A light refresh of an older article with a click bait title listing all the next big thing from the classic car market 15 years ago.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I know people are probably tired of me saying this, but the fastest car of 1984 (Jaguar XJS V12 ) can still be purchased for less than $5000 often less than $2000 in non running condition.
Polished back up and running they are up in the $20,000 range.
The sweet thing is if you do your own work and buy right. It won't be rusty or need expensive work. They are often someone's reward for a successful career and deeply cherished into retirement and ultimate passing. Jr can't get it running because of stale gas & old rubber hoses so it's very cheap.
The hard part is you can't just be a parts replacer. You actually need to be able to read and follow a wiring diagram. If you can do that sort of work. Owning a V12 isn't expensive or painfully unreliable.
Not Just the XJS though. The XJ12 is rapidly climbing as well. Plus if you sell in England they are selling in the £30,000 range. ( about $40,000).
Finally if you doubt those numbers try to buy an XKE roadster for less than $150,000 or a DType for under a few million. Look at the price of a XK120 today. Or SS100
In reply to frenchyd :
And I think that's more like the cars this article should have been concentrating on with the click bait title it had, as opposed to the cars that have long long past 'the next big thing' stage as they've all BTDT. The XJS is a car that plummeted to the depths of depreciation that even an unloved 914 in the late 80's couldn't achieve. Because of that there are very very few really nice ones left, further helping their future value. Prices have been going up in Europe for a while. This continent will eventually catch up.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum and Supporter) :
Plus the robust construction of all the parts as well as cheap abundant parts cars. Make them good candidates for someone willing to put one right and have something different.
The numbers for them are 121,000 made from 1975-1996 ( 3 made in 1997) More than 50% of production wound up in the United States. The first years production due to strikes was as low as 1000 a year. But after John Egan took over from BLMC the quality really started improving along with fuel mileage. The most valuable ones are the limited Production sports models by TWR and Lister along with the Linx Eventer ( Shooting Brake) 3 of which had both the Shooting brake and Higher performance.
in addition approximately 310 of the first 3 years production had a 4 speed manual while most settle for the Borg Warner automatic. After the 3/4 of 1978 those were changed to GM's robust Turbo 400
Hess & Enright converted the coupe to a convertible in 87-88 here in the US but by 1990 the factory produced their own versions. But it wasn't a sleet as the H&E version.
By 1983 the AJ 6 engine was available. While not as powerful as the V12 it was over 400 pounds lighter and came with an optional 5 speed manual transmission
The troublesome Fuel injection gradually improved getting rid of the Bosch ( 3Rabbit) system by 1978 and eventually becoming Digital but even that is relatively simple. Most problems are due to leaky vacuum hoses and sensors same as any EFI of the era. There are alternatives ( mega Squirt) that improve the car and add flexibility .
At 150 top speed and 14 second quarter mile times it's not pokey but it's a better continental Cruiser than a drag racer ( although the record for modified is in the 9 second region in Europe.
With cams, turbos, and a mega Squirt power can comfortably reach the 650 hp number
In reply to frenchyd :
My fathers old one. Supposedly one of the original press cars for the launch of the 3.6L Cabriolet's Five speed manual, fitted with genuine TWR body kit and (ugly as hell) US spec front lights before being sold on to the public. I wish I had this car.
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