a post of mine from the other side.......suggestions.... ..ok, bear with me.....you have 20k to spend on 'modern' classics, cars that are on the cusp of 'classicdom' if thats a word...you have fully heated barn to store em in...you MUST make money on them after ten years in captivity....whats your list, values...and projected values.....
id have...
mk2 golf gti 16v late big bumper model 3 door with power steering, preferabbly oak green...mk1 IS bona fide classic now and hard to find at reasonable money....say £1500 quid tops for a few owners car with fsh....predict it more than doubles in value after 10 years...£3-4k
jaguar xjs v12....any year, must be mint..these are criminally undervalued as the e type was for a long period in the sixties and seventies...low milers are not uncommon.....say the best you can buy fro £2500...projected value.....£5-7k
citroen cx gti turbo...tricky one this....starting to be worth good money already...you might snap up a good un in the local classifieds for a grand or so if your lucky...these will virtually have dissapeared in 10yrs, so projected value of £3-5k.....or you MIGHT loose your investment.........
vw corrado g60/vr6.....vr 6 worth 500-1000 more than similarly quick g60, so i'l plump for the g60...most will be dead or uneconomic to repair in ten years, killed by ignorance and boy racers...again, find a good fsh model for £2k tops, projected value.....£4k
xj40 3.6 or 4 litre.....series 3 jag xj6 now hard to find for 'banger' money, so il take a punt at a mint late eighties xj40.....buy one for less than a grand and sell on for, say....£3k......
fiat panda...dont laugh..the design guigario is most proud of....buy the very best low miles example you can find..a modern clean sheet design icon....invest no more than £500 and following the example of baby fiats over the years, it will be worth £2k or so in ten years....????...
vauxhall astra gte mk2 16v...late eighties early ninties model with power steering...absolute rocket of a car...when was the last time you saw a clean one...or indeed saw one at all.....you might have to invest £2k here for a return of £3-4k
opel manta 2 litre gte coupe......ditto above..very rare now, on the cusp again...find one for £1.5k and double your money in ten years...£3k
saab 900 turbo t16s...late eighties 3door model, find a clean one with fsh and less than 100k....you will be surprised..they are still out there for £1500 quid or so...these i predict will rocket......say £4k in ten years.....
fiat barchetta.....delightful little sportster...available now for no more than £2k...salt away and again, double your money...£4k
alfa gtv spyder......getting cheap now...starting to see em around £2.5 k now...must go up over next ten years....say£5k for a minter......
my last 2k, im gonna spend on a gaggle of ubersaloons...always undervalued, i reckon i could buy a mint 24v senator, a good 560sel and a mint 735 bmw, all from the late eighties/early ninties period for a coupla grand...predict a doubling in value of all three for a return of at leat £4k......
...i make that £20k spent (wisely??).....for a potential return of £43-48k(ish)......
any suggestions...i have tried to avoid the obvious like mk1 gti and capri 2.8i etc..and went for more left field suggestions.........
I'm just wondering on the Barchetta.As you say it's a nice little sports car but it's not really rememberable or in demand,so unless in the future you were lucky to find an actual avid fan of the car i don't think you would get that much for it.
Although not being really popular (i'm just guessing this cos ive only ever seen one) may add to it's appeal?
i'm hoping my lupo will be. the mk1 golf gti of the future. i parked up next to one today. was almost exactly the same size. thats one thing right anyway.
....... There's got to be a hundred reasons why i should listen to diesel owners, but right now, i can't think of any.
Big G, yet again i totally agree with your list. I love all those cars, theyre all future classics. Some already are classics. How about the beautiful Citroen SM Maserati? That is a fabulous car which is heading for extinction & is definitely a classic of the future...
Hard to know what to add to that really... All Jaguar models before 1996 are future classics , including Big G's XJ40. Anything after 1996 is porridge & worth throwing away after the warranty has run out. Modern Jaguars have no passion or feeling of specialness, theyre just plasticky mass-market rubbish with no character. But give me an early 80s XJ-S any day and i will drive it every day & love it!
Big G how about the late 80s Maserati Quattroporte V8? Bargain prices, very very quirky and that Maserati hertiage!
Add to the future classics list, the Renault Alpine A610 turbo and the MVS Venturi 260 both from 1992. Theyre without a doubt future classics. Both wonderful cars. I seriously considered buying a Venturi 260 automatic a few years ago & now i strongly regret not buying it. Id still have it today & would still love driving it. My kinda car!
the Alfa 75 V6: an overlooked hooligan car with a free revving V6 (I love Fords but this engine is better than any Essex, Cologne or Cos headed V6)
Beemer E21: peferrably the 2.3.
The Rover 75: don't laugh. In my opinion, this car was heading in the direction that the sector should have gone. However, no one agreed with me and they bought Audis instead. It was pretty well engineered as well.
Citroen BX 16V: only those that owned them knew they were good.
Mk 1 MR2 and MX5: everything old British sports cars should have been
I have to disagree with Big on a couple of points: 1. The XJ40 should be binned. Find out why they put the chrome trim on the bottom of the c pillar and you'll realise just how little effort went into the car.
2. Money! I have dabbled at the bottom of the classic car / retro market (Triumph 2500 PI, GT6, Dolly Sprint, Elva, Karmann Ghia and Mk 1 RS2000). Each one bought for less than £8,000 has been a money pit, even when in good condition. The classic car market is dreadfully fickle (just look at e-type values since 1989) so never expect to make money...
It's a fine idea BigB and I'd love to own these motors myself for the sheer love of the cars.
As for investment though...
You left out the repair bills that would surely eat away all you hope to achieve (assuming you intend to drive them). Still, if you afford to float them until you could bear to part with the motors, you may break even.
heated barn, kept stored, regularly started...thats all.....iv had old cars too bro and yup, invariably they cost an arm and leg too keep...thats why i'm suggesting 'modern' classics...;better build quality, more reliable...and i'l agree to disagree on the xj40...i used to hate em till i bought one as a stopgap car..it was a fantastic bit of kit, supremely refined and reliable and 99% rust free....they are now criminally undervalued...a bad one will be a money pit...a good one wont cost that much more than a wrong 'un and will be an immensely pleasureable ownership prospect......caveat emptor....
At the risk of contradicting myself, the XJ40s had a good engine in the 3.6 / 4.0 six. Am I imagining it or did Jag also build a V12 XJ40 for a limited period, possibly as a come back of the Daimler Double Six name.
And another couple for the list:
Alfasud Sprint (before they stuck the big plastic bumpers on it)
The Morris 1800 "Landcrab". Huge interior for the size of car, good handling and very safe too.
Austin Maxi: the first hatchback in mainstream production.
I'm not sure whether I like all the cars I have listed but they deserve to be protected.
It has to be said, if I had a heated garage, I wouldn't bother with cars, just a pool table, lots of beer and a telly and an old comfy chair. My family costs enough as it is without a collection of cars!
This will please Noxide: the AX GT (not the Gti) purely because of its throttle response.
Citroen Visa GTI: just because its a totall oddball.
Its only an idea, but what about just buying loads of OEM alloy wheels for cars that you think will become collectors items. As the cars get older and kerbed a few times, collectors won't want anything else but the originals. Then you can name your price!!
Big G, Noxide & I discussed this over afternoon tea today you'll be pleased to hear. And we agree with your list. We discussed the Jaguar models particularly.
Monkey Alan, yes Jaguar did make an XJ40 V12 from 1993 to 1996. It was superb. Handled beautifully and had that magnificent engine.
There were 2 versions available, the Jaguar XJ12, and the Daimler Double Six.
Both were 6.0 liter rather than 5.3 as in the Series 3 which it replaced (i beleive the series 3 is the best looking car ever built) and in my 2 door XJ12C 5.3 coupe.
the 6.0 put out 318bhp and had a ZF 4 speed automatic rather than the original 5.3 liter's 295bhp and 3 speed GM THM400 box.
For 3,000 you will not find a better car than the 6.0 V12 XJ40. Strongly, strongly recommended.
there was, as ever, a tale behind that car.....due to internecine bl politics, the xj40 was designed NOT to accept rovers v8 engine...cos thats what the browns lane boffins thought would happen to their new baby...as a result of this the v12 never fitted either and the series 3 jaguar was virtually handbuilt alongside the new xj40 in 5.3 he v12 fomr up till '92.....the xj40 was re-engineered to accept the broad v12 by then and was introduced as the top of the range model in 6 litre form and the serie 3 was quetly pensioned off.......bl eh, ya gotta love em!!...id love to find an early ninties series 3 jaguar xj12...very rare but they are out there and dont command that much of a premium over older models...YET...series 3 jaguar xj6/12 was a minor restyle by pininfarina and is, in my opinion, the finest looking most eleganly proportioned saloon car EVER made...strong words, but hey, iv had two of em, and i LOVE em!!
cossie merc good shout...bit rude boy for me somehow...and the avantime wasnt mentioned cos i dont want people giving it that classic tag, so values stay relatively low...cos i want one so bad it hurts...haha
