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Future Collectibles--Make Your Prediction

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Comments

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It really depends on the celebrity...if you have a second rate celeb (like a soap opera star) with a second rate car (a station wagon or something ordinary), it doesn't seem to affect the price at all.

    Also, for celeb ownership to boost a car's value, it has to be very well documented--not just a car owned by Elvis' gardener or the "Sinatra Estate"...usually the celeb's name on the registration or some such is required for people to get excited at auction...or a photo of the celeb in the car helps a lot. So it's not a car in the White House Motor Pool that's important, it's the car that the president rode in with the ambassador to sign the famous treaty, with photos. You see the difference?

    One has to be very careful of "claims" of ownership, and also the car itself has to be somewhat interesting. Seinfeld's Porsche Speedster is a a lot more valuable than Amy Grant's Taurus,by a long shot.

    I suppose a special supercharged "F" Bird could bring big money, but really, $35,000 isn't much of a premium over a normal nice T-Bird. Barbra must not have much pulling power in the collectible market, or perhaps the car was trashed?
  • wilcoxwilcox Member Posts: 582
    about the B.S. T-Bird. Wish it could be inspected up close to see if it fetched an average price or what.

    the comment rea made about Sosa's ride....now that I think about it, there are probably hundreds of people out there that have their eye on it. I mean if folks are paying those high prices for Sammy's b.o. athelitic shirt, then the cars must also be fetching some big bucks.

    I'd like to have Alan Jackson's pickup truck.....bet it's a Ford.
  • tomcat630tomcat630 Member Posts: 854
    I am from the 70's HS generation, post muscle cars. I work with guys in their early 20's and read new "compact" car mags to keep up. Kids like cars as always, they just either don't want to or can't work on them like the so called "good ol' days". Most prefer to get a late model performance car to begin with, rather than buying a "beater" and "hot rodding" it.

    Case in point, one guy has a 1998 Z28 and races it. Also, another guy has a 1991 Mustang 5.0, and instead of working on it some more, he plans to "just buy a new Z28 and be done with it".

    Regarding future collectables, it depends on desirablity and rarity. Sedans are more desirable in this day and age, so some of the "performance" editions may be collectable. Boomers mostly desried 2- doors as teens, but today's HS kids are not repelled by Maximas, etc. To some of them, cars before the 1979 Mustang are "old and ugly" (quoted from 22 y/o co-worker)

    I am sure there will be posts to the contrary, but I am just stating what I have heard.
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    my generation, AND all the older ones as well will be coveted by increasing numbers of younger people. In my case, I was a 9 year old carnut when the 55 models appeared, so naturally I appreciate 50's and 60's car's because those are what I first drove and owned. But true carnuts learn about and appreciate ALL cars over time. If I had my huge barn with a blank check, there are many, many cars I'd like to own and drive, from every decade beginning with the 30's, up to about 1985. I just can't believe there'll be a time when the rage is old hondas, toyota mr2s, rx7s, etc, with no interest left in 57 Chevs, musclecars, Alfas& Ferraris, 30's Ford street rods, classic Packards,etc. I just cant't imagine anyone wanting to restore, say, a 20-year-old Honda Prelude w/4wheel steering, or a Mazda Miata, with no interest at all in anything older. Can you? All these onboard computers are bound to send lots and lots of todays plastic cladding straight to the junkyards.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Oh, I think people have a passing interest in older cars, but not enough interest to plunk down big bucks for, say a 1920s car...you can hardly give away a restored 1920s sedan these days, and even the big old convertibles aren't an easy sell...the 20s styling looks very old to the modern eye, and while we'll point and say "neat car!", when it comes time to pull out the old checkbook, most younger and affluent collectors or just car nuts are going to pick out a car they can relate to AND that they can drive on a modern highway and have fun with. A 1920s, 30s or 40s car is really not much fun to drive--more fun to be seen "in" or to trailer to shows and talk about.

    Also I don't think cars are as predominant an interest with kids like they used to be. Kids are into computers and multimedia and the web. Cars are something they buy after they grow up and make money. I know there's an active car culture in the young 20s crowd, but it's not as widespread as it was in previous generations by a long shot.

    Will people collect 4-door Accords. No, no more than most don't want 1958 4-door Oldsmobiles, or at least not enough to pay any decent price for them. So if restoration costs continue to go up but the value of certain cars doesn't go up with the cost, very few people will take the time and money to save them. Why restore a 1963 Ford Falcon 4-door sedan and spend $12,000 doing it when you end up with a rather plain looking $2,500 car? Well, maybe if it was grandpa's or something.
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    if demand goes down for the old cars that are valued now. Wonder what one of the true classics [Packard, Duesie, Cads, etc] that have 6 figure values now will be worth in 20 years? And what about street rods-that is, anything old with modern, upgraded mechanicals-what do you think will happen to these in 20 years?
  • wilcoxwilcox Member Posts: 582
    is good there will be people with extra money to pursue their automotive memories.
    When a recession comes, there will be less demand and little or no appreciation of these kind of collectables (relative to the value of money or even newer "plastic" vehicles). Only the very rich and museums will care about owning the true classics in the future...

    Wil
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Wil does bring up a good point...every time the economy has soured, even moderately, the classic car market goes right into the toilet, so to speak. Classic cars, in fact ANY old car, is truthfully not an asset, but a liability. Sure, there have been a few special cars that skyrocketed in value, but even people who bought these at the wrong time, 1988, 1989, took a real bath on them in 1990. Cars that were selling for 1 million in 1989 are now selling, in a strong market, for 250,000. So somebody down the line ate that 750,000 bucks. Some investment, huh?

    This is why it's best to collect cars of true merit and beauty if you're going to spend a lot of money, or, conversely, collect just ordinary old cars for fun and don't put any money in them, or restore them as a hobby and forget about getting your money back out.

    No one knows what these old Duesies and Packards will be worth in the future. Maybe very little, because they will be as useless as an old horse and carriage is today. But certainly, even as "art in metal", they will have some value...but even 18th century hand-made gold-inlaid pianos (surely, works of art) aren't worth as much as some of these old cars are now. I'd take a wild guess and say that the days of wildly escalating values for precious old cars is gone forever, and that their fate is really based on economic factors in the future. Who knows? Maybe they'll even be melted down for their metal in the future...ghastly thought, but after all we are just speculating here for fun.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    ....about the question of the value of street rods...well, up to now at least the value of rods usually, most often, does not exceed the cost of building them...so that is to say that just about every beautiful rod built today is sold at a loss. The numbers usually work out to $50,000 to build it, and around $35,000 when you sell. Exceptions might be a few older rods built many years ago by legendary builders...these are well-known and heavily documented cars that are like altar pieces in hot rod culture. But there are only a few in this category.
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    that gets most people in to the hobby of collecting, restoring, driving old cars-whatever they are. I'm glad those investors who got in to the hobby years ago just for money had to take a bath. I thought the million dollar Packards were ridiculous then, and when I saw some of those owners of Concours winners, it made me disgusted. Maybe if values "normalize" in the future, it will make it easier, and more fun, for those who pursuit the hobby just for the love of cars. And speaking of that, being a middle school shop teacher for 24 years, I've had hundreds of students who love cars-old cars, new cars, hot rods, classics, whatever. Whether these kids have uncles or dads or whoever who introduced them to the hobby, I think there are enough young 'uns out there to carry on for many years to come! Yo'd like some stories I have about former students who dropped by school to show me there cars, and go for a ride. What fun!
  • wilcoxwilcox Member Posts: 582
    Have you heard the news? The EV1 is going away...
  • dgraves1dgraves1 Member Posts: 414
    It seems to me that what the EV-1 mostly proved was that we still had a long way to go before there would be a practical, electric vehicle.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    In 9999 out of 10,000 cases, if a car did not excite the public when new, it won't in 20 years or 50....or so history has dictated thus far.
  • dgraves1dgraves1 Member Posts: 414
    It's also hard for a car to be collectible if you can't buy it. I believe EV-1s can only be leased.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well, they're gonna have to do SOMETHING with them.

    I'm really sorry it's not working out for the EV-1. Was the car particulary troublesome. I never heard anything one way or the other.
  • dgraves1dgraves1 Member Posts: 414
    I'm no expert on them either so I don't know if they were troublesome but here's what I do know. They were only two seaters but were quite heavy so I can't imagine handling was very good. Acceleration was not bad - 0-60 in about 8 sec. Range was only about 100 miles between charges. Supposedly, they cost over $100,000 each to produce. Lease rates were set for more like a $30,000 car so GM was losing money on every one. It was more of a technology test bed than a car GM ever hoped to be commercially successful. GM probably saw that the hybrid approach was probably the logically next step to ultra low consumption/ultralow emissions transportation. The practical, fully electric vehicle is still a ways off.
  • badgerpaulbadgerpaul Member Posts: 219
    I was in Phoenix on business last year and actually saw one driving down I-10. I can't say I was too impressed with it.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Actually, electric cars can accelerate very well, because they have maximum torque at practically zero RPM. The first car in the world to break 60 mph was an electric car.
  • wilcoxwilcox Member Posts: 582
    Richard TRuett form the Orlando Sentinel writes on
    the 1990 vehicles expected to become classics.

    In his article he names the decade of the 90's
    candidates.

    1991 Acura NSX any Corvette ZR-1
    1991 Lotus Elan 1998 Porsche 911
    low mileage '90 Miata's
    1998-2000 Contoru SVT's
    1993 Cadillac Allante
    Don Gartlis says the Viper or Prowler (wonder why)

    and believe it or not, any convertible Yugos in
    great shape!
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    I hear only the Yugos with the optional SFF system will make it...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I think it's got some good ones there but he's absolutely wrong about the Cadillac Allante and the Contour SVT...these are simply not exceptional cars in any way. The Allante has had plenty of time to start appreciating and they're still heading down in value...not a good sign, and the Contour is a nice enough little car, but there's nothing to distinguish it from the pack. The mention of the Yugo was, I presume, his little joke.

    Viper, yes, Prowler...just a curiousity....a V-6, automatic "classic"? I don't think so!
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    Limited production, bold, distinctive styling, rare even today. And of course, there's no such thing as "Plymouth" anymore. I think we have a winner!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    No, I don't think so...the Prowler is a "phony" hotrod, an attention-getting toy that has no real meaning to a true collector. At least the Viper can deliver, and is what it looks like.

    And rare doesn't mean valuable in the collectible car world, I'm afraid. There are many many rare cars out there that are worth little. It's all about supply and demand, and judging by the market, there are plenty of Prowlers out there to satisfy demand.

    As for disappearing nameplates, here again this doesn't translate into value...there are types of Nash and Studebaker and Henry J that you can't hardly give away today.

    This is not to say that cars like Prowler will be without value--not so, but they will be curiousities with a limited market and a ceiling price that won't rise, I beleive....like say an MGC or BMW 2002 or Delorean....if they were stocks, you would have sold them as having "matured in value".

    You know, unlike 15 years ago, the collector market these days is pretty savvy and knowledgable. Very few collectors are writing big checks for cars with inflated or hyped reputations anymore. But if something is priced right, almost anyone will buy it, of course. (You probably wouldn't buy a restored VW bug for $10,000, but you might for $2,500, and so might I--so too in the future for Prowler I think--if sellers are realistic, there will be limited interest in them).
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    I agree with you on the Prowler as a "phony" hotrod and thus it's future value-plus I think it's butt ugly. Question-20 years from now, will the prowler bring more interest as a collectible than the DeLorean does now, about the same, or what? How would you compare the two? Also, after reading a road test of the BMW M5, I want one[yeah right, except for that money, I could buy several awesome collector cars] I'd say it's worthy of future collectible status. Whadya think-will it be prized, or just another used german packed with a bunch of expensive, potential trouble?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Gee, I can't really look into the future, but I think the Prowler will be something like the Avanti...a marginal collectible with a small loyal following, but not enough to create a real demand for them. Anybody who wants a Prowler in 20 years will find one easily, I predict, and won't have to pay a lot to get one. The Delorean will continue to fade into obscurity, especially once everyone forgets the movie.

    As for the M5, anything with that much power will always attract interest, but I'm not so sure about high, high value...it is, after all, a 4-door sedan, a body style that has historically rarely done well as a collectible. It'll probably end up like the Mercedes 300SEL 6.3...the German "muscle car" type of car, again of limited interest except to the few willing to keep a complex old German 4-door car running. I think most people would rather spend their collector car dollars on sexier open cars or perhaps very fast and rare coupes (NSX, Vette, Viper, etc.).
  • cobra23cobra23 Member Posts: 2
    Come on guys! Betting on the collectibility of the Prowler is not exactly going out-on-a-limb. This low production, distinctively styled resto-rod cannot be compared to the mundane DeLorean. How's this for going out on a limb? Of the 70's cars I pick the following: all Corvettes (no brainer); 77-79 Continental Mark V; 79 Chrysler 300 coupe (Cordoba); Dodge 'Lil Red Express and Warlock pickups; Trans Am and Z-28 Camaros. Far fewer collectibles come to mind from the 80's. My guess? 81-83 Chrysler Imperial (especially Frank Sinatra Edition)!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well, maybe so, but history is not on your side, except again maybe the Prowler will have some interest---but the idea of a 6 cylinder automatic ANYTHING being collectible (actually, the 53-54 Corvette is, so I'm wrong already!) is more the exception than the rule....on Jaguar XKE for instance, an automatic transmission really hurts the value and desirability.

    The 70s Vettes pose a problem...they've already had almost 30 years to get valuable and haven't succeeded, so something about them definitely does not appeal to collectors...probably a combination of unfortunate styling and low horsepower engines (again, if it's a sportscar, it should GO like one, not just look like one).

    I myself think a Chrysler Corboba is hopeless as a collectible, or any 70s /80s 4-door American car for that matter--you can buy this cars all day long for $2,000 right now. They are really nice rides for the money and all that, but very undistinguished cars. A car has to be special to be collectible, that's the bottom line.

    NOw the Trans Ams and Z28s have a better chance, depending on years and options, I would agree with that--because here you have at least some of the elements that make a car collectible:

    a)very popular when new
    b) good performance/horsepower
    c) attractive

    What they don't have for a collectible is:

    a)rarity (they make LOTS of them)

    b)ease of restoration in the future (forming new plastic parts, new computer boards--all this will be difficult for the aftermarket unless demand is very high to justify the expense).

    So we'll see--it's fun to speculate.
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    that introduced some of those 70's cars-like the Vega, Cordoba 300, Monza, [piece of crap!!] and let's not forget how many Clenets, Zimmers and cars of that ilk were hot at the time. When I see everyone wearing long sideburns and doubleknit, houndstooth bellbottoms with elevator heels I'll look for a Cordoba 300 or a '77 Mark-but the latter would need a yellow blazer with chartreuse pants and tie...or perhaps a baseball cap with a Rolls-Royce grill on the front...
  • alsmiataalsmiata Member Posts: 2
    Early 90's Miata-NSX-Viper-Mustang Cobras-SSz-28
    BMW M3
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    All good bets, yes, as "collectibles", although the rarer ones on that list have the better chance of greater value as time goes on. The abundance of Miatas will keep the price down, but even the early 90s cars dont' seem to drop below $5K-6,K, and they may never drop below that.

    Usually when a car refuses to depreciate any further than a certain "floor price", that's a good sign that it is being collected. If it wasn't, the price would continue to sink until it hits "rock bottom", which means "the price of any decent used car in the year 2000"---rock bottom right now is about $2,000-2,500.

    So if a car has a $5,000 floor price, that shows it isn't behaving like an ordinary used old car---but say many US 4-doors from the 70s & 80s are selling around the "rock bottom" price, so they'll probably always be "used cars", not "collectibles".
  • johnbonojohnbono Member Posts: 80
    1) RWD Chevy Impala
    2) Mercury Marauder(*when* it comes out *if* it
    lives up to billing)
    3) Corvette ZR-1(I think they made this in the
    90's so it counts)
    4) Dodge Viper
    5) Lexus SC300/SC400
    6) Maxda Miata(It will never be an expensive
    classic, but it will be in demand for some time)
    7) Jaguar XJR
    8) Jaguar XK8
    9) BMW Z3
    10)Audi TT
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    The Impala, Marauder, and XJR are all sedans, so I think Shifty's gonna have a cow when he reads this. Granted, historically, sedans have never been very collectible, but historically, sedans have been massive land yatchs that handle like the QE II. The cars have changed a lot, and I think so have people's perceptions of them. Still, #2 in that lists makes me laugh. WHen you think about it, your suggesting a GrandmaQuis is gonna be a collector's item :-)
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I'd say the low production cars on his list have a chance, like ZR-1 and Viper, if enough time passes, because they are high horsepower and sports cars.
  • johnbonojohnbono Member Posts: 80
    Rea, correct about the Grand Marquis Oldfartmobile. I can't believe I'm saying it either. BTW, the car should be sold as a Ford and called it the Grand Torino. I've always thought of Mercs as somewhat, um, sedate. They should also make a convertible version, as I think there is demand for a large convertible in the US.

    I don't think that being a sedan counts against the choices in the list, nor does high production. The number of cars available doesn't make it a classic, the number of cars available compared to the number of people who want to buy them. I think the three rear drive sedans are going to have a serious following who will lust after/buy them and keep the price up well into the future. The XJR, the Impala, and the Marauder all have performance numbers, and looks, that can give a serious spanking to many sports cars.

    Miatas are the 90's equivalent of an MG. The big question as to collectibility will be when Mazda discontinues production. If they keep building them for 30 years like the mustang, only certain years will be collectible. Hopefully there will never be a Miata II ;-)

    I have to say I am rethinking the XK8 though. To me it looks like someone took a Miata and increased its size 40% or so. It just doesn't have that wonderful head turning quality that I have associated w/Jags of all types.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well, if mass-produced sedans become collectible, it will be a first...they haven't for 75 years.
    You can buy a very decent 1970 Impala four-door for $2,500 bucks all day long.
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    It's that sedate image Mercury is trying to change with the Marauder. Sable? Rebadged taurus. Grand Marquis? Rebadged Crown Vic. Mountaineer? Explorer. They're already taking the Cougar and T-Bird in different directions, and now Mercury wants you to think that the extra 200 bucks for a Grand Marquis gets you more than taillights and a chrome grille. (Although I'm pretty sure the Marauder will cost more than a reguler Grand Marquis.) Still, Mercury wants to shed its image of being a Ford with leather seats.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I think Mercury as had some 61 years now to form an image of itself--it had better hurry up or quit trying! But Pontiac did it (for a while), transforming from an "old lady" car image to "wide-track excitement" in the late 50s.

    So anything is possible with enough imagination and money.
  • speedshiftspeedshift Member Posts: 1,598
    Pontiac didn't change their image with smoke and mirrors. They had a succession of real car guys who knew how to style, engineer and market performance. Wangers, Estes, De Lorean, Knudsen. They had that "unfair advantage": they were smarter than the competition. Pontiac lost that edge about 1970, and they haven't gotten it back yet. Their styling department is staffed by eighth-graders in study hall. Lose the brand managers from Proctor & Gamble, and bring back guys like Wangers--he's still around.

    Thanks, I feel better now. I've owned three new Pontiacs in the last seven years; you'd think I'd learn.
  • johnbonojohnbono Member Posts: 80
    There is a difference between the impala of 1970 and the impala of 1996. In 1970, the impala was the broad-based model, and you could get different body styles for each variant of the Impala. In 1996, the Impala was the Hi-Performance variant of the Caprice, and the closest comparison to the is the Grand National v. the Regal. The regal is basically uncollectible, while a Grand National's have already hit their price floor.
  • johnbonojohnbono Member Posts: 80
    If Mercury wanted to change their image, they'd make a convertible version of the GM. *Noone* makes a full size convertible other than Rolls, and there is a market that could be tapped there.
  • eaton53eaton53 Member Posts: 356
    One car I've not seen mentioned is the Jaguar XJS. Before Ford got ahold of the company this car was very problematical (especially V12's) and was so even for several years after, but the car was gradually improved to the point where by '95, the XJS was actually quite reliable. Still, because of all of the previous problems, the '95 & '96 XJS depreciate at an alarming rate. Good for me, though, because I'll be looking to buy a '96 once it gets down to about $15-$20K, which is still a few years away yet. In the end, like all convertible Jags before it, the XJSC's will eventually become valuable.

    I also agree that the '93 Northstar Allante is a lock to be a collectible.
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    This is a question more than a prediction, but how do you guys think the new XK8/XKR would fare as a collectable? Will it follow the XKE (E-type), and be worth some money as a collector car, or be more like the XJS, which have done a poor job of holding their value? Is a the Ford engine under the hood going to help or hinder these cars?
  • andy_jordanandy_jordan Member Posts: 764
    I would say XKR rather than XK8, convertible rather than coupe. I think both of these will suffer at the expense of the F-Type however - that is probably going to be the moder Jaguar that becomes collectible - Mr. S, what do you think?
  • wantajagwantajag Member Posts: 3
    They hold up very well, and were the "wait in line" car of the 1990 model year. Plus there is a large aftermarket following. Plus the car revived the roadster concept for all manufacturers....

    True - a lot of them were made...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Again, the Miata will take a long time to be collectible because (like the MGB for instance) they made a gazillion of them. So it's going to take a long time to kill off enough of them to make them rare. Just now, after 35 years, is the MGB starting to increase in value, and even now you can buy a stunning show car MGB for a mere $10,000. A clean daily driver around $5,000. Compare to say a Mercedes 230SL at $20,000, which were higher priced and made in far fewer numbers.

    There is a car that contradicts the general trend, though...a 1965 Jaguar Mark II 4-door sedan...now pushing over $20,000...but even here, people want the rarest car with the best options...a 3.8 with wire wheels, LHD and 4-speed trans. A 1965 RHD Mark II with disk wheels and automatic you practically can't give away...1/3 the price for the same year car!
  • jpstaxjpstax Member Posts: 250
    Who the hell said our picks HAD to be two doors? My choices are:

    (1) '98 Lumina LTZ (best looking Lumina EVER)

    (2) '00 Regal GS (best looking of Buick models)

    (3) '00 Mustang Cobra

    (4) '00 Camaro SS

    (5) '00 Chrysler 300M

    Hey "shifty", I take exception to your snobbish comments in Post #242. In my opinion, there ARE some collectible mass-produced sedans. What about the '58 Impala? Some of the '60's Galaxy 500's qualify. How about the Olds sedans from the early '60's, and Buick sedans from the early '70's?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    By sedans I meant 4-door sedans...maybe you're thinking I was talking about coupes or two-door hardtops? American mass produced coupes and hardtops can be collectible if they were performance-oriented.

    Keep in mind that I don't make up the prices and the popularity, the buying/collecting public does--I just follow the market and report what's happening.

    As for the modern cars you mentioned, I could see the Cobra and Camaro SS being collected, but not the others. They are really too common I think, and there's nothing special about them that I can see. At least the Mustang and the SS are somewhat limited in production and have really good performance numbers, two BIG factors in collectibility. Being attractive isn't really enough, or hasn't been in the past anyway.

    But it's fun to speculate.
  • jpstaxjpstax Member Posts: 250
    If you go to the Lumina topic, in the sedans conference, a guy posted that the '98 LTZ's are a rare breed, and hence collectible. When my wife bought her '98 (in July, '97) the salesman told her that Chevy was producing a LIMITED number. Do you have any stats reporting the number made?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I just don't see this as a future collectible car...if you'll notice, all this info is from parties with a strong bias and a financial interest in hyping the value...the salesman and the owner...and they are making the "classic error" of presuming that because a car is rare it will automatically be collectible. There are many, many rare cars that are worth very little.

    I always try to project the idea of "supply and demand" into the future, because supply and demand is what actually dictates collectibility. And I just can't see the demand for 1998 Luminas being higher than the number of cars out there for sale in the future.....more demand than cars =high value/// more cars than demand= low value.

    Can you see people choosing a Lumina over a Camaro SS 20 years from now, what with the magic name of Camaro and the history and myth? What's a Lumina's "heritage"? Who cares about Luminas in the large general population, except as cars you drive, enjoy and dispose of?

    I just don't see it myself.
  • jpstaxjpstax Member Posts: 250
    I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'm making my bold prediction because the '98 Lumina we're talking about is the LTZ model, which has the 3800 engine, which MAY be desireable to collectors. However, the Camaro SS, the LTZ, and other cars may NOT be collectibles at all. The price of gasoline may be $20/gallon in 2020, or it may not be available at all (perish that thought). Collecting classic cars could be a thing of the past. What do you think?
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