Classic owners' attitudes

I mostly agree with what he says. When I got my P6 I was first looking at Jags, something like the 240 etc. Rust buckets were daft money. So I got a P6 as I had them before and loved the way they drive. Best thing I did. :)
 
I agree they ought to be used, which is why I'm using my 3500 as my everyday car.

However, I don't think the values being/getting higher is always a bad thing. At the moment, P6s are still available fairly cheaply, so you see a lot of them being broken or scrapped. I'd rather see higher values, meaning more cars being viable to save.

If you look at the VW camper world, almost anything pre 1967 in the UK is a viable restoration project.

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:shock:
 
Hasn't this always been the way? :?
The article doesn't address is the introduction of newer cars to the classic scene.
This is how the chain evolves IMO, the cars just change as they age :wink:
The MK1 Fiesta/Astra example is todays 'My Grandad had one of those' now belonging to the 'I can drive this daily and renovate it' early 20s owner now :)
Who'd of thought that some of the stuff we see now at Classic shows would really be there? :)
 
I don't totally agree with him. The market governs the price of the vehicles, not the owners, if people want these vehicles then they have to pay the going rate, simple as that, I can't just stick a £10000 price tag on a rotten P6 and expect to get it, everybody would just laugh at me. The rise of ebay has given us a great way to gauge the value of vehicles, they sell for what people will pay for them, simple.

I think he needs to grow up a bit and realise that just because he wants to buy a classic for £50 doesn't mean he can ! And suggesting that a daily driven car should be worth more than a perfect garaged example is just stupid, if you want to buy a perfect example then you're going to have to pay a premium, or buy the daily driver and spend a fortune having it restored.

I do hate people that try to impose their ideas on others, if you want to buy one and store it in the garage, then that's up to you, if you want to drive the wheels off it then great I'd love to see it on the road, if you want to cut it up and make a hot rod, then great again, it's totally up to you, it's YOUR CAR !! If you don't like it, try bird watching instead ! :LOL:
 
I do take issue with a few things he says. "Classics are not rare." Um, most old cars are getting rarer by the day sadly and it is often the more mundane high production vehicles that disappear the fastest. When was the last time you saw a mk3 Cortina or FD Victor on the road? And the rarity has to have an effect on value. Prices on some vehicles have risen drastically in the last few years but in my experience, it isn't the older classic owner asking the big bucks. They are usually a bit more realistic. The ones wanting serious money are the younger generation who have just scored grandads Morris Marina and think it must be worth 8 grand 'cos they've never seen one before.
I am a big fan of using classics as everyday transport but if you found a 40 yr old car in mint condition with only 1000mls on the clock, would it be irresponsible to start slapping another 300mls a week on it for the daily commute?
Also, if I had the time, money and inclination to do an all out concours resto, I don't think I could bring myself to subject it the local supermarket carpark.
Classic cars are a piece of history and each one has a unique story.
To a large degree, the prices of classics are set by the buyer, not the seller. People wouldn't ask 10 grand for a rusty mk2 Jag if there wasn't a reasonable queue of of folks prepared to pay for it. If the car genuinely isn't worth what the seller is asking, the either it won't sell or the price will come down. It's that simple. Whining about the high prices won't help.
 
Today I parked my 3500 in the Morrisons parking lot next to a mint beige Metro City with a Manchester University parking permit expiring Sept. 1987 in the windscreen. The problem with the classic car movement is that I was the only one in the lot who realized that he is looking at a classic.
 
I can never understand these people who demand that everything is 'there way' but then I am from the Baby Boomer generation who know that I need to work for what I have.

Subsequent generations seem to think more and more that they should have anything and everything they want on a plate.

No disrespect to any Gen X or Gen Ys out there, just seems to be the way this world is going.
 
I can't complain. I live with the knowledge that I drive the most affordable classic V8 saloon in existence and for rarity, I haven't spotted another one since I drive it.
 
I sort of agree with both sides of the argument. Classic cars by definition will get rarer. They aren't making them any more. And those ones with very low miles on the clock do deserve some coddling. But I HATE trailer queens. cars that get towed on a flat bed to a show and have never had their engines even turned over. Apart from the fact that not using a car is the best way to ruin it. The owners are missing the point.

I have a unusual car for here in the States (68 2000TC) but I use it. Well I did until I hit a tree with it. But I will be using it again shortly when I have it back on the road. I love that car, when it was damaged I thought I had lost something I had spent 5 years turning back into a running, reliable fun classic car and that was devastating.

I would dream about driving it on bad days at work. In fact if I had a really bad day I would come home, pull it out of the garage and go for a spin. I know that I will never ever make money on the work I've put into it. But 'Rolly' is part of our family. He's calmed me down after bad days with the way we drives and the ambiance of the cabin. The pleasure I get from starting him for the first time after a rebuild, of the way I nearly headbutted the windscreen after rebuilding the brakes. Worth every penny.

I couldn't afford a Jag MkII or more expensive cars. But after having this P6 I don't care. He's priceless to me and if I ever sold him I know I would only get around $4k for him. I know the value of these cars is their ownership. Thats the point of them. If you want a classic for investment, go buy a shelby. If you love cars for what they mean to you, go buy what ever you love.

Okay, long ramble over,

Steven
 
i think i could have a good argument with the article writer!
i agree with the webmaster and others in that its your choice to pay what you want or try to sell for what you want.
you may not get either but you have to go with market demands! unless you get lucky!
talking of choices, i'd rather have a moggie van than a ferrari!
any ferrari!
i might be mad but thats me!
so basically if people want something they'll pay for it if they can but if not then don't have it!
 
8866nk said:
so basically if people want something they'll pay for it if they can but if not then don't have it!
Click to expand...

So true.

I do think that one reason the P6 price may not reflect it's quality as a usable classic is that ( correct me if I'm wrong) but a lot have survived. Ok there are many more VW, MG's and mini's about but they made vast more numbers. So many times on this forum people pull a P6 out of a shed, do a bit of welding sort the engine and it's back on the road as an every day car. So many other makes left for the same time would need years of work.

Have to say I've noticed in the last few months prices going up a little. :)
 
I do agree with the comment he makes about roping of cars at shows. When a small child seems fascinated in my Morris 8 I always encourage them to get nearer. Often you'll hear a parent saying, "don't touch the car darling", but in my expereince letting the kid sit in the car, work the semaphores, etc is well worth it - they get interested - sometimes start to ask questions and may be, may be the odd one may be intersted to do more in future. The parents seem to appreciate someone who takes the time to involve their children too
 
Case in point about the value of classic cars.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AUSTIN-HEALEY-SPRITE-RED-/330467316756?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4cf1631414

This is essentially a pile of components that once put together might not even be roadworthy. Of course there are some people with money burning holes in their pockets who have always wanted one of these so no doubt it will sell......and good luck to whomever buys it. I wouldn't dream of spending that amount of money on a bunch of spares!

Dave
 
A brand new bodyshell -well it was brand new 14 years ago !
Suppose you can't blame him for trying ...............
 
It's hard to say from the photos whether that shell has ever actually seen the road, those shells are over £5k new, so it could actually be a bargain ! :LOL:
 
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