Why Classic Cars ARE a Good Investment

An article over at claimsJournal.com states, ‘Why Classic Cars Are Almost Never a Good Investment.’

Hmmm, step back, calm down and let’s look at this in an analytical way.
Firstly, the title of the post does say ‘Almost Never,’ implying there are some cases when it would be a good investment, but let’s look at the different arguments to what stands up.

Is this an investment, Show Car or Driver?
The article’s example of the 1972 Ferrari 365 being worth $160,000 in 2008 and is now worth $450,000, is only a very small part of the automotive industry along with muscle cars and what you see at auction is only the best of the best.

It is true that the vintage car market and the muscle car market is only a small fraction of cars in general and top prices do go to the rarest cars, but like any vintage vehicle, they can range from a hobbyists project to an investment piece, depending on what you want to use the car for.
If the article was just about investment vehicles, the caveats of the post wouldn’t say that these vintage vehicles tend to stall, run hot and are slow and saggy. This implies that they will also be drivers, not just an investment or show car which is probably only driven a few times a year and is properly owned by somebody who has the financial resources to keep a vintage car in top shape.
Usually, a vehicle that does suffer constant problems is one that isn’t in the best shape, so is technically not classed as an investment or show car. It is usually driven regularly and is a hobby for its owner. The car being an investment piece is probably lower down the list.

All vintage cars are a product of their mechanical and engineering era.
It is across the board that all vintage cars do need more TLC than modern cars, it is a fact that is openly stated by every vintage car seller and buyer and you should be made well aware of this when you do take on any type of vintage car. It is arguably one of the reasons why people buy them, so they can get hands-on with the car regularly, even if they do break down regularly!
If the caveats are they are mechanically unsound and you just want reliability, just buy a modern car after the early 90s. I would even go out on a limb and say if it is pure reliability you want and nothing else, buy a Toyota after the mid-90s. For reliability, fantastic. As an investment car, no. Too much of a bread-and-butter make.

Only German or Italian???
‘Avoid anything manufactured by the Americans or the Brits.’
The post says go for a Porsche or Ferrari as their limited numbers means that when the market goes up, the prices of these vehicles go up accordingly.
The recommendation is to buy from the 80s and the 90s with the example of the 1989 Lamborghini Countach.
Then the post states, ‘get as many as you can afford.’ ( they must have deeper pockets than the rest of us!)

Firstly, if you ignore any car that is built in the US or Britain you are cutting yourself off from a massive part of the car market and examples that could potentially bring you years of joy.
If you follow this advice, you will be cutting yourself off from all the great cars that led up to the muscle car era and beyond which can be easily worked on.
Whatever your views of British cars, there are standout examples from over the decades. You can’t simply ignore 50 odd years of car making from a country. It doesn’t make sense.

The love of any vintage vehicle can be a very personal thing and somebody’s favorite can be based on nothing more than a childhood liking of the car and it doesn’t matter what everybody else thinks about that vehicle.
This makes it priceless to the owner, so investment wise, this is the best choice for that person.

Porsche, Ferrari, no matter what the make or model and the country of manufacture, all old cars need TLC and even two cars made in the same year with the same mileage can be completely different. So it is about judging each car on its individual merits, rather than recommending only cars from a certain country.

The example of the 1989 Lamborghini Countach as a possible vintage car investment, may be called as an investment, but this is also down to personal choice.
The Lamborghini Countach was the bedroom poster of its time, but in reality it was a shocking car to drive and handle, no rear side view and possibly one of the most uncomfortable cars to get in and out of. Great to look at, terrible to maintain and drive and I was told that from a Lamborghini Countach owner. They are renowned for their problems and you will us to evaluate each one on its own terms, which makes the Countach the same as any other vintage vehicle from anywhere else.

So the conclusion is if you want to invest in a vintage vehicle, do so and hopefully a golden era muscle car, but do so with the knowledge of what you are buying and that the vehicle will need work to maintain the car. Its like buying an old valve hi-fi or amp, they need so much more maintaining, but the sound you get is worth the effort.
As long as you do thorough research and you buy the car of your dreams, that will be the best investment for you, which is not just a financial investment or the worry of the odd cough and splutter.

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