QOTD: Place Your Bets?

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

It’s the dream of us all, isn’t it? Knowing tomorrow’s lottery numbers. Correctly predicting the long-shot Super Bowl winner before putting down a big bet in Vegas. I don’t know about you, but as a gearhead I harbor similar fantasies about the Next Big Thing in collector cars.

The collector car market has waned somewhat from the breathless heights of 10 years ago. Sure, there are still pockets of crazy money — witness Hemi ‘Cudas that can still trade for outrageous sums, not to mention air-cooled Porsches and Pebble Beach with their Holy Grail Ferraris hammering away for many tens of millions of dollars.

The market is certainly seeing a massive rise in sales prices of Fox-body Mustangs. At Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale this year, a relatively plain-jane 1989 Mustang LX Hatchback with 638 actual miles sold for a whopping $71,500. It’s original selling price 28 years ago was about $25,000 in inflation-adjusted dollars. A 1990 Mustang LX Convertible, originally created for an ill-fated 7-Up promotion, hammered away to its new owner for a jaw-dropping $82,500. While it’s true this particular example still had plastic on the seats and included rare promotional 7-Up material, a near six-figure price for a Fox-body Mustang is nothing short of flabbergasting.

Absent of specific examples, I also think the Integra Type-R and A80 Supra (twin-turbo, natch) will rise sharply in value over the next few years. Why? Well, some folks who lusted after these cars as teenagers are now of the age and financial position to spend some of their discretionary income. Let’s not discount the Playstation/Xbox phenomenon, which gave rise to a generation of gamers who longed achingly for a Nissan Skyline, despite only having seen one in pixelated form.

This gearhead heartily endorses the idea of sinking one’s retirement fund into a collector car. After all, if one buys the right vehicle, it’s entirely possible to sell it for a similar rate of return 10 years down the road. At that time, one will not only enjoy the extra money, but they’ll also have had a collector car in which to cruise for a decade. Plus, it’s awfully difficult to do a smoky burnout with a bank statement. Decisions such as these are why my accountant mercilessly yells at me on a regular basis, so I implore readers not to take any of the financial advice being dispensed here.

It’s tough to predict the future — ask any meteorologist — but we’re smarter than the average bear here at TTAC, right? What do you think will be the next car to skyrocket in value on the collector’s market?

[Image: © 2017 Matthew Guy]

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • Jimmy7 Jimmy7 on Mar 07, 2017

    H2 Hummers. Seeing fewer on the streets these days; I suspect they're going overseas. If the vehicle was a popular toy, somebody is going to want a full-size when they grow up.

  • Erikstrawn Erikstrawn on Mar 07, 2017

    We tend to overlook what is going to be valuable because we look at some cars and think, "Who wants that old crap?" The trick is to find stuff that's "old crap" now, but will be desirable in the future. 1st and 2nd gen RX-7s have been rock-bottom priced for a long time. I see them going up, but I've been imagining that for a long time. Anybody need to buy some 12A parts? Chrysler 300s/Dodge Magnums with V8 power. Right now they look outdated and they have a bad reputation for quality, but remember how we felt about Mopar muscle in the early '80s? Nobody wanted a Duster back then. Lotus Elise/Exige. They've never been what I consider cheap, but on track they hold their own against most anything being produced now, and a decent Elise can be had for under $25k. Parts-wise I think small-block Chevy motors are where flathead Ford motors were in the '60s. Everybody's throwing them away and in a decade or so the resto crowd will be paying decent money for them.

    • Tylanner Tylanner on Mar 07, 2017

      I was surprised to see a one-owner, low mile 12A for $5500 here in NJ. It is interesting how the classic Datsuns are ballooning while the 12As are in the trash...you have to concede that a 79 Rx-7 is homely looking but is it that bad?

  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
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