££ BUY NOW WITH VALUES SO LOW ££ with Quentin Partridge

[oman5]

Yeah Sod's law dictated that Capri values rocketed the week after I scrapped mine.

[Partridge]

That final Capri going to scrap tipped values over the edge. IT'S YOUR FAULT.

[Guest rebel2cv]

Xsara Picasso gets my vote.

Horrible, unloved like the Ami, tuck one away for a decade and it will be worth its weight in...

I made a joke with a chap I know, swap my 2cv van for his freshly Iimported ami. I hated the look of it in the pics, and when I realised I didn't have time to weld the van, mot loomed and it became mine. Still disliked its face when sat on the drive, so I took the front bumper off. It made a ton of difference, I loved it! Quick and quiet, and the estate meant I could fit all my guitar equipment in! what made more difference was the tow bar that went through the front a couple months later. My bad.

 

As for the Picasso.. A tow bar through the front would prob be an improvement!

[Sigmund Fraud]

I'd like MX5 prices to go up 'cos I've got one, but I don't think it'll happen to any serious degree.  Mazda continue to build them to pretty much the same recipe, so there's going to be no shortage of cheap used roadsters for the foreseeable future.

 

Well, NAs seem to be moving up, albeit very slowly... You can no longer pick up a road legal one for £500, and good ones are moving towards £2K.

 

Autoshite investments suggests : buy a really nice first-generation MX5 for £3K today, and you could easily double your money by 2050 or thereabouts !

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I recon the series 1 McRae And Richard burns imprezas are going to be the mexicos and rs2000s of 10 years time .

 

I have thought this for a long time - I'm certain you're right.

 

I don't think the XJ-S will ever make anything like E-Type money, but I do believe they will rise in value considerably. My XJ40 will never make me rich though...

[Partridge]

I see a time when early XJ-Ss in good nick command upwards of 40k though.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I see a time when early XJ-Ss in good nick command upwards of 40k though.

Definately, with the pre-HE manual XJ-S receiving the highest values.

[cort16]

It seems like the 90's hero's are going up in price hence 16v Astra GTE's, xr3's, 325i and 318is are shooting up in price. It's the generation born in the 80's settling down with a bit of cash in their pockets buying up the stuff they grew up with and desired in the same way folk born in the 60's and 70's have been pushing up the price of hot fords.

I've been on the look out for a Clio Williams as they seem to tick all the boxes but are slightly under the radar even though tidy ones are making decent money. I think the williams relationship and limited numbers will mean they're going to worth some coin in the future. Most of the ones in my price range are dog rough and still knocking on for 2 grand mind you.

[nacho man]

/\ /\ Mine is dog rough and in the garage in one trillion bits which I probably won't be able to put back together, but I bought it off gumtree for 750 I think and it was taxed and tested, we have to get out bargains off the people who don't quite realise there any good, not that mine is a bargain I have probably spent near on a grand already just in bits so by the time it's painted and all that jizz I probably could of got a minter. But I couldn't off afforded a minter. So it's a catch 22 situation.

[Formula Autos]

Using the logic that makes Mk2 Escort RS2000s and the like very pricey these days, we have the following factors:

 

1. They were familiar enough (due to the everyday versions that sold in their hundreds of thousands) that everyone pretty much knew what they were.
2. Rallying heritage, from when motorsport was on terrestrial TV.
3. Your Dad may concievably have had one when you were growing up.
4. There was a dealer in every town, so getting them fixed didn't cost an arm and a leg/ parts weren't hard to come by.
5. Boy racers lusted after them, as they were the top of the Escort tree.
6. The Professionals.

So we need:

 

1. The neo-classic should ideally be from a mainstream brand. Say Ford, Vauxhall, VAG, Rover, or something from the Frenchies.
2. Motorsport on terrestrial TV in recent memory is pretty much confined to the BTCC.
3. Dad ownership brings some premium brands into the mix as well. Combine this with BTCC heritage, and we also have Honda, BMW, Volvo and Audi as contenders.
4. Dealers in every town now equates to shitloads of them still on the roads, meaning cheap parts. Ford, Vauxhall, and Rover are in the lead here. The ubiquity of BMWs, Audis, and (in Scotland, at least) Volvos keeps them in contention. We've lost VAG, and the Frenchies by this point.
5. Boy racer lust keeps most of them in play, but only for the top models in the range. Which gives us: Ford Mondeo STs, Vauxhall Vectras (GSis etc.?), MG ZSs, BMW 3 series, Audi A4s, and Volvo T5s.
6. The reboot of The Professionals was shit. Not a factor here.

So, to rank them in reverse order I would place them as:

 

MG ZS: Limited BTCC heritage, after the glory days of Super Touring. In relation to others on this list, little recognition as a racing car. Also hamstrung by being an MG, and so not quite the same as Dad/Grandad's Rover. MGRover being a defunct marque also makes them slip that bit quicker into obscurity. Close, but no cigar.

 

BMW 3 series: Different generations took part in the BTCC, as well as a mix of coupes and saloons. There's not one identifiable as "the BTCC 3 series", so the racing heritage is diluted a bit. Road cars wer widely regarded, but maybe seen as a bit "high end" for the boy racers to get seriously interested. Also, the BTCC cars weren't always the M3s, which were the top of the tree. Closer, but not likely to become the must-have sporty '90s nostalgia-mobile.

 

Audi A4: Quattro system adds intrigue. One model identifiable as "the BTCC A4". Dad may have had one, if he had a company car. In the '90s though, still seen as a bit 'posh', and not really an everyman make. BTCC pilots not that memorable. Even closer, but we can do better.

 

Volvo 850 T5: Memorable as "the BTCC estate car", as well as "the traffic cop's car". Likely to be many left, particularly north of the border. Dad connections possible, but like the MG, also possible Grandad connections. A seriously handy tool in estate form, and there's a certain novelty in having a fast estate car. Might take a bit of explaining though; how is this a sporty car? Nearly there, if only it had been a more mainstream brand.

 

Vectra: One word: Cleland. A bit of a hero, especially north of the border. A company car favourite in the '90s, so the Dad factor is bound to be strong. It's not quite clear though which model exactly is "the BTCC Vectra"; the V6s? the SRis? the GSIs? Any Vectra with a powerful engine. Plenty of Vauxhall enthusiasts though, who might also have had a Nova or Corsa as their first car. A very strong contender.

 

Mondeo: Some Mansell magic might rub off here, even though he rarely drove them. Still, an F1 World Champion though, eh? Dad factor high, and the STs are identifiably top of the tree. More highly regarded as a drivers car than a Vectra back in the day too. The first car Ka/Fiesta/Escort/Focus factor will also factor heavily here too. I think we have a winner.

 

Other opinions are also available.

[garethj]

Mondeo: Some Mansell magic might rub off here

If Tony Pond couldn't add magic to the Rover, there's no way that inferior-moustached brummie can add some magic to a Mondeo

[Formula Autos]

garethj, on 24 Oct 2014 - 8:06 PM, said:

If Tony Pond couldn't add magic to the Rover, there's no way that inferior-moustached brummie can add some magic to a Mondeo

 

Your average punter is likely to know who Mansell is though, and those around in the '90s are likely to remember watching him racing Mondeos on Grandstand, with Murray Walker's pants-on-fire commentary in the background.

 

Great though he was, not as many people are as familiar with Tony Pond. Your part-time motorsport fan would probably ask "Tony who?".

 

Also, Mondeos are easier to come by than the likes of a 6R4 or a TR7 V8.

 

I also take issue with you seemingly dissing Our Nige's facial adornments. Add in the eyebrows and he also beats the estimable Mr Pond in that particular face-off.

[garethj]

Perhaps, but I know Tony Pond favoured brown slip-on shoes, he's just a cut above the old Red 5.

[I_am_Diesel]

I'm going to stick my head above the parapet here a bit but I think that Mk3 Golf GTi's will start to go up in value in the next few years. They are very unloved at the moment and whilst they will never have the kudos of the Mk1 or Mk2 they might be seen as a cheaper alternative route into the Golf GTi scene. Having owned one in the past, they are not a bad drive but I have to say that I find my Mk2 better.

[anonymous user]

I see a time when early XJ-Ss in good nick command upwards of 40k though.

Trouble is it will be around the same time a loaf of bread does

[Formula Autos]

Not a bad shout, and using the same logic, how about 206 GTis?

 

Not a 205 GTi, but cheaper, and there's maybe some reflected glory.

[Tetleysmooth]

Partridge to the blue forum, please.

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/172354/1997-jaguar-sport-6cyl-peterborough#.VFHwOTSsVmw

[Partridge]

Not a bad shout, and using the same logic, how about 206 GTis?

 

Not a 205 GTi, but cheaper, and there's maybe some reflected glory.

They're shit. Horrible to drive and all round nasty. Then again, that didn't stop the MGB.

[Partridge]

Partridge to the blue forum, please.

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/172354/1997-jaguar-sport-6cyl-peterborough#.VFHwOTSsVmw

I can't go on there, I'm banned. What am I missing?

[John F]

^ A reasonably-priced* Jag.

 

What did you do to get banned? Did it have anything to do with drawing penises?

[Partridge]

Oooh what kind? Ha! Nope, I said that the Rover 800 was "shit".

[Tetleysmooth]

I can't go on there, I'm banned. What am I missing?

You are missing a '97 Jaguar 3.2 Sport with mot until March 2015.

Don't know much about Jag pricing, but it's on offer for £995.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Partridge]

Thanks a lot for going to all that effort Tetleysmooth! Sadly it's the wrong spec (sport) and the wrong engine (3.2) for me.