[billybob_jcv]

I can appreciate the classic cars from both sides of the pond for what they are. One of our rural neighbors had a mid-60s Riviera GS - I remember piling into the back as a kid when our families car-pooled us kids to school in town. One of the biggest and oldest car dealers in our small town was a Buick dealer, and the Riviera was a VERY popular car in my town. Most of the ones I remember were a little later style, like these:

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

I can appreciate the classic cars from both sides of the pond for what they are. One of our rural neighbors had a mid-60s Riviera GS - I remember piling into the back as a kid when our families car-pooled us kids to school in town. One of the biggest and oldest car dealers in our small town was a Buick dealer, and the Riviera was a VERY popular car in my town. Most of the ones I remember were a little later style, like these:

Yikes, not a fan of the back-end treatment of that later Riviera. The earlier one MM posted is much nicer looking to me.

 

[Magick Man]

They tried to capture a little of the `vette feel in that later Riviera, and I like it, but the rest is just too massive for me. I'm not a fan of the big barges (unless it's a Roller or Bentley).

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That reporter guy got back with me, after 2 months, and wants to drive the cars. That's cool, we went over some details, but it fell apart when I mentioned liability. I told him the newspaper would have to sign that they're liable if any of the cars are damaged, and he then said it wasn't a review for the `paper (huh?!?), now he claims it's for some independent article. Okay. Well, that may be, but he'd still need to have insurance that covers him and my cars, and sign an agreement. He gets annoyed. I inform him that I only have liability on my cars, and only for my wife and I, the rest is 100% self-insured (it's smart, I put the money that I would pay in collision/comp into low-risk securities, then I can pay out of it if I ever need it). The whole time he acts like he's trying to do me some type of favor, "it's publicity for your cars". LOL! Should I get them an agent? Are they going to go out and make money for me? From the get-go I told him that I don't even want to be mentioned in the articles. PPFFFTTT!! Ultimately, I put my foot down and said no insurance, no drive. Then he hung up on me. You see? This is more of that sense of entitlement crap, believing that he has some right to do what he wants with no strings. I'd blame Chris Harris and Matt Farah , but what people don't know is they have $1M policies backing them up.

In other news, I'm buying three investment cars; a minty `71 Euro-spec 246 GT (w/ factory leather), a `71 365 GTC/4, and a "mongrel" `70 Fiat Dino spider. Then, once the DB6 is ready, the same guy that I'm buying those cars from, is buying it from me. In case you're wondering, what I mean by mongrel is that none of it is original except for the frame and body panels. In fact, it doesn't even have its Ferrari/Fiat 2.4L, what's in there now is an Alfa 2.8L (enlarged from a 2.5). It's a looker, but not worth very much. The restoration on it must have been a labor of love, because it sure wasn't for financial gain.

 

[Achmedisdead]

You're not keeping the DB6? 

 

[Magick Man]

You're not keeping the DB6? 

No, I can flip it and almost double my investment (which is what it was to be in the first place).

 

[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

No, I can flip it and almost double my investment (which is what it was to be in the first place).

Well, I can't argue with the business aspect of it, but if it was me, I'd have a hard time letting it go. I got chills during "Skyfall" when they hopped into the vintage Aston and the old style Bond them music started playing. 

 

[billybob_jcv]

I think it's a good trade. They are just cars, and the best way to be a collector is to be willing to make deals. Otherwise you are not a collector, you are just an accumulator. (An accumulator is just a horder without the dead cats and the old soup cans) If you have the discipline to both buy and sell in any hobby, you can have much more fun. Personally, I don't have that discipline - I'm an accumulator limited only by having a limited amount of money to spend. I rarely sell or trade anything - even when it is obviously the right thing to do - unless I have to. The only reason I ever sold my old cars was because I couldn't afford to keep them and buy a new one. And I regret nearly every one of those sales...

 

[proton007]

Quote:

I think it's a good trade. They are just cars, and the best way to be a collector is to be willing to make deals. Otherwise you are not a collector, you are just an accumulator. (An accumulator is just a horder without the dead cats and the old soup cans) If you have the discipline to both buy and sell in any hobby, you can have much more fun. 

I think most cars that are traded ultimately end up with collectors. There will be a point when a car becomes too valuable to trade.

 

[Magick Man]

I think most cars that are traded ultimately end up with collectors. There will be a point when a car becomes too valuable to trade.

That 250 SWB California that sold two years ago for $18M (not the one Chris Evans bought) has already changed hands twice since then; once in a trade for a herd of lesser Italians, and after that in a cash purchase for an undisclosed amount. At the very top end the price increases are unsustainable, people know that, but the fat cats are playing a game of musical chairs until the bubble bursts, like it did with muscle cars a few years ago. The difference here is that exotic Italians and Brits (and some Germans) have a more broad appeal and exist in fewer numbers. So I guess "burst" isn't what will likely happen, more like gradually deflate. Which is a good thing, it's a shame that so many cars just sit in locked garages and no one else gets to see them.

That GTC/4 I'm getting is "only" worth ~$100k (140 after I have it fixed up a little), even though it's only one of 184 made that year, and 505 in all. Ironically, it's almost identical to the 365 GTB/4 Daytona mechanically, and there were nearly 1000 more Daytonas built, yet the GTC/4 is worth less than half as much. I expect all of the "off number" stallions will appreciate substantially in the next couple years, except for the remarkably hideous 400.


I'm sort of tracking a Miura S right now, the seller wants to sell it but it's a mechanical problem child and he can't afford to get it to 100%. I told him we maybe can work something out.

 

[billybob_jcv]

I think most cars that are traded ultimately end up with collectors. There will be a point when a car becomes too valuable to trade.

Except a Prius. Those will never be too valuable to trade. The problem will be that no one will want them. They will be the old floral pattern couches of the car world - you will see one rotting in every empty lot.

Maybe Jay Leno will help you fix-up the Miura...
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/cars/lamborghini/1969-lamborghini-miura-s/#item=84574

 

[Magick Man]

Leno's garage charges $500 /hr. :eek: It's not that bad, really, electrical and mechanical. The problem is, an engine rebuild is 10k in parts alone. Totally worth it, but how long would I have one of my guys stuck on it? It's a mystery.


Whoa, just got an email with this, looks great too. Might be a cool project.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Ouch. That's why most insurance companies don't want to mess with supercars!

Didn't someone recently ask about what happens when a monocoque construction car gets in a wreck? I guess you would find out...

 

[Magick Man]

The monocoque is intact, and mechanically the engine is sound. 75% of it is cosmetic, and the rest is radiators, suspension, and brakes. I'm not sure what it'll cost, they claim it costs 170k to repair and is sold on a salvage title, but I'm going to bid.

 

[proton007]

Quote:

Didn't someone recently ask about what happens when a monocoque construction car gets in a wreck? I guess you would find out...

I think the monocoque is usually the core:
 

 
The car seems to be damaged only on the outside.

 

[proton007]

Quote:

Except a Prius. Those will never be too valuable to trade. The problem will be that no one will want them. They will be the old floral pattern couches of the car world - you will see one rotting in every empty lot.

 
I think that's the case with most economy/daily cars. Still, the amount of Lithium in those batteries may be valuable in a few years. The same can be said for Tesla.