Investing in cars....

[Ian (WA)]

I'm wondering if anyone is aware of any legitimate way to invest in cars?

I'm thinking of buying a 1975 XB GT (a bogan at heart) and would like to explore all financially beneficial avenues prior to acquisition.

Things like use as a wedding car, promotional vehicle, or whatever else comes to mind.

Before I get shot down inflames by the anti-instant-gratification crusaders here......I have earnt my stripes and invested heavily & significantly over a long period and am very happy to reward myself with a toy before I am too old to drive!!

I'm happy to spend $40K+ on a car that is still appreciating in value as opposed to a $75K commodore that depreciates back to $30K in three years!!

All feedback welcome.

Cheers,

Ian.

 

[willair]

I'm wondering if anyone is aware of any legitimate way to invest in cars?

I'm thinking of buying a 1975 XB GT (a bogan at heart) and would like to explore all financially beneficial avenues prior to acquisition.

Things like use as a wedding car, promotional vehicle, or whatever else comes to mind.

Before I get shot down inflames by the anti-instant-gratification crusaders here......I have earnt my stripes and invested heavily & significantly over a long period and am very happy to reward myself with a toy before I am too old to drive!!

I'm happy to spend $40K+ on a car that is still appreciating in value as opposed to a $75K commodore that depreciates back to $30K in three years!!

All feedback welcome.

Cheers,

Ian.

Do a search on Duncan M,i think he went into the cars a few years ago
after doing very well in the property game,but he has not posted in a long time..willar..

 

[Shaneelastic]

HI,
SMSF can buy cars, but you cant breach teh sole purpose test.
It would need to be rented out, but then a SMSF cant run a business.
Could be classed a collectable??? Cooper review dont like that but.

Could buy it and rent it out with a driver for weddings etc.

Good Idea

 

[the7]

I thought you weren't allowed to drive cars bought in an SMSF..

 

[Aaron Sice]

an XB GT will only be valuable for a few more years.

then the rust bug wil hit them again and you'll be up for a $30k jam job.

buy an old bentley if it's investment.

there's talk in the halls of annual roadworthies in WA like Syd/Melb, and there's talk in the halls in Syd/Melb of the refusal to re-register older cars on standard rego that can't conform to newer pollution regs. only those listed on historic/club/vintage/veteran plates can bypass it and then they're limited driving cars, so the value of such car woudl reduce dramtically.

i've had my time in cars. i'm done. saw the light. over it.

 

[INVSTOR]

I know there are aussie car forums that should help you out more. A friend has a spray painting business and he does up cars and frequents the car forums, can't remember the names of the forums. Went to his wedding a while back, some pics att'd

 

[sfulop]

The only person I know who has done this successfully is my father.

He bought two red VC Brock Commodores in 2002 for approx $40k combined and sold them just after Peter Brock's death for approx $170k-$180k.

Other then that, I've never personally seen a car been used for investment purposes.

 

[Corey Batt]

It's easier to buy some half cuts or total's and do a bog job. A couple of guys at my work have done that on the side for a tidy profit. It is suprisingly cheap to get a typical first car/girls car with a cooked motor, drop in a new one and voila. It is all about finding the margins.

 

[Rolf Latham]

friend of mine just bought a De Tomaso Pantera for a song..............

Certain cars, especially those with global value will likley do very well middle to long term if the economy survives

ta
rolf

 

[DJBarnstar]

My Uncle bought a genuine XY GT for 45K and sold it at the top of the boom for $120K.

I think things like the XB are a good long term, considering how cheap they are at the moment. (And they are awesome)

 

[Simon]

an XB GT will only be valuable for a few more years.

then the rust bug wil hit them again and you'll be up for a $30k jam job.

.

I am not so sure.

About 5 or 6 years ago I went looking at a guys yard in the Hunter Valley who traded in XBs as a business. Coupes and Utes from memory. I marvelled that just old shells were going for $6K plus. But we know that they are worth so much more today.

The vendors real money making spin was rebuilding them as Mad Max Interceptors and shipping them to the states where they sold for a ridiculous amount.

Since then I have seen prices for most muscle cars skyrocket as the Baby Boomers bought those icons from their youth.

 

[VYBerlinaV8]

I'd be more inclined to buy the base vehicles that can be upgraded into the real muscle lookalikes. Eg, get a mid 70's Holden Sunbird - same body as the V8 Torana, but much less body stress as it was fitted with a 4 cyl. Or, find a nice straight 6cyl Kingswood. Both can be found for only a few thousand bucks with bodies in good nick. Engines are cheap and easy to replace, and other mechanicals likewise. Just watch out for rust.

 

[topcropper]

The vendors real money making spin was rebuilding them as Mad Max Interceptors and shipping them to the states where they sold for a ridiculous amount.

.

That's amazing! I had no idea mad max interceptors were in demand overseas?

So I did some googling,......



http://www.aussiecoupes.com/max.html

See ya's.

 

[Ausprop]

Since then I have seen prices for most muscle cars skyrocket as the Baby Boomers bought those icons from their youth.

can we expect prices to fall as the boomers die off? i wonder what new cars of today will be future collectables? or early 90's cars. I had a 200SX and regret selling it now

 

[Aaron Sice]

The only person I know who has done this successfully is my father.

He bought two red VC Brock Commodores in 2002 for approx $40k combined and sold them just after Peter Brock's death for approx $170k-$180k.

Other then that, I've never personally seen a car been used for investment purposes.

i was the first official on the scene of that crash.

it was awful - the people that helped got pretty much zero recognition or help for their efforts.

 

[Dazz]

Some of my ex-Tenants used to buy wrecks for $ 50.00 and do them up. Strip the motor down in the lounge room, rub down the panels in the kitchen and store an array of spare wheels and mags in the main bedroom. Bog 'em and flog 'em for $ 500.00 about 2 weeks later. They thought they were onto a real winner. They were losers.

Never had enough to pay any rent mind you.

When they finally buggered off leaving 6 weeks unpaid rent and 17 trailer loads of garbage for the wife and I to clean up for free, I realised they also didn't have enough money to pay their supplier of left hand tobacco.

The suppliers eventually paid a little visit in their XA Falcon one day, smoke belching out like something out of a John Candy movie. Talk of cracking spines in lieu of payment had me in joyous overtones. I told 'em to get at the back of the queue, the Landlord comes first.

No such thing as investing in cars....certainly nothing that could be taken seriously.

 

[peastman]

i wonder what new cars of today will be future collectables? or early 90's cars.

Chrysler 300C SRT8 has all the makings of a future classic. Still a bit early to buy one yet as they are still depreciating, but I reckon another decade or so and they will be very cheap and then start to increase.

Others to consider would be Mercedes CLS and a bit more expensive Bentley Continental GT.

Subaru WRX also worth considering.

 

[units4me]

I have a huge old 4wd that i think may be a collector one day. It's a 1981 Ford Bronco XLT 351 V8, two tone, bought for around $7000, 4 years ago. I noticed that the advertised prices for these are slowly rising. Bronco's particularly have a strong following, as do all of Ford's F series.

I don't expect to make much, if anything on it though. I just always loved the Ford Broncos as a kid.

Great car for the weekends, very practical for BMX bikes, beach gear etc. Very practical.
In merging traffic, EVERYONE lets you in.

Not so practical is the 34 L/100kms.

Love it though.

Same engine as your mate's DeTomaso Pantera too Rolf.

 

[Shaneelastic]

What do people think of say an 83-86 Corvette.

The 70's Stingrays are collectors cars I believe, any hope for the 83-86 models.

I note that the production run was relativley larger in the 80s

 

[Ridin-High]

I would say invest in it for happyness rather then benjamins.

Those 80's corvetts look pretty trick