[QUOTE]Originally posted by LATEOTT
[B][QUOTE]Originally posted by Prolene
[b][QUOTE]Originally posted by LATEOTT
[B]-Thousands of dollars spent on new rims/tires and exhaust modifications, owner not having enough money for gas and insurance, and having to drive less.

Kind of amusing...

 

Greg This weeks "Dream Car Garage" showed a perfect STOCK 69 Z28 (which in 69 was THE package to have if you had a Camaro) in competition orange with the black hood stripes. Original everything. The guy who does the show offered 40 grand for it and the owner turned him down. The host of the show said it was easily a 40 to 50 grand car and on of the nicest he had ever seen. Don't believe me watch dream car garage on speedvision.

I am not a cop. I said I was in Law enforcement. I don't give out tickets. What it does do for me is get me out of a lot of speeding tickets because of professional courtesy for the last 23 years. When cops stop me they say "please slow down sir" because I have a gold badge. So what that means is that I can pick nice isolated roads to run my "garage queen" pretty much as fast as I want (provided I am not stupid about it) and not have to worry about tickets, points, raised insurance rates, etc... (eat your hearts out)

Also a nice fringe benefitt is that I have been able to go to the EVOC school (Emergency Vehicle Operations Course) and run the hell out of some pursuit Crown Vics which will surprise you at how well a big car can handle when pushed hard. Comes in handy for autocrossing. Of course since I was assigned my own unmarked Crown Vic interceptor for work I did not need to have my own work car. This ensured my "Garage Queen" stayed nice.

So for those who didn't know sh1t about me and wanted to be wise a$$es that is the REAL story. That's all you are going to get from me about it to. Do cops give other law enforcement people breaks? You bet your A$$ they do. Just like Doctors get away with killing people and another Doctor won't testify against them and judges give other judges breaks. That being said if I hurt someone, or if I was DWI they would arrest me like anyone else but just for "responsible speeding" it is no harm no foul.

I probably have driven faster on the street for the past 23 years (completely accident and incident free) than most people here. I am certain I have more High Speed driving experience than most people here both for my job and for my pleasure. Every job has it's perks.

 

[QUOTE]Not trying to belabor the point, but I just wanted to annoy Bieg a little more.

 

Bieg,

Just a quick note:
If your numbers are correct and the $3500 1969 Z28 is now worth $50,000, that works out to 8.6% annual return.

If others are correct that the car is now worth $35,000, that works out to a 7.4% annual return.

In either case, an index fund in the stock market averages 11% annual return, and bond funds average about an 8% return. I suspect that this 1969 Camaro example is the best case scenario (are 1968 or 1970 Camaros worth anything?). Using cars as an investment vehicle is NOT the way to make money.

This analysis does not include the costs of storing and caring for the vehicle. Will you need a larger garage? Do you need to replace rubber seals, gaskets or bushings? Do you need to wax and polish the car? In my neighborhood, the entire profit would have been eaten up to buy the larger garage.

And what happens if there is a fire, earthquake, or other act of God that destroys the car before it becomes a classic? How much would the insurance company have given in you in 1977 for a 1969 Camaro burned up in a house fire? $500?

As someone already pointed out, only a fool would collect late model cars as an investment for the future. Collect them (modified or unmodified) because you enjoy them.

 

Of course you enjoy them. Do you think the guy who held onto his original camaro z28 did not enjoy his car all those years. It was his baby, his toy, his pride & joy, his Sunday driver. That is the nice thing about cars.

Now I never said to buy the S2000 on speculation and to put it on blocks for 25 years. I intend to keep and enjoy mine for the rest of my days because I love it so much and it is a very special car. I DO believe it is special enough that in 25 years it will be a collector's car. It has all of the traits of one. Hand built, limited edition, anniversary model, very desireable today and so it will probably be in the future. You know what a good indicator is? If kids go wow or give you the thumbs up when they see it. They are the collectors of the future and they buy the cars they desired when they were kids.

 

Sometimes i feel like i'd like two S2000's, one to polish and admire and keep in pristine condition for later, and one to mod to my hearts content and drive the living daylights out of. As my bank account won't allow that it'll have to be a compromise between the two.

[grey]--------------------------o0o---------------------------[/grey]

[grey]2000 S2000 - 1998 VFR800 - 2000 Atos[/grey]

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bieg


You know what a good indicator is?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Unicron
[B]Wheels

I hate the stock silver wheels...had to put some 18's on it.
I don't like how the stock tires wear out so fast and have skinny ass water chanels.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by gregstevens
[B]Strike, I was going to point that out, but I didn

 

I meant Spike, I know the difference...my brain does anyway, my fingers...that's another story.



sorry...