One of the best investments you could have ever made...

[True Dough]

If you'd kept it in mint condition. Fascinating story by MarketWatch.

Anybody here have one?

What makes a car a classic? A unique cultural formula of factors, according to vehicle valuation specialists at market research group Black Book — and if they all come together the right way, you could be making big bucks selling vehicles that were once commonplace. There’s just one catch. Well, two. It would be better if you bought it in, say, 1971. And it really helps if the car in question is still in mint condition.

Some cars once sold for the manufacturer’s relatively affordable suggested retail prices have years later been marked up thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of percent. The 1971 Plymouth Barracuda, for example, was once purchased for an asking price of $4,296 and is now worth $2.5 million — a 58,000% increase in value over time.

Once purchased for just $7,500, the 1967 Shelby Cobra has increased 17,000% to $1.3 million. Other models are also raking in cash in auctions around the country, the list shows, including the Cadillac Eldorado, Chevy Corvette, Pontiac Bonneville, Ford Thunderbird, and Ford Mustang GT.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-car-from-your-childhood-has-increased-in-value-by-58000-2017-03-22

[Historic NY]

1. Its the elusive 426/425hp convertible Hemi version they only made 11 of them....

in 71. The article apparently forgets to mention it. Only 2-4 speed trans. exist one with it original engine.

[Major Nikon]

4. The cars that fetch 7 figures are extremely rare

You would need to be not only lucky enough to buy the right one, but have the means to keep it relatively pristine.

By comparison a $1,650 investment in Wal-Mart's IPO would be worth 8 figures today.

[True Dough]

5. Great to have a true aficianado

here among us. Thanks for that background info!

[Major Nikon]

2. A few years ago a Hemi Cuda convertible hit $3.5 million

I had a 72 Charger at one time, but I don't miss it much. In retrospect I should have gotten a Cuda. Many years ago I almost talked a guy into trading his Hemi Coronet hardtop, which wasn't running at the time, for my Charger. I wish I had been more persuasive.

[longship]

3. Hell hath no Fury like a Plymouth.

Price a 1955 Mercedes 300SL gullwing coupe some day.
This one sold for $4.6 million.
http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-global/dims3/GLOB/legacy_thumbnail/750x422/quality/95/

Or a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTL Lusso (absolutely gorgeous):

[DFW]

6. I had 500 shares of Apple bought in 1998 for $38 each

After splits, those shares would now have been 14000 shares worth around $140 each. Except the idiot Republican brokerage watching over what investments I had back in the States sold them when they were 2000 shares, before they split 7 to 1, and below $200 a share because they thought Apple was "in trouble."

The $19000 invested in 1998 would have been worth $1.96 million today.

[mnhtnbb]

7. I looked at buying Apple for $27. right about that time.

Decided it was too dependent upon Steve Jobs and passed.

You know how much I regret it.

[DFW]

8. Oh, yes I do!

At least I netted a low six figure sum after taxes (helped pay for a certain daughter's law school), but it still doesn't compensate the million (after taxes!) I would have if I hadn't let them act on their own stupid advice.

[mnhtnbb]

13. I got out of my way on eBay

a little later. Loved the site. Used it all the time. Thought about Peter Lynch and his advice...and did collect some $$ from that investment.

[WinkyDink]

19. I still have my now-12 shares of Amazon from way back! I had the vision but not the cash!

[logosoco]

9. I had a 69 Baracuda coupe. I bought it around 1986

for $600! I think it had been in a flood at some point. In early 1991 the frame busted from rust! The brakes never worked very well, but I really loved that car!

My husband, before I met him had a Super Bee (71?). Wrecked it coming home from a bar. That car would have been worth so much today!

I look at the cars we have now and I just can't see them being collectors items (although they are old fine cars!)

[WinkyDink]

10. "Once purchased for just $7,500, the 1967 Shelby Cobra..." In 1967, average INCOME was $7,300!! SEE:

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1967.html


Cost of Living 1967
How Much things cost in 1967

Yearly Inflation Rate USA 2.78%
Yearly Inflation Rate UK 2.7%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 905
Average Cost of new house $14,250.00
Average Income per year $7,300.00
Average Monthly Rent $125.00
Gas per Gallon 33 cents
Average Cost of a new car $2,750.00
Movie Ticket $1.25
Polaroid Camera History$50.00
Parker Pen Set $11.95
The Federal Minimum Wage is increased to $1.40 an hour

[True Dough]

11. Yes, context is everything

It was a major investment back in the day to buy one of those cars.

[WinkyDink]

16. I got out of college in 1971, and my starting salary as a teacher was $6,700!

[True Dough]

17. At least you didn't

start cooking meth! (Breaking Bad reference there, if you weren't a fan of the show).

Teacher are chronically underpaid!

[WinkyDink]

18. Haha! No, no HBO. I was never good with chemistry, anyway. ;-)

[True Dough]

20. You and me both!

I grasped biology well enough. Physics was a struggle for me. Chemistry I chose to avoid. I only needed to take two sciences in high school so I stayed away from chemistry.

[KatyMan]

12. I can't pronounce Baccarruda...

[Tikki]

14. They look pretty as hell in the drive way...but please don't drive them..

They are toxic spewing dinosaurs that suck up gasoline and have little place on the road.



Tikki
I do believe that most owners of these kind of cars drive them as Sunday drive arounds.

[benld74]

15. Friend of mine had one back in mid '70's

Unfortunately he liked his beer too much

Fortunately, both he and girlfriend at the time walked away from
a horrific accident.

He and she are still around, but not with each other

[OriginalGeek]

21. One of my friends in high school had a 71 'Cuda hard top

Loved riding around in that car. He traded in his 68 Cougar Eliminator for it. He was a car guy and did all kinds of stuff with his cars. I bet he wishes he still had it. Like I wish I still had my '68 Firebird.

But my grandpa does still have his 1965 Pontiac LeMans. He bought it new and will leave it to me. I go over and start it up a couple times a month to keep the juices flowing. If it's not raining I'll take it around the block now and again but I need to replace the seals around the front and back windows. They're 52 years old now and leak a little.

It's hard for him to get in and out of it any more so I do that for him. But he's kept it up pretty nicely - I took this pic a couple years ago: