The end of classic cars??

Lads

Are we entering an era where we will see the end of classic cars?
It's hard to envisage current modern cars been collectible in the future. And there are a few reasons for that

Too much electronics. Stuff needs to be coded. It's hard to see anything past an e46 or e39 been collectible in a few years. Like surely the e90 and e60 won't be collectible in a few years time?? Maybe the m cars might be?

Which gets me on to the next point. I have been scouring everywhere for a replacement for the e34. E30/36/39 M cars are practically out for the average joe soap. Even the standard versions are few and far between and when they do come up lads are looking for big money. And cars are only getting rustier with age not better!

So what are we supposed to do going forward? Is it time to get out of the classic car/enthusiast game and just buy a nice modern BMW change it a few years latter and start all over again?

Would love to hear people's opinions and thoughts on this

I think it's a fair point Eamo, but I can't see an end to classic cars.

Apart from investors, most classic car ownership is driven by nostalgia. There are 15 year olds now lusting after the current Porsche 911, M4 , 1m, and M2 that will finally get their hands on one when they are 40 years of age. The 1M is a definite future classic, all of the others are being built in much larger numbers than the first and second generation of M cars so there will be less exclusivity which will probably effect prices, but in 25 years only a very few will survive as minters and they will be the cars that will sought after by the current teenagers. There will always be a specialist with a laptop that can fix them in 25 years.

Agreed, prices for anything old with an M badge on it are crazy at the moment, but I think we are in a bubble with a lot of investors looking to make a return as classic cars have been out performing most other investments, prices could crash, who knows!!

I think it could go either way. Cars in the past few years are not built to to last, suspension requires more maintenance etc so there is a better chance of these cars being uneconomical repairs as they approach 20 years old. I thought it was just me but as Eamo said after e46/39 cars seem to just feel more disposable.

There is probably a certain group of 70s/80s and 90s cars that will always be classics and collectable. But going forward its hard to see the more modern cars been collectable and restorable

Nick your quite right in your summarisation that "The 1M is a definite future classic, all of the others are being built in much larger numbers than the first and second generation of M cars so there will be less exclusivity which will probably effect prices, but in 25 years only a very few will survive as minters and they will be the cars that will sought after by the current teenagers"

I think I might give up on the e30/e28/e34/e36/e46/e38/e39's and start looking at the newer M's before the young lads snap them up!

I reckon a low mileage, completely original manual E46 M3 will be a future classic in 15 years

Will you still be able to tax and drive a fossil fueled car in 25 years time?

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Originally Posted by xworks

Will you still be able to tax and drive a fossil fueled car in 25 years time?

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A very valid point.....but I think exceptions will be made for cars over a certain age. That then creates another problem. How much will a litre of petrol cost if it is only being refined in small quantities for the classic car market??

With Germany voting to ban the internal combustion engine production by 2030....where does that leave the M Division??

Very uncertain times ahead, and kinda happy I decided to keep the E39. Might be worth feck all now, and not so desirable in the 525i guise, but could be a nice thing to have stashed away in the coming years!

The 90's was the end of the modern classics IMO. Too much technology from the noughties and onwards, although limited production/ special edition sports cars will always have a place in investors classic collections.

eamo, you have PM.

C.

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Originally Posted by Curran

kinda happy I decided to keep the E39. Might be worth feck all now, and not so desirable in the 525i guise, but could be a nice thing to have stashed away in the coming years!

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Exactly how I feel about my 530d Sport

Now if I could only source an S62......

The OP is correct though, very hard to see anything coming out that you'd say "I'm deffo going to have one of those" the more mainstay cars are getting, the more humdrum they are becoming in my opinion. Added to which the "performance" machines are so "sterile" to drive - fast yes, but so disconnected it's difficult to see how anyone would want to stick wth them instead of just trading up constantly.

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Originally Posted by 318is-joe

The OP is correct though, very hard to see anything coming out that you'd say "I'm deffo going to have one of those" the more mainstay cars are getting, the more humdrum they are becoming in my opinion.

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Is that not always the way it goes? 10 years ago e30s (incl m3s) were cheap as they were mainly seen as old cars.

Every car goes through a phase where it's an undesirable old car only to start to gain some appreciation after a couple of years before becoming recognised as a classic.

Right now I think the E36 is probably starting to be appreciated again and is creeping up in value and the e46 is heading into the old car phase where most people wouldn't touch them. I'm still keeping the m3 though.

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Originally Posted by JohnH

Is that not always the way it goes? 10 years ago e30s (incl m3s) were cheap as they were mainly seen as old cars.

Every car goes through a phase where it's an undesirable old car only to start to gain some appreciation after a couple of years before becoming recognised as a classic.

Right now I think the E36 is probably starting to be appreciated again and is creeping up in value and the e46 is heading into the old car phase where most people wouldn't touch them. I'm still keeping the m3 though.

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Agree... How many Mk1 Escorts were blocking ditchs in the late 90s? :) Now look at prices!
E30 has hit classic, E36 is appreciating, E46 are still on a downslope.

Can a current modern car be a classic? Something like a new Fiesta ST200 will be and you'll have a normal few Fiestas mixed in.

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Originally Posted by JohnH

Is that not always the way it goes? 10 years ago e30s (incl m3s) were cheap as they were mainly seen as old cars.

Every car goes through a phase where it's an undesirable old car only to start to gain some appreciation after a couple of years before becoming recognised as a classic.

Right now I think the E36 is probably starting to be appreciated again and is creeping up in value and the e46 is heading into the old car phase where most people wouldn't touch them. I'm still keeping the m3 though.

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It's a fair point

What I'm trying to say is that I don't think there is as much of a difference between a new mondeo today and a base 3 series. The BMW has a badge that has quality and a legacy of good cars behind it, but there was a vast difference in build quality and longevity if you take an E30 and it's counter day Sierra for example.

It's all cost and profit driven by the manufacturers, and they seem to be centering to a centre of moderate quality (good enough) / and maximum profit, and maybe they will be a classic in someones eyes in the future, but it will be for different reasons than for the qualities we probably assign classic status to today.
Maybe I'm just getting old....
In my twenties, I always had a car I wanted next, I knew exactly the model, the version and the options I'd like - nowadays unless your stumping up for something special, it's much of a muchness. But that's just my opinion.

I've been in E39's for the best part of 15 years, I've hired shitloads of cars of varying "opulence (and some were base crap, but some were not)" in Europe and UK as needed, and even today when I sit in my E39 at the airport, it feels a bit special. That's the bit I think is gone from new stuff.

In 15 years time, when the majority are pottering around in electric cars, anything BMW produce in the next few years, or have produced even since the E39 / E38 / E36(46) era will feel, at least somewhat, special! ;)

I don't think the electronics or coding will be the limiting factor in determining whether a car will be a collectible or not. In fact I would go as far as to say that it might be the very reason cars will be a collectible. Think about two things here, firstly I remember when I had my e30 people were afriad that the technology had gone too far and that tings like the service indicator lights were out there technology! Secondly techno geeks have been collecting old electronics for years, like the Apple 2 for example.

The bigger problem will be the biodegradable plastics and the associated laws are what will kill the cars prematurely. They are literally going to be more and more disposable.