Classic cars increase in value faster in Germany than in Switzerland
Admittedly, this title may seem a little sensationalist. However, there is data that confirms, at least for the past period, that classic cars have increased in value more in Germany than in Switzerland, more precisely 9.3% in Germany compared to 2.9% in Switzerland from 2011 to 2012.
These figures were collected by the classic-car-tax company using methods similar to those used by the financial industry. You take a number of relevant and reasonably frequently traded stocks, form an index from them and track the development over the years. This works just as well for the Nasdaq as it does for the DAX, the SMI or classic cars. The composition of the Swiss Classic Car Index (SOX) was based on 88 vehicle models. The list is deliberately not published in full, but includes vehicles such as the Mercedes 300 SL (Gullwing W198) as well as the Fiat 500, the Citroën DS, the MG B, the Volkswagen Beetle and the BMW 2002. Together, they are intended to be as representative as possible of the Swiss market.
If you follow the Swiss classic car index of classic-car-tax, you will notice the slump in 2010. This is said to be due to the financial crisis. Interestingly, detailed evaluations of only German or Italian models do not show this slump or it is not as clearly visible.
The fact that classic car prices in Switzerland rose less sharply than in Germany can certainly be explained, at least in part, by the exchange rate problem and the strength of the Swiss franc. The strong franc made Swiss cars more expensive for neighboring countries, and the Swiss market developed more slowly as a result. The fact that growth of 2.9% was still achieved must therefore be seen as a very positive result, as a negative development would also have been possible. Since 1999, prices for classic cars have practically doubled on average, with overall growth of 107%.
However, we will see how generous Swiss classic car buyers really are in a week's time at the auction at the DolderClassics in Zurich .
