How do we choose our classic car?
07/10/2015
If you want to predict how the classic car market and therefore prices will develop, then one of the relevant factors is the trigger for a purchase. How does the classic car buyer actually choose the car (i.e. make/type/era) that they want to buy?
Of course, it makes a difference whether it is a one-off or first-time purchase or an addition to a collection that has already grown. For the sake of simplicity, we will focus here on an individual purchase. The individual buyer takes inspiration ...
- ... from his own automotive experience (what did he drive when he was young, what did his father or admired relatives/acquaintances drive)
- ... from the time when people could not yet afford expensive cars
- ... from movies, radio and television (who drove/drives what in which movie, which series?)
If this is true, then hardly any classic car buyers would buy a pre-war car today, because the people who still experienced these vehicles on the road are few and far between and mostly no longer on the market.
Nevertheless, there are still plenty of people who fancy cars from the 1920s or 1930s. This is often driven by memories of ancestors and again by movies and literature. And, of course, the joy of the technology of the time.
Another driver is the chance to take part in and win events, Concours d'Elégance or races.
Of course, financial factors and the sheer availability of certain makes/models also play a role. However, the majority of buyers will opt for vehicles with which they have a specific and personal connection. If this is the case, then future generations will tend to prefer younger cars.
We can therefore also predict a growing interest in rare Japanese cars from the seventies, eighties or nineties.
And what are you looking for? Or your son?
