Were the classic car investment tips from 1975 really good?
08/24/2021
In 1975, "auto motor und sport" published a story on the subject of value development under the title "Oldtimer-Goldtimer?".
The increasing prices paid for a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing were documented as an example. While DM 20,000 was still enough in 1958, a 300 SL W198 apparently already cost DM 50,000 in 1974.
This immediately raised the question of whether old cars were a good investment. With an increase in value of 150 percent, the gullwing nevertheless had to bow to alternative investment vehicles such as funds or gold, but still beat the savings account. In addition, ams mentioned that the increase in value was by no means guaranteed and referred to an auction in Geneva that did not go very well.
At the time, the Pagoda was hardly expected to appreciate in value. And the VW Beetle as a convertible, the BMW 2002 turbo or the NSU Ro80 were suggested as interesting speculation cars. While the BMW was certainly the right choice at the time and the Beetle Cabriolet, which could be bought second-hand for around DM 2000 to 6000 (equivalent to around EUR 1100 to 3200), was still reasonably well priced, the hopes of large gains in value for the NSU Ro80 were probably not quite fulfilled. Although all well-preserved examples of this type have certainly increased in value, maintenance and ownership costs are likely to have largely compensated for or exceeded the increase in value.
However, it is safe to say that hardly anyone expected a 300 SL to be traded for over DM 2 million one day, otherwise it would certainly have been the best investment tip. There was not even any talk of Ferrari sports cars and other exotic cars, which would have yielded even higher returns.
