Did the Classic Car Market Compel You to Sell Your Cherished Ride?

I don’t think I will ever sell my Porsche 964. I still ring its neck whenever I get a chance. It is insured for replacement value, and while my premiums have gone up over the past years it is still reasonable. What makes me sad about the ever increasing values is that uptrading has become so much harder. It used to be that you could trade your current car for a better car by paying a few thousand euro extra. Now if you want to trade up you need to add tens of thousands of euros.

I’m quite happy that my cherishes Dino 308gt4 has trebled in value over recent months. They were always the most grossly under-rated ferrari of all time, but I suppose the resulting neglect has reduced the surving numbers somewhat, just when they are emerging from the anorak snobbery that blighted then for so long. They are a superb little package, and by Ferrari standards remarkably easy to live with. But I am not selling – I love it too much!

I imported a 1969 911E Targa from the US to Denmark 10 years ago. At that time prices on F-models where in the lows. I enjoyed and drove the car in the following next 10 years with only som minor restaurations. Kept it in a good daily driver and solid condition – it was no concours car.

Sold it last month to a new owner in Germany and did a good deal. The demand for F-models in Germany is very high – even for those that are not top condition.

Let me know when my father’s burgundy 1983 Corolla is worth anything! Then I might convince him to take it out of the cover! Eheheheheh

nope.

The previous Ferrarimania moment of price tag insanity definitely convinced me to sell . Once the the point had arrived where the car I’d paid $7500 for became worth well north of $150,000 [ yes the numbers are correct ] I felt I had no choice as the car in my opinion had become worth too much to enjoy on a regular basis [ it was all but a daily driver ] So along with its stablemates [ who’s prices went ballistic as well ] .. off to a new owner it went with my bank account becoming a little flusher .

Full discloser ; I maintain the attitude that all my possessions including the tools of my trade be useful and usable not to mention reasonably replaceable should the worst occur . So once the value and rarity of the item in question exceeds what I [ and the insurance companies ] consider to be a reasonable risk and the profit over purchase price becomes so excessive … I sell it to the ‘ Greater Fool * ‘ so to speak [ *definition on Wikipedia ]

As a another example : When friend and luthier D’Aquisto passed away and the guitars he’d built for me’s prices reached into the stratosphere among collectors [ a very healthy five figures over the original low four figure price tags ] .. I sold precisely because thats the way I deal with my possessions regardless . Once they’re worth too much to use regularly and enjoy . I sell . No looking back . No regrets . Time to move on .