I have sold more of my cars than I ever wanted to. Economics dictates pretty harshly. Now It's age. The old man was a real car guy, Jags, Hillmans, two 1949 MGT's, MB, Porsche, just no Italian (go figure). Right to the bitter end. I now have the '97 R. In the past I've sold the XJ12C, three XJSs (one with AJ6 Engineering Mods), etc. Kicking myself now. I saw in a non-glossy car mag, that the R is worth a considerably larger amount than the NA car. Dad instilled in me the idea that cars were an investment. XJSs are rising, and the previous years models are now unaffordable for the likes of me. Just pondering . . . Is it the end of the road for petro chemical cars? Are we an extinct race of men and women? What does the car really mean to me? Is all the fun of punching that pedal and looking at the passenger worth it?

ps - moderator, pls move this to appropriate forum sub.

 

Bad way to invest money. Unless you're flipping them like stocks, you'd most likely have done (significantly) better in a simple S&P500 index fund.

 

My thoughts"

I still have the MK VII and the MK X, and the values is, WHO CARES, they are mine, and the kids in the not so far future.

Daughter luvs the 7, but having Ducks Disease, cannot reach the pedals, so the 10 is deemed "hers".

I enjoyed taking the 10 out many, many years ago. The carparks were FUN, its too damn big to fit any of them, so I would simply abandon it, and no one ever touched it, they simply would not dare, as everyone knew who ones it, and the "karma" if you did mess with it simply was not worth it.

The rest of the fleet moved on, simply coz I could not get in and out without PAIN. Needed a "quick release" leg, NOT made still today.

Kick myself also, many of them are asking crazy money now, but life is what life is.

The current 2 dont have that silly huge sill hump, so access is good. NO character either.

Might need an SUV type soon, God forbid as I hate those things, but spouses wheelchair simply dont fit much else easily. Maybe a Kia (shudder), as we both do not take to the Jag offerings at all, and motoring has been relegated to the back burner.

The V12 still rule, and when I can, fiddle and fart with odd one, ya gotta luv old age, HA.

 

You must already have a particularly rare specimen to invest and get a return on it. I bought my cars because I like them and not what others think of them. They are worth more to me than to anyone else. I also use them as everyday cars. Then they need more maintenance, but they remain better to drive carefree. I don't care what they are worth later. I've had my X300 for almost 20 years with 330K miles. Is in good condition but still not worth more than 20 years ago.

 

cars can be a great investment.
just look at the value of some of the classics from the 70's and such.
but, knowing which cars are going to command the kind of premium is something that one struggles to predict.
coupled with the fact that i don't believe any of the more modern cars will reach those kind of value increases maks it not a good investment for the average person.

if you have A LOT of money you can invest in cars well.
but we can't all be a Jay Leno.

the other way cars can be a great investment is if you can but wrecks and fix them all yourself.
but the moment you have to outsource much work any potential profit goes.
so once again not an investment for the average person.

 

Until the internet came around and streaming car restorations on YouTube became de rigueur I never saw anyone up close like the old man, who could take a POS and make it into something someone would pay good money for. I think what I actually meant in the above post was what he said to me, "break even if you have to son, but making a profit is better" This is all pointless as I'm farther into the XJR than it's worth. It's just so pretty and powerful.

 

I’m relatively new to the Jag world, only having had mine since March. But wow… I am absolutely taken with it! Even with its oddities, issues, and old car-ness. I’ve always owned somewhat oddball stuff. If any become future classics, great. But there are no show queens here. All the stuff I own I work on myself because I’d be bankrupt if I had to have a shop address every little thing. Fortunately, at 41… I still have the ability to keep the fleet going!