Collector Car?
Pro
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 545
Likes: 0
From: springfield va
Originally Posted by OrangeVegaGT
As regards the word "collectable" some of us may be able to take advantage of what the insurance industry considers qualified.
A friend has a 96 CE and he is able to get insurance on LI in NY for $700.00 a year. He is limited to 3K miles a year, but this is a very low rate for this area. If the vehicle is 7 years old and can be demonstrated as having some unique value it qualifies.
I agree that it would not make it a "collectors car", but I would consider saving some cash a "collection" on my part.
A friend has a 96 CE and he is able to get insurance on LI in NY for $700.00 a year. He is limited to 3K miles a year, but this is a very low rate for this area. If the vehicle is 7 years old and can be demonstrated as having some unique value it qualifies.
I agree that it would not make it a "collectors car", but I would consider saving some cash a "collection" on my part.
Supporting Tuner
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 51,896
Likes: 39
From: ================== Houston, Texas www.englandgreen.com ================== Necessary Evil™ __________
CI 6-7-8-9-10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14
You know, I thought about this a bit longer, and I think that it is a VERY GOOD THING that the garage queens will keep their cars stock, with super low mileage and in pristine condition.... so when Inferno finally wears out, I can but a perfectly preserved C5 from them for just a few bucks and start the mod fever all over again!!!
So, to all the garage queens out there in Vette-land - keep those C5 perfect folks... I'll buy them from you in a few years!
EG
So, to all the garage queens out there in Vette-land - keep those C5 perfect folks... I'll buy them from you in a few years!
EG
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,269
Likes: 50
From: Dallas Texas
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'09-'10
Look at it this way, I had a 1955, the first V8. Sure, I'd like to have it now, but what would it have cost me to maintain and store it for 50 years? Plus, if I drove it, to be really worth anything to day, it would need to be totally restored at cost of $50K+. So, I'd have been better off in the stock market from an investment standpoint. From a performance standpoint, I couldn't wait to trade it for a 270hp '57 with a stick shift and a hardtop.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 10,665
Likes: 56
If you're looking for a collector, you're really best off to buy one that's perfectly maintained at 20 years old...that's when the values are about the most depressed... The next collector we'll probably see go up in value are the Zr1's...esp. the 95's. That's the last year and only 448 made. High production cars aren't collectable until 30+ years, and even then, the value isn't astronomical...
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
This is why I would never buy a "Collectors Edition" or Commemorative Edition, Pace Cars, etc of any mass produced car like a Vette.
You are paying extra for decals and paint which will appear on numerous other cars from the same plant and the car won't be worth much if any more than a non Commemorative car. At least not in your lifetime.
You are paying extra for decals and paint which will appear on numerous other cars from the same plant and the car won't be worth much if any more than a non Commemorative car. At least not in your lifetime.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 5,040
Likes: 937
From: Bonney Lake Washington
Was reading through this months Car and Driver and came upon a pristine 1974 Pinto with 3900 miles on it.......original owner put it on EBAY and ended up with a best offer of (?) 4600 bucks............that's roughly $150 per year!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, that kind of return and I'll be worth more stored in a garage for 30 years!!!! 
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 5,216
Likes: 1
From: Vette Doctors Performance RX450 - 466RWHP !!!
Originally Posted by EnglandGreen
with Jack.Just drive your car and forgettaboutit
I'm in New England and I got my fix of PermaGrin(TM) today... did you?
EG
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 2,773
Likes: 299
From: Land of the fruits and nuts
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
Why does everyone flame guys that ask how rare their cars are ? I have seen this asked a lot and for some reason some guys act like it is a crime to ask this. I asked this once and I got the same response.
I do have a car that ,when I first became a forum member, I ask if it was rare and got flamed, but I still have not seen another one like it...Torch Red with FIRETHORN int. ,White Top.I have had people ask me if I have changed the interior because they have not seen that combo. Do I think it is going to be a collector, probably not ,do I think it is rare, absolutly, but I drive it and enjoy it. I do not see a problem with someone thinking he has a rare car..just my $.02 worth. 
I do have a car that ,when I first became a forum member, I ask if it was rare and got flamed, but I still have not seen another one like it...Torch Red with FIRETHORN int. ,White Top.I have had people ask me if I have changed the interior because they have not seen that combo. Do I think it is going to be a collector, probably not ,do I think it is rare, absolutly, but I drive it and enjoy it. I do not see a problem with someone thinking he has a rare car..just my $.02 worth.
Thread Starter
Lepus-temperamentalus
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 5,827
Likes: 5
From: Roswell Ga
I'm sorry. I don't see it as flaming anyone. It certainly wasn't intended that way.
I just don't understand the question. I don't understand why anyone would ask it or what they mean when they ask it.
If you bought a new Ford Taurus, would you ask if it was a collector car? If not, why do you think a Corvette would be? It's a late model American car built in mass quantites that anybody can go to a used car lot in their town and buy. Just how rare can something like that be? How can it have collector value if you can pick up a phone and find one in fifteen minutes?
Oh sure, you might find a few unusual color combinations, but in a late model car, that's not a good thing. That means nobody ordered that color combination which means it wasn't popular. That generally means the value of the car is LOWER, not higher. It's only when a rare option isn't AVAILABLE to the public or was very high cost and not ordered for that reason that it becomes very valuable. The L-88 or ZL-1 Engines in C3's are good examples. Conversely, a bench seat was a very rare option in early Mustangs. The reason it was rare is that nobody wanted it and today those cars don't bring much.
I just don't understand the question. I don't understand why anyone would ask it or what they mean when they ask it.
If you bought a new Ford Taurus, would you ask if it was a collector car? If not, why do you think a Corvette would be? It's a late model American car built in mass quantites that anybody can go to a used car lot in their town and buy. Just how rare can something like that be? How can it have collector value if you can pick up a phone and find one in fifteen minutes?
Oh sure, you might find a few unusual color combinations, but in a late model car, that's not a good thing. That means nobody ordered that color combination which means it wasn't popular. That generally means the value of the car is LOWER, not higher. It's only when a rare option isn't AVAILABLE to the public or was very high cost and not ordered for that reason that it becomes very valuable. The L-88 or ZL-1 Engines in C3's are good examples. Conversely, a bench seat was a very rare option in early Mustangs. The reason it was rare is that nobody wanted it and today those cars don't bring much.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 23,234
Likes: 4
From: All that glitters is Gold - Hockey Is CANADA'S game
Cruise-In VI Veteran
Cruise-In VII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
Originally Posted by JACKAL0PE
If you bought a new Ford Taurus, would you ask if it was a collector car? If not, why do you think a Corvette would be? It's a late model American car built in mass quantites that anybody can go to a used car lot in their town and buy. Just how rare can something like that be? How can it have collector value if you can pick up a phone and find one in fifteen minutes?
Oh sure, you might find a few unusual color combinations, but in a late model car, that's not a good thing. That means nobody ordered that color combination which means it wasn't popular. That generally means the value of the car is LOWER, not higher. It's only when a rare option isn't AVAILABLE to the public or was very high cost and not ordered for that reason that it becomes very valuable. The L-88 or ZL-1 Engines in C3's are good examples. Conversely, a bench seat was a very rare option in early Mustangs. The reason it was rare is that nobody wanted it and today those cars don't bring much.
That is why the platinum purple vette is so rare, only 1 made and given to an employee at the Bowling Green plant. The 15 Aztec Gold vettes, the colour was discontinued, I think, due to it was very difficult to match the gold colour from the front and rear fascias to the fenders.