When is the Mk1 going to become collectible?
21 - 40 of 80 Posts
Joined
·
677 Posts
If anyone remembers there was one clean red sc car on ebay that some woman sold for around 20k with 19,xxx miles on it while being garaged at some weather conditioned warehouse. Only put a little more than 1000 miles on it a year.
I think they will become collectible. No, they won't ever be a super high-buck item but they will be collectible in the sense that they are unique and are becoming more and more rare.
Who would have thunk that mid-70s Celicas would be desirable? Our MR2s will be the next desirable car from the 80s.
Who would have thunk that mid-70s Celicas would be desirable? Our MR2s will be the next desirable car from the 80s.
Joined
·
281 Posts
My high school car 1983-85 was a '76 Celica GT. I loved it then, I was pissed when my dad sold it while I was in college, when I first started looking for a MkI I was also looking for a '76 Celica (found the MkI first which how I ended up here), I still pop wood when I see one in the wild, if I found an unrusted specimen for sale near home I'd buy it and then ask my woman for forgiveness.mnewell said:
I think only super low miles mint cars will ever bring 5 figures, and even then, only in rare instances. this may actually be a good thing though. I already have a couple of valuable classic sports cars (1960 Alfa Spider and a 62 abarth) that i drive a lot less now that the value has gone up. What I like about my MR2's is that they are true sports cars with a classic feel to them, but are also modern enough to drive as a daily driver. And I am not afraid to park mine places I would never leave the Alfa.
IMO, few production cars from the 80's will ever be truly collectable. Limited production cars with racing heritage like the Audi UR Quattro and BMW M3 have gone up, but I can't think of any Japanese cars from the 80's that are selling for big bucks at auctions or on ebay, except for the rare near new examples that come up every few years.
IMO, few production cars from the 80's will ever be truly collectable. Limited production cars with racing heritage like the Audi UR Quattro and BMW M3 have gone up, but I can't think of any Japanese cars from the 80's that are selling for big bucks at auctions or on ebay, except for the rare near new examples that come up every few years.
I don't see it happening eitherBigbacon said:
It's more of a wishful thinking because people thing they are sitting on gold. Poorly kept/repaired/maintaied mr2s won't have much value, those that do are owned by people who has $$$ & intensive to keep them that way.
I'm not singling out the MKI, the MKII is also there. Looking at the mk4 supra, that car has more potential as a collector if it isn't already so thanks to that F&F tax that pushed the car out of the price range of most car hacks & ricers from ruining the majority of them, I don't see alot of them but the ones i do see are always well kept
If anyone ever asks me about my AW11 at a show or event, 8/10 times they think it's a X1/9 or Fiero. They probably know better, but those are the cars they would rather talk about and that's how they shift the conversation.Bigbacon said:
When I got into Datsun Z cars I was sure they would be very collectible based on the fan base and the 350z coming out at the time. The new model helped a little, but really the 350 and 370 z's became a stand alone segment of the group. Those guys could care less about the older stuff. I sometimes get that feeling from the Spyder guys.
Anyways, I hope the market doesn't ever explode on the MR2. I hope they maintain their balance of cheap/fun/desirable. The best thing for MR2s would be to keep riding the car nostalgia of 80's and 90's Japanese cars. Maybe that will maintain their status for the next decade and keep them from dying out as used cars.
the other problem is for prices to go up considerably, there has to be a new group of collector/enthusiast's that comes into the market wanting MK1 MR2's. Us cheap bastards are never going to drive the prices up buying each other's cars for $10,000! I don't think the cars are worth much more in Europe or Japan either, which also can bump prices up here in the US because foreign buyers would come over and grab them if they sold for way more in their country.
Older Alfa Romeos recently went up a lot in value. The 1960's Guiliettas and Gulias jumped way up in value after a few articles in magazines like "The Robb Report" peaked the interest of business guy collectors / investors. It isn't guys from the local Alfa clubs like me that are paying $100,000 plus for these cars, its hard core wealthy collectors that already have a Porsche Speedster, Austin Healy 3000, Sunbeam Tiger, E type Jag, etc. Also, only the most pristine cars are bringing the big bucks --regular condition cars have only gone up a bit.
Older Alfa Romeos recently went up a lot in value. The 1960's Guiliettas and Gulias jumped way up in value after a few articles in magazines like "The Robb Report" peaked the interest of business guy collectors / investors. It isn't guys from the local Alfa clubs like me that are paying $100,000 plus for these cars, its hard core wealthy collectors that already have a Porsche Speedster, Austin Healy 3000, Sunbeam Tiger, E type Jag, etc. Also, only the most pristine cars are bringing the big bucks --regular condition cars have only gone up a bit.
Joined
·
42,296 Posts
Bigbacon said:
^I agree as well^
Look at the Yamaha built Toyota 2000GT. Same thing. Mildly collectable, but only because of the fact that there were not very many built. And luckily Yamaha kept all records of the build, something Toyota never does.
Joined
·
42,296 Posts
I believe that David Hawkins has the largest collection of hard top MR2s. I think I counted 7, maybe 10. About half his MK1 collection.AlastairMR2 said:I only have 5 MR2's. I feel so... inadequate
AE86 --> Initial D8ton said:
AW11 --> Over Rev
Countach --> Countach
S30 --> Wangan Midnight
CRX --> King
Carrera --> Kanojo no Carrera
To name a few. Over Rev actually had a live action movie, though no anime. I think one of the more popular exposures of the mk1 is La Roux's music video "In For the Kill". The mk1 was also in a few movies, but definitely not in the spotlight for most of them.
Like some others, I think that the mk1 being associated with "collectable" might be wishful thinking. It has appeared in some mass media like the Wall Street Journal, but I guess it has more to do with my generation: very few people I know are into cars let alone older ones. Everyone wants the newest thing with the most features and best numbers with brand recognizability. I have yet to meet a single person of my generation outside of the car community that knows what a MR2 is. Supra and Celica, sure, and the AE86 because of the exposure it got with the introduction of the BRZ/FRS, but not the MR2.
the other thing about cars going up in value the past 10 years, is that some of it is plain old inflation. Food, fuel, and housing cost have doubled in that time. The fact that the MK1 prices haven't increased noticeably means the real value has probably actually gone down.
Joined
·
851 Posts
OT: Look for Motortrend magazine's article showcasing Ferrari 308 GT vs 86 MR2. Rumor was it might make the cover!
21 - 40 of 80 Posts
Join the discussion
