RestoMod vs. Original and their Values

Arde

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......Apologies to "Nicaraguan" Generals ....I meant "Nigerian"....a big difference ! :)

Bummer, I already wired the money to the Nicaraguan Generals.

Somebody should run a Nigerian General ETF or something...
 

alanmcg

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not rational

good pt on the 356's - there is no explaining the 'rationale' of old car values, cuz its simply not rational. i have a matching numbers fully restored 356 cab, bought it 25 years ago for $35k, its easily worth 3x what my coupe is, its parked right next to the coupe, and 99% of the time i choose to drive the coupe - and not cuz the 356 is a garage queen, i simply prefer the coupe, in every way. of course i am delighted the 356 has appreciated so much, but it seems crazy to me. its a nice car, but should not be worth more than my coupe.
 

riverflyer

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Bummer, I already wired the money to the Nicaraguan Generals.

Somebody should run a Nigerian General ETF or something...

True story.....in the late 90's a few friends and I tried to buy a large, very beautiful parcel of ocean front land in Nicaragua. The local broker kept saying that the permits were just about to go through. Same story as time went by. After 4 or 5 months, he contacted us and told us that the neighboring parcel was owned by several retired Nicaraguan generals and they were effectively "sitting" on the the processing of our permits. He advised us that it was not going to happen as their influence was intimidating the local magistrate.

Watch out for the generals!
 

scottd

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Coupe Values

This - from another thread on forum regarding coupe values from Petrolicious...

"Today, market conditions are further complicated by the fact that almost all unrestored examples have some extent of rust repair needs, which in combination with expensive restoration costs, continues to depress values—it’s quite tough to make money bringing a haggard E9 back to glory, leaving this right and honorable task to those who view it as a labor of love, beyond even what most restos already are."


...so I think the fear of what lies within just about any coupe deters some would-be-buyers.
 

Gazz

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The constant mention of RUST certainly adds to the notoriety and fear of E9s. A bit like talk of a recession causes a recession. Personally I prefer our cars thought of as enthusiast or hobby cars, it expedites maintenance and upgrades in that we are not reticent to use a non standard, and usually better, part to keep the car going. It also frees me from being an originality snob, - "mines better than yours because it's original and yours isn't so you can't be a member of my very special car club".
On the other hand I can understand the thrill of the chase in obtaining a pure object. The bar can be set very high for some. I have a 1990 Honda RC30 which is 100% original and I wouldn't dare stray from that but it also means that this bike will not be ridden for fear of degradation or damage, so it's not a motorcycle anymore, it's an artifact. The only thing not original is the air in the tires. So what happens when I do have to replace things that have perished, like fork and clutch seals? Should I keep the original replaced seals in special storage? It all gets a bit silly.

Early small bumper Porsches were just as prone to rust as E9s yet, weirdly in the strange logic of the collector mindset, one of these cars having had a full restoration including replacement of much of the bodywork, trim, mechanicals, etc is considered original as long as everything is period and model correct. Go figure. Maybe this is why there is such an interest in "patina" cars now. Even major art works undergo restoration, some quite extensively. Does that mean they are no longer a DaVincis or Michaelangelos?
 
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