Soft Market, you bet.

[Wes]

All respondents to this thread make excellent points. Missing here I think is a remarkable aspect about these classic cars. We can work on them! This forum, and other like it,was born of “tinkerers”. You can get your hands dirty, curse up a storm and commiserate with fellow tinkerers. The cars may go up and down in price, but it is the joy of ownership that imbues the value. Whether future generations share this spirit is doubtful. Open the hood of any car made in the last 30 years, and then just shut it. If you are looking to make money, there are many more established methods.

Fair call but think there's a distinction for 'investment' cars vs what are just cool old cars. I'd suggest a well done CSL is an investment car, as is early Alpina stuff or say cars with a racing history. Your average CS will continue to climb in value assuming demand remains for both the CS and on assumption that CSL values continue to rise. Put another way, people that love the CSL but can't find (or afford one) will grab a CS. Think can get a good idea on how E9s will travel in the long term when you look at the 911. People love the 911 because of the design and then based on budget they decide what type of 911 they can afford. My gut says as a general trend that non collector grade cars will plateau and then fall away as demand changes. Try and sell a Model T these days. Other cars that have a cult following will continue to hold up or increase - the e30 is a good example.

 

[JBMW]

Very interesting read this thread has been. The questions/ concerns of the future generations is very interesting to hear as I think I have a different perspective of this topic than…. Maybe every single member here?

Rather than thinking about what the future generation will do with coupes, I am the future generation. Id go on a limb as to say I am probably the youngest member in here and possibly one of the youngest people around to have experience in and around coupes. Even though young, I gravitated towards E34 5 series during my start of BMW things, despite even that era aging me. And it quickly created a “vintage” love for me, then gravitating back to E28s, then E12s, and then coupes.

Anyway, being a part of the future generation means I interact most with that generation and I meet lots of BMW people and I can say as sad as it might be, most guys under 30 haven’t a clue what an E9 is. The real enthusiasts are familiar but hold them at this sort of “I dont even think about it because ill never own one” perspective. The guys under 30 care most about E30s, E36s, E46s, and even e90s now. I have heard people call E90s(07-13) “old BMWs”. Crazy right?

Even crazier, and this might be alarming, I was invited to take my coupe into a local BMW dealership in order for their media team to create a commercial promoting their service department, etc. Well anyway we brought the coupe back into the shop and the techs all swarmed around as if they were looking at an alien spaceship. I kid you not I heard someone say “BMW made this?” And was bombarded with questions of “what model is this?” They looked at the M30 in the engine bay with this sort of awe as though it was the most high tech thing they have ever seen, absolutely puzzled by most of the components in the bay. Truly a hilarious experience.

Even my close friends who are E30 and E36 enthusiasts looked at me as though I was crazy when my eyes lit up and I quickly approached a CSL racecar at Road America for vintage race weekend last month, walking right past E30 M3s, etc. Im certainly the minority when it comes to younger people and what cars interest them.

Back on track, to sum it up, I would say the future generation has some “work” to do and some learning to partake in to truly appreciate these cars. They aren’t very accessible to younger folks(not always a bad thing, i.e look at all the E30s and so on getting destroyed by kids) however this is leaving us with a sort of gap in the understanding of the significance of these cars and the appreciation that follows.

Will be interesting to see where time takes us but rest assured I will be here to carry on the legacy of these cars and continue appreciating them, all the while hoping to use my voice to share that appreciation to others. Im still learning, but enjoying every step along the way!

Ps. Even got to sit in the CSL. Highlight of my weekend!

 

[deQuincey]

Very interesting read this thread has been. The questions/ concerns of the future generations is very interesting to hear as I think I have a different perspective of this topic than…. Maybe every single member here?

Rather than thinking about what the future generation will do with coupes, I am the future generation. Id go on a limb as to say I am probably the youngest member in here and possibly one of the youngest people around to have experience in and around coupes. Even though young, I gravitated towards E34 5 series during my start of BMW things, despite even that era aging me. And it quickly created a “vintage” love for me, then gravitating back to E28s, then E12s, and then coupes.

Anyway, being a part of the future generation means I interact most with that generation and I meet lots of BMW people and I can say as sad as it might be, most guys under 30 haven’t a clue what an E9 is. The real enthusiasts are familiar but hold them at this sort of “I dont even think about it because ill never own one” perspective. The guys under 30 care most about E30s, E36s, E46s, and even e90s now. I have heard people call E90s(07-13) “old BMWs”. Crazy right?

Even crazier, and this might be alarming, I was invited to take my coupe into a local BMW dealership in order for their media team to create a commercial promoting their service department, etc. Well anyway we brought the coupe back into the shop and the techs all swarmed around as if they were looking at an alien spaceship. I kid you not I heard someone say “BMW made this?” And was bombarded with questions of “what model is this?” They looked at the M30 in the engine bay with this sort of awe as though it was the most high tech thing they have ever seen, absolutely puzzled by most of the components in the bay. Truly a hilarious experience.

Even my close friends who are E30 and E36 enthusiasts looked at me as though I was crazy when my eyes lit up and I quickly approached a CSL racecar at Road America for vintage race weekend last month, walking right past E30 M3s, etc. Im certainly the minority when it comes to younger people and what cars interest them.

Back on track, to sum it up, I would say the future generation has some “work” to do and some learning to partake in to truly appreciate these cars. They aren’t very accessible to younger folks(not always a bad thing, i.e look at all the E30s and so on getting destroyed by kids) however this is leaving us with a sort of gap in the understanding of the significance of these cars and the appreciation that follows.

Will be interesting to see where time takes us but rest assured I will be here to carry on the legacy of these cars and continue appreciating them, all the while hoping to use my voice to share that appreciation to others. Im still learning, but enjoying every step along the way!

Ps. Even got to sit in the CSL. Highlight of my weekend!
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i agree with you, young people 20-45 are only interested in > e30, an e9 seems to them too old, same as a FordT would look to me

kids 10-18 would not even choose the e9 in their favourite Nintendo race game

it is very multifaceted thing
i would add the eco restrictions to traffic for older cars in European cities
this is a complex issue that might be affecting the market


p.s. Commenting your note “. I kid you not I heard someone say “BMW made this?” ….in 2009 I went to my local dealer to buy parts for my recently acquired e9
i was asking the guy for a part and he asked me the vin number, gave it to him and he said,
yes this is a 1982 seven series 740i,
I said, no, it is an e9 3.0cs
what ? Is that a three series? He replied
no, it is a 3.0 from 1971, no “series” were back then
oh, sir, that is impossible such a car does not exisit
please would you like to come out and see the actual car ?
oh, gosh, is that a bmw ?…

 

[Stevehose]

I always brace myself when pulling into the dealer.

 

[Arde]

it is very multifaceted thing
i would add the eco restrictions to traffic for older cars in European cities
this is a complex issue that might be affecting the market

Yep, last August driving a late model VW Golf in Madrid I could not legally drive through some streets between the rental agency and my Airbnb. I could not park it near the Airbnb in any case. As I always do when I returned to CA and my E9 I kissed the tarmac .