The prices of classics

The prices of classics. They rise out of the pan. Millions are paid for top pieces. Shame! That way the common man never gets a Ferrari or Rolls! Of course not. The automobile masterpieces have never been intended for the common man either.

Never intended for the common man

The top pieces have always been the toys of the rich of the earth, or at least the better upholstered part of humanity. Just 'really expensive' cars (and motorcycles) with high prices, however, have always had a point that they made accessible to everyone. Those were the cars that with a recent year of construction proved that their driver had the best for each other. The first owner put away his status symbol after a year or so. He also showed that he was not afraid of writing off.

The second and third owners still showed the people that they could afford large, expensive cars with high prices. But critics already looked doubtfully at the year of construction. From the fourth owner on, it started to weigh heavily that the flagship of the time was now just a big older car with which you could at best impress unskilled friends. That was usually also the moment that such a former top piece began to show signs of overdue maintenance.

Maintenance is also expensive

Top class cars are not meant to be driven and maintained on mini budgets. The parts of it and for it are also real profit packers for the manufacturer. And then comes the moment - which is now simply 'such a container' - comes to a standstill with a list of repairs or maintenance for which the proud last owner, an ambitious aspiring concrete brazier, no longer has the money. The residual value of what was once the pride of a spacious showroom is then hundreds of euros. The car then goes - if he is lucky - to a specialized buyer and experiences multiple reincarnations as a donor for surviving peers who at some point become worth the money again.

There are not many top pieces and very expensive cars. And they are expensive. They learned for that.

But nice, beautiful and good classics? There are plenty of them. And although they sometimes cost quite a lot of money compared to a half-cut white, an all-in vacation to Benidorm or an Ikea box, they are not expensive. Certainly not in comparison with a normal, faceless occassion.

Just look at what a neat recent occassion costs.

For a neat Volkswagen Passat Variant 1,4 TSI ACT from 2014 with 80D km on the clock, 30.000 euros is quickly asked. And then let it be a comfortline version

For that money you usually have a nice, good classic. It does not depend on the axes of the elusive electronics, the mutual provision is great. The specialized garage mechanic has a much lower hourly rate than a modern colleague because he does not have to purchase 20000 euro software every year. At the applicable maximum speeds and current traffic intensity, every classic after 1975 is completely traffic compatible. You then drive a car from where you can take a pleasant distance from the craziness around you. You are kindly nodded by fellow road users. You do not have to worry about the value reduction of your car. And in any case you can easily find your car in a parking lot among all the balls kneaded in the wind tunnel.

Oh yeah

This story also applies to motorcycles