Collector Car Values [Healey content]

Of general interest (I hope):

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/...?action=click&module=Features&pgtype=Homepage

I thought baby boomers were born up to 1966?
Chris...

Good article Bob, thanks for sharing. I guess I'm of the Gen-X generation (born in 1971), and I too like the 80's and 90's cars- basically all the cars I dreamed about in H.S. and College (Porsche 911's, Mazda Rx7s, BMW M-series, Ferrari, etc). But for me, big Healeys are the ones I'm most interested in collecting. Maybe I was influenced by the baby boom generation of AH club guys I grew up with. Although variations on a theme are appealing too- I have been googling images of Healey Fiberfab Jamaicans ever since Chris posted his latest update!
But I'm probably an anomaly, most of my friends who are into cars like the 80s and 90s stuff.
Austin C.

Bob_Spidell said:

Of general interest (I hope):

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/...?action=click&module=Features&pgtype=Homepage

Click to expand...

I drove a Defender several times, just like the one in the article, belonging to Keith Martin, publisher of Sports Car Market. In short, there is nothing redeeming about it. Slow, awkward, truck-like (because it's a truck, I suppose), doesn't sound good, just an awful, utilitarian wheeled vehicle that is painfully soulless. Like something designed and built behind the Iron Curtain for use on a collective farm that's a ten-day drive to the nearest pavement. The fact that it has a "following" is a discouraging comment of the state of the motor vehicle hobby.

Other than that, I loved it.

ahealey1004 said:

Good article Bob, thanks for sharing. I guess I'm of the Gen-X generation (born in 1971), and I too like the 80's and 90's cars- basically all the cars I dreamed about in H.S. and College (Porsche 911's, Mazda Rx7s, BMW M-series, Ferrari, etc). But for me, big Healeys are the ones I'm most interested in collecting. Maybe I was influenced by the baby boom generation of AH club guys I grew up with. Although variations on a theme are appealing too- I have been googling images of Healey Fiberfab Jamaicans ever since Chris posted his latest update!
But I'm probably an anomaly, most of my friends who are into cars like the 80s and 90s stuff.
Austin C.

Click to expand...

Doesn't matter what generation you are - there's a 911 in your generation. When I was in high school, I saw the first, 2 liter, Porsche 901 (production prototype IIRC) exhibited at the 1963 LA Auto Show. Peugeot made them change it to 911 as they had a trademark on 3 digit numbers with a zero in the middle.

I can think of a number of cars whose makers apparently did not respect Peugot's claim including Mercedes-Benz (the 300 series has been produced since the early 1950's; Bristol (403, 404 and 405 of the 1950's) and; Austin-Healey (100).

I was tickled the article mentioned the Austin-Healey 100 (without calling it a '100-4'). Presumably, Hagarty made sure they got it right.

My folks re-registered their classics--'55 T-Bird, '65 Mustang and a '46 Chevy 2-ton (I was already on the 100M reg)--to add my name, and did the same with insurance. I wonder if Hagarty counted that as 'younger buyer than seller' (they're all insured with Hagarty)?

I'm not surprised to see the younger generation buying vehicles from a simpler time. The Defender represents that simpler time, where you can disassemble and reassemble the vehicle relatively easily and modify it to represent your vision. Take it off road and actually field repair it. Once you leave the urban environment classics take on a life of their own. It is a romantic vision that today's vehicles have lost as they are now commodities, really appliances, with technology that is obsolete the year they are introduced. Jaguar Land Rover is struggling today because the product line lacks aspects that made them great in the past. Vehicles today all look the same. The Healey is iconic. So too is the Defender.