Boss vs ZL1 vs Viper for Investment

[Busabob]

Originally Posted by two_wheel_mayhem

In 30 years you will need 2 million to retire comfortably.

You need that to retire comfortably now at retirement age! Can't retire early (50) on that I've done the math. Lol

I agree 100% with most that buying and holding today's cars is not the best investment strategy. None of us "really" know but there is certainly more risk in doing so than dumping your money into a low cost index fund and forgetting about it for 30 years. Of course....that's pretty boring.

If I were the OP I would put the money in a bond fund and wait for the next downturn, it's more than likely to happen after 3 years of phenomenal growth and all the crap that is going on in the Ukraine and the ME. A terrorist strike would send the markets into a deep nose dive, that could certainly happen with those crazy ISIS f*cks.

[trademaster]

Buy colored diamonds. Cars aren't investments, they are lottery tickets unless you are talking about ultra-rare exotics. Make the proper investments and you won't need to look at your cars as anything other than the toys they are.

[NSANEBLK]

My 1969 Camaro was purchased as a salvage car in the mid 80's for $275. Yes, if I add up all that has been spent since then to restore and maintain it I'm still in the red. But I've been able to enjoy it all these years and yes I expect the value to increase over time. I'm not a baby boomer and most of the compliments I get on the car are not from boomers either. You are starting to see even the late 70's Camaros increase in value. Why, because that is what the Gen X will want to recapture their youth.

Sounds to me like the op is asking which of the 3 cars will hold its value best. Nothing wrong with that. My husband has a '95 Bronco and I have a '00 Miata. We got both fairly cheap and while neither is worth anything now they could very well be in the future. I guarantee they will be worth more than the '06 Mazda 6 we have and we will get lots more enjoyment out of them.

Back to the question. I think the ZL1 is the safest bet for future collector car status. The Viper is probably the best value right now and could be worth more down the line. Can't comment on the Mustang.

[franknbeans]

You would be better off dumping that 30k on gold for an investment.

If you HAVE to buy a car i'd look into a 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe. There was 1266 made before Pontiac was shut down.

I bought one a few years back. Yes, I drive it still. I don't believe in buying cars and not driving them.

Here's mine.

[Col. Brain]

Originally Posted by SpeedIsLife

Keep in mind one of the reasons why the classic American muscle cars are so expensive right now is because the baby boomers are trying to recapture their youth by buying up the cars of their youth.

Example:

In 1994 a plain non-R/T Challenger with a 383 big block would sell for an average of about $7,500. good luck trying to find the same car now for less than $20,000. It's not because it was a valuable option but because all of the other cars have either rusted out, are too much work or have been purchased.

Cars are not a good investment, because there's nothing to say that once the baby boomers start selling their cars that the values might plummet. The same holds true for modern cars, however..

Of those three the Viper is the better choice if you intend to buy something for future value. Because the Boss 302 was capped was hard and fast production limits, its heritage both in classic Trans Am racing as well as modern SCCA championships I would put it as a second choice. In particular a Yellow/Black 2012.

The ZL1 is an extraordinary muscle car, and while it is rare it is not a limited production vehicle. You can go down to your local Chevy dealership and order one today, or more if you have the money to dispose of. You cannot go down and buy more Boss 302s off the assembly line.

Numbered cars with a heritage in racing will hold their value better, but let's be honest all of them are great cars.

The Boss is to the Mustang as the ZL1 is to the Camaro. Different engine and suspension and cosmetic differences.

if you are willing to spend the money, can find a location for one and are willing to do it, find a new Z/28. Rare, very limited production, extremely high performance and will be exceptionally rare in the future.

Vipers/ZL1s/Boss etc - will all suffer similar fates - junkyard material.

These hot rods will get cheap enough for a young person to buy and then they will drive them until they need to sell to get a family hauler or they start building a hot rod and stop due to a pregnant wife/gf etc.

Look at C5 Corvettes. The market for them is all over the place. However, they can be had for as little as 10,000!!!!!

That is a lot of performance for the money and not even 20 years old yet.
But Z06s seem to command 30k (at least the dreams of their owners think that).

In reality - it is a 2 gen old model. Some bought them to park in a garage but that doesnt mean they are still worth the 40k they were new. Not even close.

But when say 50% of C5s are gone AND someone like me who desired one when i was in high school - this could drive the price back up some.


Now this time around there is another harsh reality. The baby boomers were all able to purchase these sought after muscle cars when they were young. 18-25 etc.

How many 18-25 year olds are buying Vipers or ZL1s?

How many 18 year olds even care about driving? Min wage is what $8/hr. The recession took most of their fast food jobs and gas is $4/gal

Driving a car cost a lot more than it did just 20 years ago. And i think this disconnect will result in modern day muscle cars not being remotely close to being as desired as the 60s classics are today.

Dont need the mall - we have facebook/skype/instagram/pintrest/twitter etc

It kind of sucks IMO. But even my wife's cousin. Her oldest boy turns 16 in May (i think). Not the slightest bit interested in cars. His neighbor has a bad ass 9 second 69 bbc SS camaro. He just shrugs his shoulders and admits he hates how loud that car is.

I hope im wrong

But i wouldnt advise anyone on buying a car just for storage.
Now if you wanted to drive the crap out of it....well then go nuts

[J-vette]

Op, I would say the boss 302 ls would the car that would be worth more. The zl1 would be more fun to have as it would be more fun to drive, not saying the boss would not be fun.
I would test drive all of the 3 and research all as to the which would you like best & not worry about 30 yrs from now. They will all only be worth what somebody will be willing to pay for it. Boss would be my choice then zl1 if i were looking to sell in 30 yrs. zl1 if I wanted to enjoy it the next 30 yrs.

[franknbeans]

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/...ntcmp=features

[Busabob]

Originally Posted by franknbeans

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/...ntcmp=features

I just saw one of those rolling down the road the other day for the first time. I didn't even know they made a coupe! When I saw it I thought it was some kind of aftermarket hard top.

Very unique looking car.

[mikebutry]

makes thread asking about investment help, doesn't accept any answers.

[E. Bryant]

The key to investing is buying low and selling high. The prices of the Boss and ZL1 have yet to reach bottom, and won't for another 10-15 years.

The best opportunities come from buying when everyone else is selling. One who had some walking-around money about five years ago could have done very well. Now might be a terrible time to buy, as the market is quite hot.

[archtaan]

An SRT Viper TA in one of the 3 colors (only 33 of each color where produced) or another limited edition model like the Anodized Carbon (only 50 being produced) might have some value down the road.

The best bet would be one of the 10 (41-50) Anodized Carbon TA cars.

Collectors love the 1st and last cars in a series.

[VADER SS L99]

The cars that come to mind in the 30k price range that don't depreciate and might actually go up in value are a couple that someone already mentioned and a few others like the G8 GXP, 86-87 Buick GN,93-97 Toyota Supra twin turbo, 1989 Pontiac Trans AM turbo. You might notice something similar with those cars I just described. They don't make them anymore and they were offered in limited years. I think the 2013-2014 GT500 might also be a car to hold onto but your not going to get one anywhere near 30K much less 40k. Out of the cars you listed I think a BOSS LS would depreciate the least. People say the Viper but that car seems to have lost a lot of value despite being the rarest of the three.

[ckaram]

I'd go Boss.

[serpent]

Viper
Boss
ZL1

If you had the funds, Ford GT. Those cars are retailing for close to double what they cost new (200K-300k). Even salvaged ones are going for over $100k