Future collectibility of a '72 350SL?

[POS]

Been looking for one, and I always take that variable under consideration. The w109 isn't all that collectible now, but I was wondering about the collectibility of one in - let's say 10-15 years or so.

Thoughts?

[deanyel]

Did you mean 107? A 109 is the 300SEL air suspension cars of the 60s and early 70s. I personally don't see the 107 ever being all that collectable - any of them. But that's just a personal opinion from someone who doesn't think highly of them now - and a lot of people do like them. The real value of collectable is rarity and there are so many 107s.

[t walgamuth]

that is true. too many to be ever really collectible. but eventaully the low value will cause them to die and go away til there are less of them around and then they will rise some.

but a really nice one will always have some value.

tom w

[POS]

Sorry about that - mistype. Yes the w107.

[Strife]

I think that early models, perfectly original, will be collectable, but not for a while, possibly not for 10+ more years. If you want to make money, put it in stocks. With rare exceptions, cars are a bad investment, and have a lot of hidden (and deliberately ignored) costs.

I do note that some muscle cars and/or hot rods of the 40/50/60's that have been modified with period items can be as valuable as museum piece original cars. Although this will be a problem for my heirs, not me, I've tried to tastefully modify my car with "period" accessories mostly from Germany, and have kept all original parts or have original spares.

My opinion, the stratospheric prices 60's muscle cars have been getting has peaked or will peak soon, "strangely" coinciding with the peak earning years of the people who were in their teens and twenties at the time. Many collectible items follow this pattern, Beatles cards, record albums, etc.

With muscle cars, generation X and Y people are going to wonder exactly what the thrill was about driving a badly-made, ill-handling, slow (yeah, slow), crude and incredibly dangerous vehicle, not having any memories of the times in which they were built.

[POS]

When I buy a car, I always take into consideration what it will be worth when it's useful life to me is over - a daily driver for example.

When I buy an older car that I want to keep for 10+ years, I take that same thing into consideration. Anyone who can make enough money to collect cars is (a) got to be smart enough to know that buying cars as an "investment" is colossally stupid, and (b) the reason we do it anyway is because we love cars and consider ourselves "car guys" - it's the price we pay for our hobby and enjoyment.

I like driving and I like driving different types of vehicles - what I want is a garage full of choices.

In looking at a '72 w107, I just wondered if they were ever going to have the flair of being something special.