TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Not every car with motorsport history becomes a classic
Skoda for example, Seat, Mitsubishi, the metro (its definately not a classic ), even the humble scoob wont make it, but the 22B will, like I said, very few cars become classics, the scoob isnt one of them unless its the 22B, you just have to look at the low end models now, dirt cheap, falling apart etc, there are more bad ones than good, there will be people who keep them, doesnt mean they will become a cult classic car, cult maybe, classic.... nope

Tony

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

I think the classics will become classic
Eventually
But we have to wait
Rust will eat away the rear arches
Engines will go bang
Many will get broken for parts as worth more
The Chavs will continue putting stick on tat on them and spraying them dodgy colours then blow the engines up after putting on cheap dumpvalves
The other Chavs will smash them up in McDonalds car parks 'cos it's cool init'
What's left in ten years will be classics

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Just the 22B's then?

Tony

Frosticles

iTrader: (1)

We will resume this conversation in 20 years
time. Then come to the conclusion that I was right lol.

N_Scooby

iTrader: (2)

I think it will take a fair few years before 'classics' become classics

What we class as modern day classics are cars from the 70's and 80's which were poorly built and were prone to rust (catch the rear arches and around the windscreen early enough on the Scoobs and they will last!!) so there are fewer of them around now. 90's cars using more modern materials will last that little bit longer so it will take longer for there to be less of them.

As for the chav's - there was a time in the late 90's / early 2000's where the manufacturers stopped producing fast cars with turbos and it is only recently they have started again. As these get a little more affordable the chavs will just move on leaving just the die-hard Subaru fans searching the scrapyards for bits to keep their pride and joy going.

rossyboy

iTrader: (8)

Tony, none of those cars were iconic cars to be aspired to when they were in production and the Metro was just plain sh1te, so classic status was never going to happen.

The classic Impreza was definitely aspired to in production, so I think you're being very pessimistic about which Imprezas will become classics at a point in time. I agree run of the mill models wont break the £10k barrier at any point, but they will still be regarded as a classic car and be worth £5k plus if in mint condition in the not too distant future. Those mint cars are already sought after as they are so rare.

I can see them ending up like Mark 1 golfs. So many about for so long that nobody really cared about or for them and yet now they are sought after.

SimonD

As I said before, good original classics will hold their value (but that value will be small).
Modified ones will be judged by the cost to undo the mods. 22Bs (if unmolested) will appreciate. UK specials won't be worth much more than the cars they are based on as the changes are generally cosmetic and of questionable benefit.

rossi_p

iTrader: (26)

Tony,

Firstly, at present I agree that classics should not and will not be classed as classic, there are simply too many about in poor condition. Maybe time will diminish numbers and the few left may reserve some kind of status, who knows...

However, I do disagree with your rationale as I do not think how "good" the car is has anything to do with it.

Bad cars are just as likely to considered as a classic as a good car (in many cases it helps with the charm). Your comment about the classic being a great car back in the 90's but isn't anymore has nothing to do with how it may be perceived in the future.

Examples would best be used....

Take a 1970's Mini, a Mk1 Golf GTI, or an old Ford Contina, are these not considered classics? Correct me if I'm wrong but they are all poor cars by todays standards but that does not contribute to a car being considered a classic.

You mention evolution of a marquee, a 1967 Mustang is considered a classic despite any evolution of the marque. Is the '67 better than the 2010 model?

Who knows how a classic Impreza will be viewed in 43 years regardless of any evolution made by Subaru (presuming they haven't all rusted away of course ).

Re your 22b comment. How different is a 22B to a type R anyway? Okay, you have the 2.2l, and a wider bodyshell and more limited numbers? How does it make it 'good' enough? I presume due to its rare status... this doesn't really have anything to do with how 'good' it is.

Either way, I think the term 'classic' is a normative view rather than an offical sanction so it's neither here nor there.

Just a thought, or few....

wrxsti280

iTrader: (6)

they already are in my opinion, only certain types or limited model runs, im biased as i own a version 1 sti wagon, only 200 built, the p1 will end up being a classic, although i agree with an earlier comment, nothing but a poverty spec type r when ya look at em, the 22b will be the daddy though, but yes all in all, i reckon another 10-15 years and they will start to appreciate in value as the ropey ones get wrapped round lamposts or go tree hugging taking their baseball cap wearing spotty oik drivers with them, some are already classed as classics by certain insurers as well.

rossyboy

iTrader: (8)

Bear in mind that the first ones made are 18 years old in November. Not many decent examples of those left in this country already.

pooeater

Your getting some hammer on this one tony

Glowplug

iTrader: (8)

I think there is some confusion in this thread. There is a difference between;
Classic
Collectable
Valuable and
Iconic

Especially where cars are conserned

For motor insurance policy purposes, the definitions are generally:

* Any car manufactured before 1903 is a ‘vintage' vehicle.
* Manufactured between 1903 and 1933 it is classed as a ‘veteran'.
* Classic cars generally have to be at least 15 years old.
* The classic car does not have to be a glamorous super car.
* They do not even need to be especially valuable.



So IMO, yes the early ones already are classics. Although not necessarily collectable or valuable or even desirable to some it would seem

Ricerocket0_1

22B's, Type-R's, P1's & RA's will be very sort after in years to come. Other models will never make the same money.......for what it's worth.

scoobyboy1

iTrader: (16)

You only need to look a the Saph cosworth, You can pick up cheap tatty versions for less then 4k but a mint decent one can cost upto 10k.

I think certain Impreza's such as the ones that most people on here want/aspire to own are usually Type R's/RA's P1's and the newage Spec C's,S202 etc I dont think that these models will be like the Escort Cosworth and be worth 15k+ but I think that people will want to own one and they will probably stay at the price they are now. A decent Version 5/6 Type R can cost you between 6-7k which is still a bit of money for a 10-11 year old car!!!

Glowplug

iTrader: (8)

OPs question;

Turbo2

I think it funny sometimes how old Imprezas are not considered classics by many of you people. The fact that you still buy/maintain/modify cars which are all between 10 - 17 years old means that they must have a certain attraction. It's not as if you get cheap insurance to run arond in like a 10 - 17 year old Fiesta, is it?

The 22B will always be top of the tree from a value point of view and quite rightly so, but you get just as much straight-line performance out of a 17 year old 4 door STi, and rather more if you've modified it. For the few grand spent, it's quite remarkable really. 17 years on, what would you need to spend on a new saloon car to hit 60mph in round-about 5 seconds? At least 28K, or so?

When I started out driving in 1987 my car was then 12 years old and long-since considered a classic car. It too had been out of producton for just over 10 years. So IMHO a relatively standard Classic is already a classic car, but that doesn't mean they will shoot up in price, due to the numbers around.

rossyboy

iTrader: (8)

Makes a lot of sense to me.

One thing though that people are missing. Most of the RS cars of the 80s are modified under the bonnet/brakes/suspension to some degree. These still fetch good money as long as they've been done with the right bits and by the right people (especially the cossies).

Once you stick on a dodgy bodykit, stickers and lexus lights though, it all goes wrong

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

I think it is all a perception issue. A 'classic' does not necessarily mean valuable. Would I call a Mk1 or Mk2 Golf GTI a classic? Yes I would. How about a Mk3 ... er, no I wouldn't. Why not? Becuase the Mk1 and Mk2 were iconic hot hatchbacks of their time whereas the Mk3 was just not that great. Same with the 205GTI - icon, 206? - nope!!!

Thing is like it or not the classic shape Impreza is an icon. Think of a Scoob and most people in the UK will think of the classic shape usually in the hands of Colin McRae. The fact that the new age cars may have been better is irrelevant as at the time the 'classic' Scoob was head and shoulders above the competition - affordable 4WD performance cars with a rallying heritage.

By the time the new age cars came along others had caught up.

The very fact that cars like the early Golf GTIs, 205s, Mk1 Escorts, Cossies etc. are iconic is what makes them a classic in the eyes of so many. The Scoob will go the same way. When there are no tatty ones left and only good, cared for, examples are all you see they will be classic in the same way the Cossies and Golfs are today. They may never be worth a fortune as there are a lot of them (special editions excepted), but they will engender a respect and affection with many petrolheads... owners and non-owners alike.

The newage cars will never have that.... and that isn't just me being catty... they may well be better cars, but they are not iconic. The classic Scoob is and always will be.

chris270181

in terms of value if all all classic owners outrightly refused to sell their cars for less then 5k then the values would increase? Surely eventually somebody would crack and spend the extra money? . Just a thought

DazW

iTrader: (1)

History has already shown us that *both* a mass produced rally rep & it's ltd edition brethren have achieved classic status ...the Quattro & Sport

All 'Icons' eventually become classics, it's just dependant on numbers produced as to when (hence the Integrale being there already) ...as mentioned above, who would have thought that Mk1 & Mk2 Escorts would get there, let alone bog standard Mini's & Beetles!

r6nick

Just thought I would bump this thread 3 years on and the classics are rising in price ever so slightly be it but 3 hears on and a fair few broken, scrapped ect it's hard to find even an average condition Classic for less than 2k.....didn't someone mention £900 examples before?
Anyway of course the Classics will achive true Classic Status as said before it's an icon a rally car just like Collin Mcrae's cant say that about the newage. Ok they will never fetch big bucks but a mk 3 fiesta xr2i wont but would we all say now there hard to come by there a classic? ?

daz b

How many classics have been broken,wrote off since the thread was started

mich0405

They will become a classic,and now they are not importing the classics they will be far and few between.Its worth keeping hold of the import classics as they will be worth a few bob in the future,especially the ones that have been looked after and not molested.Like mine 17 years old and a true classic and looked after as they should be all original subaru parts and low milege.

Iain250

iTrader: (1)

http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle...turbo_2000_awd

try 2200 gone in 3 years - and corrosions getting hold of them too so this will accelerate bigtime

100% a classic in my mind and im into my old stuff

JDM_333

Yeah definately - as mentioned the P1, RB5 and 22B for sure, you could also ask do you think the Celica GT4 will become a real classic as the technological strides that made in rallying is also legendary but I hardly see any, maybe one in the past year (the turbo not the GT).

Kwik

iTrader: (10)

Its about an era, something that depicts a time, encapsulates people's imagination. The classic Impreza does just that. The newage turned customers away from Subaru, the general public perception of the Impreza is the classic shape.

Its also about numbers. If something hasn't been made for 12 years then the numbers of them can only go one way. With prices as cheap as they are, many of them getting chavved up, broken, written off then that number will depreciate very fast.
When you think about it logically 99% of 22b's will remain in existence. 99% of 4 door classics though will likely find the scrap heap, how many 4 door shells have been practically given away on here whereas Type-R and P1 shells sell, and get restored.
Its the age old saying of "what someone will pay for it". If someone decides they want a 4dr classic and struggles to find one, then will pay over the odds for them, and that's when it will begin.

The Honda C90 is the best selling motorbike ever made, millions were sold. Anyone who knows anything knows just how their prices are going nowadays.

rossyboy

iTrader: (8)

There's still a hell of a lot out there. Peaked at 10k in existence and still more than 50% of them on the road, never mind the 1,300 SORN ones.

By my reckoning that's only 35% scrapped so far, though it should accelerate over the next few years.

These will be cheap for a long time yet.

Moojii

Vw beetles are classics and they were the most produced car ever. Who determines what should be regarded as a classic?

cjquicksilver

iTrader: (23)

classic imprezas (the clean ones) are definatly going up in value, yes you can buy a t2k for a grand now, but you know what you would be getting, a reck! yet you keep an eye out for a clean, well looked after example and the value is slowly going up!

will the impreza become a classic?

IMO yes! there status and what they stand for in history will eventualy mark them as collectable classic! as soon as the chavd up ones have died off, and people moaning about the insurance costs and fuel costs sell theres, then only the enthusiasts will own them, numbers will drop, cars will be garaged and used on weekends, then you will get the young people of now in about 15 years remembering there amazing classic impreza they once had and will start to hunt for one for sale in there flying honda! and the fact they will have a job and not be a bum getting mum to pay for there insurance etc will allow them to pay the money for a good example!

few years back 205 gti = £500
now all 205 gti have been converted to so called track/rally cars, a clean example will set you back 3k+

astra mk1/2 gte again few years back you would cut the roof off one and use is to feed the cattle! try and find a clean one now!

then of course you have the escorts/ hillman avengers / christ even the allegro and reliant robin are fetching good money!

his-n-her-scoobs

iTrader: (5)

How many have a classic on SORN? I have a MY95 import wagon (with an STi vin number) tucked away

Sold the wife's MY97 car recently for a good price too