SVX as a Collectible Car

[svxcess]

Owning 16 cars, and driving them in rotation at the rate of 1 per month, Earl goes 1 1/3 years before he drives the same SVX again (for only 30 days at a time)

At that rate he may very well be the "last man standing" long after most of ours have gone...

He's really enjoying driving his herd NOW and possibly having a few left in reserve if the price goes up. Best of both worlds

,

[dcarrb]

Recently I totaled-up all the receipts on my teal SVX and was quite surprised to see that my total 62-month expenditure (purchase price and basically everything but gas and insurance) came to over $10,000. No transmission or major mechanical work. And it still needs painting. Investment? No.

I figure pristine stock examples may be worth something to someone who appreciates the rare and unusual (and sooner than later), but doubt these cars will ever be by-the-book, sought-after collectibles.

dcb

[Gr8Dane]

Originally Posted by newsvx

And it still is a Subaru. Like it or not, Subaru just does not have the standing that a Porsche does - or some of the other makes.

...and the Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda was just a Plymouth.

Naw, I'm just playing. Baby Boomers made that car what it is today, (i.e. the stuff of legend)

but I don't think the SVX will get that kind of traditional mass-appreciation, though, I bet in 60 years or so, you might find one in mint condition at Pebble Beach

[PaulDexler]

Add another voice to the "drive it now" chorus. Yes, the SVX has a lot going for it, style, comfort, handling, unique mechanical specification, fun to drive. But at least here in the US, and particularly in the west, where Subarus in general didn't catch on because they were perceived as bad weather cars, their poor marketing at launch drained any demand. Yes, I wanted one from the beginning, but most people looked at it as a cheap car putting on airs. I have been showing my '92 pearlie wherever I can, but it's only making a slight dent in the overall perception. With mine, the only person who is not blown away by the styling and performance is my ex, who came up with "I don't know what you see in that car, it's ugly, its uncomfortable, and it doesn't handle." Since I still see her, but no longer live with her, I use it whenever we go anywhere, just because of her attitude.
Yes, these are wonderful cars AS CARS. So use them, enjoy them, and hope to live long enough to see one on the lawn at Pebble Beach.
Paul

[Ron Mummert]

I agree. This is not a car you will make money off of in the future. Drive it and enjoy it. It will be worth much to you in the future, and you will appreciate it as time goes on. Good luck.



Please keep in mind the source of the above comments. Word has it that the author of said comments wishes all of to give up on the, "Get rich in 20 years" philosophy, & unload these "worthless" beasts to.......HIM!!! Then after he has accumulated ALL of them, he will no doubt bri....,pay a respected automotive authority to write a, "The Latest Great Collectible Auto" article in a prominent motor sport publication. At which time said author will utter the following comment.

Bwaaa-hahahahaha.

You've been warned.


Ripimoff.

[ensteele]

Good idea!

[subi-crosser]

Originally Posted by newsvx

I do think the SVX will, some day, be a collectible if for no other reason, there were so few imported / made. And I doubt half imported to the US are still on the road today. The latter years probably more so than the earlier years. But will it be as collectible as the Supra? Probably not, because it was / is not a "performance" car. And it still is a Subaru. Like it or not, Subaru just does not have the standing that a Porsche does - or some of the other makes.
But as with any car, drive it and enjoy the car. Can't see a total garage queen just sitting in the garage to increase in value, regardless of the make.

Harry

What makes a car 'collectable' is when people WANT to own one!. WE want to own them and as 'WE' take them to shows and hear people that do not know the car ask questions about them, "Are those windows custom made?" etc, the car becomes more valuable. When we hang up on the 'other' partys insurance adjuster when he offers $200. we push the value UP!

WE are the ones that WILL push the value UP on these cars!

I got 2 cars added to the State of Md 'Historic' list. I WILL have the SVX added this year! A car that is OUT of PRODUCTION for 11 years can be added. That will be the THIRD car I had placed on the list.

I have also been working on J.C.Taylor insurance to 'see' this car as 'Collectable'.

BOTH things will go a long way towards the goal.

[RoughSilver92]

While I was at the book store the other day, I happened upon a collector car price guide that says the svx is worth (iirc) like $17,000-$19,000. The strange thing is they give highest value to the 92 svx (highest production) and the lowest value to the 97 (lowest number produced). I found this information quite humorous, since they generally sell for $2k-$4k on ebay. And all ANYTHING is worth is what you can sell it for. Also it is hard for something to be collectible when nobody knows what it is. Now, buy 20,000 svxi, make the svx the main car the next fast and furious movie, and now you've got the supply and demand thing working in your favor, and your 20,000 svxi are worth $8k instead of $4k. But in all seriousness, to me the svx is just an enjoyable experience, not an investment for return. It does always make me feel good when somebody sees it and says, "oh, an svx, I always wanted liked/wanted one of those", which has happened twice, both times at the parts store.

[svxistentialist]

The above posts are doubly interesting. Harry makes a solid point about the Porsche having a different profile for collectors. This is directly related to their racing provenance. Porsche are big players in Le Mans, pitting their engineering against Ferrari and Aston Martin and Audi etc down the years.

Subaru race [well, used to race ] saloon cars in WRC, they don't race sportscars, there's the difference.

Jerry is doing the correct thing, actively doing something to raise the profile of the SVX. If more owners do that, they will eventually be worth more.

As an interesting addition to Rough Silver's point, my Mom gave me a book for Christmas titled 1000 Sports Cars. I had already looked at it in the shops and rejected it, because the SVX was not listed. [Naturally I did not mention this when opening my present . Moms don't really understand nerds ] The guys in Germany who compiled this list, they did not rate the SVX, it was not even on their radar.

As it happens the book is useful, it has inclusions of some rare prototypes and so on, and I'm pleased to get it now I have read through it. But even considering that the SVX is photogenic, bodywork designed by a high profile design school, has weird features [the windows] and good engineering, these guys are either unaware of it, or don't rate it, because it is surely a shoe-in for an eclectic collection like this. But it's not even mentioned.

That's the size of the hill we have to climb to make this car known and valued.

Joe

[svxxx26]

As a bellweather of collectibility, look at the diecast collector market. Racing pedigree and interest abound.
It wasn't until last year that a diecast company (Norev) offered the SVX (no I'm not forgetting the original kit that was offered a few years ago, but that was a SVX network member's project). I think even at that, it was done as more an interesting oddity than anything else.

[subi-crosser]

Originally Posted by subi-crosser

What makes a car 'collectable' is when people WANT to own one!. WE want to own them and as 'WE' take them to shows and hear people that do not know the car ask questions about them, "Are those windows custom made?" etc, the car becomes more valuable. When we hang up on the 'other' partys insurance adjuster when he offers $200. we push the value UP!

WE are the ones that WILL push the value UP on these cars!

I got 2 cars added to the State of Md 'Historic' list. I WILL have the SVX added this year! A car that is OUT of PRODUCTION for 11 years can be added. That will be the THIRD car I had placed on the list.

I have also been working on J.C.Taylor insurance to 'see' this car as 'Collectable'.

BOTH things will go a long way towards the goal.

I KNOW that you guys know how many, what year.etc. Please POST a list that shows all! I need ammo to take to DMV when I get my SVX 'HISTORIC' tags!

THEN, I will sent the pics of the car with the tags on it to J.C. Taylor when I renew the VW insurance.

[svxistentialist]

Originally Posted by subi-crosser

I KNOW that you guys know how many, what year.etc. Please POST a list that shows all! I need ammo to take to DMV when I get my SVX 'HISTORIC' tags!

THEN, I will sent the pics of the car with the tags on it to J.C. Taylor when I renew the VW insurance.

There is already a list of US cars year by year in the How To section Jerry.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/files/How-To/14536.pdf

Is this the list you need?

Joe

[subbieatnz]

i cant even registar my svx for classic insurance or reged as an classic here since cars need to be about 40 years old to quaify

[subi-crosser]

Originally Posted by subbieatnz

i cant even registar my svx for classic insurance or reged as an classic here since cars need to be about 40 years old to quaify

I'm glad the our state just lowered the age of a car to 20 years!
I guess that is because so few of the newer cars LAST that long!

I was just working on a 2000 Buick. It is SAD to see how much Buick has changed over the last couple decades! The last Buick I worked on was a 71.

[subi-crosser]

Originally Posted by svxistentialist

There is already a list of US cars year by year in the How To section Jerry.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/files/How-To/14536.pdf

Is this the list you need?

Joe

Thats the one!! Thanks, Joe!

I am too busy building stuff to search all sections.

It will be closer to spring before I do the deed. Right now, all focus is on staying warm!!