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162 Posts
For someone who has grown up since childhood, known as the 'Italian car enthusiast', i have NEVER owned an Italian car since passing to drive. Having said that i have driven the likes of 156, 147, Punto, 124, 126, and few others. But that is not the same as owning them, is it. I'm a pretender.
Now i couldn't rectify this problem before because i had no money. Between 08-12 I had naff all. Yet seeing x1/9s, HF Turbos, 155 all going for really nice money. Once i've seen x1/9 at £400, and needed a bit of work but would've been superb.
Now i do have some regular people money, i tried a few years back. 50k otc, GTV 3.0 v6, red with beige leather, ph2 £4995. Phoned up about it.....SOLD. The ad was 20mins old. Look at the prices now(!)
HF Turbo, Burgundy, 80k, £1800 initially. The guy decided to put on Ebay instead, outbidded last moment at £3000. Prices now, where some bloke is selling a 120+ mileage one for £8k and reckon they'll be worth £20k.
Same with a few others. Ended up buying an rx8 instead. (brilliant btw.)
So this is where i find things messed up. The rx8 has satisfied me as car for the last few years, but i've still been keeping an eye on things during that time. And allllll i'm seeing is just high prices for things and still going up and up. Alfa Alfettas, GTVs, 75s. Lancia HF Delta, Fulvias, Fiat 124s, Fiat x1/9, 147 GTAs.
I can't seem to find cheap classic Italian motoring anymore. Everything is an "appreciating classic", or a "future classic", (which is dealer talk for, 'let me add a premium for a worthless car') or a BARN FIND?!?! How bloomin barns are there in this country hiding cars. Like honestly what a load of bs. Basically you lost the paperwork and decided to throw some hay on it right?
Just so freakin typical, when cars are some what reasonably priced, i don't have any reasonable income to match. When i do, the prices have gone up, so i still can't match.
Last year seeing GTAs for 4-6k, now apparently 10-12k. Cheapest x1/9 i can find is £1500......but it's spares or a resto project??? Alfa 75 3.0l, £4500k.....and the wheel arch is rotted away. Premium one...forget about it.
You may argue they're really old cars. But this January, a guy couldn't get rid of his 146 1.8ts with only 23k otc for just under £2k. Now there ones sold at a dealer with 109k for £2k. Seen good 145s early this year go for £900, quite low mileage. Now there;s people trying to sell theres for £2k, despite having welding done, or £1800 despite the bumper hanging off, with the tagline 'rare cars, future classic.' *sigh* NO! just because they're rare doesn't mean they're future classic, that's not how it works, you can't just inflate the market like that. Same with 164s.
Although the biscuit was the HF turbo, trying it for £8k+ now with 120k+ mileage, and apparently it's going to be worth "over £20k in 2 years, and i'm only selling because i've don't have the space." Yeah sure mate you haven't got the space to keep a car that you say will give a 300% return. What you got a Miura in the waiting or something?
Now i don't know where i;m going with this moan, i'm a bit drunk from a social evening. At this moment in time i'm not sure whether i'm disappointed in myself that i missed the sweet spot for cars i lusted after as a kid and teen, and that i can't afford it, or if i could afford it, i know inside i'd be paying over for what you're ACTUALLY getting. That the reality is, i've limited myself now to a 156 or higher mileage GTV.
Or am i just genuinely dismayed at the old car scene at the moment where everything pre-2005, is a "classic" or "a future classic", two terms that grinds my gears (almost as much people genderising their cars), and used as an excuse to stick wedge onto the car's value, in hopes of reeling one in.
Now i couldn't rectify this problem before because i had no money. Between 08-12 I had naff all. Yet seeing x1/9s, HF Turbos, 155 all going for really nice money. Once i've seen x1/9 at £400, and needed a bit of work but would've been superb.
Now i do have some regular people money, i tried a few years back. 50k otc, GTV 3.0 v6, red with beige leather, ph2 £4995. Phoned up about it.....SOLD. The ad was 20mins old. Look at the prices now(!)
HF Turbo, Burgundy, 80k, £1800 initially. The guy decided to put on Ebay instead, outbidded last moment at £3000. Prices now, where some bloke is selling a 120+ mileage one for £8k and reckon they'll be worth £20k.
Same with a few others. Ended up buying an rx8 instead. (brilliant btw.)
So this is where i find things messed up. The rx8 has satisfied me as car for the last few years, but i've still been keeping an eye on things during that time. And allllll i'm seeing is just high prices for things and still going up and up. Alfa Alfettas, GTVs, 75s. Lancia HF Delta, Fulvias, Fiat 124s, Fiat x1/9, 147 GTAs.
I can't seem to find cheap classic Italian motoring anymore. Everything is an "appreciating classic", or a "future classic", (which is dealer talk for, 'let me add a premium for a worthless car') or a BARN FIND?!?! How bloomin barns are there in this country hiding cars. Like honestly what a load of bs. Basically you lost the paperwork and decided to throw some hay on it right?
Just so freakin typical, when cars are some what reasonably priced, i don't have any reasonable income to match. When i do, the prices have gone up, so i still can't match.
Last year seeing GTAs for 4-6k, now apparently 10-12k. Cheapest x1/9 i can find is £1500......but it's spares or a resto project??? Alfa 75 3.0l, £4500k.....and the wheel arch is rotted away. Premium one...forget about it.
You may argue they're really old cars. But this January, a guy couldn't get rid of his 146 1.8ts with only 23k otc for just under £2k. Now there ones sold at a dealer with 109k for £2k. Seen good 145s early this year go for £900, quite low mileage. Now there;s people trying to sell theres for £2k, despite having welding done, or £1800 despite the bumper hanging off, with the tagline 'rare cars, future classic.' *sigh* NO! just because they're rare doesn't mean they're future classic, that's not how it works, you can't just inflate the market like that. Same with 164s.
Although the biscuit was the HF turbo, trying it for £8k+ now with 120k+ mileage, and apparently it's going to be worth "over £20k in 2 years, and i'm only selling because i've don't have the space." Yeah sure mate you haven't got the space to keep a car that you say will give a 300% return. What you got a Miura in the waiting or something?
Now i don't know where i;m going with this moan, i'm a bit drunk from a social evening. At this moment in time i'm not sure whether i'm disappointed in myself that i missed the sweet spot for cars i lusted after as a kid and teen, and that i can't afford it, or if i could afford it, i know inside i'd be paying over for what you're ACTUALLY getting. That the reality is, i've limited myself now to a 156 or higher mileage GTV.
Or am i just genuinely dismayed at the old car scene at the moment where everything pre-2005, is a "classic" or "a future classic", two terms that grinds my gears (almost as much people genderising their cars), and used as an excuse to stick wedge onto the car's value, in hopes of reeling one in.
