"collector's car" term thrown around at drop of hat

I've always been annoyed that everything on Ebay is rare.

 

I deleted everything but these few words. That's why "collector", "valuable" and "rare" are used so often. Depending on where you are in the world and how much you've seen, you will always have a different idea of what these words mean vs. someone else.

 

Rare and $hitty!

 

I think collectability goes with the value of an item.
Regardless whether it be a car, a guitar, a stamp, a picture etc etc.

I don't think people aspire to collect normal run of the mill items (348,355,360 in this case).
Yes, people aspire to own these cars but they are built in such quantities that they are not collectable as the supply can outsrip the demand and this is reflected in future values.

There will only ever be 36 250 GTO owners, less of a 365 California and even less of a NART Spyder.
The people who own these cars are collectors, they will have a collection of cars that will probably represent a large sum of money.

The other cars mentioned in the original post would not be classed as a collectors car due to the volumes in which they are produced.

These are obviously only my personal thoughts.

Paul

 

IMO a "collectible" car is one that enthusiasts still desire to own and will pay non-salvage prices for decades after their production ended. Has little or nothing to do with financial value or number produced.

 

You are trying to ascribe a special meaning to the word "collectible". Common useage is too far gone from the elite connotation you are trying to apply.

col·lect·i·ble [kuh-lek-tuh-buhl]
–adjective 1. capable of being collected.
–noun 2. an object suitable for a collection, originally a work of fine art or an antique, now including also any of a wide variety of items collected as a hobby, for display, or as an investment whose value may appreciate.

Also, col·lect·a·ble.

But to your point - "collectible" in the context of a used car ad is meaningless.

And yes, thimbles, spoons, rocks, and Ferraris are all collectible. As are baseball cards, twine, barbed wire, and bellybutton lint. And almost anything else you can think of.

 

a non car guy friend of mine was telling me that 80s Honda Civics were collector cars bcus they made 40 mpg +

I told him I think they are popular for mpg but not really collectable

 

Very few things are manufactured with OMG its collectible in mind. They are simply just manufactured products by a company to turn a profit, nothing more for the most part.
What happens in 20, 30, 50 or 100 years from the end of a products production and how many are still around, still usable/working and still sought after is what makes them collectible IMO.
You say 348's are "far-fetched, wanna-be, will not really ever be, "collectible" Ferraris".
Maybe, maybe not, time will tell and its still very early from the end of it's production life cycle and time has a funny way of changing things.
Funny thing when I think about it, only 1090 348 spiders were ever made and of that only 556 ever came to the USA and it was the first convertible Ferrari since the Daytona.
Seems absurd to think of that model as "having no significant rarity of production" and that it would never have a chance to grow in value and "collectibility" in someway.
Jeff

 

I disagree with you on the F355. I think he F355 will be a collectible in the future. Depends on the years, I do agree on most of the others you mentioned.

 

I think you have posts mixed up.
"are you implying 348 = 250 SWB, then?" <not my comment or post.

Yes time does matter IMO because people change their opinions over time on just about everything, there is plenty of history to back that up.
Jeff

 

One problem: the 246 GTS was a largely overlooked used car for decades, with approximately 3,000 made (or thereabouts). If you had called it collectible 10 years ago, a lot of "serious Ferrari" guys would have laughed at you.

The other problem is that all the cars on your "collectible" list are basically garage art or museum pieces and will be available in perpetuity. The "noncollectibles" are being driven hard, modified/accessorized and not being preserved in the same way. If I sent you on a hunt right now for a collector-quality black/tan 1985 308 GTS QV -- original, lower mileage, time-warp car -- would you be able to find one? They are common, yes?

Time changes everything. I think Michael Sheehan falls into the same trap sometimes: if it's not expensive now, it's not a good investment, essentially. The only point I agree with is that the computer-laden Ferraris (e.g, 360, 599, etc.) may prove to be unmaintainable over the long haul. We'll have to see.

Finally, the internal combustion engine may not have many decades left, which could change the collectible game considerably. Obviously, we're all guessing at this point.

 

The collectability of just about anything is indeed in the eye of the beholder. Or rather, the collector. If you don't agree that a particular item is "collectible", that's fine - don't collect it.

Is it up to you to define what is special and unique for me? Can I do so for you? Where does the line get drawn? When is that "special time" and who sets it?

The way I see it, you are equating "collectible" with "good investment". Collecting is done for the love of something. Investing is done with the expectation of a financial return.

I do see the problem you have with the word "collectible" being thrown into practically every car ad these days. It's a way to snare the topically uneducated using the implication of "investment" as it pertains to "collectible" in this context.

 

My definition of "collectors car" is something that was produced in quantities of less than 1,000 worldwide over it's entire production run.

Whether or not it is valuable, or may become so, is irrelevant in how I define the term. Many people collect things of little or no value.

 

Those are exactly 2 of the points I have been trying to make!

I would also argue that as soon as the word "collectible" appears in an ad for a used car (be it a Honda Civic or a Ferrari Daytona), the seller has stepped into the realm of snake-oil salesman and is taking the low road so to speak by trying to sucker in an uneducated buyer using the dishonest "collectible" = "investment" connotation.

 

Cant believe I even read this whole thread. Collectable = something people collect. Collector car = cars everyone knows people like to collect. I knew before I was 10 that a 1957 2 door Chevy was a collectable and that a 1957 4 door Chevy was less so. I dont even believe one could make an argument that a 250 GTO is any more collectable than 1964 Pontiac GTO. One is certainly worth a lot more, but they are both collectable, and I think if a 250 GTO owner were to look down on a Pontiac GTO owner and say thier car wasnt collectable but that your Ferrari was, they would think your an arrogant snob. Anything can be a collectable if a group of people like to collect them. I also dont feel that saying something is a collectable is not being dishonest or somehow makes someone out to be a snake oil salesman. The whole ideal seems rather arrogant to me. Usually statements in advertising its just verbosity to fill up space on a page. People that sell things learn sooner or later that buyers want some meat in an ad or they question the interest. If your not excited about what you have to sell, why should I be excited? I sure hope you didnt lay awake all night thinking about this.