Found this thread interesting and wonder what your thoughts are a few years later? It seems to me the quote below may not have played out as expected? The value of those cars seems to have dropped substantially versus the GT. Where are GT values headed? Clean examples of almost every car below can be bought for 50 cents on the original MSRP dollar I would think? Thoughts?
Luke-
Interesting questions... I grew up with a father that was incredibly passionate about cars and the car hobby. Fortunately the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Here's what I've learned from my father via his collecting vehicles throughout his lifetime. Each vehicle he purchased through the years was one he really wanted for one reason or another- mainly because of combination of many items such as the cool factor, performance aspect, originality, low miles and his "have to have it" meter registering in the right range. Unfortunately he passed away 5 years ago, since my sisters or Mother didn't have interest in cars my Mom asked me to go through the vehicles we own and figure out which one's I'd like to have someday down the road. I did just that after getting to know the cars for a couple of year (I took my time) - all the cars were incredible in so many ways, however some of them just weren't cars that I wanted for the long term and on the flip-side the one's I kept are cars I have a serious attachment too. I also realized there were people out there that would really cherish the cars I didn't particulary have a bond with which makes me sleep better at night knowing (I know, I'm crazy!?!).
Every vehicle that he purchased went up in value considerably over the years. How would this money have done if it were invested in the stock market verses the car collection you may ask. Regardless it doesn't matter... he purchased the vehicles because HE was passionate about the cars and the people involved in the hobby. The cars and the people with the hobby brought him great joy. I recall he and I talking about this when I was a little guy (way back :wink) - he directly said there's nothing better than going out to the garage and bonding with the cars, but the other owners is where it all comes into play. To many this sounds crazy, yet to many on this forum - we get it completely - many friendships have been created through this forum alone - which all stemmed from the GT (thanks Bony!).
Below is one example out of our collection so you get the idea. The closest one that parallels to the Ford GT is the '64 289 Cobra we own. My father purchased this nice original example Cobra because it had low miles, it was original and it was fast/cool. He purchased the car in the mid 70's in the $20k range, now the car would pull considerably north of $20k +interest & he enjoyed driving it, showing it and bonding with it. He got to know Carroll Shelby along with many other great people/friends through this car - which is where the true payment/pleasure comes into play. This is another car I just adore - it has it all in my book.
Whenever I purchase a potential "collector" vehicle I always think of various factors - mainly what I look at is... do I really LOVE this car? How many were built? What are the people like that currently own one (or something similar)?Is it original - was it well taken care of & etc. I can tell you I didn't hesitate purchasing a Ford GT because it fit all of the criteria I mentioned throughout this message. This car reached out to me, this forum and the people involved on it simply speak for itself - I was seriously attached to the GT the first time I saw it. I knew I had to have one. What this says to me - there are plenty of other people out there just like me. If the prices go down to $30k - heck, I'll buy a couple more to help average my price down. The more GT's I have the more joy it would bring. :cheers
Okay, now onto answering your original question - sorry for the LONG-winded response! Nobody can say if you buy a GT today that it’ll be a great investment, nor can they say you'll lose your shirt. However we can certainly provide you with our personal thoughts. With this said, I feel Ford nailed it with the GT; it has the American muscle we all have grown to love and the exotic all wrapped into one - it's a car I certainly couldn't live without in my garage (providing my family didn't need the $$ for something more important). These cars have a personality of their own; it’s something that’ll never be duplicated. In my book they have all the ingredients of becoming a serious collector car in the future – who knows how long it’ll take for the value to go up - nobody can predict this?! But I can assure you that I’ll certainly enjoy ownership while I’m the caretaker of my tungsten beauty. Basically what it all boils down too - life is short, enjoy each and every second of it!
The day I purchased my GT is a day I'll cherish forever - you can't replicate that!
Life is good,
Lance