Millennial collecting Cars from the 1980s and 90s

The best performer in the high-end collectables category includes whisky and classic cars. Many investors seek safe alternatives, but sometimes, passion items may not offer the desired growth in the specified term; nevertheless, these are symbols of status and are owned for fun.  

The endorsement of luxury items provides the opportunity to look like a celebrity. The growth in the category like rare whisky has been up to 40 per cent in the last year; similarly, the demand for classic vehicles continues to gain. 

A recent vintage and classic club event was held at a UK northeast car rally where several exhibitors and visitors came across Aberdeenshire. 

The collectors showcased over 500 cars, motorbikes, tractors, and trucks, and people's response was overwhelming when items from the steam engine era, the 1917 Ford model T-car, the 1964 Triumph Tiger Cub motorbike, and other heavy vehicles were exhibited. 

Why invest in vintage?

The Luxury Investment Index by Knight Frank finds the classic car section generated over 288 per cent return in a decade, whereas other categories like art generated up to 55 per cent and wine 174 per cent. 

It is raw data where the gains represent several factors. It is necessary to identify the key to success in such investments, as it is not always obvious or easy to make gains in such items, although it might sound great. 

The buyers of classic vehicles enjoy owning and driving such rare vehicles. The classic model- the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, was sold for $48 million, but this does not mean all the models will get the same price. 

Such assets are components of larger finance and investment strategies -as they help the asset holder get his hands on the cash when required. 

The key benefits of such assets are that they can be leveraged and converted into cash without losing any value, and in some cases, the value earned can be much higher than the cost price. 

Millennials buying the 1980s -90s models 

The models that can be registered as antiques are mostly 20 to 25 years old or older. Some young collectors are getting rare versions of current-generation vehicles that they may sell as antiques in 25 years. 

Different countries have different regulations in this regard, and some driving machines may not require annual inspection, but some may require it for registration. There are also restrictions on driving an antique. 

In some categories, the value of antiques has dropped significantly, where the older buyers want the luxury vehicle even at a higher price as they wanted to own it as children, or they strike a personal connection with such items. Still, the new generation is searching for models from the 80s and 90s like the Triumph TR8- the truck wedge as the eighties are becoming the new antique. 

The new buyers are looking for the ones that may not be available in some years, like muscle cars or European exotics.