[Deschodt]

Just an unreasonable idea floating in the back of my head, that I wanted to run by the collective...

Imagine a hypothetical scenario (really, I'm not there yet) where you have some cash to invest in today's economy... The banks will give you 0.003% interest (sarcasm), investing strategies might return 3-4% if no other meltdown happens, there seems to be very few "decent" return opportunities out there. Properties are cheap, but there are a ton of them and values are not guaranteed to increase over the coming years.

I did the math on rental (I like the idea of having money in "stone" instead of in a bank) and locally it is at best a 2% ROI proposition, once you factor in property tax, insurance, taxes, repairs, let alone crappy renters who may not pay....

So.... how about classic cars ? Over the past 10 years, I've seen 356s and early 911s go up by 100%, give or take. Same with old Mercs, some alfas, and let's not even mention the likes of Ferraris or gullwings... I've also noticed some smart rich people starting a classic car fund, but the entry price is too high for my blood...

Yes, there *could* be a bubble, but does anyone think it likely that, say, pre-A 356s are gonna go back down to $15000 ? Me neither ! It's not like Porsche or Mercedes make "new" 1950s or 1960s car anymore... Classic insurance is dirt cheap, assuming you have garage space, and if you buy them well enough (no fixer uppers, nice cars with no needs) and don't spend too much maintaining them, I think 10% of appreciation a year is fairly easily achievable... Sure beats my 401K or CDs ;-) As a bonus, you get to drive them, and should they get stolen or accidentally burn to the ground, you get the correct market "agreed value" right away.

What am I missing???? I know some models might not have that upside potential (I'm thinking early 911S, speedsters), but your run of the mill pre-A, A, B, C 356s, old mercs, some Maseratis (riskier engine wise) definitely have room to grow more than what a bank would give me...