Classic car ownership generally represents a solid means of capital investment, provided you have the funds to keep your vehicle well-maintained. But if you're trying to get ahead of the curve and are looking for a future classic, or something inexpensive that'll appreciate in value over time, how can you tell what's what? Not all classic cars are equal, after all. While an old Volkswagen Beetle and a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing both come from the same era, one car is perfectly affordable, and the other is worth seven figures. What determines this, and what should you look out for when you're shopping for your next classic car as an investment?
To summarize, there are two general principles that go into analyzing which cars will go up in value: the tangible facts and specifications, and the intangible subjective factor. On the tangible side, you'll find various core attributes about the car -- for instance, how rare it is, performance specifications, if it's a particular trim level or features certain equipment, and so on. It's everything you can directly observe about the car that makes it practically distinct. A 1966 Shelby GT-350 is worth more than a standard 1966 Mustang because it's one of the rarest Mustangs ever produced, and represents a faster special-edition model with features not available on the base Mustang.
The intangible factor represents the opposite: subjective qualities about the car. For instance, an A80 Toyota Supra averages at roughly $75,000 hammer price with immaculate examples easily cresting six figures, in-part due to its pop-culture popularity. Quirky or artistic aesthetics, media influence, special serial numbers (like Chassis Number 1,000,000), historical provenance; these all belong here.