Why mk1 Escorts are worth ££ - an explanation

[MK2VR6]

Just stumbled across this quote on the net...

"There is a theory that the collectability/value or a car is based on the target market of people who lusted after that car between the age of about 14 ~ 20. When they hit about 50~60 they start reclaiming some of those old dreams and the values go up but then unfortunately this crowd passes on and the values go back down and stabilize."

Some better value, previously desirable 70's/80's motors available in about 20 years time then?
I can see the logic in the statement, but it only seems to apply randomly. For example, early 80's mk1 Fiesta supersports are fetching silly money, whereas early 80's mk3 Escort XR3i's aren't fetching the equivalent high value. Bothj were highly desirable back in the day.
Only time will tell....
Have a decidedly unrestorable mk2 Escrot.

[polo6n1600i]

When I was growing up the cars everyone was out and about in was Mk1/2 fiesta's XR3 & i's, Rs1600i's, Astra GTE's Golf GTi's Renault 5 GTT, Uno Turbos, Charade turbo's, Suzuki Swifts etc. Now i'm of a certain age (mortgage, job, 2.5 dogs, kids etc) these are now finally attainable. but good ones are getting rarer - but if people my age are thinking the same and wanting to relive their teenage years. I know i do - but £6k for a mk2 golf GTi on ebay just now - dream on!

[Dez]

I'm not so sure on the values going down/stabilizing either. the guys who started chopping down model As and '32 fords in the late forties and early fifties are either well into their 80s or more likely dead now, yet the values are still pretty high, and showing no signs of dropping- plus theres more demand than ever for them. it just seems a newer generation move into them once they themselves get 'comfortable' and can afford them.

[polo6n1600i]

i'd say more like a 20 year gap. Then resettle at about 5 years later

[col]

you have to consider the taste of younger generations too. modern cars imo don't have anywhere near the lasting appeal of older cars, i can't see people in 20 years lusting after a fiesta rs or clio 172. I know me, and most of my mates (aged around 20) won't be, so we'll be a part of the market for 70's-80's cars for a long time yet.

[MK2VR6]

Jul 2, 2012 11:29:37 GMT col said:

I can't see people in 20 years lusting after a fiesta rs or clio 172.

Don't agree with this - 10-15 years ago Fiesta Supersports were worth sweet fanny adams; I bet no-one at the time could have predicted that they would fetch silly bucks in the future.

[grifterkid]

When the Williams Clio came out I thought that was the dogs danglers and now I think I am in the position to purchase one about 20 years or so after it was first released...

I don't think this theory fully proves why Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts cost so darn much these days though... I really do like them but I cannot justify spending the kind of money that is asked for a good RS as it is (for me at least) just too much

[polo6n1600i]

The values of the mk1 & mk2 escorts going up also has an impact on "similar genre" vehicles also - same kind of age rwd , good rally car, bit of style - Dolomites, Chevettes, sunbeams etc etc. As people think the same way they cant justify an escort, but this other one would fill the gap!

[Deleted]

I think a good 75% of the appeal is simply the driving experience from these rwd cars.there is literally nothing like giving an '79 RS2000 a thrashing down a few well known Welsh roads !!

of course, clever product placement by Ford with getting the cars onto the tv for us youngsters to drool over played it's part.who didn't want a 3 litre Capri like Bodie? or Doyle's RS?

Motorsport has taken its toll on the available stock,hence prices are on the way up and the increase in cars being imported from Europe and beyond!

[DarrenW]

I think the Escort is more of an exception to the "rule" in the first post than anything - or an anomaly at least.

The value of them is high because they are very successful rally cars and are eligible for all kinds of championships, and there is a huge aftermarket availability of spares and performance bits for them. It's less to do with people wanting to recapture their youth, and more to do with people wanting a competitive rally/race car. The number of solid bodyshells is dwindling rapidly because they get rolled/stuffed in forests etc so the value of even the tattiest four door is pulled up as a result

I predict that BMW Compacts will increase in value in 10-15 years from now, simply because they are rear wheel drive and are becoming increasingly popular in road rally and other events. Yet no kids at the moment are lusting after them yet unable to afford one, so they won't be wanting one in 20 years when they are older and have cash. It won't be the desirablility factor, it'll be a motorsport thing, a bit like the Escort.

I've worded all that really badly, it's Monday ;D

[Deleted]

exactly,the 4 door in the original post would have a queue forming to buy it these days!

[akku]

Jul 2, 2012 11:29:37 GMT col said:

you have to consider the taste of younger generations too. modern cars imo don't have anywhere near the lasting appeal of older cars, I can't see people in 20 years lusting after a fiesta rs or clio 172. I know me, and most of my mates (aged around 20) won't be, so we'll be a part of the market for 70's-80's cars for a long time yet.

this is exactly what we were saying in the 80s/early 90s about modern cars then. "who will want a Rover SD1 as a classic car?" I destinctly remember scoffing myself...

I was told my Capri would never be a sought after car. And nobody would ever consider 70s Japanese cars "collectible", c'mon...

A wonderful definition I came across somewhere -

"A car becomes a classic at the point that most people have forgotten how bad or bland they were when they were new"

[waveman1500]

Well, just to throw a spanner in the works, I will say that things definitely work differently in Australia. The main difference is probably that the whole curve is slowed down dramatically. Over here, cars generally last for ages and the values drag out accordingly. So, a five year old used car is still very expensive, a 10 year old car is starting to get affordable. It takes at least 20 years for cars to reach rock-bottom 'banger' money, then they seem to dwell down there for 10 years or so. I think the start of the entry-level 'classic' Australian cars now are from the late 1970s, which is 35 years ago, and even then you are still talking about good solid desirable cars for similar money to a 10 year old used car. The properly desirable and expensive classics in Australia are 40+ years old, from the muscle car era of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The days when every manufacturer was obsessed with touring car racing, and 'win on Sunday, sell on Monday' was in full force.









Oh, and in case you're wondering, Ford Escorts aren't really ridiculously expensive here. Not the lower-spec ones at least. After a two-minute search, here's a 1971 XL two-door in decent condition with a 2 litre Pinto for $7000. Rougher ones or those with four doors and/or auto boxes will be half that price. Mk2 Escorts are still very cheap.

www.carsales.com.au/private/details/ford-escort-1971-12515430?silo=Stock&cr=18&eapi=2&vertical=Car&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294966463%204294966264&Page=2

Edit: I kept browsing and found a running, driving 2-door Mk1 Escort in South Australia for $1000. www.justauto.com.au/justcars/buy_and_sell/for_sale/27056a03-7d26-4023-bbc7-fe5cf3a9be69?parent_page=%2Fjustcars%2Fsearch&search_type_make=&keywords=Keywords&search_type_model=&search_category=ClassicCar&search_type_year=&search_details_lowest_price=&search_details_highest_price=10000&search_type_series=&search_location_state=SA&sort=Earliest%20year¤t_page=3&item_position=33

[stevel1]

Thing Is mk1 RS Escorts have always been highly desirable ,so never lost there appeal or lost there value to any extent so people no matter what age still want them ,There hitoric cars .

[popuptoaster]

Thing with RWD Escorts is that not only are they eligible for a lot of classic races, they are still competitive (snow and mud slow them down) even against the new crop of super turbo whizzbang 4x4 rally cars in current events, light weight and 40 years of development really show up.

People forget that the twin cam escorts could out run the Ferrari engined Stratos in a straight line, there is TV evidence of them out running the chase planes carrying TV cameras and they are easy to drive and easy to build/fix.

I know guys who have £30k in a road escort let alone a competition one, but even a competition one can be built a lot cheaper than most other cars of its era that will be as successful.

[MK2VR6]

Mk1 boggo spec Escorts were about as desirable as Vauxhall Vivas at the time though. Difference now is the Vivas (apart from GT) are still worth little, whereas the value of the Escorts has risen at a totally different rate.
Waveman 1500 - I wish UK attitudes to cars was more similar to yours in some ways. I like the idea that people look after cars for longer, and they are less disposable. I can't imagine Oz having a 'Scrappage scheme' and getting away with it! The bit I don't like is affordability of your classics - at least over here many people can afford to drive something retro.

[Fiat Daft]

Aye might have outrun a sick stratos,but the escort didn't win as many international championships,neither did the mark 2 escort compared to the fiat 131 abarth.

[popuptoaster]

Ooh defensive, this isnt about who won how many whats, its about why escorts are worth money.

Oh and Stratos didn't have to be sick, some of the twincam escorts ran 10,000rpm and over 250bhp.

[ChasR]

Jul 2, 2012 11:29:37 GMT col said:

you have to consider the taste of younger generations too. modern cars imo don't have anywhere near the lasting appeal of older cars, I can't see people in 20 years lusting after a fiesta rs or clio 172. I know me, and most of my mates (aged around 20) won't be, so we'll be a part of the market for 70's-80's cars for a long time yet.

You could say the same about 205 GTis. Whilst I admit quite a few are cheap, the cars that IMO drive like a 205 should with time spent on them are not exactly silly cheap .

Jul 2, 2012 11:55:16 GMT polo6n1600i said:

The values of the mk1 & mk2 escorts going up also has an impact on "similar genre" vehicles also - same kind of age rwd , good rally car, bit of style - Dolomites, Chevettes, sunbeams etc etc. As people think the same way they cant justify an escort, but this other one would fill the gap!

It's quite funny you say that. Only a few months ago Triumph World did a buyers' guide for Dolomites. It was saying how recently Dolomite Sprint values have risen sharply over the past year or 2, with them still looking like a performance bargain to a MkII RS2000.

Saying that, my dad (who has driven both a couple of Dolomite Sprints and RS2ks) was saying the drive of the RS2000s was superior (more 'sporty' and surefooted when compared to the Sprint (and back then , probably more reliable too!). That and the fact that the spares are plentiful and cheap in comparison to contemporary cars is what makes them a hit.

Jul 2, 2012 14:07:53 GMT akku said:

A wonderful definition I came across somewhere -

"A car becomes a classic at the point that most people have forgotten how bad or bland they were when they were new"

There is an element of truth in that statement! Or people look at the issues with rose tinted glasses now that so much time has passed!

[akku]

end of the day they are worth that because people are prepared to pay that.

why is a Gen1 Camaro worth 2 or 3 times what a Cougar same year is worth?

A lot of its is the "I want one the same as that" mentality - same as why everyone* builds '32 Fords and not '32 Chevy or '32 Dodge. The parts, knowledge, aftermarket support and resale value all follow on from there