135i is Hagerty Top 10 Future Collector Car

[singular]

This is from a year-old press release, but my local paper (SJ Mercury) just referenced it on Saturday as if it were new and a search on our forum showed up blank.

Hagerty lists the 135i on the it's 'Top 10 Future Collector Cars Under $50,000'.

http://www.hagerty.com/lifestyle/pre....aspx?id=44750

[Lionel Hutz]

Collector cars are going to be *very* different in 20 years. Once the electronic bits for cars made now go out of production, it's going to be a complete headache to own an older car. Can you imagine trying to source all the various circuitry in our cars?

[BrokenVert]

Well we will certainly see. I think the SGM 1ers will be far more collectible than other 2008s (rare first year only color) But I dont see a 1er in 50 years selling for 660K

But you never know. An unmolested low mileage E30 M3 will still snage over 20K, sometimes 30K depending on the history of the car. Maybe in another 30 years that will appreciate even more.

[singular]

lol - true no doubt. Kind of like owning a collector laptop!

[singular]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

Well we will certainly see. I think the SGM 1ers will be far more collectible than other 2008s (rare first year only color) But I dont see a 1er in 50 years selling for 660K

But you never know. An unmolested low mileage E30 M3 will still snage over 20K, sometimes 30K depending on the history of the car. Maybe in another 30 years that will appreciate even more.

In 50 years, 660K will be the price of a new BMW.

[SV Concepts III]

Originally Posted by Zed 2.0

Collector cars are going to be *very* different in 20 years. Once the electronic bits for cars made now go out of production, it's going to be a complete headache to own an older car. Can you imagine trying to source all the various circuitry in our cars?

I've thought the exact same thing. Cars these days with all the plastic interior bits and electronics are not built to last 50 years. They are more reliable than they were in the past but I find that older cars are built more solidly as people kept them for 15 years or so. Now a days, people flip leases every 3 years so they don't car about wear and tear beyond that.

[HPFREAK]

It is weird since there are not as many 1ers made or sold in the US as 3's but the resale value of them is dropping like a stone.

[rsjean]

Originally Posted by Zed 2.0

Collector cars are going to be *very* different in 20 years. Once the electronic bits for cars made now go out of production, it's going to be a complete headache to own an older car. Can you imagine trying to source all the various circuitry in our cars?

Not so sure that's true. I don't know of a code techologhy based product that can not be reurrected if there is a market or a desire. New game variations are being created by a close knit group of Pong fanatics. Pong released in 1977. Apple IIe's can still be programmed. Introduced in the late 70's. The ill fated Apple Lisa can still be run and has emulators allowing it to run current software.

Card reader IBM 360 model @20's can be programmed and run using cobal, RPG and other abandoned programming languages.

Granted the approach and process for collecting and operating a collectible may change - but like adapting one today to unleaded and increased ethanol fuels.

Where there is a will, a market and money - there is a way.

Now off to play my guitar on a vacuum based technology amplifier.

[ptack]

Some 1s may become collector cars, but that depends on what BMW does with the future engines. If the horsepower highwater mark for the 1 becomes the performance enhanced N54, than that will be the collectable. Like a good ol Detroit muscle car.

[TMR013]

I just don't see it. Like Nick said, I doubt these engines will hold together for 20-30 years, especially the way Addicts drive them. And a big key to current classic cars, is there is an entire aftermarket to support them. Have an old mustang, order a brand new engine for it. I just don;t see that with BMW.

[singular]

Originally Posted by TMR013

I just don't see it. Like Nick said, I doubt these engines will hold together for 20-30 years, especially the way Addicts drive them. And a big key to current classic cars, is there is an entire aftermarket to support them. Have an old mustang, order a brand new engine for it. I just don;t see that with BMW.

How about an engine for a 2002tii?

[jeremyc74]

Predicting future classics is pretty scetchy business as far as I'm concerned. There are so many factors that go into making a desirable classic, and so many other things that contribute that can't be predicted. A lot of what makes the current crop of expensive classics what they are is the fact that they represent the end of an era, when fuel prices spiked and emissions controls were mandated, killing performance for a couple of decades. I'm not sure we'll ever see that happen again.

I don't think I'll be running out to buy a new 135i to mothball as an investment.

[rsjean]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

Predicting future classics is pretty scetchy business as far as I'm concerned. There are so many factors that go into making a desirable classic, and so many other things that contribute that can't be predicted. A lot of what makes the current crop of expensive classics what they are is the fact that they represent the end of an era, when fuel prices spiked and emissions controls were mandated, killing performance for a couple of decades. I'm not sure we'll ever see that happen again.

I don't think I'll be running out to buy a new 135i to mothball as an investment.

I think you have the right perspective. Back in 1978 I had a friend buy and mothball a 1978 Corvette Indy Pace Car replica at nearly 25% over sticker because Chevy said they were going to limit production to 300. Nearly 7000 Indy cars later the value tanked and he eventually sold it as a really well preserved used car and lost his shorts.

Who knows.... Collectibles of any kind are will will remain a gamble.

[bluejaypanther]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

Predicting future classics is pretty scetchy business as far as I'm concerned. There are so many factors that go into making a desirable classic, and so many other things that contribute that can't be predicted. A lot of what makes the current crop of expensive classics what they are is the fact that they represent the end of an era, when fuel prices spiked and emissions controls were mandated, killing performance for a couple of decades. I'm not sure we'll ever see that happen again.

I don't think I'll be running out to buy a new 135i to mothball as an investment.

I agree, it seems ridiculous to speculate on an item which, 99% of the time, depreciates along a well known curve. If you hold onto it for 20+ years, it's because you love it, not because you see it as an investment.

[radiantm3]

Originally Posted by bluejaypanther

...If you hold onto it for 20+ years, it's because you love it, not because you see it as an investment.

+1

[DBFIU]

As was stated earlier the electronics of new cars will make restoring them very complicated, restoring a car thats 50 years old is pretty straightforward.



Try restoring a car with sophisticated computers and electronics, youll need a PhD in digital circuit design to try and 'rebuild' the stuff that makes the engine run.

Its not like a V8 from 1965, the only thing electrical about it was the alternator.


And I dont anticipate the 1 series (or any modern car for that matter) to last 50 years, so rebuilding is not a question of IF but more a question of WHEN and HOW MUCH.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by DBFIU

As was stated earlier the electronics of new cars will make restoring them very complicated, restoring a car thats 50 years old is pretty straightforward.



Try restoring a car with sophisticated computers and electronics, youll need a PhD in digital circuit design to try and 'rebuild' the stuff that makes the engine run.

Its not like a V8 from 1965, the only thing electrical about it was the alternator.


And I dont anticipate the 1 series (or any modern car for that matter) to last 50 years, so rebuilding is not a question of IF but more a question of WHEN and HOW MUCH.

I'm not so sure the electronics are going to be as much of an issue as some of you think they are. There's a lot of that stuff that will be able to be repaired once the technology is obsolete and the engineering information is released. Not to mention the advances in standalone management systems will make the factory controls less important and the standardized CAN BUS being used right now will make some cool aftermarket stuff possible going forward.

It's not going to be cheap, but I don't think the controls systems means modern cars are just going to have to be scrapped when they're 20 years old.

[DBFIU]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

I'm not so sure the electronics are going to be as much of an issue as some of you think they are. There's a lot of that stuff that will be able to be repaired once the technology is obsolete and the engineering information is released. Not to mention the advances in standalone management systems will make the factory controls less important and the standardized CAN BUS being used right now will make some cool aftermarket stuff possible going forward.

It's not going to be cheap, but I don't think the controls systems means modern cars are just going to have to be scrapped when they're 20 years old.

Agreed, I may be over-inflating the complexity of the restoration project. But if someone runs a standalone system in this car, it will not be an OEM-like car and thus its value will not be as high.

Its like taking an original Dodge Charger R/T with a broken carb and slapping on a brand new holley double pumper as a replacement; now try to sell the car as a stock restored classic. It will be worth less because you have the new stuff on there that wasnt OEM.

So I guess, if one were to entirely recreate the CANBUS system, it would be costly, in 50 years. And I think more costly as compared to restoring a 50 year old car today.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by DBFIU

Agreed, I may be over-inflating the complexity of the restoration project. But if someone runs a standalone system in this car, it will not be an OEM-like car and thus its value will not be as high.

Its like taking an original Dodge Charger R/T with a broken carb and slapping on a brand new holley double pumper as a replacement; now try to sell the car as a stock restored classic. It will be worth less because you have the new stuff on there that wasnt OEM.

So I guess, if one were to entirely recreate the CANBUS system, it would be costly, in 50 years. And I think more costly as compared to restoring a 50 year old car today.

I'm thinking you won't have to totally replace everything in the car. One thing about modern electronics is that they are VERY well contructed, and should work for a long time. Sitting in a junkyard won't really bother them like it would a carburator or engine.

Don't get me wrong, it's certainly going to bring a new dimension to restoration, but I don't think it's going to be such a big deal that it will prevent it from being done.

[DBFIU]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

I'm thinking you won't have to totally replace everything in the car. One thing about modern electronics is that they are VERY well contructed, and should work for a long time. Sitting in a junkyard won't really bother them like it would a carburator or engine.

Don't get me wrong, it's certainly going to bring a new dimension to restoration, but I don't think it's going to be such a big deal that it will prevent it from being done.

True, solid state electronics are exactly that. SOLID state, meaning no moving parts. They are for the most part very reliable, set it and forget it type of thing. In a perfect universe, that is.

I guess my first question to someone in 50 years would be..

Where are you gonna get a stock ECU for a 2009 135i?

Just playing devils advocate

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by DBFIU

I guess my first question to someone in 50 years would be..

Where are you gonna get a stock ECU for a 2009 135i?

Why would you want a stock one? I want one with a good flash in it.

[DBFIU]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

Why would you want a stock one? I want one with a good flash in it.

Hahaha,

Imagine getting a hold of a JB3 in 50 years.

You would be the baddest kid on the block.