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• National Association for Variable Annuities

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• Findlaw – Legal Information

THREE CARS TO BUY, SELL OR HOLD RIGHT NOW

October, 2016

When it comes to the classic car market, studying the past performance of cars for sale — as well as similar models from the same manufacturer or even the same era — can allow us to see what’s coming, what’s going and what’s staying put. Based on historical market data gathered by Hagerty®, here are three cars to buy now, sell now or hold a while longer.

BUY: 1967–69 Chevrolet Camaro
If you’ve ever had a hankering for a first-generation Camaro, now might be a great time to get one. Sale prices for these handsome pony cars rose to a fever pitch during the muscle boom a decade ago, and many became unobtainable to average collectors. These days, order has been restored, and while the Camaro has been busy celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, prices have remained stable. The 33 rating means the first-gen cars aren’t gaining value at the same rate as the market at large, but they’re not depreciating, either, which makes them a bit of a bargain at the moment. The ’69s carry a bit of a premium, but as an example, you should be able to get into a good #3 driver-condition SS350 for about $26,000 – $34,000

SELL: 1968–83 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40
Remember that one time in 2014–15, when the market for FJ40s blew up before our eyes and average prices for #3 drivers just about doubled? Crazy. The ubiquitous Land Cruiser is still ahead of the market in its performance, as its 71 rating attests, but prices have been falling steadily (and dramatically) over the last year. This trend looks set to continue in the near future, so if you’ve got one and have been considering selling it, now’s the time. If you’ve owned it for a while, you may just make a decent return on it.

HOLD: 1985–96 Ferrari Testarossa/512TR
Arguably the most iconic car of the 1980s — yet still a product of the ’80s and thus somehow… “lesser” than its predecessors — the Testarossa held firm in the market for a good long time, with average prices unchanged from 2009 to late 2013. Then folks got wise to those deeply straked doors’ cool factor, and all hell broke loose. Or, more likely, blame it on the Gen Xers, who were finally able to buy the cars they lusted after throughout childhood. Even though auction cars still occasionally hit the jackpot, prices have generally leveled out. Best advice is to keep it in your garage, enjoy it, and keep an eye on the market. You may be setting yourself up for a nice gain down the road.

THE TOP FIVE ENTRY-LEVEL MUSCLE CARS

Muscle cars exist for one reason: To get down a straight two-lane blacktop as quickly as possible. But automakers have long paired performance options with convenience or luxury features, which invariably increase price and weight. And they’re easy to justify. After all, air conditioning and power switches are handy and only decrease speed marginally.

You could tick boxes for all sorts of power accessories, yet “adding lightness” improves every measure of a car’s performance. That’s why, usually, the most basic car with the biggest engine was the true racer’s choice. The classic car experts at Hagerty® have put together their top five choices for bare-bones muscle cars, listed chronologically.

1962 Plymouth Sport Fury Max Wedge: The Chrysler Corporation was struggling to find buyers in the early 1960s due to its “interesting” designs. Its solution was to cram bigger engines into the cars, which had been downsized from the previous generation, and take them racing. The 413-cid “Max Wedge” produced 410 horsepower in a car that weighed right around 3,000 lbs. The result was a sub-15-second quarter mile. It also turned up the heat on Ford and GM.

1967 Chevrolet Chevy II Nova SS: Take a bigger car’s engine and stuff it into a smaller, cheaper one. Boom – muscle car success. That’s what Chevy did when it dropped the Chevelle’s Turbo-Fire mill into the Chevy II. Displacing 327 cubic inches, it made 350 hp and turned the little Chevy II into a legitimate stoplight demon. While the 327 option debuted in 1965, the engine initially made 300 hp. We prefer the later, more powerful one.

1967 Ford Fairlane: In 1966 Ford revamped its Fairlane for the fifth time. The mid-level GT trim was equipped, standard, with the “FE” 390-cid V-8. It had a four-barrel carburetor and produced 335 horses. About halfway through the year, Ford offered an optional “R-code” 427-cubic-inch engine intended for racing but only built 57 of them. The following year, Ford’s Windsor (289-cid) became the standard V-8. However, the 427-cid V-8 was now optional on the entry-level Fairlane, the XL. For the most die-hard, two four-barrel carbs on the 427, combining to produce 425 horsepower, were the ultimate option.

1968 Dodge Dart GTS: Debuting late in 1967, the Dart GTS was arguably the model’s hottest trim level. In 1968, it came standard with a high-output 340-cid V-8. But for some this wasn’t enough, which is why Dodge offered an optional 383-cid monster. Still not enough? Well, Dodge was eyeing the Class B Super Stock drag racing championship and also offered 60 426-cid Hemi equipped Darts. These cars weigh about 3,000 lbs. and Dodge bragged that they were capable of “over 130 mph in less than 11 seconds” over a quarter mile. That they weren’t street legal and were only offered to well-known racers are minor details.

1970 Pontiac GT-37: “There’s a little GTO in every GT-37,” the advertising read. Pontiac’s sales share was rapidly slipping in 1970, so it offered a stripped Tempest, known as the T-37 to compete with other OEMs’ cheaper offerings. Soon enough, however, someone at Pontiac had the idea to liven up the model by stuffing larger motors under the hood. Indeed, that “little GTO” was the drivetrain – beginning with a 350-cid V-8 that made 255 hp. But if you were serious about cheap horsepower, the best option was the Ram Air III. Its 400 cubes produce 345 hp, and best of all it was insured as a Tempest, not a GTO.

CARS TO WATCH – FIVE “UNDER THE RADAR” CLASSIC CARS