Ok, gimme a quarter and have it your way. But, there's definitely not a lot of difference between a brick and a shoe box! 🤔

 

Yup. You're right and the rest of the collector car market has it wrong.

 

I'm not sure everyone would agree with that sentiment. I spent almost 6 months looking for the right XJ for me. I had narrowed down to an XJ because there was nothing else like it. I.e. it was very distinctive. It has aesthetic, power/weight, and suspension design considerations, serviceability, and parts availability that are quite unique.


In relative terms (forget absolute numbers), I have seen XJ prices for high quality examples just about double from where they were when I first bought my Jeep about 3.5 years ago.


Whether it ends up being "collectable" (like a 57 chevy) is hard to predict. But if there are buyers like me that were specifically looking for an older vehicle of a particular type, and willing to pay a premium for one in above average condition. One could argue that it is already collectable.

 

Yeah, I would agree that a uniframe & solid axles F&R 4x4 make the XJ unique anyway. Maybe not special. The aesthetics will continue to interest people more as time goes on.

 

Just because it fills a niche market and some small segment of the population deliberately seeks it out does not mean that the collector market, as a whole, will drive up the value.

Yes. I too searched specifically for my XJ because I wanted one for its various attributes.

But here's the catch. One of those attributes that appeals to me is that to about 99.9% of the general public, the XJ is just an old used car. And it always will be. You can find tons of them out there for dirt cheap. They are a really good bargain considering what you get for the money pay.


Rare cars aren't always collectable. Collectable cars aren't always rare. There has to be something outside of a specific niche to make a car collectable. The tri-five Chevys appealed to the hot rod market. The small block under its hood was pretty new and it turned out to be easy to soup up. And that reputation stuck.

One key for collectability is that the vehicle needs to appeal to a broad market. 4x4's like the CJs and early Broncos are where most collectors focus. And even then, it's still a somewhat limited market with a top end on prices.


Sure, eventually the number of available XJs in good shape will diminish. And in 50 years, when there are very few left, they will appreciate in value somewhat. But their prices will never skyrocket.

Factor in that keeping an ordinary mass produced car in pristine condition requires long term storage and maintenance costs. Or you leave it where all of the rubber will dry rot and the seals will give out, not to mention the potential for rust, etc. So either you constantly bleed out a little money over time or you end up with something that needs a full restoration at the end of the time.

If you're looking at investing, you're much better off putting your money in the stock market for those 50 years. Your money will appreciate so very much faster there. Then, in 2068, when you've made your millions off the market, you can go back and drop $50-100K on a mostly pristine used XJ and relive your youth because that's probably all they're going to be worth.

 

All good points.
My personal guess is that the XJ will end up somewhere between the TJ Wrangler and 91 Grand Wagoneer in terms of desirability. Topping out at about $20k for a pristine or restored example when very few stock examples remain (10 years from now). I have no crystal ball, it's just my guess.

 

All rare cars are collectable. All plentiful cars are collectable. All new cars are collectable. All old cars are collectable. Common gravel is collectable. Navel lint is collectable. Nose pickings are collectable.

Everything is collectable.

I don't know what idiot first started using the word, "collectable", as if it means "there is a viable collector's community which exists for this particular thing, and there can even be some financial gain to be had in engaging in collecting this thing", but that person was really stupid.

 

There's always one who has to go off on a semantic tangent...

 

Over time, I've collected a few things. I did the pocket knife thing. Had over 1200 Case XX knives, plus around 20 Custom Made. I finally realized that you would have to set on them and clean them, for 30-40 yrs before you would make any real money! So I started just selling off my collection. Then I started buying them cheap and selling them for profit! The knife dealers are the ones making the money !!! IMHO, money, guns and ammo are the only thing worth collecting! My jeep is my hobby and passtime, therefore I spend money on it ! A so-called collectible, is only worth what the collector / sucker will pay !!! There's a sucker born every minute, and ten more to take him !!! No, it's not a tri-five, but you have missed the parable between the two. The time lines, the period, where no one does want them. That's what I was trying to get across. That's where the XJs are now. Who knows where they will be ten years from now ? No, it's not a Porsche Turbo Carerra, or a Super B. Just go check out the price of a 1974 Toyota FJ-40 !

 

I'd like to be proven wrong but I see the XJ as good cheap motoring in a modern classic, not an investment.

 

holy Cr@p!!
I saw one while I was out on my bike tonight and had NO idea what it was. Maybe I'll give him an offer next time

 

Just saw this one on a bring a trailer auction. I saw a 2WD 98 sell for $7K not too long ago. Not collectors prices, but good to see they are still appreciated for what they are.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...kee-classic-2/

 

And to think that sold for $15k…