I've been in the car business for almost 20 years. Patterns develope that are actually very easy to identify. Example....In 1988 - 1990 Jaguars E-types were selling for INSANE money, it was a bubble. It was like watching a mini real estate boom....As we all know....EVERY BOOM eventually goes BUST. By 1995 E-type values had OVER CORRECTED (just like VIPER values and HOUSING are doing now) Prices fell by HUGE margins. For instance....during the BOOM pristine E types were selling for $100K. 5 years later those same cars could be purchased for $25K......If you had been SMART enough to BUY a few of those E-types at RECESSION level prices you would have CRUSHED any returns the stock market gave you over the following years. Those E-types eventually climbed back to OVER $100K. The entire time you owned that car you could have enjoyed it, driven it, showed it, and KNOWN it was going to BE THERE when you looked in your garage. Unlike your 401K balance. Even if it was stolen a simple agreed value insurance policy would have returned 100% or MORE of your investment.
The VIPER is in a CLASSIC recessionary pullback. No different than the E-type Jags during the early 90's recession. This recession won't last forever and neither will the days of $20,000 Gen I RT/10 VIPERS!!
Watch......This happens over and over during every recession because PEOPLE never change!!! They OVEREACT to situations. They DUMP things that years later will greatly increase in value.
Obviously this is all subject to debate and is just MY opinion. But it is backed up with years of real life classic car investing experience thrown in. Contrary to popular belief......You CAN make a LOT of money buying cars as investments. It's no different than any other investment. You need....capital that you can be patient with, knowledge about what your buying, and the ability to understand economic cycles inorder to BUY at times when values are depressed.
Is there RISK?????? Of coarse there's risk.....We all take risks everytime we get in these cars. BUT.......Looking at a few Vipers every month or so, and offering CASH payments to sellers who can't wait, has been a very profitable way to make money in ANY investment. And yes.....These and other rare cars can be GREAT investments.....IF....You know what you're doing.