Forum:
I have recently purchased a very tidy 1993 Sportrack for family holiday use. It was during the process of getting the paperwork done that I realised that these had been out of production for some time and numbers are dwindling at a fairly fast pace, due in part to the tendency for them to be purchased as a cheap offroader and literally run into the ground, ensuring an early appointment with the crusher..
Having owned several "Classic Cars" over the years many of which have been younger than my current Sportrak maybe it is time to start looking at this side of things. What qualifies a car as a Classic? surely, being a minor icon of it's time the Daihatsu 4x4 range must qualify; being of a certain age I remember that before Daihatsu and Suzuki (sorry for mentioning the "S" word") introduced their range of small off roaders the only way to own a 4x4 was to go down the expensive Land Rover route or "Rust Magnet" Toyota both consuming vast quantities of fuel that would compete with NASA. OK we tend to think now that the Sportrak and original Vitara aren't exactly economical in terms of fuel usage, but in their day 30 MPG for a 4x4 was thought to be on a par to Alchemy and heralded the birth of the 4x4 revolution that has now spawned into the lucrative SUV market.
Of course if they get Classic Car status there are many advantages to ownership not least the incredibly cheap "Classic Car" insurance which from past experience has proven to be excellent value for money whilst allowing owners to agree a value of their vehicle. Also resale values though pretty good currently will obviously go up as demand increases, (look at the what you pay for a Morris Minor, even in questionable condition these days)
Other owners thoughts on this subject would be appreciated.....
after a break of several
after a break of several years ive today bought another fourtrak, its now 3 months since i started looking , seems anything at a dealer is 2 to 3k , rustbuckets from private sellers seem to go for anything up to 1k. the alternative was a discovery, or terrano seem to be a lot of both arround at 1 to 1.5k but having had both fourtrak and 200tdi disco in the past the mrs preferred the fourtrak.
today we bought a r reg fourtrak from a private seller via a classified ad on ebay for 750, needs a service ,a couple of tyres,and a few bits and pieces sorting .... reckon it will come arround the thousand by the end of the month.....which im happy with.
reckon with the lack of electronics and basic mechanicles it will appreciate over the coming years, anything newer and more complicated is only going to depreciate.
Sportrack Classic
I have now had the Sporty for a week and have identified a few issues most worryingly a persistent oil leak from high up on the engine, despite having had a recent engine rebuild, head skim and pressure test, and head gasket.... besides this I am very happy with her and plan to keep her as straight as possible to maximise appreciation in value.... Considering the dwindling numbers it seems that now is the time to jump on one of these as it can't help but become a Classic in the near future. I agree with Richard P's comments that the relative simplicity of the mechanics make them more desirable than a computer controlled "Euro box" that has become the "SUV" market.
Boys dont grow up it is just their toys that get bigger!
Sporty classic.
I purchased my 1991 Sportrak in 1994 and it has been brilliant and cost very little. I waxed the chassis etc as soon as I got it and re do it every few years hence, the car has never been welded. I have now covered more than 120,000 miles and she is still in regular use. I doubt if they will ever be regarded as a true classic but are getting quite rare.
M J Young
Classic
What is this thing nowadays of calling anything more than 10 Years old a classic, if less than 45 years old it's no classic just a old lovable car. My own Fourtrak is 25 years old and no classic yet, at 30/35 maybe
Only cars older than 40 Years old can claim free Tax and MOT and are known as classic cars of historical interest.normally used on sunny days and summer shows.
As for the Sportrack,Fourtrak you need to wait until at least 35 years old.
The Fourtrak is very underrated in this country due to Britain being Landrover crazy, Clubs everywhere so they don't get noticed, The Fourtrak is more reliable and just as good as a Landrover as are many other 4x4's
I own a Fourtrak TDX and 2 Sirion 1.3 Auto's Mk 2 and love them as there so reliable and my Fourtrak is M Reg and 20 Years old and still goes great, Soon be a Classic.
Classic car status
I beg to differ. When the original Classic Car tax exemption was brought in, the criteria to qualify was any car built prior to 1973. At the time this meant ANY car that was 25 years or older, and at that budget was originally intended to be a rolling policy, this however was stopped at the following budget for what ever reason, (probably due to the underestimated number of vehicles that were still on the road that qualified, costing the exchequer a small fortune in loss of revenue) but the original criteria remained, presumably with the idea that it would be self limiting and eventually phase itself out with the natural demise of the classic vehicles to which this applied.
To me age of vehicle is irrelevant, more the scarcity, historical impact, and to a lesser degree desirability (which of course would govern market values). Once again Insurance companies do not stipulate that a vehicle has to be at least 30 years old to qualify for "Classic Car Insurance" Usually just the existence and membership of a recognised owners club, limited mileage and various other limitations of use.
The reason that I raised this topic was that MAYBE it is now time to start taking steps to preserve what vehicles are left and look at establishing recognised "Classic " status before it is too late. Sure I know that no Daihatsu will ever reach the dizzy heights that E types, Aston Martins or even the ubiquitous MGB ever reached, but perhaps, due to them being one of the first accessible 4x4's, in terms of price and economy, that launched the boom in this type of vehicle that offered a true alternative to the Land Rover, there is a place in Classic car history for these quirky but robust motors...... of course I could be wrong, but what a tragedy if through a little short sightedness these go the way of so many icons of the past .
Boys dont grow up it is just their toys that get bigger!
Classic
Problem with this is that any car now is called a Classic, Could be a totally useless vehicle in its day, Troublesome, not liked or not made for long or not that old and all being elevated to Classic Status,
Would this mean that any old banger more than a few years old is now a classic.
There must be a cut off point as it when classic status does not apply or classic will be a worthless word just as any old item is now called a antique or collectable
I own a Fourtrak TDX and 2 Sirion 1.3 Auto's Mk 2 and love them as there so reliable and my Fourtrak is M Reg and 20 Years old and still goes great, Soon be a Classic.
Classics
HAHAHA one that springs to mind is the East German Trabant...lol... I can see your point and many would argue that the Sporty was not that good a vehicle (just read the reviews from any motoring journalist)... I know that many a car show now features such vehicles as Ford Capris, and Ford Cortinas amongst it's classic line up... neither of which were that brilliant (handling on a Ford Capri was dreadful, which is why it was featured on T.V. programs... it didn't take a lot of speed to make it's tail flip, so a stunt man did not have to work too hard).
Certainly any vehicle that had a short production run is worthy of Classic status... one name here being Delorean ... God that was a total failure but now they fetch a mint, and not just because it can be fitted with a "Flux Capacitor" and transport it's occupants around in time........it is an example where infamy has proven to be an asset.....
It is perhaps difficult to define what makes a classic but a look back over the years one thing stands out..... it is a car that makes people wallow in nostalgia or relive their youth, I know this has been lurking in my mind when I have found myself buying yet another MGB GT... the last one I actually got around to restoring myself from the ground up...never again! looked beautiful in primrose yellow, leather interior, chrome moon hubcaps, Motorlita woodrim steering wheel (unfortunately the original big wheel had long gone). But cost a small fortune... but Old cars (or Classics) have a certain smell (usually rotting vinyl, mixed with burning oil) that hits those memory cells..... equally an old car is so much easier to work on, not requiring fault codes or a laptop to plug into to find out why it has broken down, they can limp home with a few bodges at the roadside.......Whatever, I know that my Sporty is staying in the condition that she is now in,rust free, almost dent free and unspoilt maybe she will make the pages of a Classic car mag in the future...
Boys dont grow up it is just their toys that get bigger!
Classics
Finally you understand where I am coming from, Yes I love old cars and 1950/60/70 cars have real charm and character not like these modern gadget controlled cars of today.
I am all for preserving our heritage and motoring history but to call cars that where a disaster in there day a classic must be a joke surely.
Yes post war cars were not as refined or as reliable as modern cars but they where simple engineered,could easily be repaired and where fun to tinker with, Bring back the older cars we love them.
Yes I hope the Fourtrak/Sportrack is a classic one day and people take them to shows and love them like I love mine but don't hold your breath, may take some time to convince joe public.
I own a Fourtrak TDX and 2 Sirion 1.3 Auto's Mk 2 and love them as there so reliable and my Fourtrak is M Reg and 20 Years old and still goes great, Soon be a Classic.