Car SOS presenter Fuzz Townshend has suggested motorists looking for affordable classic vehicles in 2024 should look back further.
The star of the popular classic car restoration show admitted there were “so many inexpensive” historic machines on the market which were often getting overlooked.
Models built between the 1920s and the 1950s are now cheaper than modern classics due to a change in demand.
He warned classics from the 1990s and early 2000s were now a “bit on the pricey side” with a shift in focus in recent years.
It means older models built 100 years ago may now be in the price range of owners looking to get a foothold in the market.
Speaking to Classic Car Weekly, Fuzz said: “There have never been so many inexpensive ancient cars from the 1920s through to the 1950s to choose from.
“It’s not so great if you’re into cars from the ‘90s and Noughties because they’re now a bit on the pricey side – but older classics are so affordable, you’ve just got to get into them.
“We need to get out of the mindset that it’s all about your memories and get into affordable, easy-to-work-on classics that create newer ones. Why not take on a whole different look and get into cars that go with the outfit?”
Hagerty Insurance’s 2023 Classic Car Market Analysis published last December supports Fuzz’s assertions.
Last year, the classic car market appeared to struggle with just 29 percent of models tracked on the UK Hagerty Price Guide rising in value.
It was a staggering fall compared to 86 percent of models that increased in price the year before.
Hagerty data revealed vehicles produced between the 1940s to 1960s had recorded some of the highest falls.
Models produced in the 1940s and 1960s dropped one percentage point in value with two percentage points knocked off models from the 1950s.
Meanwhile, cars built in the 1970s have seen values rise by two percentage points while 1980s models were up a whopping four percentage points.
Hagerty admitted the shift towards rising values in this generation of models is partly down to a new generation entering the market.
They explained: “The real growth has been in younger drivers: Millennials have increased five percentage points in the last year.
“For those guys, a whole new world of 1980s-and-newer classics are the ones they aspire to.”
