Gladiator as a Collectible

[Jasonr82]

Afternoon Everyone,
So I had an interesting conversation with the wife yesterday and was curious to get some opinions. With the 2020 Gladiator being the 1st of it's kind aside from the actual 2 Door Scrambler, I was wondering if it would one day be considered a collectors piece/automobile. Any thoughts/comments are appreciated.

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[BLK HOLE]

I don’t think it’ll be anything special unless it’s a canceled model or something. Vehicles aren’t really like that anymore IMO.

 

[Oilburner]

Only time will tell, but very very few modern vehicles ever reach ‘collectable’ status - they simply make too many of them. For reference, they only built 26,000 Scramblers...

 

[Sorbs]

Any thoughts/comments are appreciated.

You can go here: http://www.ewillys.com/category/trucks/ and see what vintage Willys are going for. The price range is dramatic but seems to be in the $5k range for daily drivers and up to $30k if folks have more $$$ than sense.

 

[Hootbro]

There is better rates of return in other areas of investment than spending $50K+ on a Gladiator and waiting a few decades to see if it pans out as a money making collectible.

 

[Jasonr82]

There is better rates of return in other areas of investment than spending $50K+ on a Gladiator and waiting a few decades to see if it pans out as a money making collectible.

Hoot I definitely agree. My thoughts are keep it, and then pass it along to the kids. Jeep are one of those rare breeds that as they age they still look cool. I just wondered if they'd ever reach the classic corvette/mustang status.

 

[Bobzdar]

Depends what you consider a collectible, but imo it's way too mass produced to be a collectible. They made over 40 thousand of them. For perspective, they made around 27k scramblers total over the entire 5 year production run. To be a true collectible, production has to be like a couple thousand world wide max or have really high attrition so that there are only a few thousand left. To actually gain value and appreciate, it needs to be under a thousand.

 

[ZTMAN]

Is the H3 truck collectible?

 

[TheSolarWizard]

I decided to wait for the diesel so I put $55k into a stock and it’s up 2.5x already. There’s no chance a gladiator will ever be worth that especially since electric will standard in 10 years or less

I recommend you invest in something other than a car

 

[shrinkhead]

Only with the gladiator sword!!!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

There is better rates of return in other areas of investment than spending $50K+ on a Gladiator and waiting a few decades to see if it pans out as a money making collectible.

Ask those who invest tens of thousands, even more, on a Camaro or Mustang from the 60s or early 70s, sell it at the BJ auction for a LOSS.
Those cars are far more rare than these will ever be. Fewer were made in total for some of those than has already been made of the JT.
You have to maintain the vehicle - I sold a 1970 rarely optioned 32,000 actual miles, rust-free Javelin for 25K - and had a bit over that invested in it.
Only a few thousand were made of my 82 SX4 - I have about 20K in it, it's worth a bit over 10K

Enjoy your truck.
Don't count on it being worth more than you paid for it in your lifetime. You must consider what it takes to keep it in shape as well as initial cost.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I decided to wait for the diesel so I put $55k into a stock and it’s up 2.5x already. There’s no chance a gladiator will ever be worth that especially since electric will standard in 10 years or less

I recommend you invest in something other than a car

I've been into cars since Hector was a pup, since before AMC bought Jeep, it's a great hobby, a lot of fun, a lot of great people, but unless you are very lucky, not a money maker. Most folks into cars who have "free spending money" didn't get it from their cars, they have it in spite of their cars.
You see a nicely done Cobra on auction, draws a huge price - you can bet they have about that much, if not more, invested in that car unless VERY fortunate. It's their hobby, not their income. The income is in the restoration side. I have some friends (believe it or not - I think three, maybe?) who do full auto restorations. The guys who send them cars don't ask how much. They say "do it and let me know how much when you are finished".
People send me stuff for restoration - they don't ask "what do you charge" (well, a few do - very few) - they ask if I can get to it this year, send it to me, then ask how much they owe when it's done. Unless they need hard parts (armatures, motor frames, field windings) they'll pay 180 and up for a wiper motor restoration, 175 and up for an alternator restoration, similar for a starter, etc. Some guys, like happened last week, will send me a box of several things - and send me a check when I'm done (and that guy usually writes the check bigger than necessary)
I have since found out I'm one of only two in the country doing the wiper motors like I do, and the only one doing the AMC alternator restorations - with plating of parts. Find your niche, or invest, but unless you run a chop shop, it won't be in collecting cars to sell later.

If you think you are going to buy a vehicle and let it sit somewhere - uh, no, that is absolutely dumb. Ask the guy in Iowa who did that and reports are that the cars are in pretty bad shape. I can tell you how bad it will be just from sitting. The costs are crazy. DRIVE IT.

Make your money elsewhere. Go for renewable energy, whatever is likely to be needed for the long term.
I was lucky in a way - I worked for Compressor Controls Corp - they had a nice 401K program - company stock. Then Roper bought them - again, company stock. I decided it was great stock, they had a great future - let it ride. I did - it split, it grew. I did finally diversify as I got closer to my retirement age goal - but that company allowed me to retire at my goal age. Roper is still a solid company and they are well-managed financially. I just decided having all of my investment in a single stock was no longer wise (if it ever was LOL)

My dream job was always Jay Leno's garage........... but now I'm happy retired.

 

[hjdca]

I believe Gladiators will be desirable, but, not collectible in my lifetime. They just make too many of them, but, the lego, customization aspect will keep them desirable... Put it this way, I believe you will lose less money than other cars....

Note: A possible modern Collectible is like a -- 2014, 2015 Camaro Z/28 with the 427 LS7, carbon ceramic brakes, stick only, which they only made 1,800 of them in 2 years... This car was $75K MSRP in 2014, 2015, way overpriced. They sat on the lots and the price bottomed out. By 2016 you could get a brand new one for $44K right off the lot. Now, in 2020, the Z/28s with 15K miles or so are worth approx. $44K. The ones with no miles on them are going up much faster. So, it is possible in my lifetime that these cars appreciate from the "bottom out" price, but, it will take a while before they get back to the $75K MSRP.

 

[Bobzdar]

Even the LE's, at over 4000, were produced in too high of numbers to really be collectible, especially as the only unique part on them is the badge.

 

[ZTMAN]

I think a good baromoter of collectiability of the newer Jeeps models would be the Red Rock JKU.

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