I wonder just how much computer hardware and software will limit future classic cars?
Those aren't components you can readily replicate. Mechanical bits someone can always copy, computers not so much.
That was part of my point Fred, I could see so many cars getting to 10+ years old and being written off because a box of electronics has blown and costs £3k to replace. You can't just go down to the scrapyard because the box is is tied to your ECU etc. What's a 10 year old Golf GTI worth in good condition these days? £3-4k?
I do think a lot of these classic hot hatch sales we've seen recently are driven mainly by 2 factors:-
1. A desire for the simplicity of a small, nimble, fully mechanical car, no intrusive electronic intervention/oversight. Easy to fix up yourself - DIY is part of that experience for many if not most who are running classic cars.
2. Nostalgia. Many of those old hot hatches were bought nearly new by 18-25 year olds who are now 40-50 year old and being tempted to relive their youth in the car they used to have.
Considering how much these cars cost now and the cross sectional age of owners we have here, a nearly new MK7 GTI/R is well out of reach of most 18-25 year olds. You'll have current 40 year olds driving these cars possibly getting that nostalgic itch in their late 60s, following the same formula. Not only that, the Golf is a generously sized family car now, not some nimble little go-cart of a car. Modern mid sized hot hatches are nowhere near as fun as an 80s/90s hot hatch, despite being massively more powerful - they're pretty sensible cars and are so powerful now, you've got 5-8 seconds of hard acceleration and then you're in license losing territory.
