[urq] Audis as Collectibles (Long)

[Steve Sears]

Well, as I am already involved in collecting Auto Union products....I thought I'd enter the fray,
The value of a collector car in dollars is somewhat a function of its rarity, but it seems a huge determining factor is also in the nostalgic minds of the "older guys with money" that you see driving those classic cars at cruise-ins, etc.  According to some people in the classic car 'biz I have talked to, really old cars, like the Model T, for example, have actually lost value over the years.  Why?  Well, maybe because the people who drove them as a kid and would pay a huge chunk of their retirement funds to get them are becoming fewer in numbers.
As editor of the DKW Club of America's newsletter, I post many notices in our Marketplace for truly great cars going for cheap.  DKW's were big in Europe, but never seemed to crack the market in North America - the land of the big cars.
Recently a member of the club noted to me that he used to own a WMB Isetta (sorta looks like a rolling refrigerator if you've never heard of it), but sold it after getting tired of too many "Yuppies" commenting back to their wives that "no, It's not like my car, they just stuck that logo on it as a joke".  I inherited my grandparent's 1980 5k in 1994 - back then, when you saw fellow Audi owners, you'd wave/nod/smile in mutual admiration of their ride.  As of the last couple of years, it seems like every traffic light you stop at you see an A4, etc.  Do the same eye contact thing, and the driver appears panicked - like you are going to car-jack them.
Although I have never driven a UR-q, and only drove past a Sport on a flatbed team truck last year on Hwy 401 (unsure as to the team - was too in awe of the car), I hope that the new crop of Audi converts is more learned about Audi's history than the Beemer owners of the 80's.  Heck, if I was so affluent, I'd chase down the owner of a Sport and wave all sorts of dough in his face until he sold me the car, but i'm not.  Sure the UR-q's and the Sports will always remain collectable in our little circle, maybe it's better that way (from a buyer's pov - I'd hate to be bidding against Bill Gates for a Sport on the block in Scottsdale, AZ ten years from now).
My 2c rant
Cheers!
Steve Sears
1987 5ktq
1980 5k
1962 and '64 Auto Union DKW Junior deLuxes - Purchase values (unrestored condition): U$455 and U$300 - and probably more rare than most of the cars you see at a cruise-in.
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