[corpsman5]

Just wanted to hear your opinions. Some of you have seen this before, and some of you probably haven't. My best (and most valuable) .45, is a 1939 Colt. It is all original, and all correct. Only 3,636 were made that year, and all of them were delivered to the U.S. Navy. I paid a hefty sum for this when I purchased it. However, it's worth more now. As much as I love military .45's and collecting them, I'm not a 'big time' collector, or an expert, by any means. I would say I'm average when it comes to that. Even though I'm not hurting for the money, it's hard for me, in my mind, to justify keeping this in the safe, when I rarely even look at it. However, there is classic vehicle that I've been looking at, and if I were to liquidate this, I could make the purchase without taking money out of my savings. It's just something I'm considering.

 

[Axel Foley]

dont sell

 

[10Gauge]

No. Do not sell an appreciating asset for a depreciating item.

While I'm not an expert on classic cars, and they may be in a different category than regular vehicles, a 1911 is easier to store, keep maintained, and won't cost you insurance every month.

Only sell to upgrade, keep you from living on the streets, or to put into an investment that will pay you. If you don't have a self directed Roth IRA, get one and fund it. They're starting to become more popular because who doesn't want tax free cash at 59 and a half?

 

[JeepFan]

Life is short. I would weigh the option of not having that beautiful piece versus the item you want. Not by monetary value but by what you would enjoy more.

I don't think it's relevant but out of curiosity you must share what classic vehicle you are thinking about.

 

[Highpower]

I have made the mistake many times of selling guns to finance other interests, then sure as heck later on I wished I had the guns back. If I was in your situation, I would keep the Colt and save to money to buy the car. I have probably owned 60 or 70 cars and maybe 40 + motorcycles over the years. I used to buy old cars, fix them up and flip them for extra cash so I have a fairly good idea of old cars and their value and the effort in keeping them up.

An old car is most definitely not something you can put in a garage and forget about for weeks or months at a time. They take constant care and maintenance and if you ignore them it takes twice as much effort to get them back into roadworthy condition. In fact I just sold my 1965 Pontiac Tempest that I owned for 22 years, it was on the third engine, third transmission and second rear end (I used to race it quite a bit). When it was time for another motor, I just couldn't work up the enthusiasm to do it again. I did buy another hot rod, but this time it was a new car that I didn't have to constantly work on.

Old car:

New car:

 

[AKBLUE]

Choose the item that you will enjoy most.

Nothing wrong with keeping the collector pistol.

But if you have the urge, storage and understanding of what it takes to maintain a classic vehicle and plan to use it., go for it.

I'm planning to get up off my wallet and purchase a new Ford Bronco.
Just because., and over riding my cheap self.
I have purchased used, cheap and new and sports cars over the years.

Time for a vehicle treat.

 

[wingnut308]

Important question-How many other 1911's do you have? If it 1 of a dozen then sell it. If you only have 2, and the other is nothing like this then I'd hang on to it. Interest rates are pretty hard to beat right now too.

 

[Superfireconvoy]

If you don’t shoot it, don’t feel like you get it out of the safe often enough to appreciate it, and don’t enjoy the feeling of simply owning it as much as you used to; sell it. This is especially so if the car you’re buying will be used more often and will provide more enjoyment.

Value is relative not only to market but also to your subjective use/enjoyment.

 

[Wolfhound25]

Sell it to someone that would appreciate it more and be picky about who it is. Keep it in the family so to speak, someone you know or trust they are not buying to turn it. I've done this before with a couple and have always requested "first option to buy back" (same selling price) if they ever sell. Usually this is with close friends of family. Bonus I can still visit it if I want.

 

[Mr. Stizout]

I would go with whatever peeks your interest most. If you'd rather have the car then a pistol you barely look at then get the car. If you have a strong attachment to the pistol then keep the pistol.

 

[packrat]

I regret selling two nice guns 20 years ago, sorry even to this day.

 

[corpsman5]

I don't think it's relevant but out of curiosity you must share what classic vehicle you are thinking about.

well... it's relevant if you want to know. okay... don't laugh... some would say that this is not a classic car, and that would probably be correct. I guess it would be more accurate to say that it's a very rare vehilce. (In the U.S. anyway) Let me start off by saying that I absolutely love Toyota Diesel's. I'm a big fan of small diesel trucks and cars that we hardly have the opportunity to purchase here in the States. (thanks mostly to the EPA) I especially love the Toyota Hilux, and the Diesel Landcruisers. That being said... the vehicle I'm interested in, is a 1991 Toyota Landcruiser FJ80 with a factory 4.2 liter turbo diesel. It's also left-hand drive, which makes it extremely rare here in the U.S.

 

[corpsman5]

I appreciate all the advice. I'm still undecided. I have about a dozen 1911's, but this is definitely my most desirable specimen. I definitely enjoy owning it, but I do not shoot it, and I rarely get it out of the safe. I'm certain I would get more enjoyment out of the Landcruiser, and I really don't think it would lose value, but it probably wouldn't gain value either. In my opinion, keeping the pistol would be the smarter financial move. However, owning the Landcruiser would probably bring me more joy. In my estimate, the pistol is currently worth somewhere between 15-20K. The Landcruiser could probably be had for 20K.

 

[43m1garand]

That is a tough choice. If you can keep the Cruiser out of salt so it will not rust, it will probably last as long as the 1911. If you were looking to buy a GM, Ford, or Chrysler I would tell you stick with the gun. Cruiser prices have been going up. A 70 series would be the ultimate Cruiser. Some old 70s are imported. I think the law is older than 25 year for non-approved cars . Did you mean right hand drive?

 

[corpsman5]

That is a tough choice. If you can keep the Cruiser out of salt so it will not rust, it will probably last as long as the 1911. If you were looking to buy a GM, Ford, or Chrysler I would tell you stick with the gun. Cruiser prices have been going up. A 70 series would be the ultimate Cruiser. Some old 70s are imported. I think the law is older than 25 year for non-approved cars . Did you mean right hand drive?

Yeah, definitely a tough choice for me. I'm in Tennessee, so no worries on the salt. A 70 series would definitely be the holy grail, but also hard to find one in decent shape around here. You're pretty much correct on the importation laws. If it's at least 20 years old, you don't have to worry about emissions. If it's 25 years old or older, you don't have to worry about emissions or DOT safety standards. This one is a left-hand drive. There are quiet a few right-hand drives that have been imported, but I just couldn't go for that. It's fairly easy to import one from Japan, but they are all right hand drives. The Philippines has left-hand drives, but it's very hard to import from there for some reason. They say it's fairly easy to import from Costa Rica or Colombia, and they have left-hand drives, but I don't ever go there, so not much of an option for me. I do, however, go to Japan and the Philippines.

 

[JoeMomma]

Honestly, unless your parting with it to get another firearm, I would keep it, especially now. The nice thing about very collectible firearms is they rarely loose their value, so unless you need the case, wait a few days or weeks, then see how you feel.

 

[BigFatDave]

Sell it and don't look back. Your rare firearm could easily lose value by rusting in your safe or being stolen. You DO need to pay insurance on that pistol every month, btw. Your regular HO policy won't cover its value, not even close. Or you could pass away and your wife could sell that pistol for $200. I submit: Want to know if I got a good deal ???

Rare 1911s, while likely to hold their value, might not. These kids today [shaking fist at cloud] aren't necessarily going to be into WWII relics. Retro Glocks are a thing now. Also, desktop CNC will make these very easy to counterfeit in the future.

How long are you planning to hold it? You have to sell it sometime. There may never be a better time than the present. Ten years from now, there might not be many old farts left collecting them. Low supply (rarity) is only one half of the price equation. You also need demand.

 

[wingnut308]

My brother had a white FJ65 for a long time, not uncommon to have people leaving business cards under the windshield wiper offering to buy it.

 

[Eugene Onegin]

For me if you have the room for the car , get the car .

 

[43m1garand]

Sell it and don't look back. Your rare firearm could easily lose value by rusting in your safe or being stolen. You DO need to pay insurance on that pistol every month, btw. Your regular HO policy won't cover its value, not even close. Or you could pass away and your wife could sell that pistol for $200. I submit: Want to know if I got a good deal ???

Rare 1911s, while likely to hold their value, might not. These kids today [shaking fist at cloud] aren't necessarily going to be into WWII relics. Retro Glocks are a thing now. Also, desktop CNC will make these very easy to counterfeit in the future.

How long are you planning to hold it? You have to sell it sometime. There may never be a better time than the present. Ten years from now, there might not be many old farts left collecting them. Low supply (rarity) is only one half of the price equation. You also need demand.

There can be truth to that about kids. These days a lot of kids are not interested in hobbies. They like playing on their phone. I am friends with a guy who has owned a hobby store for over 45 years. He said his customers are dying off and kids these days are not into hobbies. I am in to model railroading and railfanning and I am the young one in the hobby at 47. He stopped selling R/C cars and planes because it does not sell. He has $50,000 of dead stock (I think of parts) that no one wants to buy.