I don't really have a lot of sympathy for people who say "If only I'd held on to my Barracuda" or suchlike. Maintaining a car– keeping it taxed, insured and running for decades– is a time-consuming and expensive business. Besides, for every car we once owned that's now worth a fortune, we owned many more than are still worth bupkis. "If only I'd held onto my Ford Pinto station wagon." I don't think so. Anyway, Hagerty Insurance wants to brand that whole "collector car of the future" deal. They've released their "Hagerty Hot List," selected by none other than McKeel Hagerty, CEO of, well, you know. Frank reckons the Crown Vic fits the bill. My money's on the Chrysler 300C SRT8 (not literally of course). What motor do you think you should stash for cash? Here's Hagerty's take.
- Cadillac XLR-V Roadster
- Lotus Exige S
- Audi S5
- Mustang Shelby GT 500 KR
- Chevrolet Corvette Z06
- Smart
- Subaru Impreza WRX STi
- Honda S2000 CR
- Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky
- Dodge Charger Super Bee
A Sesame Street song (or variation on it) popped into my head while reading this list. Which one of these cars is not like the others; which one does not belong? (hint: It’s the “intelligent” car to buy.)
Frank reckons the Crown Vic fits the bill.
Really, Frank? Well then have I got a deal for you!
Kidding aside, alternately maybe the 02-03 Marauder, which wasn’t a particularly exciting car, but is rare enough to warrant perhaps some future value.
The ZR1, upon its release, will join this club.
To this list I would also add the 96 Impala SS, especially if no future RWD Impala/Caprice/what-have-you is forthcoming.
Wait there are going to be cars in the future?
I smell a TTAC TWAType award for future classics.
Perhaps worthy of three categories: cost no object, cause the high dollar machines out there presently are somewhat controversial, at least if the Ferrari article by Sajeev is anything to go by.
investment grade machines, bought new, or with only a few miles on em.
and beaters with potential, with say a 10k ceiling.
In particular, the third category would probably spawn a lot of debate and some cool stories.
Beaters with potential and a 10k ceiling…
Define “beaters” and “with potential”. One of the local RX7 guys has a show quality FC3S with an LS1 slipped in the bay that over all cost him around $8,000. Same with some of those Civics. Say what you want about racers and fart cans, a gutted, mid ninties civic hatch with a well built B18 or K20 is nothing at all to scoff at. And don’t get me started on all those JDM Tizzyte types with their SR20DET swapped 240s. For a whole hell of a lot less cash, you can keep that KA24, toss on a T04R, tune it, and run 500rwhp on a stock block with a new head gasket. And still remain at least within a semblance of emmisions compliant.
Or are you talking about beaters with good potential to be daily driven with good miliage and reliability? In that case, I would have to step back and let the others debate away.
I think the RS4 is a much more likely collector’s car than the S5. But if I’m allowed to pick from the recent past I’d say the NSX has the most chance of any modern car of being a collectible fifty years hence.
One difficulty not mentioned is how you keep these cars on the road long term. Cars today are electronic machines, loaded with computers, processors, and interconnected data systems.
Where will you find a replacement body control unit for your XLR-V in 30 years? Or a wiring harness for your S5? Or ANYTHING for the Lotus?
Manufacturers are notorious for ceasing production of replacement parts very quickly after a car goes out of production. Only Mercedes-Benz seems to be willing to make the commitment to keep thier cars supplied with parts long term. When I owned an Alfa 164, many parts were simply not available, at any price. FIAT had quit making them.
Cars built before the 70’s are so rudimentary in their technology that they are easy to keep on the road; cars built in the digital age are entirely dependent on their various control units and computers to run. It ain’t like the old days where you could jury-rig a fix; without the correct ECU, you’ve got a very nice planter.
As to the list itself, I’d drop the Solstice/Sky. It’s just not a very good car; it’s overweight and completely lacking in storage space.
Smart? Are you kidding?
S5? Ummm, no. RS5? Maybe.
They insure my Belvedere. They’re extremely pleasant everytime I call them.
Given that, I’ll gladly agree with anything they say.
I will say this, however: cars become collector items because people like them. There’s no way to make a formula based on style, price, performance, and production volumes to come up with a indication of desirability in the future.
They made hundreds of thousands of ’57 Chevys. The designers themselves didn’t think they looked all that good. They weren’t notably powerful in their day. They weren’t much of anything out of the ordinary. Yet, they’re extremely desirable today. You really can never tell.
My choice would be the Ford F150, because in 30 years there probably won’t be anymore full-sized anything on the road…
I don’t see many of the cars on this list being significant enough milestones to stick in the public’s memory and become “classics.” Collector cars, maybe. Or maybe not (Charger Super Bee?).
The Corvette, any Corvette, will surely be remembered as a classic. Otherwise, I’m inclined to think game-changers like the Miata, Prius, STi/Evo, MINI, etc will be remembered more vividly than a yuppie Audi coupe or another special-edition Mustang.
Then again, as Buick61 says, there’s no algorithm for predicting this stuff.
I dunno about the NSX. Its far to surgical than a Ferrari in its hooning about. It can do it better and faster, but doesn’t seem to have as much soul in doing so. Whenever I see a Ferrari, I’m usually in awe, amazed, stunned even. I fall in love with everyone I see. When I see an NSX, I’m just thinking “hey look, a fast Acura/Honda.”
Then again, I’d like to have my first exotic car be a Lambo, not a Ferrari. I think back to Clarkson’s quote about the Gallardo Spider.
“And they’ll say ohhh…you could have gone around that corner .0006 seconds faster in the Ferrari. Or ohhh…you shoul have bought the coupe as it weighs about a 100 kilos less. But I don’t care, because I have 93million miles of head room, I have orange seats, and listen to that sound!”
I have the feeling the NSX will remain a cult object 20 years from now. A lot of what drives collector furor is how badly people wanted the cars when they were new, and the NSX was always a specialist item.
I wonder if the Japanese supercars of the late 80s and early 90s will become collectible in general. They have the same ingredients as Supercars like the Buick GS455/GSX and Chrysler E-bodies (high performance; awfully expensive for a lot of people when new; relative rarity compounded by survivors having been modded to hell). But some things never make it except as special-interest items (Studebaker Lark Daytonas, for instance, the AMC AMX).
I watched nearly all 39 hours of the most recent Barrett-Jackson auction. I can say out of all the cars that went on the block (1163), there were no Audis, Subarus, or Hondas. For the collectability factor highly sought after American iron (limited production runs especially)is what has traditionally been the winner.
Zarba,
That problem is being remedied. There are several companies who are stepping up with generic electronic parts that can be used to replace old computers by using a standard unit with firmware/software for specific models.
I suspect that this will be less of a problem in the future than it is now.
All you need to do is look at what cars attract the testosterone today. Those are the same cars that will attract the nostalgia and mid-life crisis hormones in 20-30 years. Very few of the kids today drive around in a 300, that’s a car for the 45-year-old guy who wants a 4-door muscle car. This generation never really experience muscle beyond a few bad Camaros and the Mustang.
Here are my picks:
-Ford Mustang GT
-Nissan Skyline (R34)
-Mazda RX7
-Mistu Lancer Evo IX
-Subaru Impreza WRX (especially the coupes) & WRX STi
-C5 Corvette (last one with fold-down lights)
-Mazda Miata
-Honda Prelude
I don’t see any car that is purchased today by 40-50 year olds as being in demand as a “collector car” in the future. Todays high priced collector cars are bought by older men trying to capture some of their youth. Todays youth will not collect the cars of their father and grandfathers generations. They will look for the dream cars of their youth.[Sti,Evo,TypeR Honda products,…etc.]
Jeep Compass. Yes, I know it is widely derided. But it is selling poorly and may soon be discontinued, and that means it will be a rare vehicle. Being both interesting (albeit in an ugly way) and rare will make it a future collectible, in my opinion.
Suzuki X-90. I also think the ’96-’98 Suzuki X-90 will become a collectible (if it isn’t already). They sold less than 8,000 of the SUV/roadster hybrid during the 3-year run, and it was widely criticized for the “bizarre” styling. Further, there’s already somewhat of a cult around it.
Mark my words, a 2003 BMW E39 M5.
Notch Back 5.0
93-95 ZR1
Supra Turbo
WS6
Supra Turbo
Twin Turbo. >:)
Zarba: As to the list itself, I’d drop the Solstice/Sky. It’s just not a very good car; it’s overweight and completely lacking in storage space.
The Solstice/Sky is a piece of sh**! It will probably be rare in the future (because most of them will have fallen apart) in the same way that the Fiero is rare today. Rarity hasn’t done anything to increase demand or prices for Fieros.
For the long term: Honda Insight. Historical significance plus relatively low volume.
The Crown Victoria is already a collector car…the 1955 and 1956 versions, that is.
After those two years, there isn’t one Crown Vic that’s worth collecting…period!
As a car collector since 1956, it amazes me what some ppl think is worth collecting today.
Look at the ppl at classic/special interest/antique car shows….what do you see? Gray hair…lots of it…I doubt that the kids of today will be buying too many of these so-called modern classics.
Besides, there are too many of them. For example: Mustang GT’s, 100’s of 1000’s were produced.
Besides the usual Corvette’s and Ferrari’s and cars of their ilk, only a few low production vehicles made after 1979 will generate much interest.
Dunno about GM & Chrysler, but Ford still sells some mechanical parts for 1960’s and later vehicles.
The old car (pre 1979 mostly) aftermarket parts supplier segment for obsolete and reproduction parts is huge…with Ford and Chevy parts dominating the market.
The Honda S2000 definitely does not make my list. Boring, antiseptic, poor storage and likely to plummet in value.
@Samir Sayed
What makes a car collectible is not testosterone. There are dozens of muscle cars that never show at Hershey. It’s about style. It’s about cars that look good, or at least distinctive years down the road. I don’t think you’ll see Mitzu Evos. The styling is pretty nondescript. You won’t see much from GM or Japan. Some cars that you will see:
* Volvo 740/940/960 wagons. The cleanest of the classic boxes
* Last generation Chevy Caprice. Loads of character.
* original Taurus (jelly bean)
* Miata (they’ll probably be a dime a dozen though, like original mustangs
* original xB
* Porsches
* Audi TT
* Magnum (but they won’t be very expensive)
* FISO, uh, I mean F150
* The Mazda 323 from around 1990, when it looked like an upside down bathtub. Same draw as the Pacer in Wayne’s World
* RX-8, maybe RX-7
* Cherokee
* K cars. Oh, they wo’nt be worth much, but they were somehow the classic version of the boxy post-oil embargo appliance, and they’ll show up at Carlisle, though maybe not Hershey.
Of course, the car I wish I had from my youth is the parental Peugeot 404 wagon (do a google image search). Absolutely beautiful car. Styled by Pininfarina. But not worth much at all, even on the Continent, if ebay prices are any indication. There was a beauty in Germany, a wagon, for 2000 Euros ($4 G’s). I do’nt think it got sold. And a beater in New York State for $1250 or so.
One friend of mine actually has the ’68 Volvo her parents got new when she was 8.
BKW:
Hundreds of 1,000s of Mustangs? True, but there were even more Mustangs produced in the 60’s and that hasn’t hurt their collectability. 30 to 40 years from now it will be the Shelby, Saleen, Roush, and Cobra Mustangs that will command the high prices with the common GTs for soemone who just wants a 90’s/2000’s Mustang, and the 6 cylinder variants for modders, those who don’t know any better, or quirky people. Kinda’ like it is now with the 60’s Mustangs.
Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon…
The name says it all.
I also can see a few of the Mercedes W116’s and W124’s holding their value over time. The 500E may be the top choice in that group.
2nd generation MR2 Turbo
1st generation MR2 (no whites or automatics)
Nissan 300ZX – Z32
Subaru SVX
1st generation LS400
1st generation Acura NSX
Late 1970’s Continental Town Car & Town Coupe
1st gen Scion Xb (5-speed)
I’ll be holding on to my del Sol
Of course some of the post 1973 Mustangs will be collected, but none will ever have the cachet of the originals. If planning on buying a ‘Stang with the 3.8 V6, better stock up on timing gears and timing covers now. If one a those V6 3.8’s makes it past 80K miles without needing those parts, it’s a miracle.
The Aztek. I know, universally derided now. But in a few decades, when it makes its appearance puttering to a meet, it will engender smiles all around.
1984 Toyota Van 5 speed.
Yes I have one. And yes I’m insane to think this. The 4×4 models with genuine transfer cases are quite capable off road and are rare to find w/o being rusted to death.
In 20 years, they’ll be hard as hell to find…..but still probably worth $4000 :) That kind of price appreciation is what makes me keep mine :)
The Mazda5 5 speed (and mazda6 wagon with a 5MT) will probably be difficult to find and fairly sought after….but I know they won’t be “collector cars” so I suppose nothing I’ve mentioned in this post is really that relevant.
Generally, cars that have a role in “cult” feature films and TV series earn a premium. Think Bullitt’s Mustang, think Colombo’s 403.
So I would add all those to be found in Ronin.
One more sure classic: the Renault Avantime: a people-carrier coupé. Odd in conception, flawed in realisation, but intruiging and sexy.
Agree w/ Ronin on the AZtek
Sammy B, is the Toyota van that deco looking thing ? If so, I agree! Hadn’t thought of that.
Agree w/ Steven Lang on the Roadmaster Estate Wagon. All of the GM cars of that genre, actually. Those things have some real style and loads of character.
I guess I ought to add some to the list now that I’ve picked on other people’s posts ;-)
I agree with the Acura NSX whole heartedly as well as the Nissan Skyline. I don’t think tha they will have the impact that the tri-5 Chevys have now because there are so few of them, but they are already highly desireable now. Why wouldn’t that continue into the future?
Fox body Mustangs (5.0 anyway) are already starting to become desireable. I expect cars like the 90’s Cobras and Cobra Rs to increase in value shortly. Based on a scan of ads, their prices appear to have already flattened out and possibly even started to rise.
Toy’s “toaster” van had a 4wd option?
Cool!
Triple Weird Point score.
Why would Hagerty think of the XLR, no body wants one bad enough to buy one now.