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Future Collectibles--Make Your Prediction
Mr_Shiftright
Member Posts: 64,481
It's a tricky business, but let's give it a try.
Which modern cars do you think will receive the
reverence, care, and big buck price tags from the
next generation of car collectors? What makes your
pick so special?
Which modern cars do you think will receive the
reverence, care, and big buck price tags from the
next generation of car collectors? What makes your
pick so special?
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85 Mustangs I think - last year of the carb
Mustang SVO - only turbo mustang
Calloway Corvettes
Supras
Calloway would be the only one I could firmly agree on.....if price were the sole determining factor, Grand Nationals are not gaining in popularity or collectibility anymore...a fading star, perhaps temporarilly.
I think of the Mustangs (yeah, I'm biased) because they already have an excellent following. I've been to some shows (Ford) and have seen quite a few of the 85's shown. Little early to be showing them in my taste, but I think that shows the demand, or interest at least.
Every (2) 240Z I've seen in the past 10 years has been beat to hell. I'm not sure they'll survive to make collector's items.
What do you pick?
Old Series Land Rovers
BMW 2002 tti
Any race car with HISTORY
Two words. . .Harley Davidson. Actually appreciates when you ride it off the lot.
So few "specialty" cars are produced now, I can't think of a single car built after 1985 that IMO will gain any great value.
Great thread, lets keep it up.
Harley is an interesting case, although not a car case...the value is strictly based on mythology and marketing, not on engineering merit or quality...kind of like a Morgan I guess, is a comparison that comes to mind.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then I guess value is in the wallet of the beholder. There are enough people who want those instant antiques that they are actually worth money. It's like tulip bulbs or beanie babies.
This was a car driven by aging hotrodders who finally had enough money to purchase some juice.
Frenchies are great but they're were also way too plebeian in this country. Mechanics on these "basic" transportation cars were a nightmare and I'd bet that most of the money you spent restoring these cars wouldn't come close to being recovered at sale. Nice car but not a very good bet.
My personal favorite for styling was the first model year, the '84.
Opinions?
I could never understand the Fiero having any appeal to anybody since the X1/9, Lancia Montecarlo and the MR2 did the cheap mid-engine thing so much better. The 914 too, when viewed in competition with those cars (as opposed to Porsches) is pretty good as well. Why buy a Fiero when you have all those other choices? But then I know, people like what they like.
They can be bought cheaply and are a well built kick to drive!
The rotary engines will go 200,000 plus miles unless you are unfortunate enough to ever overheat one...they don't like that!
I'm thinking about selling both of them and looking for the best 88-91 RX7 convertable I can find.
They are very fast and will outcorner almost anything. Don't make the mistake of trying to drive one if the road is icy!
The Pontiac STE, I'm afraid I can't agree...being a 4-door car is one liability, since rarely does a 4-door anything gain collectible status of any real value, and being a GM product of the 80s doesn't help, this being about rock bottom for the company as a whole. My guess is "doomed to obscurity".
RX7s definitely, but slowly...I'd say the later turbos and the convertibles have a better chance of being saved and restored than the plain older coupes, which are plentiful.
I'd guess it will become a kind of collectible curiosity, like the Delorean, the Allante, etc, but not ever bring the big money or lots of interest in the collector car hobby. If the car doesn't get "hot" soon, it's going to fade, because most cars are collected by the people who grew up with them, and I can't really come up with a scenario of some 80s teenager recalling tons of fond memories around his or his dad's Reatta, can you?
well.......
I actually drove a well used Pacer recently and even considered buying it to add to my "clasic" collection but the reverse gear didn't work and the whole thought of actually buying this cheesy piece of @#$* totally turned me off. I think my mind was addled by my recent viewing of "Waynes World" I'd through the Fiero and Reagatta and this same heap.
I'll let uou know one altruism in collecting old pieces of junk: buy what people wanted back when it was new and you're less likely to loose your pants down the road. Electronic gismos are fine but I'll tell you from experience that they'll cost you an arm and a leg to repair down the road when you finally own one of these fine "specimens" of American enginuity.
Of the Japanese cars, I'd have to go with the Mazda RX-7 and the Mazda Miata. Both cars were extremely popular and have an excellent racing heritage (both dominating their class for years). Of course, the ones that will be come collectables will be the rare ones.
For the RX-7, it will have to be the limited edition '80 Leather Sport (LS), the '84-'85 GSL-SE, the '88 10th Anniversary Edition, the '90 GTUs, and all '93-'95 Twin Turbo RX-7's. The RX-7 was a well recognized car, popular with the public, and generally hold up well. Another reason these will be collectables in the rotary engine.
For the Miata, it will have to be all M Editions, the '97.5 STO (Special Touring Option, 2500 built), and the '99 10th Anniversary Edition. Each year of the M Editions (3000 per year) were in a unique color. The STO had a unique paint color, numbered certification, and unique interior bits. The 10th Anniversary Edition (just now being released) are individually numbered ####/7500 on certification and special badges on the fenders of the car. The Miata has enjoyed unbelievable success in both sales and racing, and is already considered by some to be a classic.
1) Mercury Murker XR4Ti (limited run and styling)
2) Oldsmobile Aurora (4 year run - I own)
3) Toyota Supra turbo 96-99 (I wish I owned)
4) Mercury Capri (just brought one).
5) Porche Boxer
You heard it here FIRST.
About the Grand Nationals...they probably won't be worth a whole lot, since there were quite a few made. The GNX, however, is another story. It was a collectible as soon as it was created.
I would have to put the Camaro SS into collector status, especially the limited run of LT4 cars a couple of years ago. I don't know about the Ram Air Firechicken, though. I don't know if it will hold the same aura that the SS seems to. I would say the Lingenfelter, Hurst, and original SLP birds will be collectors. Probably the most collectible late model Firebird will be the limited run of first year Firehawks (1992?). The older body style with the insane amount of horsepower. I want one.
The last two Cobra R models would go on my list, too. There were a few Thunderbirds modified by Roush a couple of years ago, too. Those could be worth something. Saleens will likely be collectors.
I think the Viper is a shoe-in for collectibility. Low production, exotic nature, extreme performance, etc. Especially the GTS-R models. Sign me up for one of those, too.
That's about all I can think of for now. I do have to agree that Japanese cars in general (there may be limited exceptions) won't be collectible in the U.S. market. But don't hold anything to my opinion. No one else does.
Honda Del Sol VTEC
nuff said.
A few notes on classic cars:
1. 60s Mustangs are classics and they sold tons of them. They weren't expensive, but were loved by almost everyone, whether a car nut or not. These ideas don't support today's pony cars, but certainly the Miata. The Miata is already considered a classic by so many of its fanatical owners.
2. A car doesn't necessarily need to be a good car in its day to be a classic car. DeLoreans are already reaching classic/collectable status and they were terribly unreliable. Classic cars just need to be visually stimulating and notably different. People get attached to cars for these reasons. This explains why someone may believe the Riviera, Reatta, and Fiero may be considered classic. I disagree, simply because these cars aren't nearly as fun to drive as say, a . . .
3. A sure sign of a classic car is one that people modify and race on the street. Honda Civics are the hottest street machines in the country. These modified economy cars are fun to drive, reliable, and stylish. This can also be said of the SE-R.
4. Classics must give their owners good reasons to own them for a long time. All the new roadsters will be classics for this reason alone. They're fun and they too have timeless styling.
A few easily collectable bets would be:
Early Honda Vtecs
Nissan Z Twin Turbos
Mustang Saleen's and Cobras
Delorian 6 cyln's
will become a classic as it was the end of a 14 year body style and only 6759 were made. I don't think that later vettes had the same type of styling.
I guess I may have mentioned that in the 1970s there was a guy who won quite a few IMSA races in a 6-cylinder Pacer (Lucky Strike Challenge)--so you see, it's all in the preparation--he must have been brilliant and a hell of a driver, too.
I'd be wary of some of these "collector editions" and "anniversary specials"...sometimes they are merely marketing concepts with only a few cosmetic upgrades...it's the same old car with a few stripes...it doesn't fool the real collector.