which present day cars do you think will become classics?

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exdeath

Lifer
Jan 29, 2004
13,679
10
81
Add Grand National/GNX to that list. They are already collectible today. Got to see a GNX up close in a body shop, was getting hood and stuff refreshed. It wasn't stock, if the inch and half wide injectors weren't a clue all by themselves :)
 
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EightySix Four

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2004
5,122
52
91
My Sky Redline.

It's rare, attractive, and at the forefront of engine tech at the moment. It's a 2.0l turbo direct injected engine and was the first turbo GDI engine in the states. It's also had good success in motorsports, etc. I think it makes a great case for being an eventual classic.
 
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Bignate603

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
13,897
1
0
Low volume means nothing. It takes low volume and desirability to make it a classic. If they only make 100 models of a car, but no one wants one, then it's not a classic.

Go take a look at the production numbers of the 1st generation mustang, it doesn't take low volume to become a classic. A car is a classic if it has something about it that makes it an icon that stands after many years. They made tons of early mustangs, jeeps, chevys, and plenty of other kinds of cars that still are considered classics.
 

JMapleton

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2008
4,179
2
81
Nothing American made, unless it's rare.

Only rare cars keep their value for the long run. These 60s and 70s muscle cars will all drop in value when the babyboomers get too old.

Only the rare ones keep their value. I see very little that will be prized these days outside of super high end cars.

I think the new Ferrari 599 GTO will do well.
 

DietDrThunder

Platinum Member
Apr 6, 2001
2,262
326
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I think you guys are confusing the word classic with collectable. You can have a classic car that really gets a lot of attention, but isn't worth a lot of money. There is a good side and a bad side to this. The good side, if they made more of them, then there will be pleanty of cheap replacement parts, hence keeping it an affordable hobby. You'll also have a fun car to play with. The downside is that there are so many of them, you'll never get a lot for them when you decide to sell.

The '55 through '57 Cadillac is a real nice classic, but you can get these for less money than the '55 through '57 Chevy's (Coupes and Sedans, not Convertibles). The same with Buick's, Oldsmobiles, and Pontiac's of the same era.

An example of what I consider a classic car (but not very collectable) from the '60s is the Chevy Corvair. They made around 2 million of them from '59 through '69, the parts are cheap and pleantyful, and they are cheap to buy. You can buy a fully restored factory turbo charged model from around 12 to 14 grand. I paid $4,500 for mine and probably have $6,000 in it. You don't see many on the road, and rarely at car shows. I've been to 8 different classic car shows during the summer where my Corvair was the only one in attendance. It gets a lot of attention at shows because most people have never heard or have ever seen one. It makes it fun to talk with people about the car. I've won 3 people's choice awards this summer and I consider my car a 10 footer (meaning it looks best from 10 feet away, closer and you see the minor flaws). I even play a little trick on people at some shows. Since it is an air cooled rear engined vehicle and the trunk is in the front, I put an ice chest in the trunk with a hose attached and running out one of the grommet holes. I put a sign in front of the car which says, "Identify this fluid leak without looking under the hood or under the car and you can win a prize". The fluid leak is just water dripping from the ice chest. It is fun to see the look on people's faces when you open the hood and they see an ice chest instead of an engine.

my63.jpg
 

fbrdphreak

Lifer
Apr 17, 2004
17,555
1
0
Didn't think of that, but most definitely! It is rare enough today and is a true RWD body on frame vehicle. I'd take one over the CV or the Grand Marquis.

Definitely the Ford GT only 4K made, and I'd kill for one.

Mercury Marauder

Ford Thunderbird(the last run from 02 to 05) Seriously look the price up online it's ridiculous how much people are asking for them. That should tell you something right there...

2nd that. Specifically the GT or the oh momma GTX

I want to find a low mileage 09 black GT w/moonroof and leather. if I only had time to drive to where the ones I've found are!
These cars might have the appeal of being a series of bastard children, but that's it. There were plenty of bastard child muscle cars from the 70's that are desirable today, but only by collectors who appreciate their appeal and still the sticker prices are relatively low.

They simply do not have any unique engineering, design, or history that will make them a classic or highly collectible.

Need we review:

Marauder = Crown Vic with a hotter 4.6 from the Mustang and some of the police spec parts. Fun fact: its neat "aggressive" stance is accomplished with a taller sidewall on the rear tires and to save money after the first year of sales failure, they replaced a full size spare with a compact spare.

Last gen Thunderbird = bastard child of a Jag and a Lincoln. Auto-tragic only. Exclusively seen driven by housewives either young enough to want something "cute" or old enough to want to relive their glory days in this "Thunderbird."

G8 = excellent car, for sure, but an "Americanized" version of a highly popular, long-run Aussie car. The GXP has a shot, given it was relatively low production and not only the most unique, but the most desirable and highest performance. The GT and base models will be dust in the wind.
 

exdeath

Lifer
Jan 29, 2004
13,679
10
81
Lamborghini Countach

Relatively cheap and affordable today as used car, but they were iconic.

DeLorean?
 

DietDrThunder

Platinum Member
Apr 6, 2001
2,262
326
126

If this is your Corvair, please don't take what I'm saying as an insult. Right now, this is what the market for these cars are right now.

If it has a clear title, the engine runs, and there is no rust through any panels, $1,000.

If it has a title, doesn't run, but no rust through any panels, $700 to $800

If it has a title, doesn't run, and has rust, $500

If no title, doesn't run, and has rust, it is basically a $200 parts car.

I'll give you an example of another Corvair I'm seriously thinking of buying. It is a '64 Convertible, the guy had all of the floor pans and rusted panels professionally replaced, and all the paint and body work complete (and the paint looks really nice). He's got an all new interior in boxes, a new top in boxes, all of the wiring harnesses are new, a new gas tank and fuel lines, the brake system has been replaced, box upon box of NOS parts, NOS trim pieces, rechromed bumpers, etc, etc. The guy showed me over $14K in receipts. He lost interest so the car needs the reassembley finished (all the really hard stuff is done). The first time I talked to him a couple of months ago, he said he wanted $2,500 for it. Since I really don't have room for another I said I'd think about it. He called me the other day and said he'd now take $2,000 for it.
 

Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
9
0
Yea I agree with Cepak that corvairs are not rare enough or in demand to warrant any great money. Its one of the cars I am looking at getting now. The prices for cars in much better shape are not that high. If that is your car clean it up and get all the dirt off the engine. Change the oil and see if you can get it started.

I want to get a older small 2 door car that does nto cost to much but is fun to drive. I like the Volvo P1800, AMX, etc... so the corvair is on my short list as long as its a certain year and manual trans.
 

CurseTheSky

Diamond Member
Oct 21, 2006
5,401
2
0
Thank you to the people that clarified the difference between classic and collectible. A car doesn't have to be rare, super-high performance, or include otherwise unheard of features to be a classic. To be a collectible and fetch millions, that's a different story.

A lot of the fairly common performance vehicles from the 60s are classics today. They look nice, they have a wonderful rumble, and they're fun to work on. They're also cheap enough today for even the average Joe to consider owning one, even if a modern sports car is out of their price range.

The 64 1/2 - 69 Mustang are perfect examples. They were high-volume cars, they could be bought relatively cheap at the time (with the exception of certain low production, rare models, which are collectibles - go figure), and they're still fairly cheap today as long as you aren't a stickler for perfection. I don't know anyone that would say they're not a classic.
 

AMCRambler

Diamond Member
Jan 23, 2001
7,715
31
91
BMW 840 or 850Ci? Pretty rare cars and the 850 had a V12. They'd probably be collectables rather than a classic.

Classics are more likely to be the same cars that are sought after today. E46 M3? Infinity G35 Coupe? The new Mustang GT 5.0's for sure.
 

KentState

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2001
8,397
393
126
For a car to be a classic, it has to have a following and be somewhat respected when new. For example, the Mustangs prior to the mid-late 70's and then when the 5.0 was released in the late 80's are classics. The same with the C1, C2, and early C3 Vettes as well as the ZR1 C4. I would venture to say that any current car that has good performance like the WRX Sti, Lancer Evo, C6 Z06/ZR1, Mustang Terminator/5.0/Shelby, Viper, LS1 F-bodies, Nissan GT-R, Supra, and so on. Yes, the exotics will be classics as well.
 

Ronstang

Lifer
Jul 8, 2000
12,493
18
81
There won't be many current day vehicles road worthy in 50 years. They are made of mostly plastic and the hardest parts to find for a restoration are plastic interior items....and there will be no source of these in half a century. The other problem is all the electronics. They do not age well and one failure could put a car out of commission forever.

In 50 years car guys will still be playing with cars made 40+ years ago since they were mostly metal, simple, and parts are plentiful and will remain so as long as people are interested in old cars.
 

IcePickFreak

Platinum Member
Jul 12, 2007
2,428
9
81
2nd that. Specifically the GT or the oh momma GTX

I want to find a low mileage 09 black GT w/moonroof and leather. if I only had time to drive to where the ones I've found are!

The GXP's would be the likely candidate since there was only 1,829 produced.