Any modern every day cars destined to become classics.

The outsides and major components of modern (2000+) cars tend to be good for 200k with minimal upkeep, maybe a constly timing belt as in the Toyota cars, but the big problem those cars have is the interiors start falling apart after 10 years. Discolorationof plastics, the leather is thin and would need constant attention. Go find a 1955 anything and take a bottle of Simple Green, a brush and 30 minutes and the seat covers will come right back to life.
 
With the quick buck mentality it's hard to say which cars will last, then people don't take care of things like they use to.
Cars overall last way longer than the 60s and 70s cars my dad ever owned. He took care of them, but the most you could get out of a GM product was about eight years, as by about 75-80 thousand miles, the body (and possibly floor, like in the sh*tty '71 LeSabre we owned) would be badly rusted, and mechanically, too many things were going wrong with it. I would loved to have kept our '65 Wildcat to drive to high school in, but we had to drive it to the junkyard by 1975.

In comparison, my CR-V turned 20 this year. It has some rust and minor issues (mainly "old age" stuff), but it sits at 289,000 miles on its original engine and transmission, still running fine. The 2002 and 2004 Hondas in the family have no rust. And that's not just one brand--we have many older cars in the area now, just about all brands, that have little to no rust for their age, many over 100,000 (often 150,000) miles, still running well and nicely cared for.

Yet I also agree about some owners not taking care of cars. As a contrast to what I just wrote, there are some newer cars around this area that are smashed up, dented, rusted, running poorly, filthy inside and out, and they are only a few years old. (Some brands also do not age well.) I still hear the occasional story of someone pulling into a shop or dealer with an engine that barely runs, and the owner had no clue the oil needed to be changed after driving it 80,000 miles. Even when looking at used cars for my daughter, the condition of many in her price range was appalling. Some that were ten years old looked as though they had never seen a vacuum cleaner since the day it came off of the car dealer's lot. I seriously wondered how anyone could dump so much money into buying and insuring a vehicle, then totally neglect it!

However, these days there are quick lube shops on nearly every corner. We didn't have these decades ago. I don't trust them myself, but at least it gives most cars a better chance at longevity since those shops are a continuous reminder that cars do need maintenance. Some repair shops (even the dealer) will do a free multi-point inspection when you bring a vehicle in for repair, the most honest of them pointing out the real issues vs. inventing some just to make a profit (which is what the quick lube shops often do, recommending service long before it is due).

Anyway, I'm hopeful that enough owners out there are at least making use of the quick lube shops to get regular and proper fluid changes so we have a better chance at seeing these as "classics" in future decades.
 
I would be very careful about putting all overpowered cars into the collectible category.

many oldies are "sought after" for their nostalgic value (you know - back seat epiphanies)
and not because they are rare (which they are), or offer extraordinary value (which they do)
and the lesson is that if you cannot future price looking back at 10-40 YO cars, then
how can you put a future (10-20 years) price on a car you buy today.

There was a recent C4 with the DOHC lotus designed mercury built engine. almost
no miles, and owner didn't recover original investment let alone any compounding.

would you spend north of 75K for that ZL1 1LT blah, blah and NOT drive it. same
thing for the upcoming Zora? how about any of the (about to be last) V12 cars?

if you're going down this path, try serial number ONE for the most equipped car.

I had a C5 with every option in the book except for a funky suspension option
that Chevy dropped the following year, looked up the options combo and it
was one of a kind. low mileage, 6pseed, no leaks, etc.

didn't sell for anything more than the rest of that years C5 production - it only
sold because of the "desired" color. not the Z51 option, etc.

willing to bet 50-75K? Me - I know what I would buy.
 
Cars overall last way longer than the 60s and 70s cars my dad ever owned. He took care of them, but the most you could get out of a GM product was about eight years, as by about 75-80 thousand miles, the body (and possibly floor, like in the sh*tty '71 LeSabre we owned) would be badly rusted, and mechanically, too many things were going wrong with it. I would loved to have kept our '65 Wildcat to drive to high school in, but we had to drive it to the junkyard by 1975.

In comparison, my CR-V turned 20 this year. It has some rust and minor issues (mainly "old age" stuff), but it sits at 289,000 miles on its original engine and transmission, still running fine. The 2002 and 2004 Hondas in the family have no rust. And that's not just one brand--we have many older cars in the area now, just about all brands, that have little to no rust for their age, many over 100,000 (often 150,000) miles, still running well and nicely cared for.

Yet I also agree about some owners not taking care of cars. As a contrast to what I just wrote, there are some newer cars around this area that are smashed up, dented, rusted, running poorly, filthy inside and out, and they are only a few years old. (Some brands also do not age well.) I still hear the occasional story of someone pulling into a shop or dealer with an engine that barely runs, and the owner had no clue the oil needed to be changed after driving it 80,000 miles. Even when looking at used cars for my daughter, the condition of many in her price range was appalling. Some that were ten years old looked as though they had never seen a vacuum cleaner since the day it came off of the car dealer's lot. I seriously wondered how anyone could dump so much money into buying and insuring a vehicle, then totally neglect it!

However, these days there are quick lube shops on nearly every corner. We didn't have these decades ago. I don't trust them myself, but at least it gives most cars a better chance at longevity since those shops are a continuous reminder that cars do need maintenance. Some repair shops (even the dealer) will do a free multi-point inspection when you bring a vehicle in for repair, the most honest of them pointing out the real issues vs. inventing some just to make a profit (which is what the quick lube shops often do, recommending service long before it is due).

Anyway, I'm hopeful that enough owners out there are at least making use of the quick lube shops to get regular and proper fluid changes so we have a better chance at seeing these as "classics" in future decades.

I've got a degree in auto body, then I've rebuilt cars from the late '40s on and the cars from the mid seventies to the mid eighties were the worst constructed. The clips used around the windows scratched through the paint and expose bare metal to the environment. Then today's cars are not made from the same alloyed metals as automobiles were prior to 1971. There also is the thickness of the metal used in fifties cars along with the alloys used. Then years ago, most men took care of their own cars and didn't pay people to do anything. People today don't take care of anything as well as they did years ago, fact is no one does anything as well as they did decades ago because a person back then was defined by how well they did things and how they helped others. If a car from the fifties or sixties is kept neat and clean free from debris, they will always be around. I'm talking about, pull the wheels and repack the beirings, change the fluids, bleed the brakes and drop in a new battery and your flying down the road. There is no new car that be pulled out of storage after forty years without a complete rebuild. Yes, you have to prep a car for storage but with new cars and their electronics you can kiss that car good buy. Everything on older cars is mechanical advantage over fluid. Drum brake cylinders can be honed out and rekitted as long as you have the new kits in storage also along with a carburetor kit. Then it doesn't take a rocket scientist either....to put an old car back on the road no matter how long they've been sitting. Also, flood damage means nothing to an old car because you can take the car apart yourself, repaint it and put it back together.....try that with a new car. Electric this and that up under the dash, the transmission relays instead of a transmission based upon fluid pressure to shift gears. But the alloy of the metal and the electrical accessories of new cars is the defining evidence. Then after letting a new car sit in the garage for forty years you couldn't find everything you need to fix everything that doesn't work anymore.....
 
An awful lot of "special interest/high performance" cars have been bought new, stored away and barely driven. Practice seems to have begun in the mid '70s and today, it's not uncommon to find 25th Anniversary Pace Car 1978 Corvettes and "last year" 1976 Eldorado Convertibles with under 100 clicks on the odometer. Conversely, few gave any thought of mothballing a 1978 Trans Am or Camaro whose values are not altogether different from the more prestigious Corvette, and in some cases even higher.

Nobody ever gave any thought of shooing away new 1967 Corvettes most of which were pounded to death in their prime. Virtually none exist in pristine unrestored condition today. But there are countless examples of any Corvette made from 1980 & on in perfect original condition. The same will also hold true of the various "retro" cars like the Hemi Challengers and the like. 40 years from now they'll be plenty around with extremely low mileage, therefore will never become as valuable as say, pre 1972 Corvette.

The key to this question is what cars were most popular with young people in their day having a comparatively low survival rate . A few that come to mind are '86 Grand Prix 2+2 Aero Coupe, Monte Carlo SS '86 and Chevy Beretta, especially the Z26. Not long ago Berettas were everywhere and hugely popular with young people. I cannot recall the last time I saw one in person.

I also think the '79 - '80 Riviera and '80 & '81 Seville "bustleback" may also become collectible one day. I never cared for it myself but it was GM's most expensive model at the time and definitely distinctive which very often is a sure key to future collectibility. Not many of those were saved for posterity either.
 
The AMG Mercedes will become collectible, especially the older 6.3 litre series. The '98 AMG E55 are thinning out as the high mileage ones are dropping away.

The new 2.0 litre AMG 4.5s are 300hp pocket rockets.

VW GTIs and VR6's.

Any of the Audi RS series are good too.
 
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Do you think any average everyday drivers can become the classics of tomorrow?

I like these although some are not exactly average -

1st generation Scion xA & xB, possibly tC too
Toyota Matrix & Pontiac Vibe, especially last generation
Pontiac Aztec
unmodified MK3 VW GTi/GLi
unmodified Subaru WRX/STi bugeye
Mazda6 wagon 2002-2012
Mazdaspeed6 ~2 year offering (?)
 
The AMG Mercedes will become collectible, especially the older 6.3 litre series. The '98 AMG E55 are thinning out as the high mileage ones are dropping away.

The new 2.0 litre AMG 4.5s are 300hp pocket rockets.

VW GTIs and VR6's.

Any of the Audi RS series are good too.

The problem with the AMG models are exponentially higher cost and complexity for simple maintenance, and repairs. Thats why we see so many fairly new AMG models selling for so cheap. It's always possible the aftermarket could pickup for them though.
 
I like these although some are not exactly average -

1st generation Scion xA & xB, possibly tC too
Toyota Matrix & Pontiac Vibe, especially last generation
Pontiac Aztec
unmodified MK3 VW GTi/GLi
unmodified Subaru WRX/STi bugeye
Mazda6 wagon 2002-2012
Mazdaspeed6 ~2 year offering (?)
Pontiac Aztec? That must be a typo ...
 
The problem with the AMG models are exponentially higher cost and complexity for simple maintenance, and repairs. Thats why we see so many fairly new AMG models selling for so cheap. It's always possible the aftermarket could pickup for them though.

Yep, it's a Mercedes issue in general. Especially on the older models, for example a $500 water pump on a E430 worth about $2000.

A lot of the AMGs go on the market once those big, effective but very expensive brake rotors get a bit thin.
 
Yep, it's a Mercedes issue in general. Especially on the older models, for example a $500 water pump on a E430 worth about $2000.

A lot of the AMGs go on the market once those big, effective but very expensive brake rotors get a bit thin.

Yup, the man that figures out how to manufacturer ceramic brake parts economically is going to be very rich.
 
I was at a car show Friday night. Among the usual suspects were a 1985 Mercury Colony Park wagon, a 1986 Ford Crown Victoria two door, a 1990 Dodge D250 with the diesel, and of all things a Cadillac Allante. People were looking at all of them. The wagon in particular had a lot of eyes on it.

Personally I was checking out the Dodge, its become rare to find one of those not rusted, beat, or "coal roller" modified with stacks and big wheels. This thing looked like it rolled off the dealer lot 2 weeks ago, completely unmolested and in excellent condition. Its the one I'd want to own.

So yes, there are "modern" cars with a following. This week I'm actually going to be boring out an EGR spacer for a friend that owns a 1989 Colony Park so he can swap the intake for a better one.
 
I've been reading and watching that the big old SUV's are getting popular. Wagoneers, Land Cruisers, etc. I think the Suburbans will always be popular. As gas stays cheap, people go for bigger rigs. I don't know anybody who wants a putt putt mobile on purpose. Milllennials seem to be gravitating towards bigger, clunkier rigs they can take adventuring. Around here, the Jeep Cherokee is king for young adventurers. Many of those are at least 20 years old now, many even older and still in very high demand.
 
Pontiac Aztec? That must be a typo ...

It's a great example of corporate groupthink not unlike the Edsel & Pacer, wrong vehicle for the right reasons

If they looked like this they might have had more of an impact -

2002-pontiac-aztek-awd-pic-25101.jpeg
 
I bought my 2004 Silverado SS with the idea that it would eventually become a "Collectible-Classic" It only has 60,000miles on it and stays parked in my garage for months on end. But, I see some pretty abused ones driving around. I even saw one with ladder racks! Seems a shame, to me. But, I will probably never get rid of it. I have kept it "Bone-Stock", but it's still pretty healthy and fun to drive. Besides, it doesn't need to be restored (like my old Beetle and my '72 Cheyenne Pickup)
 
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