For the average person, the term “collector car” instantly conjures premium high-performance and luxury models, but as anyone who has perused Bring a Trailer, Cars & Bids, Hemmings, etc., will surely attest, the world of collectible automobiles goes far beyond cars of the crème de la crème variety.
Virtually any car that passes a certain threshold of oldness and is still in good condition can be considered a collector car, no matter how commonplace and plebian it may have been in its day. But there are other cars, perhaps equally commonplace and plebian when new, that manage to attain collectible status despite being of much more recent vintage. Did anyone see the Pulsar NX and 240SX becoming collectible when they first appeared? I didn’t.
When I put the question to the gang in Slack, Brian opined that cheap + stick, and final-manual-models in general would be recipes for collectibility. “Manual Versas—last manual Versa, and last five-speed manual from any manufacturer for American markets.”
I wonder what the collectibility of electric vehicles will look like. Firsts like the original Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster and early Models S are/will be collectible, but how long will it take for the most common Model Ys to become must-sees at your local cars & coffee?
I’ll leave it to you:
What Will Be The Most Unexpected Collector Cars In The Future?
Top graphic image: Nissan
I think the following are likely to become unexpected collector cars:
-the original Tesla Roadster and Cybertruck
-The Toyota MR2
-Toyota FJ Cruiser
-Porsche Caymann
-The FCA/Stellantis vehicles that had the Hellcat V8
-The Scion xB
-Toyota FRS/Toyota 86/GR86/Subaru BRZ
-The VW ID.Buzz
-Honda S2000
-Ford Focus ST
-Ford Fiesta ST
-Hyundai Genesis coupe.
-Lexus SC coupes
-2029-2020 Lincoln Continental Coach Door Edition… only 230 made
-Nissan RZ34 Z/400Z
-BMW i8
-VW XL1
And of all of these, I’d say the ID.Buzz will become the Most Unexpected collector car. And my reason for that is that it has been a sales flop… so sold in relatively low numbers.
However, the vehicle itself is interesting on its own… particularly the ones with 2 tone paint. Plus it’s a practical vehicle as well.
And in a close second… the BMW i8. It too was a flop… so it’s a low volume vehicle. But from a pure styling perspective, it’s actually a beautiful car inside and out. But technologically, the Tesla Model S beat the pants off of it.
And in a close third… the VW XL1… great style, produced in low volumes and technically interesting
great list here! i’d say the XL1 already is a collectors car. hell they only made 250 of them, there were twice as many bugatti chirons built.
(PS if you haven’t seen it, the cammisa/hagerty video on the XL1 is a great way to spend 15 minutes)
Maybe not as unexpected, but I’d add the Focus RS to the list. Only made for a few years, at least in the US.
The holy grail. V8, manual, wagons. Followed by V8 cars in general, and then anything with a manual.
Wagons in general. The Volvo wagons are gone, the Outback is now 100% SUV, the Golf Sportwagen and Alltrack went away with the normal Golf. People will want these last of the last models
Small hatchbacks. People will remember the last Fiestas and Fits fondly here in the states and want the last ones that drive small and lively.
Volvo C30. Unique looks, reminiscent of the P1800ES.
I was also thinking a C30 – I almost bought one for my wife (then girlfriend) years ago. They are just so distinctive and cool.
I also suspect the Ford Flex with the 3.5 Ecoboost motor will be a desirable catch in the future.
I really wanted one for a while, and when I did it seemed like they weren’t depreciating much, kinda lost interest, they have gotten pretty cheap now, but most I have seen have needs. Anyway, agree good choice, lot of upside at this point.
I am curious if things like the CTS-V, Transit Connect, Wrangler and Gladiator Diesels, Stinger, Last of the actual Wagon Outbacks, Camaro, GR Corolla will end up collector cars.
I think Elements are already well on their way, so that and even the (manual) 1st and 2nd gen Fit will be collectible. I guess these are actually sort of likely… but they’re unlikely in that they originally were just super useful economy cars.
Ten years from now finding an Element or Fit in reasonable condition will be something worth a genuine celebration.
Infiniti G35s and G37S. Great cars, and most of them have been poorly modified or wrapped around a utility pole or both.
I had a 2007 G35s 4-door with a 6spd; that was a flawless car for all of the 200k miles I added to it, and probably still is.
I bought a 2012 G37X sedan in 2023, and I was unaware of the frankly embarrassing tuner community and culture around them. Mine is bone stock right down to the wheels, a “sleeper dad-rod” as I call it, which is perfect for me rolling into my 54th birthday next year – but boy, are there some cartoonish ones out there in the world. I joined a Facebook group to learn more and find tips and tricks about my new ride, and I immediately felt a vibe of “how do you do, fellow kids?”
I had not really thought about it, but perhaps I should hang on to this one forever, just for that reason. An unmolested G37 might be an investment at this point.
Mazda MX-3 with the baby V6. I think it is (or is close to) the smallest V6 sold in the US, rev’d over 7,000 and had those great Miata got busy with a 924 looks. Plus it had a lot of Escort underneath (hey now!) so it was reasonable to repair.
Camry V6 manual. Peak of “normal” cars having manual transmissions.
I think that cars that have cool drivetrains or features but do not sell well are often the collectors of the future. for example, CJ-8s sold for crap but ended up as high value collectors. Not much comes to mind today but I think that things like the Everglades Bronco may be a collector in the future.
I could see some of the last big booty Buick sedans becoming collectible, especially less common ones like the V8 Lucerne. I’m pretty sure it was the last Buick sedan to offer a V8, and before that they hadn’t sold any cars or wagons with a V8 for a decade or so.
FiST and FoST, for sure. Also, anything shaped like an actual car. They are disappearing fast for the roads of America, either rusting away or getting totaled by hits from SUVs and giant pickups.
I would expect it to be an EP3 Civic Si. They were only produced for a few years and were quirky, fun little hatchbacks. I feel like a lot of people prefer the generations right before and right after the EP3.
Also, because of the hate, horrible launch, and miserable software issues, the Blazer EV. On the same token, maybe it’s Acura counterpart, the ZDX with only a single year production run?
Firsts and lasts tend to be the most collectable. I can remember my dad telling all his hot rod and racing buddies in the 80s and 90s that the Japanese cars would be the hot rods and race cars and people would start collecting them. They all thought he was crazy. We have already seen electric cars become collectible. The Tesla roadster started to bring big money after not being worth a whole lot of a while. Maybe some firsts for the model s will be at some point it’s hard to say. Nostalgia is also a big part of bringing big money so I think the box cars will be collectable especially as many have been taken off the road and badly modified by careless owners. Some mini trucks were having a little moment I could see that happening again in the future when there are less of them. Given the current seeminly lasting obsession with the 90s and early 00s. Many cars of that era I believe will be collectable. Mitsubishis of that era especially because they haven’t been treated well. Pontiac azteks and various Saturn models might become because people won’t remember them or remember them fondly. Plus being on screen certainly helps. I could see mavericks being collectables at some point possibly Prius. The cyber truck and slate have the ear marks of collectables. Some of the Chinese evs might be too especially the su7 and some of the panda cars.
I do hereby nominate both the Ford EcoSport, and the Ford C-Max. Both setting legendary sales records and is the reason why they no longer make F-150’s, Mustangs or Broncos any longer.
I came across a rare EcoSport today, and they kinda strike me a little as like an OG RAV-4 in today’s sea of giant SUVs.
Dodge EV Chargers. Collectors love stupid gimmicks like the Fratawhatever sound chamber and the lack of sales will make them scarce.
CHTST. Yes, these were so short-lived while also very notable. Pick one up for 30 grand now, and seal it in a Ziplock bag.
With my luck, whatever I’ve just gotten rid of at the time.
The last of the I4 Interceptors.
Woulda been a shame to blow it up.
It’s a Nissan Versa so….
My mistake.
By all means, blow it up.
As much as I hate to say it, I can see the Cybertruck becoming a collectable. It’s not selling that that well now, so it won’t ever have Rav4 production numbers. I’m guessing Tesla isn’t going to make it forever like they do with the Model S or X. Plus, it’s gotta be expensive and a pain to repair, so I’m guessing it’s going to have a fairly high attrition rate as it ages out. Plus, it (rightfully) gets a ton of flak at the moment being so closely related to some pretty shitty people which makes it’s current appeal very limited. While I don’t care for it’s looks, lots of people do and it is super unique. Add that all together plus my hopes that in 20 years hopefully Elon is but a long distant memory, you got a recipe for a collectable.
Considering that the last remaining demographic that thinks Cybertrucks look cool are elementary-school age boys, a small number of them will get their dream car as their highly depreciated and desperately unfashionable to adults first car leaving the rest to bid the remaining ones that survived that treatment up at some 2070s Barrett-Jackson.
Shooooot, how did I not think of that? My kids go crazy when they see a Cybertruck. In 30 years them and others their age would probably love one. Right now they are too little to understand all the baggage associated with them. When they reach peak buying age, all they would remember is their enjoyment from seeing these stainless pryamids driving down the street and nothing else.
Even before that – PT Cruisers, influenced by the article above and the one Torch wrote a while back about Otto wanting one.
First thing that popped into my head. A polarizing product that has sold well below expectation has a real chance of being collectable 20-40 years from now.
I think the F-150 Lightning and EV Hummer might also fall into this category.
I do think the Cybertruck will be collectable. I can’t imagine perception of them getting worse than it is right now. It has a very striking, different look. They are popular with the youths, the politics surrounding the Cybertruck will fade away with time, see VW bug. Deloreans were completely undwhelming except for their striking if not necessarily good looks but people go nuts for them. Cybertrucks will do similar.
The last Civic Si coupes.
A mint condition Altima with four actual proper wheels and tires on it. Or Camrys without dented bumpers.
How absurd. There’s no way a Big Altima Energy era Altima will last long enough to become collectible without being mechanically totaled.
Yeah, but there are X number of Altimas out there that were owned by a pensioner, kept clean and well-serviced in a garage, and have low miles. They’re out there!
The extreme unlikeliness is what will make it collectible. Talk about a unicorn! Rarer than the Hope diamond.
I think maybe it’ll be the last of the big NA motors before everything went smaller displacement / forced induction / hybrid. Like the V10 BMW M5. Or the last V8 M3. Or the eventual last V8 Mustang.
What makes those unexpected collectables though? I’d bet most car people would guess those would be more likely to be collectable than most other cars.
Non-Technophilic BEVs.
There will almost certainly be a BEV mandate that sticks in my lifetime, and with nearly every BEV being technophilic nowadays even after various car CEOs have said they’ll bring back buttons and such, I think the cars that just work will go up in value.
Old tech looses value obscenely quickly, and new cars are more tech than they are car nowadays, especially BEVs.
To slightly modify Brian’s excellent answer, any manual 4 door. There will likely always be sports cars and sport coupes with sticks, but 4 door vehicles? Even now, those are the oooh check it out rare with the crowd that’s into collectibility as an automotive thing.
Nope – the stickshift *5 door*. As attested to by the value retention of my RWD, stickshift, BMW e91 wagon.
Shit, I shouldn’t have sold my Maxima.
Agreed, good example is the Pontiac G8 GXP with the manual 6 speed.
Bad first gen EVs, because in many cases they’ll become increasingly scarce due to a lack of manufacturer support and they’ll be interesting time capsules. Do I think a Fisker Ocean or Lordstown truck are going to be worth six figures down the line? No, but I’m pretty sure there will come a point when currently young enthusiasts are nostalgic for the 2020s and decide to buy the survivors.
Hell we’re seeing it now with 2000s family haulers. There’s a surprising market for immaculate Suburbans, Expeditions, etc. from that era because enthusiasts in their 30s/early 40s are starting families and would rather spend their money on having their kids in their childhood car that they know will last over dropping $60,000 on a Highlander or something.
I think we’ll see something similar with first gen EVs down the line.
I think the difference between a collectors car and something interesting to see in 30 years are two very different things. Just because you never see a Cadillac Cimarron anymore, and that most of us here would freak out seeing a clean one, doesn’t necessarily make it collectible. With that in mind, the stick Versa, Model Y, and other pretty consumable, disposable cars of today will be unlikely to become collectable. “Last of it’s kind” cars will certainly have some collectability, but that thing it is last of needs to have some note to be worth collecting. Just because a 2024 Versa is the last 5 speed and last manual Versa, does not necessarily make it worth collecting, just a neat trivia fact.
As for cars I predict to be collectible? ND2/3 Miata, although that depends strongly on what the NE ends up becoming. Clean first and second gen BRZ/FRS/86, as nice 1st gens are already are scarce, basically 240sx again. On the off-roader front, GX470 will be in the mix in the US, as people realize they are lighter and simpler than 100-series LCs, but nearly or as capable and modifiable, reliable as all hell, and extremely comfortable.
Saw a VW Routan yesterday and my only thought was, “ewww, poor bastard.”
Eh, I still see those as the cream of the crop among the Chrysler vans of the time. You can still get most work done by plentiful indy “domestic mechanics” and you get a substantially better driving experience and interior than the T&C or Caravan. Best of all, you don’t have to deal with VW much, if at all.
It won’t ever really be collectible, but I wouldn’t turn down a cheap one in good shape.
Was there really any driving difference? I drove one once, and while it was a long while ago, I don’t remember it being a much different experience than the tons and tons of Chrysler/Dodge rental vans I’ve driven. Is it just slightly different springs and dampers on a extremely flexible body?
Agreed. A manual Versa is in the same category as that 6 mile Plymouth Neon. The Versa isn’t a storied nameplate, it’s not the last manual car for sale and being the last 5-speed is on the same level as the 4-speed manual Tercel.
A clean, mint Cimmaron is collectable, so long as there are two bidders.