So last night me and my buddies were sitting around with my dad and a very close friends dad. We are all car guys and all have some sort of nice fast car(MINI's, GTI, SRT, Chevy SS) Well my dad and Timmy(firends dad) were telling us about all the cars they had when they were our age that are now classics(Gran Torinio, Super beetle, 69 Camaro, there are way more but you get the idea). Well we then started talking about what is out now, say the past 10-15 years that will be classics when we are their age(58 and 60).

What do you guys think will be classics. Include a picture and remember lets try and go no further back than 15 years so 1994. And it doesn't even have to be a popular car. It could just be somehting that was made for a year or two and never really took off like the new Ford Thunderbird. Personal I think it look ugly as all sin but there was only a few years of it so down the road it could be a collectors car. Kinda like the Ford Rancharo.

These were my two big picks

 

Any interesting car will become a classic or special interest car given the passage of enough time.

As far as your pics, well only time will tell, but I think the STI for sure. Few will survive to be very old. Most are ridden hard & put away wet.

SRT Jeep, well I can't see that happening. Although they do have way cool MCS tail pipes.

 

The new Fiat 500?

 

You are right about everything you said but my question was "What do you think will become a classic car"

I don't think when Ford build the first Mustang back in 64 that it would be such a classic, or the 69 Camaro. What does everyone think will be that lasting in 30 years. I could easily see the Grand Cherokee SRT being a collectors car. When it came out it was the fastest SUV out of the factory(yes the Porsche did beat it but it took another year or two). My buddy was looking to sell it and get something different but it's now going to be his second car.

This is pretty much just and opinion topic. It was actually a really great conversation last night over beer and wings.

 

So, like the Nissan Cube? Kia Soul? Maybe I fail at this.

 

Like I said any interesting car. What that is? Well we all have different interests. For me cars are to be used & use them I do. I take care of them, but I do end up using them up. None of mine are ever going to be around to become classics of special interest cars. I feel sorry for the folks who buy neat cars & treat them as garage sculpture that is never to be driven. What fun is that?

Off the top of my head a few interesting ones to me are...

STI
Evo
MINI GP
S2000
MR2
Miata

 

35 or 40 years from now if you see one you'll go "hey I remember when those were new". You may even appreciate them by then.

 

I like those cars now... I love bold design that is unlike anything seen before.

 

The Kia Soul is cool, I'm undecided on the Nissan Cube

 

This is what I was looking for. A friend used to have an MR2. Neat little car.

 

Sorry misunderstood your meaning.

I'm happy to see little trucklets like those running around. Better than more SUVs on the road.

 

I think the Miata/MX5 has already reached near-classic status. The 240Z has made cult/classic status also.

But (other than the obvious big-bux super cars, lemmee see:
Honda S2000 is a winner, also
Original Hummer (for a different set of reasons)
Prius (For yet another set of reasons)
First generation MB 230SLK (w/ spercharged motor) [maybe]
If ANY off-road vehicle deserves classic status, it would have to be (in my opinion) the CJ, CY, or whatever they're calling the original style these days, bare-bones, tough-looking, and acting Jeep.

My tuppence. And worth every penny

 

Pontiac G8 GXP - the sub-$50,000 M5 killer. Pontiac's demise ensured that this sweet ride will be a rarity.

 

Chevrolet SSR and Plymouth Prowler will bring Big Money in the future. I do not know if they deserve to be called future classics but they will bring the money.

 

I think the Chrysler Crossfire coupe SRT could be a collector in 10 + years.

 

I had a similar discussion with a friend a while back. Our thought was if you could spend 35-40k now what would you buy to put away that might make money in the future. My thought is the Saturn Sky Redline. They are nice looking cars and not alot were made. With the coming demise of Saturn they should end up a good investment I think.

 

Some cars today might become high valued and highly desired, but I think only if they were garage kept and have low mileage. Seriously, with the advanced electronics and sophisticated engineering of modern cars, will it even be worth it to restore say a 1995 Camaro in 2025? Yeah, some of these cars will be considered classics, but hopefully they'll still be around. I myself would love to think that one day my 1996 Suzuki Sidekick would be considered a classic. Wishful thinking as these were intended as disposable vehicles anyway. As someone stated above about seeing one of these cars later on in the future, I guess that sense of nostalgia makes cars classics.

 

i say the s2000..... gosh i miss mine!

 

Do they have to be cars that are 'affordable' now?

I'd have to agree with everyone on the S2000, as well as STi and EVO, and a MINI. I can picture a clean, low mile MINI GP going down the auction block for big money one day. If you want to include more expensive current cars, well the playnig field for what will be come a true classic of our era will get much wider.

What is going to differ for sure, is instead of American cars being classic...I think the vast majority of what we call "classic" in the next 50 years is going to be imported....whether thats Euro or Asian. The only American car from the 90's forward that I can see being a true classic is a Dodge Viper. I'm not going to count any current Mustang or Corvette, as those are all evolutions of iconic 'classic cars'...the C5 Z06 will be for sure. Im sure that this will rattle the nerves of some die hard American guys, but its my opinion. What can you see that is American from the 90's till now that anyone is going to want to spend any big money on 30-40 years from now? Not a whole lot. I just can't picture a 4th gen Mustang going down the Barrett Jackson auction block in 30 years. Maybe a Ford Lightning? Naturally the Ford GT will be and already is a classic, but it's also an exotic. Exotics will always be classics by default.

Rather just having 3 American car companies that will have cars considered as classics you will see a mish mash of companies. Here are a few that come to mind:

-Audi: the first gen TT, B5 S4/RS4
-BMW: nearly every M car that BMW makes becomes classic and iconic. From this era though, I'd put the E39 M5 at the top of the list to become a classic.
-Mercedes: all of the AMG's & Black Series
-Porsche: a Porsche 911 is always a classic...starting from the 356 onward. I would however rank the 996 very low on the list, or possibly exclude it. The 993 already is a classic as it is the last of the air-cooled, and the form/design/performance/technology of the 997 sets it way above the 996.
-Jaguar: XK8, possibly the new XF
-VW: the Mk4 R32, GTI
-Nissan: the 350Z/370Z, GTR
-Toyota: Mk4 Supra, MR2...I often wonder if the Prius will be, once the hybrid fad ends...

This is a great topic, and really gets ya thinking!

 

I am pre 94 like you said but I am hoping to make it to the

I rememeber those things

status.

I am talking about my 1G CRX Si.

As for modern classics - only time will tell what is decided.

I can tell you for sure I am glad the ricer craze is over though.
That was a tough 5 years.

 

Amen brother....

 

haha theres still a few stragglers though!

back on topic... i really hope i can keep my mini long enough for it to become "classic". i love it and i hope i never get rid of it...if any survive long enough i believe the acura ITR will surely be a classic.. it kind of already is..

 

Cars that are classics now, were somewhat unattainable/or too different, when they were new. That also has an element into it. Anyone could get a 69 Camaro. But only a few folks splurged for the 69 Camaro SS/Z28 with all the trimmings, or the Shelby Mustang GT350.

The cube could fit the "too different" criteria. But there is a fine line between too different and just plain weird. I would say the Volkswagen Bus in the Too Different category. But you look back at a lot of stuff that was sold in the 50s and 60s, and they're just plain strange, but were considered "cutting edge" back then.

I would say that any high performance car that costs more than $60k now would be considered "unattainable" for most people (Corvette, Viper, Ferrari). I think I would also say that the higher end Mustangs, Camaros and Firebirds from the 2000s would fall into that category. Shoot, those cars with the SS/Z28/WS6/Cobra packages were easily over $30k, some over $35k. Not many people are going to buy one of those cars for that much, new, when they're going to depreciate so sharply in a year or two. Plus they're cars that just seem special, even if they're special in some circles.

Cars that I think could be:
98+ Camaro Z28/SS, Firebird WS6
04/05 Mustang Cobra
Mini JCW
STI
EVO
Toyota Supra

Cars I don't think will be"
Cooper and Cooper S - Just too common, sorry folks
Nissan Cube - WTF?
Any standard Mustang or Mustang GT
Any regular Camaro
Any Dodge/Chrysler with a "Hemi" that has been produced lately

 

I still say the G8 GXP because it was a great car and so few were produced. But how 'bout in europe?

Ford Focus RS, because it's f'in bad assss
Renault Clio V6 RS, because it's a mid-engined hatchback
Lancia Delta HF Integrale 8V, because of it's rally heritage
And I could imagine a Fiat 500 Abarth might be a classic waaaay down the road

Edit: Funny these are all hatchbacks

 

I'm not so sure about some of these picks if we're talking "main stream" classics (and the United States)

The STI and EVO are very niche versions of ordinary cars. For example an early 80's Audi Quattro or a Shelby GLH Omni won't get much attention at a car show but they're are noteworthy cars of their day.

I doubt anyone buying a new 57 chevy would expect it to become a perfect example of a classic car. I have a hard time imaging anyone ever showing a 87 Celebrity, a 97 Lumina, or a 2007 Malibu at a car show. But my parents would have said the same about a 67 or 77 Chevelle.