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50 years from now


dan at larescorp

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The cars that become collector cars are the cars young people desired when they were new and bought when they were older and had the money.

The last batch of cars that fit this description were the muscle cars of the late sixties - early seventies.

Where are the collector cars of the eighties and nineties? We should know by now. The desirable cars rise above the ruck of everyday cars after about 20 years.

Duesenberg, Cord, Lincoln Continental, these cars of the thirties were all collector cars when they were 20 years old. Likewise the 57 Chev, 64 GTO and 68 Road Runner.

In 2014 we should be seeing the outstanding cars of 1994 as collectors items but where are they? The last car that might fill the bill is the DeLorean.

I don't believe there are any outstanding cars anymore, or young people who value cars beyond their function as appliances.

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I'd put 5.0 Mustangs on the list. The third generation cars, particularly the '87-'93 models. There is also Ford's SVT department began in 1993 and came out with an SVT Cobra almost right off the bat. Both the regular 5.0 and the SVT cars were pretty hot cars back in the day and many of them were driven into the ground by young guys that abused them. I can't remember anyone that didn't want one. That is the kind of car that will be sought after in 50 years, I'd say.

Slightly more exotic, the Dodge Viper. They're not exactly overlooked now, but I'd guess that in 50 years, folks will actually be "collecting" them.

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What cars from the 90's do you suppose will be collectors items in 50 years?
One of the few I can think of is the 87 Buick GNX or even the GN.

Last time I checked, 1987 was not part of the 90s... :D

Look, despite what many naysayers here might think, the cars that will be collectable in the 2040s (which will be 50 years from the 1990s) are the same types that are collectable today - cars that were desirable for one reason or another when new. Desirability will have different definitions to different people, by the way.

Limited production, unusual technology, and high performance cars will always be collectable (note that "collectable" may or may not equate to "valuable"). Cadillac Allante, for example. Anything with the word "Shelby" on it. The 1990-94 Corvette ZR-1. MR-2s. The original Honda Insight (1999) and Prius (1997 in Japan, 2001 in the US). Oldsmobile W41 Quad 4 cars. Impala SS (especially since the 96 was the last RWD Impala). Honda Prelude. 300ZX Turbo and convertible. Toyota Supra. Probably Reattas, especially convertibles. You catch the drift.

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According to my 21 year old son, we are missing out by not including the youthful interest in Euro cars like BMW and MB or even the Honda NSX. Our young people are not just limited to choosing from mostly domestic makes like we were in our youth. Their interest span the whole world of autos as seen by what many of them are driving now.

I'd put the Pontiac / Saturn 2 seaters in a future collectible list.

Terry

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There are differences between "collectible", "desirable", and "valuable".

1. All 50-year-old cars will be collectible. That does not mean that all 50-year-old cars will be collected, just that it is collectible (see #2). Of course, condition will determine value.

2. Not all 50-year-old cars will be desirable, i.e., one will probably never desire a Chevy Citation, however, given the right condition and the right price, someone would collect it.

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I'd put the Pontiac / Saturn 2 seaters in a future collectible list.

Terry

Agreed, as far as being desirable. As for collectible, that's a given. However, I think it's easier to come up with a group of desirable cars from the 2000s (ie Solstice and Sky) than the 1990s.

Miata came in at the end of the '80s. It will undoubtedly be desirable in the same way an MG B is today.

I'd say for American, the Corvette ZR-1 will be VERY desirable.

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Excellent, powerful, comfortable LUXURY CARS of the era will likely be among the desirable, collectable, and probably valuable because of being desirable and collectable:

I suggest that well-preserved LT-1 driveline full-frame rear-wheel-drive examples of the 1993 - 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and Buick Roadmaster (Sedan and Station Wagon) will be among these. They are to the 1990s what many of the factory-bodied (non-Coachwork) "Classics" were to the 1925 - 1942 era.

Just my opinion --- I'm sure some will disagree - but then, owning three Full-Classics as well as two of these Cadillacs, I can assure you that there is ample room for comparison with regard to style, quality, luxury, power, dependability, original cost compared to the more mundane, and quite possibly the future will bear out the survival rate.

Only time will tell.

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As an owner of a 1984 Buick Riviera and a 1989 Riviera, and with the usual interest in two door collector cars, and the fact that the Rivieras and Reattas of the 90's are already being collected, I would add Buick Riviera's and Reatta's of the 90's to the list. Can't go wrong with highly reliable luxury coupes of most any era.

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I would like to agree with Marty's choice for the LT-1 full sized cars. They're already hard to find today. I wanted to buy a Brougham a few years ago for a daily driver but couldn't find a nice one.

I would add the WS6 optioned Trans Ams of the last generation. They are already desirable collectibles.

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With the LT-1 and WS-6 being hard to find now I have to agree that those will make the list. Same as the Solstice, Sky, and Viper.

Terry reaises another good question. With the BMW's and Honda's do you suppose there will be many left that are still original. Almost all the Honda's you see on the road today are either full of aftermarket modifications, or are rusting their way down to nothing. It is hard to find a nice original now.

Marty- The only reason I'm not sure that Cadillac's will have the same collectors value as the Classics we se today is the Northstar engine. All the cars built with the Northstar are hard to sell now. They are notorious for head problems. You can pick a good running, driving, low mile Northstar equipped car for next to nothing. Lot's of people are just sending the car to the junkyard if there is any sign of head trouble. That being said you still can't take away the comfort of a Cadillac. All of the ones I have ever been in ride like your driving a cloud.

Another thought I had was with a car like the Pinto. From what I have heard of them they were not the greatest car even new (I have never owned one, so I can't confirm this). But there is a collectors market for them now. Do you suppose a car like an Escort will have the same following?

Edited by dan@larescorp (see edit history)
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The Pinto, if not equipped with an automatic, was a very fun car to drive, and, arguably was kind of attractive. The only Escort that was anywhere near as attractive was the EXP, but it, too, suffered from zero performance to match its somewhat sporty looks. We've owned both the Escort and the Pinto (an auto and manual Pinto, and a manual Escort), and the Pinto "felt" more robust (stronger, and better built) than the Escort. The Escort (bought new) always felt fragile, and even with the manual transmission, was not very fun to drive.

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I don't think any of these computer controlled systems will be popular in 50 years as all of the NOS electronics will be used up and there will not be any repoped replacement parts beyond the few most popular systems that the Chinese or whoever is doing it then.

Either there will lots of yard art or more recycling. Not that I hope it happens this way, but just my thoughts. The aftermarket replacement mfrs. wont make parts that are not profitable.

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I think the F-150 starting with the 97 will always have a following and the Mustang staring with the 94,especoally V8 manual convertibles.. Both were totally redesigned.

The only following I've noticed about the 10th gen F150's are behind tow trucks. They were nothing compared to the OBS they replaced. The Triton engines were gutless even with the V8s. They didn't feel to have the same torque as the old all iron engines in the previous generation. They were also more car-like than their predecessors and the dash was uglier than anything I've seen in any truck.

I had a '98 with the 4.6L V8 for a few months that was my company vehicle which was only a year old when I got it. The only thing I liked about it was the leg room of the standard cab. If I carried a load like a truck should, it really felt like it needed to be worked hard to get the job done.

I currently have a '94 F150 4X4 with the 5.0L. Even though it has lower rated hp and torque than the 98 4.6L, my 94 has always felt like it has more power than the 99. And best of all, the 94 looks like a truck.

I'll bet you'll still see more of the 9th gen F150's on the road than you will of the 10th.

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Marty- The only reason I'm not sure that Cadillac's will have the same collectors value as the Classics we se today is the Northstar engine. All the cars built with the Northstar are hard to sell now. They are notorious for head problems. You can pick a good running, driving, low mile Northstar equipped car for next to nothing. Lot's of people are just sending the car to the junkyard if there is any sign of head trouble. That being said you still can't take away the comfort of a Cadillac. All of the ones I have ever been in ride like your driving a cloud.

Marty had the D body's in mind. They were the last of the rear wheel drive cars and had the LO5 and LT1 5.7L V8's. Thankfully they never had the Northstar. This should ensure a generation of cars that will outlast anything with the Northstars.

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I don't think any of these computer controlled systems will be popular in 50 years as all of the NOS electronics will be used up and there will not be any repoped replacement parts beyond the few most popular systems that the Chinese or whoever is doing it then.

Either there will lots of yard art or more recycling. Not that I hope it happens this way, but just my thoughts. The aftermarket replacement mfrs. wont make parts that are not profitable.

"Used up"??? What, do the electrons leak out?

Seriously, the computers are rarely the problem (despite being among the first things to be replaced by the parts replacers who pass for mechanics today). Usually the problem is a sensor or actuator, all of which are readily available as replacement parts, or a corroded connector, also available as replacement parts. Even if the computers go bad, there are many aftermarket EFI and transmission controllers available with much newer technology that can be programmed from a PC to either exactly replace the factory ECU or to implement different fuel and spark maps to better match modifications.

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Imagine the nightmare of finding the plastic and electronic parts.

I am of the belief that parts will be available for the cars of the 90's in another 50 years. OEM stuff that is NOS will command a premium just as it does today, but if there is enough demand or an owner willing to invest enough dollars in the project, anything can be fixed, restored, or reproduced...including plastic and electronic components.

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I would think parts may be easier to find for these cars in 50 years. All the parts made for most modern cars were built so that they could be mass produced with the least amount of effort. That is why most of modern cars on the road look the same. They rebadge the same car and sell it under four different names.

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My list what I like but guided by who I think will be collecting, if anyone is collecting at all:

1990-1999 Mitsubishi AWD turbo Eclipse-kids love them (I own a 1990 and I love it too)

1990-....Mitsubishi 3000GT

1990's Nissan 300

BMW's Young people- elderly all seem to like them also.

1990's Camaros and Firebirds- rear wheel drive, two door and high HP(the LS engine is much the same as the Corvette) people will come around because of what they are and who made them.

Mustang- enough said

Corvette same as above

1990's Thunderbirds- rear wheel drive, two door, independent rear suspension, V8 and I think good looking (I drive a 1996 with 230K on it and still going strong)

1993-1998 Lincoln Mark 8 same as the TB above but better. The aluminum 4.6L Mod has it all over the Cadillac Northstar and it's front wheel drive. Truly a joy to drive!

Cadillac Eldorado beautiful car, mechanically not so good but it is a Cadillac which always has a strong following.

1990's supercharged Riviera- good looking but front wheel drive, but I think that the passage of time time will be kind to them.-Bill

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I suspect in ten years you will be able to program a computer to reproduce any part in your 3D printer, by pushing a few buttons.

In 50 years they will have a machine to push the buttons for you.

I look forward to the day they can scan a whole car into a computer and print it out for you. Can you imagine having a garage that can print out a Ferarri, Duesenberg, or any kind of car you desire?

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Nissan's Figaro, BE-1 and S-Cargo. Honda Del Sol and S-2000. Oldsmobile Aurora. There are a lot of cars desirable. Did I know that when I rode in my mom's '73 Cadillac that I would see one thirty five years later and have to have it? Heck no! Folks couldn't talk enough smack about The giant red POS in our driveway. A very different reaction to the car today. There will Always be Desirable and collectible cars until their are no more cars.

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In 50 years they will have a machine to push the buttons for you.

Sounds like Zanger and Evans In The Year 2525 ;)

In the year 5555

Your arms hangin' limp at your sides

Your legs got nothin' to do

Some machine's doin' that for you

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I think ya'll might be missing a direction here. There will always be some kind of a collectible to a point. With that said it will usually be the wealthy that can afford to collect and it will be the more expensive cars. Yes there will be others! But the point I wish to make is that in 50 years you could be legislated out of collecting cars. Cars nowadays are made with a short life expectancy. Times are hard and people aren't leaving cars sitting in barns anymore. Cars that go to the scrap yard are usually crushed within 6 months. The environmentalists have pushed to have anything that might be a detriment removed and recycled. There are many cash for clunkers programs that have removed many cars from the collectors hands. If the EPA and manufacturers got together and said that any car had to be turned in by the owner at the end of 10 years for mandatory recycling then it would become a crime to collect your cars. Sounds dismal. They already have cradle to grave laws for many polluting agents, wouldn't be hard for them to add automobiles. With each new year of auto being cleaner for the environment I could see large taxes for owning an older polluting car! New car manufacturers would love this and would push for it at every opportunity. When you look around you and you see no cars being left out to be collected by someone years later and you see more and more on recycling and you see the EPA cleaning up more and more places, this really isn't too far-fetched to see collecting becoming illegal. I hope that we can keep it from coming to that! For me, I would like to collect anything Trans Am or Solstice.

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I used to think that collecting cars 50 years from now would be a complete nightmare because of the deteriorating plastics with no viable parts sources. Not that Ill be around to worry about it... lol. But with the current explosion in 3D printers, I imagine in 50 years you will be able to pop your old part in a 3D scanner and just print up a new one. The cars from the 90's that will be hot collectibles in 50 years are the same cars that were lusted after when they were new in the 90's. All Ferrari's, Aston Martins, Bentley and Rolls Royce drop tops, all Lamborghinis, the BMW Z8 and M series cars, all Porsche 930's, Mercedes AMG's and Hammers and anything called "super car" like Saleen, McLaren, etc that was limited production, fast and pretty.

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