Here are my picks for the collectible cars of tomorrow
As a kid growing up in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, I remember how common it was to see musclecars—even the ones we consider extremely collectible today. I never thought there was anything special about Mopars with wings and nosecones, or Mustangs with 428 Super Cobra Jet badges on the fender, but maybe I should have. I’d be a lot richer today. It gives me good reason to pause, and think about what may be at the top of the list in another 20 or 30 years.
1986 – ’87 Turbo Buick—These are going up in price, but nice examples can still be had for $10k. Look for the GNX to be roughly equal to a ’70 Hemi ‘Cuda, and the Turbo T and Grand National to be the 440 Road Runner of the next generation.
’86 – ’93 Mustang GT and LX 5.0—These ubiquitous ponycars are cheap and plentiful, but so were ’67 – ’69 Camaros. A mint one in unmolested condition is still relatively easy to find well south of $5k.
’84 – ’96 Corvette—The C4 Corvette is dirt cheap now, especially the pre-LT1 models. Even by today’s lofty standards, they are very hard to beat performance-wise. Lightweight, powerful, they handle like they’re on rails, and you can buy ‘em all day long for under $10k.
’87 – ’92 IROC Camaro and Z28—If you go with a third-gen Camaro, go for the Tuned-Port 350. Only 200 were made in ’86, so if you find one of those, snatch it up. Good ones are available for $5k.
’87 – ’92 Firebird Trans Am & Formula 350—Same deal as the Camaro above, but could turn out to be the sleeper. No more Firebirds will be made (unlike Camaros), and all the mechanical parts interchange. Extra points for the ’89 Turbo Trans Am—the cream of the crop.
’78 – ’88 Chevy Monte Carlo—The Metric G-Body GM platform, which also spawned the street terrorizing Buick Turbo, also produced the Monte Carlo. Although down on power from the factory, an engine swap can fix it easy.
’78 – ’88 Oldsmobile Cutlass—By far the best looking of the mid-sized GM Metrics, the Olds is often overlooked. With Olds dead and gone, look for these to bid up. Buy low now, and bag a real Olds motor in the deal. Pontiac Grand Prix anyone?
’89 – ’90 GMC Syclone & Typhoon—Trucks are on my list too, and these potent intercooled, turbocharged, all-wheel-drive lightweights really haul the mail. The truck equivalent to the Buick Turbo.
’99 – ’04 Ford Lighting—About the only thing that can hand the GMC its head on a platter. Still a bit pricey, but they will come down shortly. Early versions should be around $10k.
’05 – present Hemi Magnum, Charger, 300C—Chrysler got in the RWD V8 thing late (with cars anyway), so they’re the most spendy on the list. Nevertheless, the sun is setting on luxury performance, so if you’ve got one, hold on to it.