If you haven’t noticed, the classic car market is hot right now. The formerly quiet entry level of the market is fully awake, and cars that formerly sailed under the radar are now commanding attention. Here are seven of our favorite new Ford Focus-priced classics that won’t be affordable for long:
1. 1987 Buick Regal Grand National: Darth Vader’s official car (most were black), the turbo V-6 Regal was one of the few non-V-8 cars that the primarily baby-boomer muscle-car crowd took an immediate shine to. They’ve never been cheap, but that’s how current prices will seem in a few years when the Gen-Xers who wanted them new start pumping money into the collector car world.
2. 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am: Black-and-gold Malaise Era Trans Ams, particularly those from the “Smokey and the Bandit” years, are among the hottest things in American collector cars right now. Barrett-Jackson had about 15 of them on sale this past January in Scottsdale, Ariz., and all brought good money. In five years, $25,000 for a nice one may seem like a gift.
3. 1978-83 Porsche 911SC: The window on affordable classic (read air-cooled) 911s is closing fast. The early pre-safety bumper cars (1964-73) are now in the $50,000 to $350,000 range, and the dirty little secret is that while they may have more vintage charm, they’re not nearly as good as the later 1978-83 cars. With excellent rust-proofing and 300,000-mile engines, these are the last bastion of affordable classic 911s. Cars that were $15,000 two years ago are now pushing $25,000. Act now.
4. 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560SL: The R107 series SL (in the U.S. the 350/450/380/560SL) were the darlings of well-to-do dentists and their former hygienist/second wives from the early 1970s until the late 1980s. Attrition has thinned the herd and few outstanding low-mileage examples remain — those that do now command good money, particularly the more powerful last of the line 560SL. One sold at the Gooding and Company auction in Scottsdale, this past January for about $45,000. Lesser examples were everywhere at the Scottsdale sales. Care for something a bit edgier? The 1988 BMW M6 is equally hot.5. 1968 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 coupe: The fact that you can still (if you shop hard enough) find a decent original engine, big-block, chrome bumper C3 Corvette for $25,000 is simply amazing. With the spotlight on collectible Corvettes at Barrett-Jackson this past Scottsdale, we sense that this is another rapidly closing window. Your only hope is probably a 1968, which was the first model year for the C3 and had a reputation back in the day of being a bit troublesome. Those issues however, were relatively minor and have long since been sorted out. Do it now or settle for a small block later.
6. 1988-91 BMW M3: The E30 M3 as it’s known to Bimmerphiles is smoking hot right now and is only likely to get hotter as more younger collectors enter the market. The first of the officially badged M-cars (along with the four-door M5) to hit the U.S. is just hitting its stride as a collectible. A beautiful 40,000-mile example sold for over $40,000 at the Russo and Steele sale in Monterey, Calif., last August. In just seven months, the perception of that sale has gone from “pricey” to “a steal,” a sure sign that this car has hit the collectors’ radar. Good ones for $25,000 or less are going to dry up any second now.
7. 1991-92 Acura NSX: Early NSXs have never been cheap per se — we struggle to recall too many ever selling for much under $20,000. These are supercars that you can live with. Honda quality and execution are everywhere (including the interior which detractors compare to a nice Accord). Only the car’s voracious appetite for rear tires detracts from the ownership experience. Rare Alex Zenardi special edition NSXs are destined to break the $100,000 mark in the near future, and they’ll likely pull up the earlier cars. The last decent $25,000 NSXs will likely be sold sometime in the third quarter of 2014.
