OT- Classic Cars

Submitted by Steve in PA on

I've reached the point in life where my wife is getting on board with me getting a "toy" car.  It will be one of those things we enjoy as we get older and it will also be an investment although that is secondary.  

As I search for a car, I noticed that I could not think of any classics from the 80's or 90's and I thought that was strange.  By classic, I mean something that an average person could have bought new and enjoyed, but was also an iconic piece of the era.  Or maybe another description is something that HS boys dreamed about owning when they could afford.

For instance, the 1965 Mustang was one of those cars.  Many of the "muscle cars" of the late 60's-early 70's also fit that description.  That could also be because of my age.  My HS car was a 78 TA just like the one in Old School, but with T-tops.  Just about any year Corvette fits the bill, but I think those are also out of range for most Americans.

Can you think of any 80's or 90's cars?

dmarch

March 11th, 2011 at 5:50 PM ^

The 1989 Pontiac Trans Am Indy Pace Car packed the Grand National Turbo V6.  This and the 1992 Corvette ZR1 are really the only memorable American cars I can think of from this era. 

blueinwinston

March 11th, 2011 at 8:21 PM ^

A corvette that was an anniversary edition - they had a few in the 90s would be worth something some day.

Early 90s Toyota MR2 Turbo - they are fairly rare, they were heavily optioned and quick, but still got good gas mileage.  Recently, Car and Driver did a small article on collectible cars from the early 90s and the MR2 made the list along w/ A Mustang 5.0 LX.  I owned a 91 MR2 Turbo and wish I still had it.  Great car, handled great, good acceleration, bullet-proof, looked like a mini-ferrari.  Way, way better then a Fiero, which I also owned.

Early 90s Acura NSX (if you have $35K or so) would be the ultimate option.  Exotic car, incredibly dependable, bound to go up in value b/c they didn't sell many.  

tpilews

September 5th, 2012 at 12:04 AM ^

You could look at one of the last couple years of the second generation f-bodies, namely the Trans Am. I actually prefer the look of the later year third gens, mostly the 88s-90s. Not of fan of the front end of the 91 and 92 model. If you're handy with the wrench, there is a ton of info out there of swapping in an LS based engine into the third gen f-body. You need to modify your motor mounts, but there are a few places that have them for sale.

931 S State

September 5th, 2012 at 12:30 AM ^

1993 Mustang Cobra.  Definitely a collectors item, and can pricey with low mileage and good condition.  A clean 5.0 LX would be the cheaper alternative.  I also like 85 mustang GT.  Same look as the LX from 87-93 but without the ground effects that they put on the GT in that era.  

Also agree with the 1987 Grand National.  Cutlass Salon was also a sweet ride but it would proabably be tough to find one in good shape.  And obviously, can't go wrong with a Corvette anywhere in that era.  1990 ZR1 has my vote there