Back in 2000 my neighbor had a 1995 Toyota Supra Mk4 stock.  I didn’t care for the looks but out of curiosity asked him how much he paid for the car.  He said it was $25,000 new and he’d be able to sell it for $15,000 at that time.  A year later a movie “The Fast and the Furious” came out educating the public of how cool that car was.  Now twenty years later that same car sells for as high as $130,000!

Obviously for me and many others it was a lost opportunity to get a great collectible for a reasonable price.  Luckily I wasn’t in the car collecting business back then, so no regrets.  But if you are collecting cars today what is the next great car you could still buy for a reasonable price?

Check this out…

1978 Chevrolet Corvette (C3)

In 1978 Corvette celebrated 25^th anniversary.  Corvette’s designer Bill Mitchell before retiring suggested a Silver Anniversary model in silver color.  Also two-color silver and grey scheme became available for the first time since 1961.

With L-82 engine (220hp) 1978 Corvette could get to 60mph in 6.5 seconds, quarter mile in 15.3 seconds at 95mph and reach top speed of 127mph.

In 2020 you can still find this car in decent condition for as low as $7,000 and as high as $80,000.

2002 Volkswagen Phaeton W12

When Mercedes-Benz encroached on Volkswagen’s territory with their A-Class, Ferdinand Piech’s response was to attack S-Class market by creating a low cost but very sexy limo with enormous W12 engine.  The car was the biggest loss maker for Volkswagen and couldn’t be sustained with this 6-liter hungry monster.  While boring 6 and 8-cylinder engines were also available throughout 2016 the very first generation of W12 (PS420) was sold only in years 2002-2004.

W12 (PS420) engine developed 414hp (406 lbf-ft) and could accelerate Phaeton to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds reaching electronically limited top speed of 155mph.

This awesome and rare ride can still be found for as little as $9,000 and as high as $20.000 on internet.

1971 BMW Bavaria E3

Why all BMWs have this cool look with twin headlights?  Because of this car – the father of 5 series! 

BMW Bavaria was built for US market only.  Thanks to Max Hoffman in 1971 Bavaria got a lighter body from model 2500 and a more powerful engine from 2800.  That in-line 6 engine developed 168hp and elevated Bavaria above competition.  For BMW this car was instrumental to re-establishing its presence on full-size luxury sedan market. 

Surprisingly this iconic vehicle can still be bought today for anywhere between $7,500 and $33,700.

Google “1968 BMW 501” (its predecessor) and “BMW 2000 CS” (Bavaria’s initial alternative) just to get a feel for it.  The world could have been a lot sadder.

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

556hp 6.2-liter V8, 6-speed manual transmission, luxury station wagon.  What are the chances of these three things being in the same car at the same time?  Impossible.  This combination is crazy, irrational or may be… collector’s grade? 

Cadillac CTS-V Wagon with 556hp engine was produced only between 2011 and 2014 to compete with Mercedes-Benz E63 wagon for half its price.  CTS-V sedans were numerous, but the wagons were extremely rare, because America got over station wagons in the 80s.  Nevertheless this wagon was faster than its sedan brother on the track thanks to nearly perfect weight distribution. 

And the stats are: 0-60 in 4.3 seconds, 0-100 in 9.7.

In 9 years this car almost did not depreciate.  Depending on mileage you can find it for $45,000 - $72,000.  Imagine what’s going to happen in the next 10-20 years.

2020 Honda Civic Si

In the middle of the 90s I bought my first car - 1986 Honda Civic Si (first generation).  This beast gave me a lot of fun.  In my home town it was the only Civic Si, so it quickly became legendary.  A lot of people asked me to sell it, but I didn’t.  Later on, when I moved out my family took a good care of it.

Now in 2020 the 10^th generation of Honda Civic Si may easily become the last one of its kind.  Out of all Si beasts it is the most powerful and technologically advanced.  There aren’t so many of them and Honda has already announced there would be no production of Si in 2021 which certainly makes it a fine collectible.  Who knows if Honda will continue with Si in 2022 (as they claim) or decide to make it electric? 

You can find a 2017 model for about $21,000 with 50K miles or just buy a new 2020 model for $25,000.  Either way it will keep its value.

Performance: 0-60 in 6.8 seconds, quarter mile in 15.1 seconds.