Current cars that'll be future classics

Defender, surely.

AMG & BMW “M” will be nice / interesting old cars but there’s too many of them so maybe not really *classic*.

Some people take the basic AMG and tune them a bit with extra superchargers and things right up to the point that the engine and VIN plate say Kleemann instead of Mercedes

Tech in current cars is still current. So still heavily protected by manufacturers. When they move on to the next big thing the market will move in and hack /sort the older kit.

Classics tend to be either what people had when they were young or what they aspired to. “I had an MG BGT, but I always wanted a E type.

In 20 years lots of people will say look a mk1 mondeo 1.8 lx. I always liked the mk2 st200.

Good condition examples of the BMW 130i are starting to appreciate; not sure if that make it a classic though.

Pug 106 Rallye

Another yes.

I’ll get laughed out of town for this, but I don’t care!

Dacia. They have an extremely loyal and enthusiastic customer base (there’s a club and everything!).

Probably not far off the mark to be honest. Would be the, ahem, classic type of car for people to keep going.

All the high performance versions of cars are always fairly close to being classics. There aren’t many these days that jump out as obvious candidates, they are all to boring and generic. The Toyota/Subaru GT85 thingy is possibly a candidate, maybe the mental stuff like Audi S1 or Golf R.

It’s a very good question, and I’m struggling to think of any current cars that really will become ‘classics’. A true classic will need to be instantly recognisable to anyone, including people who know nothing about cars. Perhaps the Fiat 500, as it’s a successful re-imagining of the old classic. The Smart car. Maybe the Toyota Prius, as it was a pioneer. Beyond that, I’m struggling. Modern cars are interminably boring.

didn’t we do this extensively very recently?

I struggle to see the current crop of M3/M5s being considered classics, particularly now that there’s also the 1M, M2, M4, M6. It’s all just to formulaic. The classics are the ones that were a bit different at the time e.g. E30 M3, E46 M3 CSL, Z3 M Coupe.

I wonder if the E61 M5 Touring might get there thanks to very low numbers, and lack of a touring version of other Ms. Maybe the 1M too for being small and RWD.

Pug 106 Rallye ?

16 years almost to the day since I sold mine and I wish I still had it! Great little car that was…

They’re like hens teeth now though, you’ve more chance of finding an unmodified Saxo VTS which will give you similar thrills in a slightly more usable package.

Hmmmm… Off to Autotrader I trot!

There’s even a completely separate ECU just to control the active power steering and also the amount that the headlamps swivel to help you see round corners, it’s not just the engine management systems that will fail and make a car undriveable.

Tech in current cars is still current. So still heavily protected by manufacturers. When they move on to the next big thing the market will move in and hack /sort the older kit.

So this. In 10 years time the awesumz ECU in a BMW will be easily replaced by the latest generation Raspberry Pi and quickly prgrammed by any 11 year old.

Regarding electronics, if it s a popular car there will be a community and people remanufacturing, replacement parts, hacking etc. OEM support is not needed.

GF has a good condition 2002 Mx5.

Friend has recently bought an E34 M5 estate…. only 891 were ever built. About 400 still running world wide.

I’ve got a mk5 R32. Everything is now 2.0 turbo so hopefully because of the V6 it’ll be a classic.

Isn’t the definition of a “classic” the first car you had sex in?

pictonroad – Member
didn’t we do this extensively very recently?

Nah, this ones about current cars. Don’t let the fact that everyone’s suggesting things from 15+ years ago fool you!

if it lasts im hoping my 1998 supercharged x308 will be a desirable
classic

I’m hoping we come to our senses and start scrapping all vehicles over 10yrs old.

I’m hoping we come to our senses and start scrapping all vehicles over 10yrs old.

Why? Environmental reasons? As a diehard greenist type it’s far better for the environment to run a car into the ground over 20 years than build new ones with the associated pollution caused by mining ore, smelting, producing metal, running a car factory etc.

start scrapping all vehicles over 10yrs old

although from an environmental point of view it’s possibly the worst approach – far more energy goes into building the things than using them.

Isn’t the definition of a “classic” the first car you had sex in?

Oooh. Nissan Bluebird. My Dad’s. Although he wasn’t in it at the time.

Untinkered with and unhedgebound imprezas are already going up in price. Sold mine 3 years ago and would now cost me 2k more to get it back.

16 years almost to the day since I sold mine and I wish I still had it! Great little car that was…

I seriously considered one about 10 years ago after realising I shouldn’t have sold my 205GTi. Then I had a common sense attack and bought a Focus with crumple zones and all that safety malarkey, which conveniently saved my life.

Oooh. Nissan Bluebird. My Dad’s. Although he wasn’t in it at the time.

You do realise he was watching from the hedgerow, don’t you?

although from an environmental point of view it’s possibly the worst approach – far more energy goes into building the things than using them.

Only whilst they unnecessarily large and complex. When private ownership is minimal and most vehicles are just on on monthly contracts like mobile phones or just on a pay as you use basis we’ll be making them quickly and efficiently and then recycling them into new stuff after a few years.

Car idolatry will be the preserve of the sort of people who bang on about sega mega drives now.

Is the Toyota GT86 that good then ?

I sat in one at the garage as the guy was expecting me to be impressed with the cockpit, but it was pretty bland compared to my Alfas.

But interesting if it is that good as the styling is certainly nice.

Any of those BMWs won’t be as their image will soon be tarnished by watching even more oiks driving them around as they get older and cheaper.

Hebdencyclist, glad to hear that 😆

If you could find & dry store a rust free, low mileage, unmolested Subaru Impreza Mk1 Turbo for 40 years I bet it will be worth a fortune.

I sat in one at the garage as the guy was expecting me to be impressed with the cockpit, but it was pretty bland compared to my Alfas.

Would you rather sit in a car or a tart’s boudoir?

Tart’s boudoir. Every time.

Is the Toyota GT86 that good then ?

Nope, not in the slightest. I don’t get the love for them.
My sis has a BRZ and I’ve driven it fairly extensively. It’s just not particularly good at anything. Too little power to be considered quick, “fun” handling (read: easy oversteer) achieved by sitting it on pram wheels rather than proper ones, inside is a ghastly place to sit, and it doesn’t even look that good. It’s like Toyota/Subaru identified an unfulfilled niche in the low £20k RWD coupe market, and then half-assed it because there was no competition.
The S3 RX8 my sis traded in for the BRZ was a much better car in every respect.

Would you rather sit in a car or a tart’s boudoir?

I’ll stay with the Alfas then…

Sticking with completely-ignoring-the-biref-from-the-OP and so a car that’s been out of production for ten years, the Alfa Romeo 156. Specifically an early one.

Aesthetically pleasing, but a design cul-de-sac since they used more of the 147 look for later cars (including the facelift of the 156).

Dropping in value in the second hand market to such low levels that idiots now own them, with the attendant ruination of most of them through what little is spent on them being on dodgy rear light replacements rather than regular maintenance, plus they’re Alfa Romeos so most of them will die regardless.

My specific tip is to buy an early V6, in red (not metallic, plain “rosso”) with black leather interior – if it’s an early one the front seats should have the full colour embroidered Alfa badges. Veloce wheels (the 16″ alloys with the 5 circles). No bodykits (including, imho, the factory skirts, the car looks better without)

Already getting rare – there are only 3 V6s on Autotrader at the moment, and none of them are red.

The GTA is the more obvious choice and probably objectively a better one, but to my eye the bodykit and over-large wheels spoil the looks, and it’s the looks that make the thing a bit special in the first place – GTA or not the floorpan started life as a Fiat Tipo.

One word – scirocco

^^Good call that

8L Audi S3

I know people find them bland and very boring, but I loved mine!

Clio V6 – The price of these has rocketed over the last 2 – 3 years. Wish I had bought one at the time, the same car would probably be 10 grand more now and near the price it was when new.

I seen a Clio V6 last week – first time i’d seen one in at least 5 years!

Not “current” but still fairly recent – in fact, anything Porsche shaped that say RUF on it

Sorry – I take back that last comment, anything except this thing that looks like a VW toureg pumped kermit the frog 😐

I’ll get laughed out of town for this, but I don’t care!

Dacia.

I’ll probably get laughed at too…. not a current model but still currently common on the roads – the MK1 Seat Leon. I think its one of the best looking and best proportioned cars from the last 10 years

start scrapping all vehicles over 10yrs old

although from an environmental point of view it’s possibly the worst approach – far more energy goes into building the things than using them.

I’ve read that factoid so many time in the last 20 year that it can’t possibly be true 🙂

I worked out my van had gone through 46 tons of diesel in its lifetime – it was still a going concern when I sold it so maybe its chugged through a few more. It doesn’t seem like that a product that would consume that much energy to make could be sold for £16,000.