What’s the deal with the cars on Seinfeld?

Seinfeld is widely considered the best sitcom of all time, and later this year, all 180 episodes will join their namesake’s most recent series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, in Netflix’s global arsenal. In 2019, the streaming giant won a bidding war to become the exclusive home of the Show About Nothing, once its six-year deal with Hulu wraps up this May. Details of the Netflix deal haven’t been disclosed to the public, but our friend, Bob Sacamano (or actually, the L.A. Times), claims that it was an even richer arrangement than NBCUniversal’s recent $500 million grab of The Office.

Other than Hagerty columnist Jay Leno, few people in Hollywood are as renowned for their vehicular passion as Jerry Seinfeld, and his enthusiast chops were on full display throughout the nine-season run of his eponymous situational comedy. When the real, spectacular show inevitably hits the Netflix Top 10 and draws you into your very own Summer of George, these are the four-wheeled stars that you’ll see sharing the screen with Jerry, Elaine, T-Bone, and Kramer.

(Pro-tip for first-timers: the show is like a modern GT350 in that it leaves you a bit wanting early on, but once it gets going, there isn’t much that can match it. Treat it like Star Wars and start with the fourth season. Episode 11, “The Contest” is the perfect kick-off point.)

Jerry’s cars

Black Saab 900 Cabrio

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man driving a Saab Convertible. Still haven’t.” -Lamar, AKA Maroon Golf.

Several ’90s drop-top Saabs starred as Jerry’s vehicle of choice throughout the show’s run. The roofless Swedes played a prominent role in fan-favorite episodes like “The Bottle Deposit” (Season 7, Episode 20), “The Blood” (Season 9, Episode 4), and “The Dealership” (Season 9, Episode 11). Saab 900s haven’t yet cracked our price guide, but going by our insurance quote data, you’ll likely spend in the ballpark of $6500–$9000 for one today.

E34 BMW 525i

Before going over to the Saab side, Jerry was a Bimmer guy. The 5 Series was the central plot device of season 4’s 21st episode, entitled “The Smelly Car.” The 525 escapes our price guide, but, on average, a fair (#4) example of the more desirable E34 M5 could be yours for just $14,200. With excellent, #2 condition M5s, that number jumps to $42,500, and if you are searching for a Concours-ready specimen, be prepared to part with $72,200. Since January 2021, the E34 M has gained more than $10,000 in value. Just be sure the interior passes the sniff test before forking over any greenbacks for one of these appreciating assets.

E36 BMW 325i

“Parking in New York is like musical chairs, except everybody sat down in 1964.”

Before the valet fouled up Jerry’s E34, his best friend, George borrowed his E36 and used it to get into one of the show’s many parking altercations in Season 3, Episode 22, “The Parking Space.” (Ruling: the person backing in gets the parking spot.) Like Jerry’s 5er, his “run of the mill” 3 Series isn’t much on the collector radar as of yet, but the high-end M version currently sits about $11K higher on our value chart than it did in May of 2020. After peaking between September of last year and January of ’21, a perfect-condition E36 M3 currently commands $57,600, while an Excellent (#2-condition) example runs $36,700, and #4-quality cars bottom out at $8000.

Other star cars

Kramer’s experimental 1973 “Assman” Impala

If you are into Klockau Classics, Seinfeld is The Wiz (nobody beats it)! Jerry’s “bonkos” across-the-hall neighbor, Cosmo Kramer, used a DMV plate mix-up and a propensity for “stopping short” to earn one of the show’s best nicknames; “ASSMAN.” As it turns out, Kramer’s boat of a ’73 Impala was one of just 1000 that GM fitted with its Air Cushion Restraint System (ACRS)—essentially experimental front airbags. If you can find one of the ACRS Impalas that GM let slip to fleet customers, it’ll surely bring more money than our current $19,600 valuation for a ’73 Caprice Classic in #2 condition. Giddy up!

Morty’s 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood

Jerry was a good boy! When his act of making shallow, fairly obvious observations started catching on in season 7, he bought his dad a Cadillac. We implore you not to buy the one from the show unless you’re alright with some light swamp damage, but values on ’94 Fleetwoods like Morty Seinfeld’s soared during the first three quarters of 2019; from about $5600 to more than $10K today for a condition #2-condition examples. Prices have held strong ever since, in spite of their tendency to be targets of break-ins.

John Voight’s LeBaron

The fact that the wood-paneled convertible that attracted the attention of A-list celebrities like Jon Voight isn’t good enough for a spot on our price guide makes George very upset! How could such a wonderful machine be overlooked by the higher-ups at this fine institution? It can only be described as outrageous, egregious, preposterous! It’s as if the delicate geniuses upstairs are threatened by the hall-of-fame-worthy ownership history of this engineering marv… oh, it was John Voight? With an “h”? Alright then, carry on.

1967 GTO

Even a short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man can look like a bad boy who can woo Marisa Tomei when he’s behind the wheel of the Goat (the moniker predates today’s overused G.O.A.T. acronym). Grab your orthopedic back pillow, and $41,600 for a #2 condition example, and you too can join the ranks of the Kavorka club.

1995 Impala SS

The GTO above belonged to George’s dad, Frank Costanza, and in Season 9, Episode 3, it appears that Jerry Stiller’s outstanding character also owns a 1995 Impala SS. You can join him at ‘90s muscle sedan meet-ups for just $19,000. Serenity now!

1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS

If you are into expensive, then you’ll want to check out Season 7, Episode 11, “The Marble Rye” where you can catch the most sponge-worthy car in Seinfeld history making a street-parked cameo. The vehicle in question is Jerry’s personal 1973 Porsche 911 RS 2.7. The current value of an example in #2 condition is $494,000 for the “regular” model and a whopping $865,000 for the rarer 2.7 Lightweight, and THAT is no joke!