According To You: Classics That Should Make the 2025 Hagerty Bull Market List
We’re just around the corner from revealing the 2025 Hagerty Bull Market List, and since we love to hear from the Hagerty Community, we asked you, the readers, what cars are on your radar as potentially appreciating classics. Thank you all for your contributions, opinions, and observations. The wide variety of vehicles you chose will likely inspire everyone, so have a look below.
But here’s the punchline: One of these vehicles will be on the actual list. Someone within the Hagerty Community didn’t get it 100% correct, but they did get the right year, make, and model.
Care to guess who among the below respondents got it right? Stay tuned for our 2025 Bull Market List, which debuts on December 9.
LamboEd: Countach! Especially the early ones: Periscpa, LP 400S and 5000. Very low production numbers and better styling than anniversary edition. 40 years later it is still the ultimate exotic. And they are manual rather than the stupid autos made for celebrities who don’t know how to drive. Sky is the limit on prices. I bought my LP 400 S 10 years ago when they where affordable and I will never sell it at ANY price as I could never find another one!
Mike G: Alfa Spiders, specifically Series 3 are appreciating in the market, and set to pop. As an “80’s kid”, I was all about the Series 3 cars with the spoiler, and bought mine 2 years ago. I predict in the coming years the Series 3 cars will out pace the Series 2 cars in appreciation, and I’d also predict they become more desirable and costly.
Cliff R: I hope the Honda S2000 makes a comeback because I have one in winter storage in my garage. The asking prices in the fall were holding up and I would be pleased to get what I paid for mine in 2018. Regardless it’s a fun summer car for back road bashing and I will keep it until I can’t get in or out of it (being 82 now).
Tim H: I agree that the S2000 should appreciate at an above average rate – especially stock ones. So much pleasure to drive such a responsive analog performance car!
Ric: Within the last 10 years, it’s about doubled in price, but as an entry-level Ferrari, I love the Testarossa. I think there’s room for it to double again to about $350k
billyt: 2003/2004 Mustang Mach 1. Made in low production numbers, 32 Valves, DOHC, and the last Mach 1 to sport the Shaker hood scoop. 2004 examples were also the 40th-anniversary models. They are just starting to creep up in value on the cleanest, low-mileage examples.
JimG: I think maybe 2025 is the year for the 1989 Pontiac Turbo Trans Ams to finally get their due. It’s an incredible car born from a bastardized experiment between two GM divisions, never quite at home in the Poncho world nor Buick land.
For decades it has lived in the shadow of the GNX, which I believe was primarily due to numbers produced (547 vs 1555). We are starting to see high five figures for pristine examples but none reaching $100k yet. Only time will tell.
Bill H: I’m voting for the BMW E34 M5. It’s the best of the S38 cars, and one of the best-looking BMWs ever. They’ve been persistently undervalued but seem to be desirable to the buyers who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s.
Don: I’m voting for the Volvo 1800ES. It has great looks and was produced for only two years in low numbers.
Dan B: Having owned a 2010 Jaguar XKR, I would think it was an underrated sports/tourer. Being offered as a supercharged 5.0L, it was no slouch with 510 HP. The rarity of the model also drew lots of attention.
It may not draw the same appreciation in value as may other vehicles but is is an affordable collectible. It can keep up with many of the cars you mention, while driving to your destination without getting rattled in the process. I regret having sold mine to the new lucky owner.
Ken R: Chevy SS, hands down.
Jeff R: I own a 40th Anniversary ZR1 as well as a 96 LT4 and a 2019 Z06. All are great cars but contrary to the opinions circulating on the internet today, the ZR1 is considerably quicker than the LT4. Of course, the Z06 outperforms the others in every way, BUT the ZR1 is my favorite and should be a more valuable classic for one simple reason…audacity!
We are not likely to see a Corvette that is so unique in its advanced engineering and unapologetic in its focus on the performance buyer again. Reason enough to make it a classic.
David N: As an owner of a ’93 ZR-1, very well said, Jeff! Heart of the Beast is a must read and to drive one is to understand!
Paul I: I read the headline and immediately imagined either a 1995 ZR-1 or a 1996 LT-4 Collector Edition before reading the article. I am pleased as punch to see Sajeev agrees with me.
Sajeev Mehta: That makes two of us!
Stephen A: My vote goes to a base ’93 C4, looks the same, handles the same, just as fast on the street within a fraction of a second for a hellofalot less cash. They made too many is the only reason C4’s are so cheap.
David N: Lamborghini Silhouette…if anyone even knows what that is! There were many firsts for Lamborghini with that car. Only 52 production cars were made, plus three prototypes. I can’t tell you how many Lamborghini dealers I’ve stumped with that one.
Paul S: I vote for New Edge-era Mustangs (1994-2004), as Fox bodies are on the rise. While the 4.6 in the New Edge’s won’t win many drag races, it will, with proper love, run for 300,000 miles easily.
Ericvap: I am very surprised at the amount of attention my late father’s Hummer H3 gets each time I drive it. I have a 1997 Viper GTS that gets more attention, but I am shocked how many people think the baby Hummer is very cool.
Ron F.: I have, for the past 7 years, owned a 2009 Hummer H3T Alpha. This pickup with the V-8 is just right for the mountains and roads I share my driving with. It’s a great truck with a special look that, as you wrote, gets a lot of attention wherever it goes. Because of the grill some who are not that car-savvy think it’s a Jeep!
Jim D: I vote for the first-generation Toyota MR2 (AW11). Clean, unmolested, rust-free examples are getting harder and harder to find.
Greg: The 1969 Cougar, it sure seems like these beauties are coming up in stories all the time recently. I think they should be on the list!
ed_audio: Just bought a ’69 Cyclone CJ. I’m hoping for a good Mercury year.
Ron F.: Nissan 300ZX TT—1990-1996. Got to be the five-speed manual. Great looks, the best of all the Z’s from 1990 until today.
Fast take off. Wonderful handling. Great brakes. Plenty of power with the 300 turbocharged horses. Reliable and affordable, especially if you think about Supras at double the price.
Bunka: I’m going to step outside the norm and choose a car that is not rare or exotic. The car was cheap when new, fantastically slow, easy to work on and was and is plentiful. Even today’s aftermarket, replica parts are reasonable. They used to be everywhere. They are full of nostalgia. They are already an established icon.
It is precisely for these reasons that they will appreciate, plus easy entry into the collectible market. My son-in-law is a muscle car guy and mentioned to me that he thinks it would be fun fixing up an original Type 1 VW Beetle. I agree! The only downside is that even in a 10% bull market the return will still be close to minuscule. Don’t underestimate the fun factor.
Dennis W: What about the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado? It was car of the year, and its styling is iconic. It was perhaps the ultimate expression of Oldsmobile’s brand heritage, engineering innovation, durability, class, and style. Will it ever get some recognition?
JimG: Agree on the styling (I’d include ’67s too). These are definitely due their time!
Michael A: If the writers and editors of the annual Bull Market Issue want to turn a quick and substantial return on their hypothetical investment, they should select the penny stock of collectibles; the beautiful Fiat 124 Spider!
Here they would find a sensuous Pininfarina-designed body, with a rev-happy, Lampredi-engineered motor, with a smiles-to-dollar ratio that’s off the chart. These overlooked beauties can still be found for the cost of a Wall Street business lunch, and even a modest uptick in value produces a return on investment to warm a fund manager’s heart. Why not take a pass on the Ferrari 250 GT for $5 million, invest in a 1981 Fiat 124 2.0 Spider look-alike for $5,000, and buy your girlfriend a little something with the savings…like a new home in Palm Springs?
Alan D: I agree, this is a great little car, great driving fun for the buck.
Mario D: The Generation 3 GM cars, AKA The Forgotten Years from 1973-1977, including the Cutlass, Monte Carlo, and Chevelles!
Darcy M: 1990’s Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 Spyder. 500 or less made per year. First retractable hard top since the Ford Skyliner, outstanding performance, AWD, 4WS, and a growing supply of parts from specialty shops. And the looks? So sexy.
Tom W: 1970-1971 LT-1 Corvette Coupe. Most Chevy engine technicians will comment that the 350 LT-1 was the highest-quality performance small block engine to come out of the factory during the muscle car era. The LT-1 Corvette was purpose-built for the true enthusiast with only limited options. Owners of the car will tell you there is nothing quite like the sound or feeling this car provides when you let it rip towards 6500 RPM. I have seen a number of decent “fairly original” cars trade between $35,000 – $40,000. Most of these examples would be worthy of a quality restoration.
norm1200: My ’68 C3 Corvette roadster with the TH400. Why? I want to sell it next year!
Pete: Ditto on the 122S Volvo in my garage.
Jeff D: My guess would be the 1980’s Porsche 944s, especially the Turbo models.
Lots of optimism only to be followed by a number of disappointments.
Many of these cars are not old enough or there are issues like too many of them vs real demand.
The Honda and Ferrari both have already proven they are increasing in value. If the Hummer was an H2 yes.
The Corvette ZR1 there are too many and too little demand. even Corvette owners are not big fans. The LT1 has already been holding good value.
The TA is long overdue. But has its time finally come? Maybe if it were black and gold.
The Chevy SS plays second fiddle to the G8 and even the V series.
The rest are cars that have been waiting for their breaks and like to keep waiting.,
As for the BMW there is always someone willing to over pay and then find out they can afford to repair it.
Cars are like life not all will get their 15 min of fame. If you get to where you are able to cover the original purchase price you are winning the game as few do that ever.
It’s going to be interesting. Some of these I wonder if the owners are hoping for an increase so they can move on from the cars at a nice profit.
Right now they are just holding on trying to minimize the loss. They are worth about half what most paid.
The same happened on the 1978 pace cars. They were expected to push big money. Many paid twice sticker. They just now are getting to where they are more than the original buyers paid and many are being sold as estates are being closed as the owners passed never driving the cars.
The ZR was just a victim of better cars that replaced it and the odd parts to keep it alive are so expensive if you can find them.
I still feel auctions are trying to stir interest to raise the prices as we see so much mention on the web. But buyers are just not turning up.
Early Vipers too suffer. To me they are most basic and interesting but buyers like the later refined cars cars.
With the low end sub 20k cars everything is expensive relative to purchase price. The Alfas and. Fiats, require electrical, and all require interior work, in addition to the myriad of other things that go wrong with these cars.
I love being unabashed naive optimism though keep it up keep hyping the heck out of these. More more more push push push
First you buy Italian cars for love not money.
The trouble is high value cars find their own way and only can be made if they were expensive, limited and high demand when new McLaren F1 for example.
The rest find their place. But auctions have distorted values at times and they are guilty of trying to create high value cars from nothing as it makes money for them.
It is like the Chevelle SS drag car sold a few years ago for over a million dollars. The buyer sold a few years later realizing his mistake.
Cars in general are a risky but fun investment. Nividia stock will bring you much more return vs a ZR1.
As I have said buy what you like. If it is worth anything then good. If not then you have a car you love.
The newest ZR1 cars will be of much better investment vs the 90’s.
i agree with your comment that auction companies try to get things to sell at higher prices. i think it’s always been the case since they charge the seller and/or buyer a percentage of the sale. and what better way then to get bidders emotionally charged up??? and no, i’m not referring to the professional bidder
@hyperv6, I somewhat agree with you on these. But, for the Hummer H2, aren’t there still way too many available that are in pretty good shape to drive values up? Yes, a lot of them are over 20 years old or close to that. I’m still seeing many selling in the high teens and low $20s that are in good shape. Maybe the Hummer H2 was too good for it own good, for value appreciation, that is.
Check the mileage. The low mileage models are pushing large prices. High mile models are $25k which is still crazy.
The Testarossa as an “entry-level” Ferrari is an interesting comment. Good ones start at, what, $150k or so? And regular 5-year services start around $20k. 308s, Mondials, 348s, 360s are all better examples of entry-level, in my opinion.
My choice for a future classic is the BMW Z4 coupes with a manual transmission. I prefer the 3.0 Si over the M due to the superior ride and the excellent N52 inline six. Classic lines, low production and excellent fit and finish.
I have a 93 base corvette convertible. It’s a six speed with the suspension option and for the price unbeatable. I also have a 2001 s2000 and what a great car. A car that I think gets overlooked is Toyota gr 86 new or used.
I have a ’05 Mustang GT 5 speed with 36K original miles in mint condition (no rain or snow). I upgraded the suspension with GT500 springs, shocks and struts with strut brace. It has Roush intake, axle back Stack exhaust with 2012 Laguna Seca wheels and Hankook rubber. Any guesses on future appreciation or have I changed too much?
Well stone stock is always best. So many modified cars can be a hot unsorted abused messes.
I would recommend putting together a note book with documentation and receipts of the changes. Period correct mods generally don’t hurt but modern can.
Collectors like unmolested cars but do take interest in rare period correct mods.
Like on my Pontiac I have a Rare Herb Adams VSE suspension mods he used in the Firehawk racing series. Also I have installed the TTops the factory used later on in the Fiero. I have a couple GM prototype parts too. But documentation is important to add any value if people are un aware of them.
I believe the 1991-1997 BMW 8 series (E31) is starting to be recognized as a true tourer and prices are slowly coming around.
To the list I would add the Saab 9000 Aero, Audi RS4 and the GMC Typphoon
David
I agree on the Lambo Silhouette. However they are already “expensive”. Not yet reaching Countach levels but 300s range. There’s one down under and I know of a few here in the states. It and the Jalpa still the little lambos and still IMHO underrated.
The 67 Tornado could not hold the 66’s water. No contest.
Don’t leave out the Urraco.
The original.
Yes Silhouette, but so rare there won’t be any sales so nothing to compare! Same with Jalpa, way underpriced but then it is just a V8. I was fortunate to purchase the Loverboy Lamborghini, it is a real fun drive with the targa top. When I take the Countach out everybody knows what it is, but when I take the Jalpa nobody knows what it is!
i’m purely guessing when picking the volvo 1800 wagon. always thought it had clean lines for a wagon, and the all-glass hatch was a rather nice touch
wasn’t the c30 wagon it’s retro rebirth? regarless, i think it has good looks, too. and no, i’m not into volvos (well, the cars anyway), but had respect for my late wife’s ’84 240. that was one solid feeling vehicle. liked the upright seating position, too.
Well I have diecast model’s of all of these cars except for probably 4. Great list of the history of historic cars.
I only cars were still styled this way.
Shhhhh! on the Turbo Trans Ams. I’d love to pick one of those up without selling an organ.
I sold my 53,000 mile ‘66 Toronado to a friend last year. He is keeping it in pristine condition. One of the coolest vehicles ever produced.
I can agree with nearly all except for the Jaguar. Just a negative feeling about everything Jag after the recent cluster ad campaign. I might get over it eventually.
Speaking of pennie stocks. When my wife had her successful surgery she had always wanted a vw Cabriolet. A second gen 2001 was found. She called it Stella a raven haired beauty. And that was a low mileage literally an almost perfect car. 5speed , jet black with just a tiny tuning upgrade. Contrary to many beliefs, this car costed less to keep and operate in the decade we owned her. A pending move and health brought us to tearfully find a family that would lover her as much as we did. To be clear we have owned numerous cars with superior performance but none brought as big a smile to us and those who saw us.
While largely ignored in North America, they are still popular and being sought out more frequently in Europe. We had many inquires from overseas. We were surprised when Hagerty suggested an upgrade from our $10,000 insured value.
I completely agree about the AW11 models of the Toyota MR2. I’ve owned over 50 cars in my life. Still own 24, from Ferrari F12 to Levi’s AMC Gremlin.
I looked for a Sherwood toned MR2 (like the one in the photograph) for years. Found one in 2023. I had driven one back in 1987, and discovered to my delight that the car is still a blast to drive.
Easily in the top three of my favorite cars to drive. I can tell you firsthand that prices on these cars are going up.
And should be.
i chose the volvo 1800 wagon but can easily see the first gen mr2 being on the bull list. the car was uber popular in so cal when new
true story: in the late 80s, a fellow mechanic told me he recently worked on a mr2 that was a theft job. all that was taken were the seats – very common at the time. when the dealer took delivery of a couple good used seats, compliments of the owner’s insurance company, the mechanic reclined one of the seatbacks and a business card fell out. it was the mr2 owner’s business card.
Yes!! I own a mint, white ’89 Supercharged AW11 with the maroon/red interior. This is my 4th AW11 and my last. I’ll NEVER sell her and yes prices are steadily climbing. Tastefully modified and easily put back to stock if need be. She’s put away for the winter here in Quebec but I already can’t wait to get her back out in May! Too bad you can’t post pictures here!!