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.
I turned 16 in 1973 did i lust after a new car…NO. Fast forward 2024 235,283,and 396 Chevys. Harley’s XLHA,XLCR and Shovelhead 80. In Winnipeg (winter peg) i rode the bus today.
Life in “The ‘Peg”! Only the toughest survive. The Guess Who were my favorite band in high school in Buffalo (A “Mini-Peg”) Cheers!
I’m too lazy to check. Has the SAAB Viggen ever made the Bull Market List? Thank you.
I drove a supercharged first gen MR2 when I was a teenager. It blew me away. It was so snappy in good and bad ways. The owner was selling it because he said the t tops leaked from brand new. But since it never rains where I lived, he didn’t get it fixed or lemon lawed in time.
Remember, this is about the vehicles that they expect the price to go up more than others.
Ford F250 4×4 high boys. Whatever happens to the rest the car market this next year these are going to go up in value by a higher percent. . The Chevrolets have seen their day in the sun, and the Fords were under value until recently.
Obviously, the more limited vehicle the more chance for it to go up and value they built a zillion of these trucks. Non-rusty ones are getting hard to find because they were used up working and $500 pick ups until just a few years ago.
Time will tell…
I have noticed that fine condition 1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sports are commanding significant attention at major auctions and online auction sites. A few of these cars have achieved sales prices that would have seemed astounding just two or three years ago. These Bill Mitchell classics seem poised for growing collector interest.
This car is a gold standard that has been too long ignored.
Maybe this might be the year for the 1989 Turbo TA, the only car to Pace Indy without any performance modifications.I don’t remember ever seeing a GNX pace Car at Indy. These TA’s are very undervalued in the market.
The pace car TA being undervalued is an understatement.
‘92-‘96 Honda Prelude was on fire and would have remained today in the lineup if not for anti-fun car sentiment making minivans the market leader then. These Preludes are all the more scarce because most were modified by people with questionable mechanical credentials and turned into rolling wrecks that were one step away from their last drive. They were at the vanguard (pun intended) of automotive engineering in the 90’s well ahead of their time. Not everyone can appreciate them, but they are worthy of their place in history.
1970 or thereabouts Fiat Spider has got to rise sometime. Great fun, tunable, spares no problem and nice to look at.
I owned a 1990 Ferrari Testarossa and it cost a fortune to maintain especially with cam belt changes and a clutch that did not last nearly as long as multiple other manual transmission cars I’ve owned. I would suggest a leased Roma for an entry level Ferrari.
I could not agree more about the Corvette LT-1. Owned a 1970 in Steel Cities Gray Firemist (what a great name for a paint color!) which had 370 high-winding horsepower and a unique hood.
I’m holding on to and hoping for an updraft to my little stable of oddballs.
1999 Isuzu VehiCross Ironman
1988 Pontiac Fiero GT 5 sp
1976 Porsche 914
The Fiero is doing well and a low mile model can bring more than what it sold new. But you may never get rich on it. For what it is a car of the 80’s it is doing better than most.
mike, gawd bless you for owning a vehicross, let alone being seen in one! even with my corral of misfits, i think you got me beat. never give it up!
and no, the fiero & 914 aren’t oddballs. hey, it’s all opinion, right?
trivia: did you know, one of the vehicross’s lead designers, shiro nakamura, moved on to nissan about the time the vehicross was ending production? he retired about 15 years later. again, imo, he came up with some really nice designs. i’ve since wondered if the vehicross project was his one-time career gamble, or was corporately driven…?
The1966 Toronado is a true classic, and I consider it one of the ultimate expressions of the great Bill Mitchell’s tenure as GM’s styling chief. I still want a low-mile original example to this day.
However, as an owner, my outside the box nomination for Hagerty’s bull market list is the 1998-2003 Ferrari 456M. This is the updated version a stunning Pininfarina 2+2 grand touring coupe that, even (or especially) in four-speed automatic GTA form, is one of the most beautiful and underrated Ferraris of the past 50 years. The fact that its DOHC 5.5L V12 produces basically the same horsepower as the 20+ years newer and larger 6.2L pushrod V8 in a Corvette C8 should tell you all you need to know about how advanced the 456M was for its time.
With just 1,338 worldwide deliveries (around half of those to the U.S.), the 456M was and is among the rarest Ferrari models of its era. The 456M was not only the most expensive Ferrari in its day (barring the F40), but for over 10 years from 1992-2003 the 456 model line was the world’s fastest four-seat production car with a top speed of 192 mph; although Porsche enthusiasts argue that the limited-productions 959 (a pseudo four seater) could go faster.
In closing, I do want to issue a word of warning to potential 456 purchasers. If you are someone looking for an Italian exotic street/track machine that inflames fan boys and impressionable young girls everywhere, the 456M is not for you. However, if weekend excursions and extended road trips flying below the radar (with a detector at hyper-legal speeds) while getting thumbs up from knowing drivers, and more reserved inquiries from ladies with discerning taste, is more in line with your expectations, the 456M will more than fill the bill. There is a reason this car is called The Gentleman’s Ferrari. The real question in today’s world is, “are you gentleman enough to own one?”
Corrected from my earlier posting…
The1966 Toronado is a true classic, and I consider it one of the ultimate expressions of the late great Bill Mitchell’s tenure as GM’s styling chief. I still want a fully-loaded, low-mile original example to this day.
However, as an owner, my outside the box nomination for Hagerty’s bull market list is the 1998-2003 Ferrari 456M. This is the updated version of a stunning Pininfarina 2+2 grand touring coupe that, even in its four-speed automatic GTA form, is one of the most beautiful and underrated Ferraris of the past 50 years. The fact that its DOHC 5.5L V12 produces basically the same horsepower as the 20+ years newer and larger 6.2L pushrod V8 in a Corvette C8 should tell you all you need to know about how advanced the 456M was for its time.
With just 1,338 worldwide deliveries (around half of those to the U.S.), the 456M is among the rarest Ferrari models of its era. Not only was the the 456M the most expensive Ferrari in its day (barring the F40), for over 10 years (1992-2003) the 456 model line was the world’s fastest four-seat production car with a top speed of 192 mph; though Porsche enthusiasts argue that the limited-productions 959 (a pseudo four seater) could go faster.
In closing, I do want to issue a word of warning to potential 456 purchasers. If you are someone looking for an Italian exotic street/track machine that inflames fan boys and impressionable young girls everywhere, the 456M is not for you. However, if weekend excursions and extended road trips flying below the radar (with a detector at hyper-legal speeds) while getting thumbs up from knowing drivers and more discrete inquiries from ladies with discerning taste, is more in line with your expectations, the 456M will more than fill the bill. There is a reason this car is called “The Gentleman’s Ferrari.” The real question in today’s world is, are you gentleman enough to own one?
As a super happy ’90 ZR1 owner in Europe, I always like to read them being considered in these articles! It is definitely a huge head-turner every time I drive it, and I won’t sell it simply because it’s mine, and in 9 years I developed a particular connection with her, and I’m sure I would never find another one!
However, in terms of appreciation, I kept reading that they are massively undervalued for a long list of reasons, however, they never appreciated and, honestly, I don’t think they will in the future… still, I will keep mine
What I would instead add to the list, at lease here in Europe, is my other car, the Subaru STI (mine is a 2006), which already saw a very good appreciation in the past years, however, it is getting more and more rare and difficult to find any good example, with decent mileage! They were once very common here, and also very cheap – but they got very rare and expensive
These stories don’t apply to you. The Zin Europe should hold an advantage vs in America. We have many here while you truly are rare.
True, however, also the number of people interested here is proportionally much lower than in the US – selling a Z here might be a thing of years!
First car I ever bought with my own money- 1970 Fiat 124. It was pretty rough but I restored it to 100% and loved it. Two weeks after I got it back on the road a drunk pulled in front of me. I was going about 45 and the car was trashed.
I picked up an Alpha Quad for dirt cheap about 15 years ago. It had been sitting outside for years with the top
down. I put a bunch into it (including a sway bar which helped the handling tremendously) but it had electrical gremlins that no one could track down. It spent more time sitting than driving. I never knew when it would just die for no apparent reason. Traded it even for a ’79 Prelude.
The the VW’s- a ’63, ’75 Super convertible and ’72 van. Bought each one for cheap, put minimal work and money into each one and made a tidy (at the time) profit. They were all eye-catching fun.
My point is that you don’t need six figures to get a fun car. Even though it would be nice.