Think Small: 5 little vintage vehicles under $20,000
Why is it that so often, little cars equal fun? Here are five classics that fit in that category, all of them under $20,000. Prices are from the Hagerty Price Guide, based on the average value of a vehicle in #3, or Good, condition across the given range of model years. (Want to read more about how we rate a car’s condition? Click here.)
If you want to find the value of a vehicle from a specific model year, look it up using Hagerty’s Valuation Tool. You can even specify trim level and engine choice (if applicable).
1965–74 Saab Sonett ($9918)
Sweden’s idea of a front-wheel-drive sports car was slow—its Ford V-4 engine had 65 horsepower—but not unpleasant to drive. Production of the three models—the Sonett II, Sonett V4, and Sonett III—totaled barely 10,000 vehicles, so they are rare but not unobtainable.
1968–73 Opel GT ($12,300)
Yes, it looks like a baby 1968 Chevrolet Corvette, but the Opel GT is a pretty solid little car on its own. Sold by generally clueless Buick dealers, most Opel GTs had a 102-horsepower four-cylinder and a smooth-shifting four-speed manual transmission.
1974 Datsun 260Z ($17,150)
The 1971–73 240Z is a genuine collector’s item, but the 260Z is sort of overlooked. Virtually the same car as the 240Z but with a bigger engine, the 1974 model was introduced by Datzun as the 260Z, one year before the company introduced the 280Z.
The biggest problem with the 260Z was vapor locking in warm weather, but there’s a fix, and any 260Z that has survived this long probably has been equipped with one of the known solutions. No longer must you drive around with the (rear-opening) hood partly open to cool the 2.6-liter inline six-cylinder.
1986–1995 Suzuki Samurai ($9950)
The Samurai was a 2022 Hagerty Bull Market pick, and the itty bitty 4×4 is definitely loads of fun off-road. On the road, not so much. It is the only press vehicle I parked and refused to drive on my 100-mile hilly daily commute: The 1.3-liter, 63-horsepower four-cylinder couldn’t keep up with traffic.
1984–86 Dodge Omni GLH-T ($9033)
If you don’t mind a steering wheel that makes you feel like a bus driver, you might like the turbocharged Omni. Its drivetrain is a respectable 142-horsepower four-cylinder paired with a slightly balky manual transmission and front-wheel drive. Wider than most small cars, the Omni is a legitimate four-passenger sedan.
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The Sonett II (1965-mid ‘67) had 3 cylinder 2 stroke engines. EPA regulations forced the change to the Ford Germany sourced V4 engine in late ‘67 prompting the Sonett V4 designation.
I had the 1974 – 260Z. There were a couple of versions with one like the 240Z bumpers and the other like the one in the photo. Mine was the earlier version. It was a kick butt little car but it had its flaws not the least of which was the cracking dashboards and the cheap vinyl upholstery. Other than that? That car was great for me. Loved it. I did refer to my upholstery as being as cheap as a WALGREENS Wallet.
They certainly could come up with a much better list than this. Do the writers even care anymore. Saab Sonett?? Really? Now this is just a joke. Right?
Who knew about the trade-ins, give always, and junkers we had back then. I miss my Capri. Steady on the highway, good ride hight, easy to work on. Did a clutch change, solo, after work, drove it to work the next day. Got married, had a kid, traded it in for a Volare!? But I still have my Bugeye.
I couldn’t believe it but a little Smart Car passed me doing 75mph on a four lane highway! I didn’t think they went that fast👏🤨
We had a Samurai at our shop. You had to downshift to run over a cigar butt. No power or speed at all.
1979-1982 Lancia Betas Coupe or Spyder Zagato
So sad that it has come down to this.
In the Datsun 260Z article you typoed and called it a Datzun.
Either way the 260Z is my pick from this list. There is a guy in my area with a green one that looks fantastic.
I had a friend with a yellow Opel GT. That was a nightmare for him.
Alfa Romeo Spiders were built from the late sixties to 1993: small, light, immensely fun, and still attainable. Quintessential Italian Pininfarina stying. There are still many available and most are user-maintained. My latest one is a daily driver. I’ve owned six over the years.
I had an ’85 Omni GLH Turbo and put 246,000 miles on it before a blown head gasket ended the fun. I never imagined it being a future collectible, so I sold some parts and the remains went to a salvage yard.
The turbo version was only in ’85 and ’86. The one in the photo is a non-turbo version. The four-lug wheels give it away. The turbo models were five-lug.
The best you could say about the SAAB Sonett (thank you for spelling it correctly) is “…slow…but not unpleasant to drive”? That’s called damning with faint praise. It was a 60’s (and early 70s) sports car that didn’t leak in the rain, had Bosch electrics, and handled as well as its contemporaries, including the Porsche 914 1.8 L (better, in the snow). Oh, and the heater actually worked. I have a ’68 V4 with the floor shifter from the later Sonett III (shifts just fine once you learn how to adjust it) and just acquired a ’69 with the original column shift.
Having owned three Sonnetts’ all brought joy and a measure of pride at SAAB Clubs meetings because they are few and far between. The car handled great on the twisty roads in the Santa Cruz Mountains surrounding the greater San Jose area. Simple enough to work on and room for a 7 and 6 year old in the back hatch (it’s fine attack me for the car seat issue). That same happy feeling resurfaced when I got delivery of my new 2019 C7- Z51 package.
I don’t know on what is Hagerty valuations are based from, but I would never, ever pay that kind of money for a Dodge Omni or a Suzuki Samurai. They were garbage when they were new, and they won’t get any better 30 or 40 years later.
Five small vintage cars for under $20k? How about three or four Miatas?