Discussion: What car would you buy to pass down to your son in 20 years?

Probably none. But that isn't fun. So here are the honest answers: 

• 2 Door Bronco, manual transmission
• Jeep Gladiator
• Volvo Wagon
• NC Miata
• ND Miata
• Fiat 124 
• CRZ
• Prius/Insight/Ioniq/Insert any of the hybrids with this same shape here
• Kia Sedona
• Chrysler Pacifica
• Toyota Sienna
• Dodge Grand Caravan

First two I think will hold their value, basically no matter what. Volvo wagon is safe, luxurious, and won't be looked at with disdain even if it is a gasoline burning engine. Miatas and Fiatas are obvious. CRZ is a truly odd duck, but as about the only ever manual transmission hybrid, and also can still be called a sports car, a good option for the future. Prius and the similar vehicles, should be obvious. And minivans are one of the best gifts that God has bestowed upon mankind.

irish44j (Forum Supporter) said:

It pains me to say this, but....None. As someone who has a kid nearing driving age, and many friends who do as well, I can tell you that whatever you stash away that you think is cool/will be cool in 20 years will invariably NOT be what your son thinks is cool in 20 years. He may not want "some old smelly car" (this is my kids' take on ALL of my cars, including the Porsche), or he may want a different old smelly car, or he may not be interested in old cars at all and want some electric car with all the electronic gadgets that all his friends are getting 20 years from now. 

Of all my cars, the only one my even seem remotely interested in ever driving is my (2018) GTI. On various occasions I've said to them "one day you can drive the Porsche" and both dismissed that idea out of hand as "it's loud / smelly / too small / not safe / uncomfortable / ugly (!)"

Either your son will develop his own likes when it comes to something vintage, or he'll end up wanting something with 1000hp electric, or he'll not care at all and just buy some pedestrian econobox, or he'll not want a car at all. And no amount of "you being a car guy" will necessarily affect that. 

So, my kids will perhaps get a choice of driving something I own now (or will own then), and if not they'll get some normal car. I started driving in a 1970 Triumph GT6 (this in the mid-1990s), and then got an old minivan to drive, because being able to haul 6 of my friends around was way more fun than only having one friend with me (also, air conditioning). Even as a "car guy" I bowed mostly to practicality for my first few cars after the GT6 (Minivan, Civic, Accord, old Integra) because as a student I didn't have the time or money to deal with a vintage car that needed attention, etc. 

(side note, the GT6 was my dad's, bought brand new in 1970. I eventually sold it (5 years ago) because the fact that it wasn't that great to drive finally overrode nostalgia that "my dad gave it to me."). I kept it for years because I didn't want my dad to feel bad if I sold it....

So yeah. Don't save a car for him. A few years before he starts driving, he'll know what he's interested in and you can get something and fix it up with him at that time, rather than force him to drive something that is of YOUR dreams rather than his. Or he'll ask for a well-used 2032 Prius with self-driving and a tear will drop from your eye and you'll sadly assent and get him that, and that 1985 whatever you picked up 20 years ago will sit in your garage until you finally decide to sell it. 

I couldn't have said it better.

I'm buying cars for myself. If they like them after I'm dead, great. If not, that is fine as well.  

I have long held the belief that kids don't like cars from before "the beginning of time" with that time being their birth.  Even old guys in the classic market tend to not buy cars older than themselves. That is the reason that my choice was a car from my daughter's birth year, certainly no older.  

Like someone else said, my plan is to build her some memories in a car and then see if she wants to continue the memories. 

If nothing else, I'd likely buy her a car somewhere between 10 - 16 years old when she starts driving and this way I'll already have one that's 16 years old, and I'll know all the history. 

This is a cool mental exercise, but I'm also in the camp of "get whatever YOU want, because who knows what the kid will like by then".  I still say you can get something with the intention/possibility of handing it off, but unless you love it all on your own it could prove to be a fruitless enterprise. 

Just tell your wife the GRM forum gave you permission to buy whatever you wanted and I'm sure she'll understand.

It seems like most fun/sporty cars hit the bottom of the depreciation curve around the 20 year mark, then the lower mileage survivors start to gain in value again as scarcity comes into play.  So for me the rules of the game are:

- sports car

- impractical enough that you don't pile on huge mileage, but practical enough to drive often and form the type of emotional bond that makes you keep a car for 20+ years

- well constructed and reliable enough to still be game-ready in 20 years

I went through a similar thought process in 2019.  The ND Miata is a great choice, and if I fit better in one I probably would own it.  Ultimately I went with a 981 Cayman S, and I've never loved a car more.  Last of the inexpensive flat 6 Porsche motors, and the intoxicating sounds that go with it.  Breathtaking performance, but with enough comfort and cargo room for a weekend road trip.  Reliable as a hammer.  Exceptionally beautiful, I stop to look back every time I park it.  Reasonable enough in cost that I don't stress over autocross or the occasional track day.  I think it's a future classic and I don't imagine that I'll ever part with it (unless my son manages to pry it out of my decrepit fingers in some distant future).

On a totally unrelated note- my good friend grew up racing with his dad in England, and now lives in the states.  His dad recently aged out of racing and passed along his Morgan Plus Four race car, the identical same car that won the Le Mans.  My buddy races it in VDCA and SVRA and I must say it's pretty awesome.  They talk about it all the time and have the collective experiences with that car to reminisce over.  I can't imagine a better father/son pass down scenario.

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:

It seems like most fun/sporty cars hit the bottom of the depreciation curve around the 20 year mark, then the lower mileage survivors start to gain in value again as scarcity comes into play. 

I agree, so the question then is, why not just buy a 20 year old car in 20 years?

This is why I was shooting for a 40 year old car at the time of handoff.  Lots of kids will have 20 year old cars because they are at the bottom of the curve.  30 or 40 year old cars are much more unique.  Unique enough that anything in good condition at that age has some cool factor. 

I agree, so the question then is, why not just buy a 20 year old car in 20 years?

Fair point.  Someone earlier asked a valid question: how do you know your kid would even want the car in 20 years?  I think the answer to that question involves shared father/son experiences with the car, which involves owning it over that time.

With few exceptions, if adults are drawn to their parents old car(s) at all, it's not because thee car is otherwise inherently 'cool' to them or their peers... They're primarily drawn to the car because of the memories they made with their parents. What the car is matters far less than what you did with it. Case in point:

ValourUnbound said:

My father had a 1993 Ford Explorer that I recall fondly. I passed my driver's test in it. It went on every camping trip. It had probably seen more mountains than I had at the time of it's passing (2009, take one guess as to why). Today it would be a pretty interesting car to have, but maybe only because 1st gens are rare to see on the road.

...There is probably a deeper reason than the rarity that you find 1st gen Explorers specifically to be as interesting as you do. In addition to TR6's, I have an odd soft spot in my heart for Isuzu Trooper II's and 3rd Gen Caravan's as well, all for the same reasons. But I wouldn't actually give up one of the limited spots in my driveway/garage for either of the latter two if they were given to me. At this point I would on the former, but I can't say that I always would have had the combined desire and ability to... It's still not what I would go out and buy for myself, and I'm honestly not sure how long I could justify even a TR6 for nostalgias sale.

Which brings me to the kids also need to be old enough to  appreciate the nostalgia and memories, in addition to the space to store it, which they will most likely not be able to do until at least after they are well into 'adulting' themselves.  Such cars generally make terrible primary, or even regular use, vehicles because of what inevitably happens to most anything that sees appliance usage.

I bought a cheap 05 Mustang GT convertible (manual) for this purpose. My girls loved it. It got totaled less than 2 months later. They'll never remember it and have no special appreciation for them. I bought a cheap 128i convertible ('rare' sport/manual combo) to fill that role now. They love it. If it too doesn't get totaled, I have no doubt they'll have an odd soft spot in their hearts for E88 128i's... But I have no delusions that they'll specifically want one, let alone have the desire and ability to take possession of this particular one (which will at best be 'well worn by then) when they're ready to head out on their own.

Both girls have also shown interest in helping me work on my cars, including the Locost whenever I get back to it. Working on a project together should also build this type of connection. Perhaps my project(s), but more so as they get older, I want to engage them in their own projects of their own interest that we create memories working on together.

So I'm going to boil this down to: Buy whatever will allow you to share the type of experiences and create the type of memories that will forever connect you with your kids.

I already have them. The youngest one is 40yrs old now, the oldest is 59.

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:

I agree, so the question then is, why not just buy a 20 year old car in 20 years?

Fair point.  Someone earlier asked a valid question: how do you know your kid would even want the car in 20 years?  I think the answer to that question involves shared father/son experiences with the car, which involves owning it over that time.

My son thinks the Datsun is really cool, it's been in our family all his life but if I were gone tomorrow I'm sure he'd sell it and get something he likes better. He's never actually driven it, mainly because he'd rather drive the F500.

It's a tough call; I've seen numerous people sell the family car because they memories mean way more to them than owning the actual car.  

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:

I agree, so the question then is, why not just buy a 20 year old car in 20 years?

Fair point.  Someone earlier asked a valid question: how do you know your kid would even want the car in 20 years?  I think the answer to that question involves shared father/son experiences with the car, which involves owning it over that time.

I'll be honest, I'm a "car guy" and while i trucked all over the country with my Dad (and sometimes mom) in a variety of cars from the 70s and 80s (I was born in '75), I have pretty much no nostalgia or particular memories devoted to the cars themselves. Some were interesting (Triumph, and old Audi, a couple motorcylcles I rode on the back of as a kid) and some weren't (several old volvo wagons and early minivans). The memories will happen regardless of the car type, and the kid will remember driving around in "the ugly green volvo wagon" as much as he'd remember driving around in an old Miata, as long as he was driving around with you. 

Challenger RT Plus. Plum Crazy. Manual.

Or W108

Since price is no object, buy something you can work on that will hold/increase in value over the next 20 years so Jr can sell it if they want and get something else.

996/997 GT3 (RS if you can)

996 TT if track days arent your thing

E30 M3

1M 

E36 M3 LTW

996 GT2

Lotus

360/430

Land Rover Defender

Bronco

VW Thing

If Jr's not going to be appreciative of this important memory, just adopt me and I will gladly take care of any of the above in your honor after you die of NATURAL causes.

At least one person has hit each aspect of my concerns.

Value, uninterested child, bonding time. 

The first two are not as important to me as I am not planning to sock away a car and let it accumulate value/childhood interest until the chosen time.

As some picked up, I lean more towards the "this car is special because of time spent in it with family" aspect. Therefore, I just need to get a car that we can do things in, and then go do them! There are lots of camping options around here, so that will probably be the way I go.  There is also the mechanical aspect, if we work on a car together, either for sport or hobby. 

A big part of my bonding time in my childhood was that camping trips were just my dad and I, not the whole family. That's not going to be practical in my new family (wife likes to camp too!) so that means I can't actually get away with a two seater. I can't really predict how a vehicular bonding will be take place in the future. Road trips, camping, racing, restoring, grocery shopping and rides home from school are all valid options.

I'll just have to wait and see how life goes. 

My youngest really likes my project 67 Beetle and my 89 Civic Si not sure if they will be around in 20 years but it's possible.

I'd follow the basic car investment rules. 
1 if the top goes down the price goes up. 
2 buy the best version you can find. 
3. Buy the highest performance version made 

4. History increases value. 
5. Less doors, less seats = more money
6. Avoid fads 

7.  Do not buy as an investment, buy because you want it.  

My two daughters (18 & 16) are already fighting over who gets the 2019 Civic Type R.  They first need to demonstrate their autocross skills in the FX16.

FD RX7. Everyone else will have electric cars or piston cars, make sure you have a great example of the "other" passenger car engine.

Plus, it should be pretty whatever it is

He already has it.  1986 GTi 8v.

It's so hard to predict what the car culture will be like in 20 years. As I try to think back what 30 year old me was thinking about, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have predicted the current market. Hell, I wasn't really into cars much back then.  I have my ex- to thank for dragging me back into working on cars again 20 years ago with her '97 M3 and '93 Passat GLX wagon. 

In 20 years will EV conversions be much cheaper and easier? 

Will owning ICE cars become more like owning horses? I don't expect it to be so, but who knows... 

Buy what you like and cross your fingers your children also show some interest.