Top 5 Radwood-era cars to buy now

Good and timely recommendations. 944s seem to be having their 911 moment right now and 924s will likely be next, and I think NA Miatas are primed for a big price jump very soon - in the last couple of years there's been an explosion of TV/movie appearances of NAs as a desirable classic. It only took a couple of relatively obscure anime series to send AE86 and 240Z prices on their way to orbit, and look at what a couple of silly action movies did to certain Camaro models' prices. AW11 prices have already been rising but I expect they'll go a lot higher over the next few years, media appearances of that model have been slowly ramping up.

Not exactly Radwood-era, but I'll plug E36 M3s.  Nice ones have been on the move.  Disclaimer:  I only noticed because I own one, which sits in the garage way more than it should.  

Totally agree with EG Civics.  Clean, unmolested ones are so rare.  They're also extremely durable and dead nuts simple to keep running.  If you find a nice one, it will be easy to keep it that way.

In reply to Tyler H (Forum Supporter) :

I'd totally put the E36-chassis M3 in there with Radwood cars. It's a cool car that also defines the era. 

And I should have kept my EG: totally rust-free '92 Civic Si without any issues. 

Radwood is 80s and 90s. The E36 absolutely qualifies.

FD RX7, but they have already made the jump. Pure sports car design, unique engine, beautiful looks, modern performance potential

In reply to mr2peak :

Also a cool car. Hard part today is finding a good one at a good price or finding an alternative. (Like, what's the easier-to-find alternative to an RX-7?)

I've recently been hankering after a good Mazda MX-6 or Ford Probe, especially the '93+ years with the 2.5l V6. The hard part is finding a clean one, at least up here in the rust belt. I like the story behind the 2nd gen Probe, and pop up headlights are iconic of the era IMO.

On the other hand, Mazda's styling department really had it going on in the late '80s, and the MX-6 is a fine example of that, especially from behind:

I think there's also a difference generationally where as a younger millenial I'm more intersted in '80s and '90s cars because they were what were cheap and plentiful at ~20 years old when I started getting into cars, as opposed to being dream cars when new. Some cars I think are cool, my dad (who lived through the '80s) does not.

There's also definitely going to be one more generation of "new classics": The early 2000s, roughly stopping around 2008. Cars that are just a bit two new and complex for Radwood eligibility, but still offer analog driving feel (Mk4 VW, , have a cult following (Subarus? Any dead brand?), or are just culturally significant (The Aztek? Hummer? Any of the retro cars?). I realized this because I started wanting a Chrysler Sebring recently: I remember it being a meme on Jalopnik of just how bad the Sebring was, and my dad even had one as a rental at one point. But now, they're one of the cheapest convertibles you can buy, and they're located in the same nostalgic place in my mind as Blink 182, Smash Mouth, Shrek, and not parsing MBS into "Mortgage Backed Security".

Dang, good question: Probe or MX-6?

+1 on the Mx-6. Either gen. 
 

Love that E36 wagon.

MrRobogoat (Forum Supporter) said:

I realized this because I started wanting a Chrysler Sebring recently: I remember it being a meme on Jalopnik of just how bad the Sebring was, and my dad even had one as a rental at one point. But now, they're one of the cheapest convertibles you can buy, and they're located in the same nostalgic place in my mind as Blink 182, Smash Mouth, Shrek, and not parsing MBS into "Mortgage Backed Security".

I've occasionally fantasized about taking a '90s Chrysler Sebring coupe and building a roadgoing version of the Pro Stock Dodge Avengers from that era. Here's the Avenger parts applied to a full on race Sebring.

But besides a lack of time to build this, '90s era Sebring coupes were never that common to begin with. I don't think I've seen one on the road since 2005 or so.