Our Two Cents: What to buy 25 years from now?

Alpine Cars

In today’s episode of Our Two Cents, we dig into our staff’s best picks for the best classic/antique/special interest vehicle. Except we’re gonna mix it up and only consider what they’d buy 25 years from now. The magic 25-year mark exists because that’s when any vehicle can be imported to the USA as a classic, therefore skirting U.S. safety and emissions regulations for new vehicles. So forget about what you can get right now, imagine what you can do when you’re 25 years older?

Let’s find out what car our staffers will buy in 2048. Precisely 25 years from now.

Alpine A110

Starting with me, I’ll pick the lowest hanging fruit from the 25-year-old tree, as the 2017+ Alpine A110 is a pure case of “I want it because I can’t have it.” The performance is gonna be worse than a comparable C7/C8 Corvette, but I don’t care; the Alpine must be mine because its achingly beautiful and has adequate performance. Now if only we could LS-swap it, as that’d be a complete game changer.

Camaro SS 1LE

2017 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE Chevrolet

Senior Editor Eddy Eckart picks a car that will likely become an unquestioned classic in 25 years. Perhaps its one that slides under the radar of all its Mopar competition and turns better to boot?

“Who knows what fanciful ideas I’ll have about cars when I am 68! I’ll probably want one more manual transmission. Fast won’t matter, but handling will. At that point, joy in the drive will supersede tinkering for me, so no projects. Something noticeable, but not look-at-me outrageous. Needs a healthy soundtrack. Seems like I’m headed back to where it started for me: GM’s pony car, though one a little newer and nicer than the ’92 Firebird I bought in 1997. I’ll go with a pre-facelift, sixth-gen Camaro SS 1LE in Hyper Blue.

4×4 Sprinter Camper Van

Exclusive Outfitters

Ben Woodworth, our Senior Video Lead, knows that he’s still gonna want a van a quarter century from now.

“In 25 years, my four kids will be out of the house (hopefully) and I will (again, hopefully) be on the verge of retiring! Given those two things, I’ll be buying a 4×4 Mercedes Sprinter camper van. It’s probably the only automotive-related purchase that my wife and I agree on, and it’s basically been our retirement plan since we got married. We want to spend our time traveling the continent camping, biking, skiing, and adventuring. Sprinkle in some visits with grandkids along the way and I’m set for life. There are too many cool places in this world and fun things to do to spend retirement sitting on the front porch yelling at youths as they pass by on their hoverboards and flying cars.”

Pontiac G8 GXP

Mecum

Editor Kyle Smith picked the last—possibly one of the best—vehicles to wear the red Pontiac arrowhead emblem. Hard to argue with his logic!

“Let’s assume my lack of financial responsibility will turn around in the next 25 years, and I’ll have a little more to spend than I do now. If so, that means I will finally be able to buy a 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP. White please, no sunroof, six-speed manual transmission. With only 299 white 2009 model year G8 GXPs out there, I think I’ll start saving now—mainly because I have to. Regardless, I think history will treat these well even if a lot of folks think it has two too many doors. Practicality, muscular styling, and big muscle under the hood will always be cool.”

Genesis G70 Shooting Brake

Genesis

Associate Managing Editor Grace Houghton chose the same path as my wish for European importation. But instead of sport, she went looking for a stylish station wagon-ish vehicle that’s unlikely to ever come to America. Well, at least not on its own accord (sorry).

“If it’s 2048, I’ll be chasing down this South Korean beauty, the wagon version of Genesis’ G70 sports sedan. Currently sold only in Europe, the G70 Shooting Brake offers the same twin-turbo, 3.3-liter V-6 found in the sedan, which is genuinely sporting but comfortable enough to road-trip. Perfect combo. The wagon’s fantastically good-looking and, in contrast to the equivalent German, fresh and off-beat. The interior is posh enough to flatter—quilted leather seats; yes, please—but clean lines, subtle textures, and physical buttons keep it from being fussy. Sure, it only comes with an automatic transmission, but I’ll have a manual Corvette by then, so who cares?”

Pontiac Trans Am

1977 Pontiac Trans Am
Mecum

Managing Editor David Zenlea proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same. An extra 25 years won’t stop him from wanting what he wants right now.

“I can confidently say that 25 years from now I will want a second-gen Trans Am with a Pontiac 400 engine. That’s what I wanted 25 years ago and it’s still what I want today. The world will surely look very different in a quarter century, but I will likely be the same idiot who likes t-tops and large decals.”

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Comments

    What is telling is how many here are 75 years old.

    I am a kid here at 59.

    For those not worried by age. Please leave your cars to me and I will continue the fight! Lol!

    not surprising for your GM love affair. There are better options Like Hell Cat, Challenger, Mustang, Shelby. which are better values for a wish list. You can LS anything, but will it stay together? And why ruin a collectable (Alpine) by doing that.

    I think the Achilles Heel of modern cars (since, say, 1985) is electronic and computerized engine management systems. Add to that the trend for increasingly specialized technician training on hyper complex electronic stuff and the knowledge base will disappear. Even then, there is no repair on these newer cars – it is component replacement. Spare parts for these components disappear and cannot be simply reproduced. Newer cars have even more comletely interconnected systems. There will be a general complexity cutoff period beyond which cars in that later bracket become static museum pieces. The trend for everything becoming e-waste started decades ago. Gas availability will be the least of the issues for these vehicles.

    Lots of doom and gloom instead of car talk. Imagine how people felt in the 1930s. Depression, dust bowls, rising fascism, and WW2 on the horizon. Yes, the world will have to change the way we source and use energy, to address climate change but banning the sale of NEW cars doesn’t stop people from having the cars they already own. The real threat to the hobby is the fact that manufacturers stop making parts for their cars after a few years. The only hope is that 3D printing and small manufacturers will pick up the slack. The other threat is that younger people don’t seem to care that much about cars. The hobby will exist, but it will be smaller. EV tech is advancing so fast that in 25 years ICE vehicles might be looked at the same way we look at steam-powered cars today. Cool, but not really relevant to most people.

    The Genesis Shooting Brake looks great! Should include Audi’s RS6 Shooting Brake. I almost dropping the $100,000 for a slightly used one of these. 662 horsepower in a wagon, with all the same suspension modes as the sedan…or saloon as the Europeans say.

    I figured it out finally…I have an extreme bias toward things horizontal as opposed to vertical. That must be why I like the wagons better than the SUV variant.

    well ive got the firebird, mines a formula 400 with a 68 gto block and all the other good stuff roller cam act. just pulled it out of the basement garage for the summer. the snows almost gone. and my silverato SS pickup my wife bought me new 04 with some taller pistons and cam and all the other hot rod stuff. anything can be modified to work with any computer or no computer. or electric. but by then it will be magnets like the trains have now. oh I’m just finishing my 55 belair with the LS just for a daily driver. all the late stuff abs brakes etc. as long as I will last that will do me. id love a Blackhawk but not gonna happen on my social security budget .

    Well I turn 78 later this month so not much thinking about what I can drive 25 years from now. Even if I were, I live in California so if I want something that doesn’t meet its smog requirements it would have to be no newer than a 1975 model. Even one of those probably wouldn’t be allowed unless already legally registered in this state. Am I numbed? Of course there’s some forbidden fruit I find appealing but there are plenty of affordably older cool cars that are legal here such as certain Maserati Quattroportes and Jaguar XF Sportbrakes.

    I accept that this overpopulated state that’s hemmed in by its 10000 foot mountain ranges has good reason for the laws. Would I rather live in one of the more permissive states? Probably not.

    You better buy that 09 G8 GXP now because prices are already crazy on them. I would not discount the GT either. It may not have the 6.2 that the GXP has but it still has a 6.0 ls engine and prices are rising as we speak. Hell even a base model will work as you can always ls swap it. Glad I already have a G8. Fantastic cars.

    Well this list isn’t my cup of tea however, I think that I will keep what I have now….a 1966 Corvair Monza Sport Coupe. 4 spd, two carb, 110 hp, Smaller, lighter, decent mileage, paid for. Of course I’ll be 105 but again it’s paid for…

    wouldn’t worry about a gas issue – there are other techs that by 2 decades from now will work on our ICE no problem – ie – hydrogen for example… bigger issues will be IF we are still around will there be parts to keep the cars going and roads to drive them on

    According to Agenda 1 (2030)–in the One World Gov’t t here will be no cars for private individuals. Those who are favorably anticipating EVs and the Green Movement are handing over their rights to having vehicles. Oh, maybe bicycles and scooters. MAYBE there will be car museums still? Enjoy eating crickets if you really are considering which car you’d like to own 25 years from now! LOL

    I have spent a lot of time wanting a V12 Jaguar or a Cadillac Northstar something because they are both beautiful, but reality says they are just flat out too hard to maintain. The problem with anything made after say 1985 is that all the great “options” require very specialized parts which are both hard to get and impossible to manufacture. So in 25 years the classic car market will probably look not much different than it does today, and in 100 years maybe flatheads will be all that’s left!!!

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