The sweet spot between vintage soul and modern reliability. Here’s why 90s and 2000s performance cars are commanding serious attention.
There’s a reason why cars from the 1990s and early 2000s are increasingly finding their way into serious collections. These machines represent the last era of analog driving—before electronic nannies, turbocharged four-cylinders, and touchscreen everything became the norm.
The Perfect Balance
Modern classics offer something unique: the raw, connected driving experience of older vehicles combined with reliability and usability that won’t leave you stranded. Air conditioning that actually works. Fuel injection that starts on cold mornings. ABS that saves you when things get interesting.
Try daily-driving a 1960s muscle car and you’ll understand the appeal.
Appreciating Assets
The market has noticed. Clean examples of the BMW E46 M3, Porsche 996 GT3, Honda S2000, and Mitsubishi Evo have seen significant appreciation over the past five years. These aren’t speculative bubbles—they’re recognition of genuinely special machines that aren’t being made anymore.
More importantly, you can actually drive these investments. They’re robust enough for weekend spirited drives, reliable enough for the occasional commute, and engaging enough to remind you why you fell in love with cars in the first place.
The Window Is Closing
Clean, unmodified examples are becoming harder to find every year. Many were driven hard, modified heavily, or simply neglected. The survivors—especially those with documented history and low miles—command premiums for good reason.
If there’s a modern classic you’ve been dreaming about, the best time to buy was five years ago. The second-best time is now.