Everyone knows a classic when they see one, right? At least they know of those cars that are universally accepted classics such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, and most of the other exotics autos. So what's going to be the classic car of tomorrow? In the past the Chevrolets, Fords, Buicks, and Plymouths of 30-40 years ago were not meant to become future classics, but some of them have actually earned a spot among the Ferraris and Aston Martins at shows and classic car auctions around the world. Will any of the less collectable cars of the 1980s and 1990s make it?

There are so many different definitions of what a classic car is. Some would put specific age limits on the definitions, and others would say that only special variants would qualify for classic status. In my hunt for the ?perfect? definition, the best that I could find stated that a classic car is ?a car that retains its appeal after it is no longer produced.? I would say that the ?appeal? of a car is determined by the individual. I mean, some people find a Ford Tempo ?appealing?. To me a classic car is one that stops depreciating in value and either levels off or begins to appreciate over time. The value increasing because of demand ties into the definition that the classic cars have appeal long after they are no longer produced. The goal is to catch these cars when they?re at the bottom, before they become more valuable. Of course, values do vary from year to year, so like any potential investment there are risks.

Anyway, here?s a list of what we would qualify as potential future classics:
BMW 3-Series (E30 1984-1991)
Chevrolet Camaro/Pontiac Firebird
Chevrolet Impala SS (1994-1996)
Chrysler Shelby K-Cars (Omni GLH, etc)
Ford Mustang
Ford Fairmont
GM A-Bodies (RWD models, such as the El Camino and Malibu)
GM B-Bodies (other than the Impala SS)
GM G-Bodies (Buick Grand National, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, etc)
GMC Syclone and Typhoon
Honda CRX
Mazda Miata
Mazda 323 GTX
Mitsubishi Galant VR-4
Mitsubish Starion
Mitsubish 3000GT VR-4 (and cousin Stealth R/T)
Nissan 240SX (S13 and S14)
Nissan 300ZX
Nissan Sentra SE-R
Toyota Corolla GT-S(the famous AE86)
Toyota MR2
Toyota Supra (last generation)
VW GTI (personally the MKI and MKII)

This is just our list of cars that are ?appealing.? The value of these cars will more than likely stabilize in the next 5 to 10 years. Granted, some of the cars are special variants, and many may fall into obscurity instead of becoming more popular. That is the risk of this kind of list, but what do you think? We would love to hear your opinion.