Ever since cars from the 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s started skyrocketing in value, there has been a lot of watch for which cars will become the next wave for investment opportunities. Now there are many cars that are easy to point out for good future resale. Cars such as the Challenger Hellcat/Demon, the Camaro ZL1 1LE, and the Mustang GT350R. Anyone who has the money to buy one of these new and keep it in good condition, probably knows that they have just made an investment on something that one day WILL go up in value. But what about the cars that don’t scream future classic? Maybe something that has already past its prime and now seems to be fading into obscurity? Well cars like that are more difficult to know which will become a sought after classic and which won’t. And cars in this category, from the 80’s and 90’s, are cheap to buy right now. But they might not be cheap for long. So here are five cars that you might want to buy before they start going up in value.

1. The Pontiac Fiero

With all of the hype lately for the new Corvette having a mid mounted engine, The Pontiac Fiero will probably start being looked at in a different way. And that is because the Fiero was the first massed produced American car with a mid mounted engine. The Fiero was definitely a huge flop in its day. With problems such as excessive oil leaks, overheating and sometimes catching on fire. It’s no wonder that people might not see the Fiero as a car that is a good investment. But on the other hand there is somewhat of a cult following for these cars. And this following has been able to fix many of the issues the Fiero had. So now days the Fiero is a cool looking 80’s car, that was again, the first mid engine American car. And it can be maintained in stock form or swapped to an LS, which has been done many times and there are kits available for it. And in doing this you will have, what is almost a mini mid engine Corvette, which ensures the car will have good resale value later on.

2. The SN95 Mustang (Fourth Gen)

The SN95 Mustang which spanned from 1994 to 2004, is probably one of the cheapest and most readily available Mustangs you can buy right now. Looking at any local Craigslist you can find many of these with a V8 for under ten thousand dollars, and in some cases probably under five thousand. Hell, my wife’s first car was an SN95 Mustang that we got from an impound lot for a thousand dollars. Granted that car was a V6 and had multiple problems, but it goes to show, just how cheap you can find these cars. But why would these go up in value? Well the fourth gen Mustang was really the first of the modern Mustangs. It had both a SOHC and a DOHC V8 available, also it had a more modern interior and was offered in so many different models that you could choose a Mustang to suit pretty much what ever you want. Not to mention that these Mustangs have such a huge aftermarket, that keeping one in nice condition, and making it fast, is easy and cheap. Plus who doesn’t think back to the late 90’s and early 2000’s without a memory of riding in one, or seeing one fly by on a warm summer evening.

3. The Dodge Conquest/Mitsubishi Starion

The Dodge Conquest and Mitsubishi Starion is a car that I could go on and on about. And in the past I have talked about these cars before and the history between Chrysler and Mitsubishi. This is due to me being a tad biased because I used to own one. But with having owned one, and feeling regret for selling one, I have seen how these cars are slowly but surly going up in value. What makes these cars so special, is that they were the predecessors to cars such as the 3000GT and the Eclipse/Talon. Basically starting what became known as DSM, and the huge following those cars had. But the Conquest is far less known than the Talon due to low sales and a short lived production. The Conquest was a competitive car for its time though, and was able to compete with cars like the Nissan 300ZX, Mazda RX7, and the Porsche 944. This car had a great formula of being turbo, RWD and offered with a mechanical LSD. And although the Conquest did have some downfalls, it has become so rare that enthusiast are starting to take notice of it, and are willing spend more, for this mostly unknown piece of history.

4. The Camaro IROC Z

As a car enthusiast, how can you think of the 80’s and not think about the IROC Z? This Camaro is as 80’s as it gets. With its boxy design, it’s recessed headlights and it’s rectangular interior, the IROC Z is the poster boy for 80’s design. And with 80’s nostalgia at a near all time high the past few years, these cars are about to skyrocket in price. In fact, if you do just a quick search online you will see that the cleaner examples of this car are already starting to be over the ten thousand dollar mark. With that said though, you can still find a fixer upper IROC for under five thousand. The IROC Z was named after it’s association with the International Race of Champions, which switched from using Porches to Camaro’s. And that makes the IROC Z not just a piece of muscle car history, but racing history too. So now is the time to get one before the market catches on and these become hard to find.

5. The Buick Regal T-Type

Everyone knows about the legend that is the Buick Grand National, But not many people pay attention to it’s little brother the T-Type. The Regal T-Type is on the higher end of the spectrum for affordable cars, with some cleaner examples selling for over twenty thousand. But that is far better than the comparable thirty to forty thousand dollars that you would be paying for the Grand National. And the T-Type has most of what made the Grand National so special. You still get the powerful turbo V6, the smooth ride and the sleeper status of having a “fast Buick”. The only thing missing is the black paint, turbo 6 badges and some other minor cosmetics. So save yourself some money and get the T-Type. Because when it comes to the driving experience, you won’t really miss the black paint of the GN. And the T-Type will continue to go up in value.

What cars do you think should be on this list? Do you own or have owned any of these cars? Let us know down in the comments! And happy searching for that unknown future classic!