If you like achromatic 1 and 2-box vehicles, this is the automotive golden age. Take this picture I shot above the other day as proof. For the rest of us, well, that’s why sites like Curbside Classic exist.
Tastes change. A generation ago, no one would ever consider trucks and station wagons collectible. Now both are highly sought after, and regular attendees of car shows and concours alike.
The earliest examples of SUVs and minivans are now over 25 year old, old enough to qualify as antiques by the AACA. Yet I don’t expect to see one parked on the lawn of Hershey anytime soon. As proof, I offer the fact that there are currently just two vintage minivans for sale on Hemmings.
So who here is willing to look into their crystal ball, and go on record and guess when (or if) minivans and SUVs will be considered collectible?
The Aztek is getting to be like the ’34 Airflow – a car that looked weird and ugly in its time but utterly normal a decade later. I see Previas and maybe first-gen Toyota vans becoming collectible, especially those with AWD, supercharged engines, or stick shifts. The VW microbus and Vanagon obviously, maybe the later front-engine VW vans. Given enough time, well-preserved top-line routine minivans will have the same allure a ’65 Town & Country does now.
Amongst SUVs, well, any Wrangler, any Defender (they already *are* collectible), Range Rovers. Crossovers will devalue at the same rate as regular cars, which is how their viewed today.