Car Guides
In-depth buying guides for the future classic cars of 1985 to 2015. Every guide covers what to look for, what breaks, what it costs, and whether the market has caught on yet.
Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Buyer's Guide: The Enthusiast's Secret Weapon
alfa-romeo 156-gta · 2002–2005
$15,000 – $45,000
The 156 GTA is the sport sedan that Alfa Romeo built for people who think the E46 M3 is too obvious -- a Busso V6 masterpiece that rewards drivers who value soul over spec sheets.
BMW E39 M5 Buyer's Guide: The Greatest Sport Sedan Ever Built
bmw e39-m5 · 1998–2003
$30,000 – $90,000
The E39 M5 married a hand-built 394-horsepower V8 to a luxury sedan chassis with such precision that nothing before or since has matched its combination of speed, comfort, and mechanical purity.
BMW E46 M3 Buyer's Guide: The Sweet Spot of the M3 Lineage
bmw e46-m3 · 2000–2006
$25,000 – $80,000
The E46 M3 sits at the precise intersection of analog feel and modern capability -- the last M3 that felt like a sports car rather than a technology demonstrator.
C5 Corvette Z06 Buyer's Guide: The Greatest Performance Bargain in Automotive History
chevrolet c5-z06 · 2001–2004
$25,000 – $55,000
The C5 Z06 delivered LS6 power, sub-3,200-pound weight, and racetrack-humbling performance for the price of a well-equipped Camry -- and you can still fix it with parts from AutoZone.
Mazda RX-7 FD Buyer's Guide: The Most Beautiful Japanese Sports Car Ever Made
mazda rx-7-fd · 1992–2002
$35,000 – $100,000
The third-generation RX-7 combined Mazda's rotary engine mastery with a chassis so perfectly balanced that it remains the benchmark for lightweight Japanese sports car design three decades after its debut.
Mitsubishi Evo IX Buyer's Guide: The 4G63's Final Masterpiece
mitsubishi evo-ix · 2005–2007
$30,000 – $70,000
The Evo IX is the last pure rally-bred homologation sedan -- a 4G63-powered, AWD weapon that proved Mitsubishi could build a world-class performance car from a humble economy platform.
Porsche 944 Turbo Buyer's Guide: The Porsche They Don't Want You to Know About
porsche 944-turbo · 1985–1991
$25,000 – $65,000
The 944 Turbo delivered 911-rivaling performance for half the price when new, and today it remains the most undervalued Porsche with a legitimate motorsport pedigree and a driving experience that shames modern sports cars.
Porsche Boxster S 986 Buyer's Guide: The Most Undervalued Porsche on the Market
porsche boxster-s-986 · 2000–2004
$12,000 – $35,000
The 986 Boxster S is a mid-engine Porsche with 250 horsepower, near-perfect weight distribution, and prices that still start below $15,000 -- a combination that makes absolutely no rational sense.
Toyota Supra MK4 Buyer's Guide: The Car That Became a Cultural Monument
toyota supra-mk4 · 1993–2002
$50,000 – $180,000
The fourth-generation Supra transcended its era to become a cultural icon -- a car whose 2JZ-GTE engine proved so overbuilt that it redefined what was possible from a factory turbocharged inline-six.
Honda S2000 Buyer's Guide: The Last Great Analog Sports Car
honda s2000 · 1999–2009
$25,000 – $80,000
The S2000 represents Honda's engineering peak -- a naturally aspirated 9,000 RPM screamer that rewarded skilled drivers like nothing else in its price range.