If you’re a 90’s kid, you’re 30 years old, or close to it. These fun cars from the 90’s are at that age too, and we feel are future collector cars.
Welcome to the future! OBDII, the World Wide Web, Beanie Babies, Hanson (Mmm bop!), VCRs, Super NES, K2 rollerblades, Tamagotchi, JNCO jeans, Super Soakers, Minesweeper, clear plastic everything, Stick Stickly, telephone cords, repeat three-peat, CLAP ON, Bowflex… If those items brought back some core memories, then these affordable fun collector cars from the 90’s are right up your alley.
With Brandt’s article of collector cars from the 2000’s published a little while ago, I took on the decade of the 90’s. Truly, it’s difficult to pick just 5 cars from this era. So I thought I’d narrow the focus even more, and be specific on what kind of collector car we are picking here. I’ve picked 5 cars that are fun to drive, ridiculously reasonably priced right now… but will increase in value by two, three, maybe four fold in just a few years. We already know that cars like the NSX or Integra Type R, or any of the various JDM icons of the 90’s will hike up in value. Those are obvious. But what about the every-day kind of car?
Since this clearly isn’t investment advice (what investor would tell you to buy a Ford Contour?), we approach this article from the sense of having a quirky conversation starter from the 90’s that is fun to drive, and may one day be worth a bit more. Rarity, affordability, and fun-factor are a tough combo to throw together, but we feel the following cars are worth owning, and keeping.
1990-1994 Plymouth Laser
The one to get: 1993 Plymouth Laser RS AWD Turbo Gold Edition
“Cold feet” could describe the short but interesting life of Diamond Star Motors. From 1985 through 1995, Mitsubishi made cars in conjunction with a long established relationship with Chrysler. They even set up shop in Normal, Illinois, to make some cars. One of which is the car you see here. Plymouth’s Laser was a sibling to the Eagle Talon, and Mitsubishi Eclipse. And essentially was an identical twin.
Competing against itself with identical badge-engineered cars led to its short five-year life. But one model, the Laser RS Turbo AWD has all the right parts. Powered by the epic 4G63T, and paired with all wheel drive starting in 1992, the Laser RS Turbo AWD is the best Eclipse that wasn’t actually an Eclipse. 195 horsepower is available in this setup, and the only gearbox is a 5 speed manual. As it should be.
1998-2000 Ford Contour SVT
The one to get: 1999 Contour SVT in Tropic Green
The Contour SVT confused a lot of people. The sales figures reflected this. From 1998 to 2000, just 11,445 were made. Fewer exist nowadays. Or it seems like fewer exist (when is the last time you saw one?). The car was a bit of an oddity from Ford in 1998. The aim was to take down the likes of BMW and Mercedes in the small sports sedan segment. The problem is, no one was really taking Ford seriously at the time. And the Contour had none of the provenance and luxury of the Germans.
The Contour, having been around since 1995 was about as exciting as manually building spreadsheet formulas. So when the SVT finally came around, it was almost too little, too late. Still, with 195 horsepower (upped to 200 in 1999) V6 that sent creamy smooth power to the front wheels, and a 5-speed manual, and sport tuned suspension, it had all the right ingredients.
It genuinely has motorsport pedigree, too. BTCC Ford Mondeos were epic racers back in their day, and the SVT team borrowed lessons learned at the track to apply to this car. But it seemed like no one was paying attention to the hype.
Sadly, most of these cars are in sad shape when they pop up for sale. Which means you can get them absolutely dirt cheap. If you’re interested in putting a bit of manual equity into a car, this would be the one to pick. Personally out of the cars on this list, yours truly would pick the Contour SVT.
1991-1993 Nissan NX2000
The one to get: Any!
In the early 90’s Nissan peaked. It had yet to go absolutely bonkers with styling, and the VQ engine hadn’t quite earned any reputation yet outside of being a solid V6. But the NX2000 proved some things would be changing for the good. Though it would never get a VQ engine, the NX2000 definitely took a new approach to styling. Based on the very boxy B13 Sentra, the NX2000 is swoopy, with recessed in headlights and a fastback style rear end. It was a wild departure for Nissan’s rather reserved styling at the time.
The styling is very much “of the era” though (Impulse, Storm…), but more importantly, the NX has a hardware advantage over the square B13 Sentra SE-R. It has bigger brakes and a lower ride height, for instance. And in its time, Road & Track magazine pitched it against the worlds best handling cars. And it held up a mighty fight.
The NX2000 also benefits from the B13’s extensive aftermarket support. So if you buy one and want to drive it or even take it on track, getting that done is extremely easy.
1992-1998 Mazda MX3
The one to get: 1992-1994 MX3 GS
This particular car is another one of those personal picks, with no other reason than “just because.” I think the MX3’s styling is absolutely ridiculous. It’s not the most elegant shape out there, yet it’s not bad either, but I like what’s under the hood. At some point, someone in Mazda decided that the MX3 needed a V6. Well the only problem is V6’s are kinda big. And taxes of engines like this in a small car don’t work very well in international markets.
So they opted for one of the smallest production V6 engines ever to go in a road car. Internally, this engine is coded as the K8-DE. At just 1.8 liters, its output isn’t heroic, but 130 horsepower isn’t bad in a little hatch. What it lacks in overall power, it makes up with a properly great sound. The four cylinder versions of this car is great too, but when you can opt for a sweet sounding V6, it’s worth seeking one out.
1995-1997 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG
The one to get: Any!
Prices on the C36 AMG won’t stay cheap for long. And as we speak, the general buying public is starting to take notice. As a former W202 owner myself, I’ve been paying very close attention to these. But as of this very moment, the C43 AMG has the spotlight, leaving it’s older step sibling as a performance collector car bargain. And one with a pretty significant footnote in AMG’s history.
AMG officially became a Mercedes-Benz owned subsidiary in ’93 after a long standing relationship. As such, the C36 is the official first car developed by AMG in conjunction with Mercedes. Compared to the “Hammer” monster V8 cars of the late 80’s, this first AMG was a bit light on power, but not by all that much.
Power comes from a larger displacement M104 inline 6, with 276 horsepower available. The C43 gained only 26 horsepower over that number. So the C36 is no slouch. And yet, you can still find them relatively cheaply. Much like the SVT Contour, if you’re finding them on the cheap, it may be because they are in need of attention, but this genuine AMG model will increase in value due to its significance to the brand.
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Photos courtesy of OEMs