Hagerty Predicts the 8 Most Collectible Cars for 2023
Trying to predict what will happen in the collector car market has never been more difficult. The past few years have shown a truly wild list of cars blasting past $100k. I mean, who ever thought a ‘90s Blazer could be a blue chip car? That said, if anyone could predict the next new hotness in the collector car world, it’s Hagerty. Here are the 11 most collectible cars that Hagerty predicts will blow up in 2023.
1985–93 Saab 900 Turbo
Price Range: #1 – $29,800 #2 – $23,800 #3 – $19,000 #4 – $14,600
For the 1985 model year, Saab slapped a DOHC 16-valve head to its Turbo models, raising it to 160 hp. Over the years, Saab introduced a convertible version along with a naturally aspirated version.
No matter which version, these era Saabs were gracefully made and interestingly designed. In the words of Hagerty writer Stefan Lambard, “the 900 somehow still offers what Saab promised all those years ago. It may not be new, but the look of performance sure has aged gracefully.”
1991–98 Suzuki Cappuccino
Price Range: #1 – $22,000 #2 – $14,000 #3 – $8500 #4 – $4000
Holy JDM, Batman! This little eastern cutie was made for Japan’s minicar segment. The Cappuccino competed against the more popular mid-engined Honda Beat and the gullwing-doored Autozam (Mazda) AZ-1.
The Cappuccino stretched only 130 inches long and 55 inches wide. Its tiny stature allowed it to get the 3-cylinder 63-hp Suzuki classic also found in the 4×4 Jimny. Only slightly more than 26,000 were made, and a very small few have made it to America.
1968–70 AMC AMX
Price Range: #1 – $52,800 #2 – $34,500 #3 – $22,500 #4 – $13,500
AMC isn’t what most people think of when classic collectible cars come up in conversation. However, AMC made some pretty interesting and even some cool cars over the years. The AMX might be the easiest model to call “cool” of the lot.
Aside from having an aggressive muscle car look, the AMX was only a two-seater, much closer to a Corvette than a Charger. You could get the AMC AMX with either 290-, 343-, or 390-cubic-inch V8 engines. In the three years of production, AMC only made 19,134, making it a fairly rare car today.
2004–10 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Price Range: #1 – $430,000 #2 – $356,000 #3 – $276,000 #4 – $199,000
Meet one of the most underrated hypercars in the world. Hagerty has done well to include this in its list of upcoming hot collectible cars. This 617-hp V8-powered Merc is not for the faint of heart. “The dominant character of that car is the motor. It’s unlike any other Mercedes engine I’ve ever driven,” says Hagerty video host Jason Cammisa. “The engine feels rigidly attached to the chassis—you feel all kinds of vibrations, and it’s all good.”
According to Hagerty, this superpowered Merc is not only quick but also exceedingly rare. With 3500 examples slatted for production, Mercedes only ever sold 2,157 over six model years and five variants.
1984–88 Toyota Pickup 4×4 SR5
Price Range: #1 – $34,800 #2 – $22,700 #3 – $16,700 #4 – $6600
Known as the “toughest pickup truck ever made,” the Toyota Pickup 4×4 seems to be finally getting its day in the sun. The 22R engine is what this truck is all about; although it changed over the years by getting fuel injection and even an optional turbocharger, it remained a 2.4-liter four-cylinder for the most part. In 1988, the truck’s last year of production, Toyota ditched the four-pot for a 3.0-lier V6.
No matter the engine, this iconic little pickup has worked its way into pop culture through various outlets. The Toyota pickup is most famously driven by Marty McFly in Back to the Future. It was most famously destroyed by the lads at Top Gear in what became one of the program’s most memorable segments.
Nostalgia for the ‘80s is on the rise, and so are prices for the Toyota Pickup 4×4 SR5s. Get one while you can.
2001–10 Lamborghini Murciélago
Price Range: #1 – $382,000 #2 – $323,000 #3 – $262,000 #4 – $191,000
I doubt this car needs much introduction or explanation for why it might be collectible. That said, what you may not know is that the Murciélago was named after a bull of the same name, which supposedly endured 90 strikes by the matador’s sword before his life was spared to breed a line of hard-nosed little bulls.
Powered by a 6.5-liter V12 rated at 632 horsepower, the Murciélago has certainly earned its name. While the Murciélago isn’t at the top of most Lambo dreamers’ lists, Hagerty reports values have climbed 48 percent since 2019.
2003–08 Nissan 350Z Nismo
Price Range: #1 – $55,000 #2 – $39,900 #3 – $32,800 #4 – $16,400
This instant classic rescued Nissan from the shadows in 2003 with a hot 287-hp 3.5-liter V6 paired with a proper manual or automatic transmission. Nissan’s coupe was offered with a complicated roster of Base, Enthusiast, Performance, Touring, and Track versions, while the roadster came only in Enthusiast and Touring. Over the years, the hotter models got hotter engines until all models got a 306-hp powerplant in 2007. However, the Nismo is the cream of the crop; it still had the 306-hp motor but with a slew of other performance upgrades.
1936–47 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead
Price Range: #1 – $143,000 #2 – $101,000 #3 – $68,800 #4 – $46,600
I know this Knucklehead isn’t a car, but who’s counting?
The collector motorcycle market operates quite separately from the collector car market. While the 1940s isn’t the most collectible decade for cars, it is a different story for motorcycles.
According to Hagerty, the Knucklehead can in three versions from 1936 to 1938: The E, with 37 horsepower; the ES, for sidecar use; and the EL, with 40 horsepower due to higher compression. Because people like horsepower, more customers bought the higher output bikes, and Harley-Davidson dropped the E bikes in ‘38, making them the rarest and most valuable.