When you hear that the much-maligned station wagon from TV's That 70s Show is up for consideration as a collectible car, you just know the collector car game is on the verge of some kind of paradigm shift.
But there it is, the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, chariot of choice for Eric and Donna and all their friends in the suburban Winsconsin of 25 years ago, right up there on Hemmings Motor News's 13th annual list of "sleeper cars".
Hemmings is a huge magazine listing old cars for sale across North America, and in its Special Interest Autos bi-monthly collector car version, editor Richard Lentinello picks ten vehicles for their "potential future appreciation in the collector marketplace, which is becoming increasingly dominated by mature Baby Boomers looking for the performance cars of their youth."
Lentinello used two criteria to make his choices: the vehicles had to cost less than $10,000 in the pages of his magazine, and-"except for truly exceptional cars-at least two or three years of the same model should have been produced to broaden the collector's chance of finding a good example."
Lentinello is quick to point out that "you should choose a car strictly because you like it. Don't buy an old car with the intention of selling it at a huge profit, since chances are great that you won't make any profit in the short term."
"When you decide to purchase an old car," he warns, "select the best example that is in solid, original condition. Beware of cars for sale that have just been painted, since in many cases fresh paint is hiding rust or recent accident damage. Also, give the underside a thorough examination. Weak and rusted out floors will cost thousands to replace."