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These used cars are modern-day classics

Thirty years from now, these are the cars you'll wish you still owned. In fact, you may want to own them right now -- not just because they're great drives, but because many of them are appreciating in value.

Fox Van Allen
Fox Van Allen is a Los Angeles-based writer for CBS Interactive covering technology, tech lifestyle and gaming topics for GameSpot, CNET, ZDNet and TechRepublic. He has previously worked as a news and feature writer for a number of other sites, including Techlicious, Tecca, WoW Insider (Joystiq) and Blizzard Watch. In his spare time, Fox is an amateur skydiver, retro gaming and arcade enthusiast, 8-bit pixel artist, podcaster and Twitch live streamer.
Fox Van Allen
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1 of 18 Ron Perry/Transtock/Corbis

Toyota Supra (1992-2002)

Road racers are no strangers to the Toyota Supra line. After all, versions of the coupe had starring roles in four different "Fast & Furious" films, and the final A80 generation shown here is particularly sought after, especially in twin-turbo form.

Supras were sold in the States until 1998; Japanese production petered out in 2002.

Original MSRP (1996): $38,600
NADA Avg. Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): $23,500

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2 of 18 Transtock/Corbis

Behold: An untouched Supra

These cars have been especially popular with street tuners, making all-original Supras increasingly difficult to find. This example features a number of common upgrades, namely a body kit, wheels and a freer-flowing exhaust.

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3 of 18 Jay Leno's Garage

GMC Syclone

Think a car needs to be 50 years old to be classic? Think again.

There's a reason why the GMC Syclone is so sought after -- this high-performance pickup went from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds, quicker than any Ferrari available in the US at the time. Jay Leno loves its performance so much that he made a Syclone one of his daily drivers for a number of years.

You can take a tour of the comedian's Syclone on the Jay Leno's Garage YouTube page.

Original MSRP (1991): $25,500
NADA Avg. Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): $19,400

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4 of 18 BMW

BMW E30 M3 (1987-1992)

Simply put, the E30-generation BMW M3 was built to win races. And indeed, the 2.3-liter coupe rounded up a massive number of touring car championship trophies between 1987 and 1992.

Today, the value of these homologation specials are exploding, making them one of the hottest collector cars of its era.

Original MSRP (1988): $34,800

Hagerty Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): $55,800

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5 of 18 Transtock/Corbis

Toyota Land Cruiser J40 (1960-1984)

The two-door Toyota Land Cruiser J40 is one of the sturdiest off-roaders ever made. Though discontinued in North America in the early '80s, these workhorses continue to see regular use in some of the harshest environments on Earth, from the African desert to the jungles of South America.

Original MSRP (1984): $13,768
NADA Avg. Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): $11,000

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6 of 18 Derek Fung/CNET Australia

Toyota Land Cruiser, then and now

Here, a classic Land Cruiser (left) sits next to the Toyota FJ Cruiser (right), arguably the true inheritor of the model's legacy (today's Land Cruiser having increased in size, luxury and cost to something well beyond the original).

Because of the vehicle's sturdiness and versatility, classic Toyota Land Cruiser values have held up much better than most used vehicles, and indeed, SUVs of this vintage seem to be one of the classic car market to be heating up in terms of valuations.

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7 of 18 Tony Korody/Sygma/Corbis

DeLorean DMC-12 (1981-1983)

The DeLorean DMC-12 sports car, the only vehicle ever manufactured by the ill-fated DeLorean Motor Company, was not the most well-built car, nor was it the most comfortable or most powerful.

But the Irish-built two-door does have a compelling story behind it -- and an indelible link to the "Back to the Future" movie franchise. That, along with the passage of time, has turned the gull-winged DeLorean into a genuine collectible car.

Original MSRP (1981): $27,500
NADA Avg. Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): $26,400

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8 of 18 Vince Streano/Corbis

A sea of unsold DeLoreans

More than half of the 7,000 DeLoreans produced by DMC were unsold by the time the company went into receivership in February 1982. One reason why the car had trouble selling was its price -- the 1982 model had an MSRP that was thousands of dollars more expensive than Chevrolet's Corvette.

These days, demand for DeLoreans has been high enough to send the car back into limited production.

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9 of 18 David LeBon/Transtock/Corbis

Acura Integra Type R (1997-2001)

Created as a racecar, the 195-horsepower Acura Integra Type R was sold in the US solely to meet homologation guidelines. As a result, this rare car was a hot commodity on both tracks and in the street racing scene, so it should come as no surprise it was heavily targeted by thieves and chop shops.

Few pristine examples of the Acura Integra Type R still exist in the wild. Recently, Car and Driver's Colin Comer found a 2001 model with 4,500 miles selling for $45,000 -- almost double its original sticker price. Even though that particular seller was certainly being optimistic, the Type R is still a highly desirable car, and values hold accordingly.


Original MSRP (2000): $24,350

NADA Avg. Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): Data not available

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10 of 18 Gene Blevins/LA Daily News/Corbis

Ford GT (2005-6)

Designed after the Ford GT40 racing cars of the 1960s, the limited-edition Ford GT was a huge hit with collectors when it was introduced in 2005.

The 550-horsepower, two-seater sports car was so popular, in fact, that early versions sold for a $100,000 (!) premium over the vehicle's original MSRP. A period of lowered demand followed, but now, values easily exceed what the car cost when new.

Original MSRP (2005): $151,245
NADA Avg. Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): $270,200

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11 of 18 Jan Butchofsky/Corbis

VW Vanagon Syncro Camper (1986-91)

The boxy Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia Camper has amassed quite the cult following, and it's no surprise why.

Introduced in the US in 1986, the Westfalia Syncro was a four-wheel-drive camper variant of the VW Vanagon van. It had true off-roading capabilities, allowing you to camp out just about anywhere you wanted.

Original MSRP (1986): $18,875
NADA Avg. Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): $21,700

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12 of 18 Dave G. Houser/Corbis

Camping in a Vanagon Westfalia

The Westfalia camper version of the VW Vanagon features this pop-up roof, along with a sink, refrigerator and stove.

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13 of 18 General Motors

Buick Regal Grand National GNX (1987)

Shortly before discontinuing its Regal Grand National model, in 1987 Buick unveiled the one-year-only Grand National GNX as a send-off. It was built with a 276-horsepower engine and a larger turbocharger than the standard version.

Only 547 GNXs were made (all in black), leading Road & Track magazine to suggest at the time that it was a "serious special interest car" worthy of locking away as an investment. It was good advice if you could take it: A GNX with its original price sticker still in the window sold for $165,000 at a Barrett Jackson auction in 2015.

Original MSRP (1987): $29,290
NADA Avg. Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): $77,900

BMW 1 Series M Coupe - rear 3/4 view
14 of 18 BMW

BMW 1 Series M: A future classic?

It was not unusual for dealers to sell the BMW 1 Series M Coupe at a premium -- in some cases, for as much as $10,000 over sticker.

Today, the car not only continues to hold its value better than nearly all other cars of its era, it's now worth more than all other BMWs offered that year -- even cars that cost twice as much when new. Want one? Expect to pay more than the car's original MSRP.

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15 of 18 Edwin Remsberg/Corbis

Land Rover Defender 110 (1993)

When Land Rover brought the popular Defender 110 to the US in 1993, it did so in incredibly limited numbers. Just 500 of the 110-inch-wheelbase off-roaders were sold.

Land Rover swapped out the Defender 110 with the Defender 90 in US markets the following year, and today, both models are quite collectible.

Original MSRP (1993): $39,900
NADA Avg. Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): $65,900

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16 of 18 Edwin Remsberg/Corbis

Defender: The ultimate off-roader?

The all-white 1993 Land Rover Defender 110 wasn't cheap -- its MSRP was $39,900.

These days, it can be more costly to nab -- NADA suggests you'd need to pay anywhere between $39,200 and $91,400 to pick up a used one from the same model year.

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17 of 18 Transtock/Corbis

BMW Z8 (1999-2003)

Inspired by the BMW 507 roadster (1956-1959), the retro-styled BMW Z8 is an all-aluminum convertible with a 400-horsepower V-8 engine.

Only 5,703 BMW Z8s were built, with the majority being sold in Europe.

Original MSRP (2000): $128,000
NADA Avg. Retail, 'Good' (Mar 2016): $106,300

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18 of 18 Mike Ditz/Transtock/Corbis

BMW Z8: A stunning retro interior

Did we mention how much we're in love with the brilliant retro styling of this car?

The chief stylist of this car was none other than Henrik Fisker, who went on to found the eponymous Fisker Automotive, which gave birth to the beautiful-but-flawed Karma plug-in hybrid sedan.

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