Its hard to contemplate what current car would be good. O fcourse anything high end like a Ferrari or GT3 would be a shoe in.

But, if you go back to a time like 1975, who would have thought a 240Z or 260Z would be such a sought after car today?

When I read the original question what first came to mind was what car will be in demand 40 years from now or will be really cool to hove and not as common as it is today?

Its tough to contemplate what will be a trend 40 years from now. I know I want another JCW in the next year or two.

Good choices here.... I would have had GT and Viper at the top of my list..... not sure about the Shelby, but not a bad choice. Ferraris are good choices...

I was also thinking...

Tesla Electric Car....

I mean... Gas is gonna be pretty scare, and pretty expensive in40 years... gonna need something with L'etric Power ! :)

http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=1

http://hackedgadgets.com/wp-content/...a-roadster.jpg

Terminator not included.

http://www.jalopnik.com/images/2006/...a_preview1.jpg

I hear this a lot about today's cars and I just don't buy it. What's more likely is that these cars will become easier to work on, as tomorrow's technology makes them seem dead simple. ECUs started showing up in cars 20 years ago, and I don't see anyone scrapping their mid-80s Carreras yet.

Tuning and diagnosing them will be lots easier once proprietary info is released and you can simply plug your laptop or PDA into the OBDII port.

I agree.

My 1987 RX-7 had better electronic control in it than the 1990 Porsche engine in my SC. Distributors? C'mon!

Guys were self tuning 2003 MINI Coopers with their laptops about 1 year after they came out.

Even my 20 year old RX-7 when it had its stock ECU could be flashed for tunability. (I have since installed a Motec)

Chrysler didn't take over Mercedes Benz, not even close. LOL.

I wasn't talking just the ecu's...but ALL the electronic stuff that I see as problems as connection corrode. I read the other day of a (Volvo?) that even has a heartbeat sensor, so the car would "know" that it has an occupant. We have some great tech minds here, but that may difficult to fix 40 years from now...seat heaters, sat nav units, the list goes on...all the stuff electronic that a car doesn't really need.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Electronics goes hand-in-hand with a now-pervasive "throwaway" mentality about consumer commodities that years ago (before everything from toothbrushes to flashlights to cars to appliances had microchips in them) didn't exist. Back then, stuff was meant to last - it was cost-effective to fix it if it ever broke. Now, not very. It's far easier (if something with a lot of mystical electronics doohickeys in it breaks) to simply chuck it and buy a new one. Obviously manufacturers love this.

But back to the issue at hand - cars. If a car's particular computerized thing-a-ma-bob breaks in 10 years, the owner is likely to either (1) ignore it, (2) deactivate or remove it, (3) bypass it, (3) replace it entirely, (4) sell the car or (5) repair it, more or less in that order. There will be FLEETS of broken-down crappily-made SUVs years from now with gaping holes in the dashboards where their navigation systems and DVD players and other crap used to be, back when it worked.

There will be LOTS of cars in junkyards that are mechanically perfect, but too expensive to repair that computerized thing-a-ma-whatsy that controls the such-and-such.

Sometimes, low-tech is better. I REALLY labored with the decision to purchase my '01 Mercedes. The ONLY reason I did was because I was able to get a 4-year extended warranty on it and because I was convinced that I could probably diagnose and repair any problems after that (it doesn't have an over-abundance of electronic crap, although it does have some stuff that's worrisome like computer control, ABS, traction control, etc.) But it's stuff I can probably figure out if I need to. If worse came to worse, I could transplant in a standalone EMS and have a running car, albeit without all the features. I know it's within my scope of knowledge/ability to keep it running for years - by hook or by crook.

There's no way in hell I'd get one of the newer cars that has so much electronics junk in it it needs constant "downloads" and other stuff (e.g. new BMWs, etc.) It's getting ridiculous. Wait until the terrorists figure out how to detonate an EMP device and it paralyzes half the United States without killing a soul. That's where we're headed. Heck, my friend's '03 BMW 325i (it's only a 3-series) has the fuse block PACKED. There's not a single open or spare fuse in it - over 75 fuses. It's been in the shop at least a dozen times for failures of various electronic thing-a-ma-bobs (altitude sensors, temperature sensors, etc.)

So what's my "perfect" car? Easy, an EARLY 911 - one with carbuerators. Or maybe a 914, if I could find one without rust (haven't seen one yet). I like my 944s and can figure them out and keep 'em running, but even they have a little bit too much electronics for my liking.

In general, I think automobile "quality" is inversely proportional to the amount of electronics crap stuffed inside. Electronics is a perfume for too many vehicles that are inherently, poorly-made pigs.

The disposable car theory is what got me going on this even before the "how long" thread. That video on Google with Jeremy Clarkson ripping on "US" cars as being disposable got me thinking- He's right. Nowadays cars, even Euro cars (sorry JC ) are built to be replaced within 5 years. I'm not sure about the computers, but I agree all the little electric motors and sensors in today's cars are going to be a future nightmare.

Yeah, Ferraris and GT-3s et al will be future classics. Again, like the GT, they're for the rich. There is no way I can afford one of those cars short of living in it. On the other hand, the old 911 was for anyone who really wanted one - even those with more modest means. So that car by today's inflated cost is about a $50k car, which, I gotta say, is a ***** load of money to me still. But that I can afford.

Again, it keeps going back to the Elise. Best as I know, it's still a fairly simple vehicle and in my price range. Here's one that I would like. Not for everybody mind you, but there's something about a green British sports car with red leather.

Elise

I get what you guys mean, but I still don't agree. That amount of electronics will seem like nothing to kids growing up with these cars now. My 1966 Rolls-Royce was touted as one of the most complex vehicles of its time, and when I opened the hood that first time, it was like a tinker-toy. Personally, my 325i and Z4 don't seem all that complex to me, and according to my teen-aged nephews I'm a fossil. :) Forty years from now, tinkering with an E46 M3 using a laptop will seem a hell of a ot easier than tuning a 911 with MFI!

I think there's a lot of truth to that.

I remember when many german cars came out in the late '70s, with their "complex" CIS injection system. I remember people saying the end of the DIY era was over because of fuel injection.

Once today's modern cars become "old" (say 10-15 years), the demand for DIY diagnostic tools will be there, and the market will fit it. Diagnostics will be easier than ever.

And, yes, today's cars use a lot of "plug and play" modules that when they fail, are not currently fixable, and must be replaced with an expensive OEM part. But, again, the market will take care of that when today's cars are 10-15 years old.

Today's cars don't use anything extra special or complex. The basic internal combustion engine is the same as 15, or even 50 years ago. The exhaust is basically the same. The only thing that has changed is the injection and engine management systems, but it's still just a bunch of sensors controlled by basic computers. For the overly complicated, unnecessary stuff like NAV systems, etc., there will be elegant ways to rid the car of it. That concept has been around for years. People have been replacing the hydropneumatic 911E suspension with "regular" suspensions for years, for example (same thing with the complicated self-leveling systems on many high end 80s bmws, etc.)

The free market, after-market, will take care of it, just like in the past. There's money to be made.

(It's already happening, BTW, with low cost OBD and OBDII tools which were not available 5 or 6 years ago).

Bob, I suppose the "right" answer is something like a Ford GT or something...but....
As a "car guy", I more or less like (or at least see SOME redeeming value) most any car I've ever owned including the crappy ones. I think there is no answer. I can't imagine owning just one car that would truly satiate my desire for cars for 40 years.

I've often thought that if by magic I could have 3, 5 or even 10 cars any way I want them. Custom built Porsches, street rods, gullwing Mercedes, 55 Chevy two door hardtops, etc. You name it...I'd STILL be watching Barret Jackson oohing and ahhing over every other car. I'd never be satisfied. Of course I would LOVE to have that problem but nothing would truly end my fascination with cars. I see things (albeit little things) to like in even minivans or oddball hybrid show cars that I'd never want to own...I just friggin like cars!

I think overall the classic car market divides along two lines for lasting value. High-end luxury cars, preferably convertibles, and rare high-performance or race cars. The latter start high and stay high; the former typically dip in value, then gradually climb back up. Try checking out the prices of a 60s or 70s Mercedes 4-seater convertible like the "ponton" or "fintail" cars.

So, affordable cars I'd expect to be collector cars in 20-40 years would be along the lines of the BMW M6 and M3 convertibles, the Mercedes-Benz SL, CLK and SLK AMG cars, maybe the Jaguar XKR cab, which all combine luxury, performance, and prestige. These are cars that will hit their low point at the 10 year mark, then start rebounding. They'll also have the benefit of being relatively scarce, since they're limited-run models and running costs will mean lots of them won't survive their nadir intact.

What makes this tricky to call is not all the electronics in the "throw-away" modern cars; it's the improvements in rust-proofing. Classic owners of tomorrow will need a lot more computer savvy, and a lot less welding know-how.

This is all moot for me, as I've already made my choice. When I'm older, I plan to be driving a 1966-1967 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. I miss mine, and always thought it'd make a nice ride for when I was older. Unfortunately, the days of this model RR being undervalued seem to be upon us - I bought mine in 2001 for ~$10k. It recently sold at auction for $19k. My contemporaries, whose taste would be similar to my own, are starting to discover its pleasures...