5 Cars You're Too Late to Buy… for a Resonable Price

I admit that there are cars out there that are still really cool and affordable. But, today we are not talking about them. Why? First of all, I don’t know what you like, so creating a list of cars you should buy is pretty tricky. Secondly, this list acts as a call for action. I want it to be the urge to go buy that interesting car while it’s still affordable. Don’t sleep on them, as people did with the ones on this list.

What I’ll show are cars that you can’t buy for reasonable prices anymore. And I’ll be doing that because I want everyone to understand and to learn to pull the trigger on the cars that still have really good prices.

This is just a list of cars that I find to be overpriced. Feel free to disagree, but that doesn’t change the fact that they aren’t as affordable as they used to be. I also want to mention that I’m referring to cars within a reasonable budget. Ones that were 4,000 - 5,000 dollars in decent condition until not too long ago.

#5 BMW E30

I still remember the moment I found out that an E30 was sold by a family member for 1,000 dollars. But that sale happened more than a decade ago. Nowadays, the DTM legend is going for insane sums that are nowhere near how much the car is actually worth.

It's an ‘80s compact sedan, so let’s get a grasp on reality. Your rusty, engine-swapped E30 is not worth 10,000 dollars. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good car, and it has a great racing background, but it made the list, so it’s overpriced.

#4 Honda S2000

Here’s another one that will upset purists. The screaming 9,000 rpm redline is divine, but paying close to 20,000 dollars for that is silly.

It drives great, and the top-down experience in a JDM package is to die for, but it was only worth it if you were to buy one a few years ago, certainly not now.

Putting this car on this list really pains me, as I love them dearly. But my love for the model has no match for my dire hatred towards overpaying for anything, so in you go, Mister S2000!

#3 Any classic muscle car

Boy, here’s one that will upset some people. I am in the process of learning to love muscle cars. And I really like them, but I can assure you that this process would go much faster if they were priced reasonably. I’m not talking about a particular model, but the ‘60s Mustangs, Camaros, and ‘Cudas instantly pop into my head.

Look, I love the way they sound, look, and the mountain of torque, but they are poorly made and handle like a scared cat on a wet floor.

Some are going for six figures, and that is downright ridiculous considering that 10-20 years ago you could get them for a few thousand dollars and a McChicken - and they should have stayed that way.

#2 Toyota AE86

Look, you will not turn into Takumi and your local parking lot won’t turn into Touge if you overpay for this car. It’s just facts.

They are slow and love to rust. They handle pretty well, but they are overhyped because of some anime - and that is as ridiculous as it sounds.

I did a quick search, and one is going for at least 20,000 dollars - for a small car that barely breaks 100 hp (101 ps).

#1 VW Beetle

This might seem odd, but let me explain. I love the Beetle. I love what it stands for and the happy-go-lucky looks. But I grew to hate it passionately. Why? Because it got so expensive. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around this price increase, but I can't fathom why.

It’s certainly not their scarcity, as production numbers are in the millions. They are easy to maintain, so that isn’t it either.

I get it, it is a cultural icon, but I still don’t think that it’s enough to justify 10,000 plus dollars for a decent one.

You might notice some strong contenders missing. The S-Chassis Nissan, the GT-R, or the Supra are getting boring. Yes, they are overpriced and so on - I’m tired of talking about them. Also missing is the Miata - it is missing because prices got so outrageous that nowadays I downright refuse to acknowledge its existence.

As I said, this list acts as an example to follow so as not to miss such opportunities. At the end of the day, buy whatever you want, it’s your money, after all, not mine. It’s just that I would steer clear of the ones mentioned above, among others. Keep your eyes peeled, because there are interesting cars out there that are waiting to get loved, and you won’t make your wallet cry with them.