I am having a conversation with a couple of my friends, One of which considers our cars NOT a classic. These car's are up to 30 years old now. I believe they are considered a class, By the states, they consider any car 15 years or older a collector car, I suppose its all what you think of them as, but i believe its a classic example of a sports car.

 

Personally I think they are. Your friends need to remember that not every '57 Chevy or '67 GTO is in mint condition and collectible. There are fewer and fewer 3rd Gens that are in really good shape. Plus the fact that they defined a period of time in sports car manufacturing. Look at the design of the cars, great handling, all 'round good looking cars.

 

yes they are and have been for a while -i don't really
care what the "'72 and earlier" collector car/speculator/
petrolania/type thinks...In the '70s,if you brought a
'66 gto or the like to a car show all the model A ford
guys would grimace and say"greasy kid car junk"-
what is classic or not seems to be generational...
I know teen to 30-something heads sure turn when i
drive mine and mine is not in pristine condition.

 

Yes, they are old enough to be considered a classic in most states. I agree with 8T2 that there are so few decent ones left that they get looks. I know I always get thumbs up, a horn toot, etc. while driving around and people are always telling me what a nice car I have at gas stations when I stop. At the cruise-ins I hear people say all the time that they never see the 3rd gens around and I know in this town there are only a few nice ones left and they are rarily seen. I guess it's because they got such a bad rap years ago that they aren't treated like the 60's Camaro's, GTO's, etc. Maybe in time the 3rd Gens will take off like the 2nd's finally did a few years back. In the meantime, enjoy what you have and drive the crap out of it when you can, that's what I do.

 

Thier is a big difference between classic and collectable. The newest third gen is 20 years old this year so therefore they are considered classics by most states and insurance companies. Collectable on the other hand, well, some are some aren't. Just like the definition of rare and desirable. Thier are a lot of rare cars out there that are not all that desirable so does that make them worth money? Nope, just like with third gens. Yes, they are classics but are people running out and storing them away? Not many.

 

Not a classic. That doesn't mean they suck, but they're just not a car most people identify with as being "cool". That being said, I still love mine and want to make it the best car I can, and I'm always surprised when I hear the occasonal compliment.

They are one of the most capable, RWD/V8 platforms still avaliable for cheap, so I do see a much longer future for these cars than most of their contemporaries.

 

They will be when we as a whole decide they are, and stop ragging the **** out of them and start taking care to preserve them.

As long as we just keep beating them into the ground as daily drivers and rattlecanning them, they will continue to not be classics.

 

No kidding man...every "I temporarily spray painted my car" post makes me cringe.

 

Don't know about "classic" but my car is now considered an antique in my state (over 25 years old).

 

It should be noted though that clean ones do get noticed. I had mine out this morning at a couple dealers to get some things taken care of, and at one dealer one other customer struck up a conversation about my car, complimenting it. I then went to the next dealer and the guy who checked me in for service and took down the VIN loved the car and told me how clean it was, and then the service tech loved it too and told me about the TTA he used to have. Then when I was driving it back to my storage garage when everything was finished, a fifth gen came driving up from behind and as he passed me he gave me a big thumbs up; even I didn't expect to get any respect from a fifth gen (certainly don't remember getting so much as a look from fourth gen owners), so it just goes to show that over the years these cars have become noticeable, as long as they are clean. To be honest, the thumbs up from the new SS made my day.

 

Same thing in NJ,25yrs. and it's considered Historical.

And I agree with Puma,the clean ones always gets noticed.

 

These cars are definately Classics. Keep care of them and keep them nice.

These are IMO transitional muscle cars, late 70's and into the 80's high hp was non existant, so they made these cars fun by gearing them, making them look cool, and above all, it was one of the first muscle cars, that really handles well.

 

They are "classic" in the sense that they (some, anyway) meet the statutory age limits.

Boring.

They are NOT "classic", in the sense that the GENERAL PUBLIC couldn't care less.

You can't compare these cars to 50s ones, or 60s muscle cars. Their "image" has not followed, does not currently follow, and will NEVER follow the same "trajectory" as some of those others.

To give you some idea, the 57 Chevy was the single highest-selling car until the 64 Mustang. Think about that for a minute.... in 1958, an OBSCENE proportion of the total cars on the road, were 57 Chevys. When I was in HS, early Mustangs were a**h*** cars; EVERYBODY had one (except me), and they all STANK. How about NOW?

These cars, no fault of their own, are simply not in that same class. The whole culture of our society had changed by the time these were new. They are not now, never have been, and never will be, what the 57 Chevy is. Has nothing to do with "the car"; it's a matter of everything else around it.

"Noticeable" is not the same as "desirable". If I saw Khloe Kardashian walking down my street, I would "notice" her. I would STILL think she's uglier than homemade sin, and twice as expensive, and I SURE AS HELL wouldn't go out of my way to "acquire" her.

 

No sheet. I agree totally.

Some of the things I read around here what people do to their 3rd gens makes me sick. God, please, if you want to trash a car go trash an Oldsmobile Alero or something, not an freakin' IROC.

 

Yes, they are classics...in my state my 1985 is old enough to register as an antique.

 

We consider them cool but to the general public they're not considered cool. They could be, given that they're very competent cars overall and pretty much everyone between 35-50 has either owned one or known someone who did. But for whatever reason, they ended up being associated with the uncool, like ******s and low end type people. We need the media to step up with these. Maybe cast a few in movies where they're portrayed as desirable cars?

 

I disagree with that, I've never had comments are questions about any other car I've owned. But in the short week or two I had my camaro on the road, I got asked what year it was at a gas station, which shows interest. Despite it being in rough shape appearance wise.(desperate need of a new paint job and some bodywork).

 

I'm probably showing my age here but to me there haven't been any Classic cars since the '30s . When I think of true Classic cars I think of cars like Duesenburg, Cord, Packard and Cadilac all from the "golden age" . These cars were hand made for the most part and only made in small numbers. They were very desireable when new and still are to this day.
Certainly some mass produced cars from the '50s are now very desireable but only the top of the line models for the most part.
Does any one think that 50 years from now any 3rd gen will be highly sought out by serious collectors? I doubt that anything produced in the 80s or 90s will be.
There is a place for our cars, especially nicer examples, but they will never be classics.
In Wisconsin any car over 20 years old can be registered as a "collector car". I've seen rust bucket Dodge pick-ups with collector plates so that designation really means nothing.
I hate to burst anyones bubble but classic car and 3rd gen don't belong in the same sentence. Having said that I have to say that I love my 3rd gen Camaro.
Just for the record, I also own a 1st gen and I don't consider those classics either.

 

Don't care what the public thinks, I dont follow the crowd-I think 3rd gens are cool.
Khloe K and her family are over-rated. I dont see the correlation between 3rd gens and Hollywood stars. Stars and cars, I'm sure no one like that would be caught dead driving a 3rd gen. Some day, all of us enthusiasts will get our moment.

 

in my experience with my z28 at least,the general public
does think thirgens are cool;heads turn,visitors want a
close look,kids want to look inside,they ohh and ahh
over certain features,etc. It's graybeard collector car
hobbyist types that seem to be the ones who dislike
thirds-it's weird,sometimes i wonder if they are bitter
about thirds being the"new wave"muscle machines-
"doing in" the old 1970 origin 2nd gen... If i ever
figure out what the 3rd gen stigma is with this group
i'll report my findings here

 

I couldn't agree more... worthless trailer trash with lots of money.

The connection is, "noticeable" vs "desireable".

"Classic" means alot of different things depending on what's being discussed. With respect to cars, it typically refers to the "highly desireable" ones from days gone by. Doesn't mean just "more than xx years old". It refers to something a bit more generalized than that, when cars were more a centerpiece of pop culture than they are today. Or for that matter, more than they have been since the early 70s.

That's pretty much the dividing line... the combination of the Arab oil embargo, and the beginning of the emissions era. Before those things, and after those things. The end of one era and the beginning ... of none.

These cars are "after". While as cars the fastest ones are competitive with (or even better than) the 60s muscle cars, popular culture, and the place of cars in society, had moved on from the era of the now "classic" cars long before these came out. They didn't have at the time, do not now, and NEVER WILL have that same kind of aura about them, no fault of their own. They were simply born into the wrong era.

And it's not just these cars. Mustangs from the same time frame are in the same boat. Even Vettes. They're just .... not ..... all that. Again, no fault of their own; they were the best the industry could do at the time, and weren't far behind their more "classic" predecessors; but, they didn't occupy the same place in the mind of the public, no matter how much we here like them.

 

I dont consider mine a classic, but i do consider it a car you would never see on the road on a daily basis. I get compliments at gas stations, at the mall, or in general. So many people working the drive thru fast food places love talking to me about my car when i got it or generally ask me what year my car is and that they love it and never see one around. There not classics but but they do get recognition through general public, especially a clean well maintained third gen will. Accept most younger people or snobs with money in that age group that wouldn't even look twice at a third gen. The market for third gens are limited to the right enthusiast if there a muscle car person or if its just a GM fanatic that collects.

 

I consider my 82 Z28 to be classic. I think a "generation gap" is why most people don't consider them classic. Some of my friends have it in their head that only the 50-70's cars are classics or muscle cars, they don't grasp the concept that time didn't stop and now these cars are the ones we dreamed of as kids!

 

The original muscle car era hold a different view in people's eyes because the hp and performance dropped off drastically in about '73. This is also when the hp ratings were changed. Consider it a double whammy. The hp calculation changed which lowered the numbers of the same cars while the gov't imposed all kinds of regulations. The 60's cars were considered classics in the late 70s.

I remember in 1984, I used to ride my bike to a pizza place in NJ. The pizza shop owner drove a '73 Cuda that he had custom painted with nice rims and tires. We all drooled over that car as being so "old" and it was only 11.

The other reason they are considered classics is because the cars weren't built well and could easily rust in less than 5 years. If the car was able to last 10 years, you had a winner. The 3rd gen cars don't fit the same mold. Our cars were built better and obviously more of them lasted longer without requiring a restoration. We also didn't experience another crash in the hp ratings after our generation. We experienced the opposite, rising hp ratings.

The thing that "will" help the 3rd gen is the fact that they were the car to have in the 80s. Everybody wanted one and very few of the teens had them because of their cost. Their were a few at my high school and everybody treated them like gold. That generation is now in their 40s with kids either entering college or are a few years from it. It won't be long and those that wanted in the 80s and couldn't get, may be in a position to get one.

The economy is also different today. The generation that holds the 50s and 60 cars with such high regard are the ones that also profited from a booming stock market, housing prices and retirement plans. Our generation will be lucky to retire and have any money to retire with. I have plenty of friends that are retired and they travel, buy new cars and enjoy being retired. I make a good living and can't afford new cars, travel or thoughts of retirement. It's a different time!

 

Here in Ohio any vehicle 25 years or older can get historical plates, I have them on my 87 TA right now. I use to see 3rd gens all the time and knew alot of people that had them as DD's back 8-15 years ago, now you just don't see them. My car gets alot of looks and people like it, but the 72 granny green Nove 2dr I had last summer got way more looks and conversations then my TA and my TA is a much nicer, better car.

IMO the 3rd gens will never be as cool as a 77 Trans Am SE or a 70 Z28, but they are still very cool cars. I just think they got a very bad rep back in the day as the trailer park hot rod as they use to be dirt cheap used. I have always liked the 3rd gen's and the TA's were my fav so that is why I got one. I love the T-tops. Down the road the low mileage clean one like mine should bring some good cash, but it's a waiting game. I think IROC's and TA's are cooler than Vette's of the same year and the 3rd gen's will always be worth more and cooler than alot of other 80's cars

 

Don't know where you were in the 80s and early 90s, but the 2nd gen had that same stereotype and were dirt cheap, even the 77 TA SE. I had friends in high school that had 2nd gens and they weren't as "cool" as the 3rd gen at the time. The fourth gen is moving into the trailer parks now and are becoming very cheap for the daily drivers.

 

It's important whenever discussing 2nd gens to split the generation into two; '70-'73, and '74-'81. '70-'73 are regarded just as highly as first gens, and deservedly so. The later cars still aren't worth anything, comparatively.

As for the fourth gens, those hideous cars will likely never exceed thirdgen values in the future; the fourth gen guys really thought their turds didn't stink with their gaudy, plastic cars with forgettable style just because they had a nice engine. Now that the fifth gen is out, where does that leave fourth gens? Arguably as the least desirable generation of Camaros. They are hands down the ugliest, most forgettable generation with the stigma of the late-'90s GM interior, and their engines aren't exactly all that and a bag of chips in comparison to what the fifth gens have. In other words, they aren't great at anything. At least thirds have steel-bodied style to make up for the lack of performance. If you want a good looking car, buy a third. If you want a fast car, buy a fifth. Who would want to buy a fourth? Off to the trailer parks they go.

 

Its ok not to like a car, But its not cool to put the people down that owns them

 

Actually it sounds to me like he is blaming the car for a crappy experience with an owner of one. As someone that has owned both a 4th and 3rd gen, I strongly disagree with his statements and suspect he hasn't driven or owned a 4th, they are worlds ahead in performance, my 4th gen was much more structurally rigid, hardly any body roll whatsoever either, and with 200hp and 230ish torque, as quick as half the v8 thirdgens. Which comes to no surprise that a v6 5th gen is as quick as half the v8 4th gens, that's the cycle, yesterdays v8s barely any faster than today's v6s. As for the plastic, is cheap, easy to fix without special tools, and lightweight really such a bad thing? I will however concede that they were not the best looking cars, I blame the headlights, they loooked great from the side and the back, but the headlights really ruined it all, and the newer style looked like sebrings, but they weren't what I would call unnatractive. And imo, their other traits made up for it. They even canted the radiators in those things to get the nose low, like they do on the vettes. Fiberglass roof, fenders, doors, nose, bumper, kept the weight and cost down. But that is all off topic anyways.
More on topic, 3rds are rare enough now, esp in good condition, and enough people aren't used to seeing them, such to draw attention, that I would consider them classics, imo thats what makes a car a classic more than anything else, something old, and uncommon enough, that it turns heads that don't turn for something that doesn't stand out from the crowd.

 

I agree with your comments about the second gens, but you're way off on the fourths. An LS1 fourth does everything better than a third except it doesn't look as good doing it. Fifths outperform LS1 fourths as well, but not by as much as the HP ratings would make you think because of the extra weight. The fourths that are off to the trailer parks are beat up, a well cared for LS1 fourth still commands a pretty good buck for a 10-15 year old used car - check the for sale ads.

 

Right, but beyond performance, which I conceded they had, they have virtually nothing going for them. It's the typical GM affliction of the last 15-20 years--have a great engine, surrounded by low-quality garbage. It's like GM isn't capable of thinking through how to build a complete package. You get a car with a great engine, and then it's saddled to some ugly, bloated plastic with the world's worst interior. Beyond the engines, everything else is just a poorly executed afterthought. It's like all the negative press that the thirdgens got surrounding the annoying, oddly-shaped hump in the passenger floor (ever sat in another car without a flat floor? Can't say I have), yet when GM built the fourth gen, they decided to run that hump for another 10 years...it's like they just don't get it. I've driven a fourth, and I've had many GM rentals over the last few years, they are all the same. Soulless, cheap, ugly, bloated (all of the Big 3 are guilty of this), and uninspiring. I do like GM, and though I am critical of them, I'd like to see GM get out of the hole its in. It would be nice to get excited about something again. C7 I suppose, but I still have too much hair to join that geezer club.

Sorry, but C6 excepted GM hasn't built anything remotely good looking since 1992 IMO. Even the C5, while it did look good on the outside, had the same generic, shameful gaudy bubbly plastic interior with big old Fischer-Price radio *****. An embarrassment for a $50k car.

Like I said, fourth gens are going to go down as not so desirable. Where are the LT1s today? In the shadows of the LS1, which is now old tech and in the shadows of all the other LSx engines; it's just a matter of time before enough of the new ones are created and used in trucks that Joe Dirt can put one in his thirdgen, making the LS1 swapped cars look as odd/out of place as the LT1 swapped cars look now.

 

Coming from the 2nd gen world I will say that I consider my 79 to be more classic than my 85. Don't get me wrong I love the 85 it is just doesn't feel classic to me. It may just be that it is more refined and just feels more modern that makes it not feel classic. But I will say even though my 85 looks tired right now it does get a good amount of looks and compliments. Not as much as my 79 but that is probably just because it doesn't look very nice yet.

 

What makes my car a classic is the fact that it will never be sold. Miles are kept strictly low and car is being handed down to my son. And from him on down. Its been in my family since new and will stay that way. My car is an heirloom.

 

First off i was not trying to put anyone down for where they live, just saying that's how alot of people see the F bodys is all. See I love all second gens so they are all cool to me. I am not a fan of the 93-97 4th gens, but the 98-02's are sweet and still bring good money for the v8 cars around here.

I can tell you this I had a 1990 Mustang GT and it was a fast car with only a few bolt on's, but the build quality is not there compared to the 3rd gens. The fox bodys feel cheap and small, but I do find them eaiser to work on than my TA. Over all I think the 3ed gens are great cars for there time and my TA still runs, drives and stops great for a 25 year old car. I mean my car is loaded, T-tops WS6 auto and it was only like $18,500 new, but in todays money I guess that would be like mid $30's LOL!

 

I have to agree with puma on this. Third gens didnt get all there hype over HP. But they looked very good, had a better interior than the mustangs. Only reason you see 4th gen getting so much respect is because at the end of 3rd gens run GM nailed down the HP starting in 93 and up. But the 93 up body style is hideous in compared to looks. You basically have a re shaped third gen on a similar chassis only 4th gens came with upper control arms, third gens didnt. there fat in shape the interior is more modern but i feel like im in a chevy venture van with virtually the same interior. Sorry its the engines for me if they keep there value, the styling is hideous though.

 

I had a 4th Gen, a '99 SS, and it was ok in terms of handling and it was fast but I didn't like the styling, and still don't. It looks too GM corporate, almost like a Cavalier from the same era only with slightly different proportions. Too '90s. FWIW, I don't think I've seen a nice 4th Gen in years. They're still around but they're all junky.

I don't see nice 3rd Gens coming and going every day but I do see them periodically. Saw a nice blue late 1980s IROC driving around yesterday in fact, and I know of four decent 3rd Gens that are kept in garages in my immediate area, including mine.

So maybe the "stigma" that we all know about (whether we like it or not) is fading away. I always found it interesting that the 1979-93 Fox body Mustangs didn't get the stigma, even though they were just as popular with the same demographic.

 

Third gens will be classics soon enough. There are far more thirds getting parted out every day than cars getting restored. Check the classifieds, at least 2-3 new posts every day of decent cars getting parted out, only to then be scrapped.

 

Yeah I have no idea why the Fox body Mustangs never got that trashy rep that the F-bodys did. When I got my Fox body back in the day no one said rock the ******, but when I got the TA a few weeks ago I head that alot. I can tell you that alot of the guys on the Mustang boards are not near as nice as what I have seen on here. Stang guys are very cocky for some reason?

I do see alot of trashed 3rd gens on CL and very few nice one's that is why when I seen the listng for my car I called right away and made sure I was the first one there. Sure I have had a rocky start with my car, but it's a 25 year old car that was not driven much at all and not alot of up keep done so I get to make up for it.

 

Classic by law and classic by perception are two very different things. By law, some thirdgens are classics (and that law varies state to state). By perception, we have a ways to go. Many people feel nostalgic, but they don't view these things as classics in the way they view a car from the 60's. By the time people view these as classics, they will have been legislated off the road.

Disagree... here's what I think looked good since 92:

C4 and C4 ZR-1
94-96 Impala SS
96-97 Camaro SS
98-02 Camaro SS
98-02 Trans Am WS6
01-04 C5 Z06
98-00 C5 Hardtop
05-present C6 Corvette in all forms
08 Pontiac G8 GXP
08 Pontiac Solstice Coupe and Convertible GXP
10-present Camaro
09-present CTS-V
All Chevy and GMC full-size trucks with the following exceptions:
03-06 "Angry Headlight" Silverados
The plastic cladding Avalanche

As for interiors, well... All I'll say is I cringe everytime I see a 4th gen interior installed in a thirdgen.

 

Thank you all for your input, Obviously its a game of opinions, But for what is worth they are getting very old, and i see very little of them on the road today, but i sure do put my hand out the window and wave every time i see one, clean or rusty. I love my thirdgens because when i was little my parents friend had a red iroc convertible, and i thought that thing was the coolest car in the world haha.

 

If you were around back in the day, you'll definitely recall that the automotive aftermarket totally kissed a-- to the 5.0 crowd. Scores of companies made underdrive pulleys, superchargers, shorty headers, cat back exhausts, and all kinds of goodies for the 1986-93 EFI 5.0. There were several magazines dedicated exclusively to the 5.0 'Stangs. The parts and magazines have largely disappeared now along with most of the cars but between 1987 and 2000 or so, you couldn't avoid them.

Our cars never got that kind of aftermarket support or media attention. Sure, you could find speed parts for them (like from SLP and Lingenfelter) but nothing like the 5.0 crowd had access to. I don't recall any Third Gen exclusive publications either, though I could be wrong on that. I think that's maybe why 5.0 Mustangs are considered "cooler" at this point. It's also why it's generally harder to find an unmodified 5.0 Mustang than it is an unmodified TPI Third Gen.

 

Ive own both a 4th and 3rd gen, Just bought the 3rd gen 3 weeks ago I get more compliments in my 3rd gen, maybe because its a convertible, then i do in my 4th. To my knowledge i have the only 3rd gen firebird convertible in my town, seen a few irocs and rs's, Weather they are worth something or not the girls like it and so do I

 

Abso...frickin...loutly

 

They are classic cars, but only the high option cars will ever be desirable. The rest will either get donated to the junk heap after being driven into the ground, or will be modded and rebuilt to bring new life into the 3rd generation of cars.

According to the technical terms then yes, some years of thirdgens are considered classics.

I get compliments and nods on my GTA all the time. Is it original? No way. I probably should have sent it to the junk yard instead of buying it. But I made a decision based on my heart and here I am 10 years later with a car that I've poured way too much blood, sweat, and tears into. Oh and money. But its a nice car now, and will continue to get nicer, but will never be that "nice" thirdgen. It will always be daily driver status, rock chips, paint imperfections, and creaky seats.

I may eventually just strip and cage the car while keeping it street legal.

 

None of this has changed; there is still a huge aftermarket and there are still dedicated magazines.

The reason for this is simple; 5.0 guys will pay for parts, we won't. Hell, even SLP and Lingenfelter gave up on us.

 

I think that we are at a end of a automotive era so to say.
Couple years ago- 60s(cool) 70s (easier to obtain yet cool) 80s (the cheap beaters) 90s (new tech)
Now it seems- 60s (rare) 70s (harder to obtain nice yet very cool) 80s (easier to obtain yet becoming cool) 90s (the beaters) 10 (new tech)

i mean the third gen was my first car and at the time was the cheap kids beater but was still unlikely to see on the road. Now it seems 3rd gens are in a half and half between kids beater/ to nice project to enhance or restore. and that 4th gens are becomeing outdated and becoming the cheaper beaters (trailerpark kings) and im not only seeing this with camaros but mustangs as well and dont get me wrong there are some real nice 4th gens but there very rare too see due to them getting beat to a pulp.....which are third gens seem to be over with this phase and are becoming the cheap car to fix up right. Am i making sense? idk imo seems whats happing ,so yes i can see these cars becomeing "classics" sooner than u think

 

Puma, slightly off topic but if I drive my 92 z28 everyday, which I do as it is my daily driver, and keep it in very, very nice condition, is that a bad thing? I am very careful with it and yes, I do step on it if the vtech in the next lane tries to pull something. If something goes bad, I replace/fix it. I am not being antagonistic, just clarifying if you mean we shouldn't daily drive our cars or should just keep them really nice if we are going to.

P.S. Its identical to yours just with the 92 spoiler and ground effects.

 

Thirdgens are not bits of pretty jewelry to be admired and never driven.

The only time I don't drive my car is when I am improving or fixing it. I have a daily driver that I love driving, by it doesn't make me grin like an 8yr old boy when I step on the loud pedal like the GTA does.

 

I am not sure if I consider them classics that need to be preserved. Then again mine is a Frankenstein and I will probably never go crazy with it. I can imagine many will be angry with me but my car will enjoy rattle can paint and other "shade tree" fixes with the exception of the mechanical aspects. Just don't want to spend 3k on paint for a 2000 dollar car. Hell I could probably pull my motor and trans and sell it for more than the entire car.

Some of the more rare option I guess should be preserved but to be honest even if I had a perfect TTA I would still shove a 6speed into it.

 

They will be considered as classics soon, I'm sure of that.
I've been looking for early 3rd gens for the past four years and have noticed a strong increase in the price they sell (it's still low though), and the interest they bring.
Most people I know that lived through the 80's and early 90's (including myself) are nostalgic of that era.

I personally think they are the best looking high production cars of the 80's. I just don't see what they can be compared to. They're really a unique combination of sleek design, decent power, and relatively low price. They were the best bang for the buck. They lack only a few things to be true high dollar classics, like a mythical motor (the Buick Turbo V6 is one of those, but 1555 TTA isn't exactly rare), a beefier manual transmission, and more unique options on the later years. Early models are more like early 2nd Gens on that level.

The Fox Mustang might perform a little bit better but they are not pretty cars, the Dodge Daytona/Chrysler Laser aren't either, and they're FWD. In Europe, the only comparable car is the Porsche 944, but it was much more expensive so not really in the same category. Same for the Toyota Supra of the late 80's.