5 Performance Cars Collectors Are Quietly Buying

Predicting which used performance cars will become tomorrow’s collectibles is one of the trickiest games in the enthusiast world. Some models arrive trailing clouds of hype, only to flatline on the auction block years later. Others slip by almost unnoticed — until suddenly they don’t. The surest signal that a car is on its way to genuine classic status? Watch what serious collectors are actually spending their money on right now.

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That real-world collector demand is the thread connecting every car on this list. Nearly all of them are modern machines (with one genuine classic in the mix), and each offers something a new performance car simply cannot replicate — whether that’s a specific engine note, a configuration that no longer exists, or a platform so well-suited to personalization that owners keep making them better. If you’ve been thinking about pulling the trigger on any of these, the window may be shorter than you think.

Performance Cars

Mazdaspeed Miata (NB)

Average Used Value: $14,850

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1.8-liter turbocharged inline-4	6-speed manual	Rear-wheel drive	178 hp	166 lb-ft

Most enthusiasts know the NB-generation Mazda Miata and appreciate what it offers. Fewer, however, are aware of the Mazdaspeed variant that arrived in the final year of NB production. This version pairs a turbocharged 1.8-liter engine with the standard NB’s famously low curb weight, resulting in a noticeably quicker, more urgent driving experience than the base car. It’s rawer and more demanding than any compact sports car you can buy today — with the possible exception of an ND Miata or one of the Toyobarus — and that purity is exactly what collectors in the 2020s are chasing.

The Mazdaspeed Miata is the most affordable entry on this list, but its used values already sit meaningfully above those of a standard NB. Average used value for these cars is around $14,850. Pristine, low-mileage examples with the original engine have been known to sell for as much as $20,500, too. If you’re a Miata enthusiast looking for something that’s genuinely going to matter in the collector market in the near future, this is the one to watch.

Volkswagen Golf GTI VR6 (Mark 3)

Price Range: $5,700-$15,337

The Mark 3 Golf GTI spent decades languishing in enthusiast purgatory, widely dismissed as part of a lesser era for the nameplate alongside the boxy Mark 4. That reputation, however, has always overlooked one genuinely special ingredient: the 2.8-liter VR6 engine option. The VR6 is a unique design — essentially a V6 with all cylinders sharing a single cylinder head — that was almost exclusively the domain of Volkswagen. The narrow-angle layout delivered V6 power in a remarkably compact footprint, allowing it to squeeze into the Mark 3’s engine bay and transform the car into one of the great understated sleepers of its era.

It’s that combination of a distinctive engine and low-key looks that has finally pushed the GTI VR6 into collector territory. Time has also softened the old prejudice against it; without the shadow of the beloved Mark 2 looming quite so large, people are beginning to appreciate the Mark 3 for the genuinely characterful old-school hot hatch it always was.

Standard Mark 3 Golf GTIs can still be found at relatively modest prices — one Japanese-import example from 1996 sold for $8,000 at auction. But VR6 variants are pushing firmly into classic car territory. A 1999 car sold for $15,337 in 2024, compared with a 1998 example that went for $5,700 in 2020. If that trajectory holds, it’s not hard to imagine these cars commanding serious money from well-heeled collectors before long.

Dodge Magnum SRT-8 (2006–2008)

Average Used Value: $18,208

via: Mecum

While most station wagons are associated with school runs and grocery trips, the Dodge Magnum SRT-8 was built for a completely different purpose. When Dodge unleashed the SRT-8 variant, they essentially created a “muscle wagon” that had no real American rivals. It remains a cult favorite today because it represents a specific window in time when Chrysler’s Street & Racing Technology (SRT) team was allowed to be truly experimental, stuffing a massive 425 hp 6.1-liter HEMI V8 into a car that could also hold 71 cubic feet of cargo. Only 4,130 units were ever produced, and the 2008 facelift model is particularly elusive with just 239 units made. Collectors are drawn to the SRT-8 not just for its straight-line performance — 0–60 mph in 5.1 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds — but for its last of its kind character. A heavy-duty Mercedes-derived 5-speed transmission and Brembo brakes make it a surprisingly capable handler for its size.

For those who want the practicality of a modern SUV combined with the soul of a 1960s muscle car, the window to buy a Magnum SRT-8 at a sleeper price is closing fast. Average market value for a Dodge Magnum SRT-8 currently stands at $18,208 according to Classic.com, with a pristine 2007 model recently setting a benchmark sale of $49,500 at auction. The surge in desirability is largely driven by its extreme rarity and its inclusion on Hagerty’s 2025 Bull Market list.

BMW M5 (E60)

Average Used Value: $28,971

Bring a Trailer

There have been many great iterations of the BMW M5. The one that collectors are starting to lust after now, though, is the E60. The reason is immediately obvious: it’s the only M5 ever built around a V10, and what a V10 it is. That glorious, high-revving engine elevated a generation of M5 that was already controversial for its polarizing styling into something genuinely unforgettable.

As cool as the E60 M5 is, there are still quite a few owners who don’t want to contend with its well-documented maintenance and reliability demands. Many BMW enthusiasts seeking a fast E60 will opt for the less-powerful V8-powered variants, trading ultimate performance for greater day-to-day dependability. As a result, average used values for the M5 remain relatively accessible at around $28,971. That said, values are holding steady, and exceptional low-mileage examples are already fetching extraordinary sums — one sold for $150,555 at auction. Ultimately, the most committed collectors will pay whatever it takes to own a screaming V10 in an era when that kind of mechanical drama is all but extinct.

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6)

Average Used Value: $46,612

Chevrolet

The Z06 version of the C6 Corvette might not immediately read as a future collector’s car, but that’s precisely the direction things are heading — and the reasoning is straightforward. This generation of the Z06 carries an engine no other Z06 before or since has used: a fully modern, naturally aspirated big-block V8. Known as the LS7, it was the most powerful naturally aspirated engine General Motors had ever produced at the time, a distinction it held until the 5.5-liter flat-plane V8 arrived in the C8 Z06.

C6 Z06 values appear to have stabilized recently, with the average used price sitting at $46,612, and examples rarely changing hands below $30,000. But there are signs that values have further to climb. One super-low-mileage example sold for $82,500 — an almost inconceivable figure for a C6 Corvette not long ago.

Alfa Romeo GTV

Average Used Value: $49,585 (GTV 1750), $45,400 (GTV 2000)

Alfa Romeo

There aren’t many classic European sports cars prettier than the Alfa Romeo GTV. It delivers all the timeless Italian elegance you could want in a compact, manageable package. It may be the least powerful car on this list by a considerable margin, but its light weight — 2,288 lb for the 1750 GTV and 2,266 lb for the 2000 GTV — keeps it nimble and genuinely rewarding to drive. Beyond their appeal as stock collectibles, these Alfa Romeos are prime restomod candidates. Specialists like Alfaholics can take a standard GTV and transform it into something truly special, preserving the analog character of the original while modernizing key components for improved performance.

If you want one of these used, you’ll need to budget accordingly. The later 2000 GTVs with the 2-liter engine are the more accessible option, with average used values at around $45,400. The earlier 1750 GTV with the 1.8-liter engine has been in classic territory for longer and commands a higher average used value of $49,585. Whichever variant you pursue, it’s a car that the most knowledgeable collectors are actively seeking — whether they plan to keep it stock or unlock its full restomod potential.

Sources: Alfa Romeo, BMW, Bring A Trailer, Chevrolet, Classic.com, Mazda, Volkswagen, Hagerty