Featured Jay Leno's Picks for Next Generation Collector car includes PRIUS

Gen2 Prius one of the most important cars in history, IMHO

 

agreed ... our IconicGenII was noticeably odd/different, but only for the purpose of efficiency - rather than trying to look like anime.
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I love cars, and I especially love old cars. I've previously worked in automobile restoration. But I don't think car collecting has much of a future.

Time will not be kind to recent cars with all of their complexity and relatively exotic materials and manufacturing techniques.

 

My first car work was on cars from the 1930s. Simple, no training or special tools, cheap, any wrecking yard had an engine or a fender.

Every time I watch a collector car auction, I wonder who 10 or 20 years from now will want those cars. As we urbanize with no huge acreage or garages, where would they go? Are they the cars the next generation lusted after in their youth as the post-war babies lusted after the cars of the late 50s? Will today's kids ever get their heads far enough away from their screens to even see a unique car go by? Will cars be a shunned token of how we self indulged and thus willed them the environment they now live in?

 

Yeah, that's sort of what I'm getting at. I've got no kids of my own but I talk to my friends' kids here and there. Not too many of them are interested in cars in the general sense. One shared an opinion, he said he thinks it's like getting on a treadmill of expenditures and risk, and he's motivated to avoid what he perceives as a mistake that his parents made. I have no way to know if his opinion is shared by his age-peers, but the evidence tends to support it.

From the linked article:

I think it's likely that they'll build the nostalgic memory around the ice cream rather than the car that carried them to it.

 

Too true. Cars are expensive, to buy, maintain, insure, AND periodically replace. And they can take you to destinations that trigger impulse/convenience purchases, just generally foster an on-the-go lifestyle.

Strategies? Buy-and-hold longterm, self-maintain as much as possible, keep the usage minimal. Oh, and never buy them on time; pay cash.

Cold-turkey from cars is tough, think it best to gradually wean yourself.

 

I've heard Leno speak about Prius before.
He does seem to admire what they are.

Probably not his favorite vehicle to actually drive. But he respects the product itself.

My pick for a vehicle that, well, I'm not sure it would become a "classic" but a vehicle I think could become more coveted and valuable...

The Ford Thunderbirds from the early 2000's. The ones made for a short time, with the direct styling ques from the classic Thunderbirds.

Those are unique, I think good looking vehicles. They never gained a whole lot of popularity. But whenever I see one, I'm always impressed.
They have already become somewhat difficult to find and relatively expensive to buy compared to similar vehicles of the same age. But that would be a vehicle that I would think could become more coveted with the further passage of time.

I also like the Mazda Rx7, even though the rotary engine hampered it's overall acceptance.

 

the day i can call an autonomous vehicle to pick me up is the day i'll sell my car.

i think future generations will be happy to not own a car, when there is something just as convenient available.
depends where you live. currently, a car is a necessity, not a luxury in many areas.

 

Meh, so are dryer sheets, for some.

 

Agree. The rarity of the gen1 can make it more attractive to collectors though.

The rotary is why the car has a cult.

 

Mr. Leno certainly seems to know a lot about cars, however if I were an owner of some classic automobile, I don't think I'd enjoy seeing him drive my pride and joy! OK, I realize it's his show, but honestly, his driving technique could really do with improvement! (…for instance, the obligatory elbow out the window, the waving of his hands around when driving, the constant failure to keep his eyes and attention on the road (…or so it seems to this viewer))

 

We could always call it the Turd Gen. Given the propensity for head gasket issues. All joking aside I LOVE my 2010, even though I had to put an engine in it (especially because I had to put an engine in it).

 

Based on what I see, most of today's kids have no interest in cars like I did from my earliest recollection. Automobiles always represented an adventure to somewhere, away from the humdrum of our lives. Of course, while we're going somewhere exciting, why not travel in style too - something sleek or luxurious.

I guess I don't get why kids don't have the same feelings. is there no sense of climbing into a car to experience something new, or even travel to a beloved place? Maybe today's kids see cars as ridiculous, unnecessary status symbols, that are a pointless waste of desire.

Even if autonomous vehicles become prevalent while I'm still around, I'll still own a car to take out for a drive whenever I get the desire.

 

My own theory is that the latest generation sees cars as a way to spend a lot of time and money sitting in a metal box on a congested highway surrounded by too many people who hate them for being there...

...all of which really takes time away from the video games which normally provide them with an adventure to somewhere, away from the humdrum of their lives.

In other words, they invested heavily in a satisfying escapist activity before they were old enough to get driver's licenses and find places that were genuinely fun to drive. Now that it's just a risky expensive chore? the "olds" can keep it.

 

Surprisingly Jay Leno will put a Prius on his topics. As we all know he is more into the classics. Its nothing better or best but on his books, he has reasons behind it. Id say someone like Jeremy Clarkson would put up a topic on top gear. (don't know if he's still there). I even remember on his one episode the explosion of the Mitsubishi Stallion aka "Starion"