These 1980s Cars Are Exploding In Value

The day isn’t far when cars could become part of a person’s investment portfolio, given how some models grow exponentially in value over time. The volatile market situation is also a great excuse to buy some heroes from the past with the aim of flipping them in the future and making a decent profit. The ’80s were a brilliant time in the car world, with the introduction of some legendary cars like the Ferrari F40, BMW E30 M3, and the Chevrolet Corvette C4, to name a few. 

There are a few cars from that time period that once fell by the wayside but are now picking up steam in the used car market. If you’re someone who’s starting to add to your car collection and want a few machines that could potentially appreciate in value, here are five picks that you could shortlist. This includes a Porsche, a Toyota, and a car made popular by a movie.

The DeLorean DMC-12 had character and became a cultural icon, but the company was mired in issues and never really kicked on. The cars themselves had numerous problems, with many arguing that it was one of the most style-over-substance car, built to look fast rather than to go fast. Despite not being an especially great car mechanically or from a reliability standpoint — even locking a celebrated late-night host, Johnny Carson, inside on the very first night he owned it — it still has takers in 2025, more than 40 years after sales ended. 

The DMC-12 is reported to have increased in value by approximately 74% since 2019, with some selling for around $75,000. The Carson DeLorean sold for $110,000 at auction in 2021, but that high price can be explained by its provenance. More recent auctions have fetched anywhere between $40,000 and $70,000, while “Back To The Future” DeLorean replicas have gone for higher, with one selling for $132,000 earlier this year.

Sticking to American cars, this one is stealthier than the DeLorean, with more go and the looks to match. The Buick GNX was a muscle car that packed quite a punch and stood apart from the plain ol’ Buick Regal that it was based on. The GNX was built in the final year of the second-generation Regal’s production, and Buick seemingly wanted to give it a royal send off with this special edition. Powered by a 3.8-liter turbo V6, the GNX produced 276 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque, launching it to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds under its sinister-looking hood.

Due to its limited run of 547 units and its unique status at the time, the GNX has only grown in value on the used car market, with the average price in recent years hovering around an incredible $180,000. In 2021, they averaged around $120,000, but by 2025, they had surpassed the $170,000 mark. Some have even crossed the quarter-million mark, with one selling at a recent auction for $255,000 — not bad for a car that originally went for $29,900 in 1987.

Air-cooled Porsches are all the rage, thanks to restomod gurus like Singer, and prices for used Porsches of that vintage have skyrocketed in recent years. One model that has appreciated — and will likely continue to do so — is the Porsche 930, which, despite its notorious reputation, keeps rising in value. The 930 earned the “widowmaker” nickname for being extremely fast and unforgiving, thereby cementing its infamous reputation. After its initial run with a 3.0-liter engine, the German car brand moved to a 3.3-liter engine in the ’80s, producing 282 horsepower and weighing just over 3,000 pounds.

Be it the regular 930 3.3 or the polarizing slant nose design, the car seems to be appreciating in value year by year. The coupe’s average selling price was around $120,000 in 2021 and now stands just over $150,000, while the cabriolet has risen from an average of about $90,000 to just over $154,000. The Targa version is the rarest of the regular 930, with only 297 produced, and its price has surged, with one selling for over $220,000 earlier this year. The slant nose, meanwhile, has exploded in value despite its unusual, racing-inspired front end, with the average selling price of the coupe and cabriolet far exceeding the $200,000 mark in recent years.

If you’re looking for something sportier, lighter, and with some racing pedigree, the Datsun/Nissan 280ZX might just be it. The 280ZX, which sold between 1979 and 1983, replaced the 240/280Z. While the predecessor has decreased in value, the 280ZX is reportedly becoming highly sought-after. Reports suggest that prices of the Japanese car have grown by 130% since 2019 and are expected to rise even further.

The car had a 2.8-liter inline six engine, which initially came in naturally aspirated form, making a modest 135 horsepower, before Datsun added a turbo to push output to 180 horsepower. The turbo version could accelerate from zero-to-60 mph in 7.4 seconds, and that, coupled with an upgraded suspension, made it a fun-to-drive car for its time. The 280ZX Turbo versions are highly desirable, with some pristine cars selling for as much as $41,500, while the naturally aspirated versions have fetched up to $30,000 in the past year. Datsun also launched a 10th Anniversary Edition in 1980, featuring a special gold and black theme, limited to just 2,500 units, and one of those cars sold for an impressive $47,500 this year. The 280ZX also boasts a notable racing heritage, having competed in both SCCA and IMSA events, with Paul Newman himself behind the wheel.

Speaking of ’80s Japanese sports cars, another model that often appears on various shortlists is the Toyota MR2, whose mid-engine, two-seat, rear-wheel-drive layout screams fun. The first-generation MR2, sold between 1984 and 1989, was initially offered with a 1.6-liter engine producing just 112 horsepower, achieving zero-to-60 mph in 8.4 seconds. A few years later, power was increased with the addition of a supercharger, boosting output to 145 horsepower and reducing the zero-to-60 mph time to around seven seconds. The MR2, though, wasn’t about going fast in a straight line as its focus was on getting through corners at pace, thanks to tuning from Lotus engineer, Roger Becker.

The MR2’s value has continued to rise, a subject that many enthusiasts of the car have bemoaned about on various forums, and it’s likely that it could rise in the future too. The supercharged versions of the first-generation MR2 have sold for between $15,000 and $25,000 this year, while the naturally aspirated versions are available for cheaper if you’re on a tight budget. The 1988 model year — which is the penultimate year for the first-generation car — appears to have the highest average price in recent years, at around $16,000.