20 Awesome 90's Cars You Should Consider Now

Por Autolist Editorial | March 12, 2020

If you were a young adult in the 1990s, you might have found yourself eyeing some of the dream cars available during that decade. Cars like the Toyota Supra, BMW 8-Series and the Mustang SVT Cobra were all big then, but they were also out of many people's price range. Some of these vehicles have become hard-to-find classics and are worth even more than they started. However, there are also some that have now hit an affordable price range.

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The classic 8-Series was sold in North America until 1997. It was a two-door coupe with classic 90s styling, including pop-up lights. The chassis was front-engine with rear-wheel drive and the main engine was a 4.0-liter V8, but a V12 was available. Transmissions included four and five-speed automatics and a six-speed manual. The 8-Series had a base price of $70,000 in the early 90s, but can now be found for around $10,000 for the V8.

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One of the hottest cars you could buy in the 90s was the SVT Cobra. It was produced between 1993 and 2004 model years with just under 80,000 cars made during this time. The 1994 redesign premiered a new body style and still included the 5.0-liter V8. The 1996 model year retired this engine in favor of a new 4.6-liter V8. Base prices of Cobras in the mid to late 90s hovered between $25,000 and $28,000 depending on the trim. Prices now are well under $10,000.

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The Syclone was a version of the GMC Sonoma built for high performance. Less than 3,000 trucks were produced and only in 1991. The Syclone truck offered a 4.3-liter turbo V6 paired with a four-speed automatic transmission and it was faster than a Ferrari from zero to 60. It was the fastest stock pickup truck in the world at that time. The sales were slow for this truck at a base price of $25,500 at the time. They can still be found in this price range today, but they can also be found as low as $10,000.

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The third generation of Mazda RX-7 was sold between 1993 and 1995 in America. It was a classic two-door coupe with a 1.3-liter twin-turbo rotary engine and either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. The RX-7 was considered one of the hottest small coupes of its time period, even though not many were imported to the North American market. Prices on the 1990s models of the RX-7 FD can be found under $10,000 now, but mint condition ones can cost over $30,000.

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The R32 generation of the Nissan Skyline GT-R was never sold in America during its run, but now the Skyline is a quarter of a century old and legal to import. The third generation, dubbed R32, was produced between 1989 and 1994. It was a two-door coupe with a front-engine, all-wheel-drive layout. The engine was a 2.6-liter twin-turbo inline-six and it was paired with a five-speed manual transmission. The Skyline GT-R had a boxy, yet sleek style with a rear spoiler. Prices on the Skyline are not particularly cheap, with most in the $30,000 range, but, for collectors, it's better than not being able to get it at all.

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The third generation of M5 was produced between 1998 and 2003 and it still remains one of the most classic BMW cars ever made. The E39 generation was also the first M5 to get a V8 engine in the 4.9-liter S62, which was paired with a six-speed manual transmission. This was a four-door sedan with clean lines and plenty of power. The original price was around $40,000 and they continue to hold value with a 2000 model selling for around $27,000 with around 100,000 miles.

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At first glance, the Lexus LS400 may not appear to be a dream car, but it offered a combination of luxury comfort, regal appearance and excellent reliability. Not only that, but they're fairly easy to find for under $10,000 in the present day. First and second generations of the LS400 were produced through the 1990s. These were four-door luxury sedans with a front-engine and rear-wheel-drive layout. A 4.0-liter V8 was paired with a four-speed automatic transmission for most models and then later a five-speed automatic.

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The C4 generation of the Corvette ZR-1 is undoubtedly one of the coolest Vettes ever made. It remains a masterpiece of technical ingenuity. The engine was a quad-cam V8, which happened to be the only overhead cam engine ever used in the Corvette. C4 model years were between 1984 and 1996 with ZR-1 versions being made between 1990 and 1995. The ZR-1 was pretty speedy for the time too as it did a zero to 60 in 4.4 seconds. The C4 ZR-1 can now be found for under $30,000.

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The MR2 was a classic 90s sports car by Toyota. It was small and light with a transverse mid-engine layout and rear-wheel-drive. The MR2 was launched for the American market in 1988 and was known for its design cues taken from the Ferrari of the time. It was available in a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic and a 2.0-liter inline-four or inline-four turbo. The MR2 Turbo can be hard to find in the present day, but it's usually available for under $10,000 depending on mileage and condition.

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The DB7 can now be found under $30,000, often significantly so if you search patiently. The mighty V12 engine didn't come out until the model year of 2000, but the 90s cars came with a 355-horsepower inline-six that provides plenty of pep. If your budget is a bit more strict, you could always look for the Jaguar XK8, which was very similar to the DB7. The DB7 was produced between 1994 and 1999 for the North American market with the inline-six. The V12 Vantage was produced between 1999 and 2003 for the North American market.

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The 300ZX twin-turbo is a more reasonable alternative to the cult classic Toyota Supra. The 90s generation of the car was sold in America between 1984 and 1996. It offered a 3.0-liter V6 and the same engine with a twin-turbo, which made around 300 horsepower. It had both manual and automatic transmissions available and coupe and convertible variants. Finding the twin-turbo 300ZX now is fairly easy with models in nice condition being sold under $20,000.

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The C5 generation of Corvette was produced between 1997 and 2004. It featured a hardy V8 that put out 350 horsepower and is considered to be near-bulletproof some 15 years later. The C5 can be found for under $15,000 these days, which is a steal compared to its original price of $37,495 for a base model in 1997. The C5 was available with either a six-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic. It also offered convertible, coupe and hardtop options during its production run.

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The Lotus Esprit from the 90s might be one of the most impractical cars on this list, and yet, there's really nothing else like it either. The S4 generation was sold in America from 1994. It featured a turbocharged inline-four in the earlier models before launching a V8 in 1996. The Esprit is known for being a maintenance headache, but it's fun and fast. You can find late 90s models for around $35,000 with less than 100,000 miles on them.

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The 968 was the successor and logical evolution of the 944, which was a well-designed front-engine Porsche. The 968 was made between 1991 and 1995 with a 3.0-liter four-cylinder that put out an impressive 236 horsepower. The Turbo version put out an even more impressive 305 horsepower, but this version is much harder to find than the original 968. You can find 968s with lower mileage for under $20,000, but they're still relatively rare.

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The 90s SL600 was part of the R129 generation of the SL-Class. One of the best, and most powerful, grand touring roadsters of the time period, the SL600 can be had for under $30,000 now, as long as you don't mind the expensive maintenance you're likely to encounter. The SL600 introduced in 1993 featured a 6.0-liter V12 engine that made 389 horsepower.

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The E36 generation of the M3 was produced between 1992 and 1999. The E30 generation that came before it has soared in price, but the E36 can be had for as low as $5,000 in some markets. The E36 M3 made for the North American market used a less powerful version of BMW inline-six of the time, which might be part of why it continues to be so inexpensive in the present.

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The Viper was a bit of a legend in the 1990s with its V10 engine and lack of modern driver aids like traction control and ABS. The first generation was produced between 1991 and 1995 and the second between 1996 and 2002. The original MSRP for a base model 1995 was just under $60,000. Now, you can find them for as low as $10,000.

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If you're looking for an air-cooled 911 Porsche, you'll need to have very deep pockets. However, the first generation of Boxster made from 1996 to 2004 is quite affordable now. It may not be the best-looking Porsche, but it has plenty of power and a great chassis. The Boxster can be found under $10,000 in decent condition in the present day.

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If you absolutely need to have a 911, then you'll want to look at the 996 generation, which was made between 1997 and 2004. It can usually be found for under $20,000 in the present day. The engine in this generation was a flat-six and paired with either automatic or manual transmissions. The front end was similar to the Boxster and quite controversial at the time.

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The 3000GT was part of the trio of popular Japanese performance sports coupes that included the Nissan 300ZX and Toyota Supra. However, it's a bargain compared to the Supra, which has turned into a hard-to-find classic. Getting a top trim, all-wheel-drive VR4 version of the 3000GT will cost you less than $20,000 in the present day.