Hagerty, SCCA’s official insurance partner, is known for many things, like its specialty insurance that covers on-track events (like SCCA’s Track Night in America and Time Trials National Tours), along with tracking car valuations, running auction sites (like this one and this one), as well as offering a Drivers Club. It’s easy to realize that Hagerty gets car culture. And based on a recent article on Hagerty.com/media, it’s also easy to see that Hagerty’s editors get the need for auto enthusiasts like us to find great deals on used cars so we can have fun at SCCA events.
Entitled “These Fun, Affordable 21st-Century Cars Aren’t Classics…Yet,” the Rob Sass-penned article is a go-to if you’re in the market for a fast and fun car for SCCA events that won’t break the bank.
“Every so often, I engage in a particularly futile and depressing ritual – I shop for cars that I’ve foolishly let go,” Sass wrote. “They’re cars that could have been feasible 10 years ago, but not today. I’ve been priced out of the market for virtually all of them. And while the market might be settling down at the moment, there are few signs of an out-and-out retreat to pre-pandemic pricing. Among cars from the 1970s through the early 1990s, there are precious few bargains. But go a little bit newer, where there’s even some depreciation yet to be done, and the picture gets more enticing. I’m talking cars from the 2000s to 2010s that are getting older, but still aren’t considered any kind of ‘classic’ or ‘collectible’ yet.”
The TLDR of the article is this: the 2009+ Fiat 500 Abarth, 2007-’13 Mazdaspeed3, 1997-’04 C5 Chevrolet Corvette, 2003-’08 BMW Z4, and 2005-’14 Ford Mustang are a few great picks. (Of that bunch, though, we suggest the 2005-’09 Mustang GT, which can easily be turned into a Club Spec Mustang.)
Rest assured, we didn’t just give away the punchline to the article. Far from it. The author dives into reasons for each pick – and then more gems appear in the comments below the article, like readers suggesting early versions of the Porsche Boxster, Volvo C30, and more.
Click this link and give the article a read.
Once you’ve bought your new-to-you toy, come have #funwithcars with SCCA!
Photo courtesy Mazda
