The NextGen Guide to Car Collecting

Thinking about buying your first collector car, but don’t know where to start? This definitive resource covers everything you need to know before making your first purchase.

Written by award-winning automotive journalist Robert C. Yeager, with a foreword by McKeel Hagerty, CEO of one of the world’s largest specialty auto insurance providers, The NextGen Guide to Car Collecting meets the needs and interests of Generation X and Millennial car collectors, delivering:

• A concise history of car collecting to the present day
• Guidance on car buying and living the car-collector life
• An overview of collector cars with a focus on cars built from the 1970s through the 1980s, while also touching on more contemporary cars
• Chapters highlighting Japanese, American, and European cars, particularly those models that have experienced the greatest growth in collector interest over the past decade

The NextGen Guide to Car Collecting explores the many ways the Internet and social media have changed the classic car marketplace. You’ll learn how to buy a classic car online without suffering buyer’s remorse, as well as the four critical keys to a happy collector-vehicle relationship:

1. Possessing discretionary cash for the initial purchase
2. Obtaining a thorough knowledge of the car and its ownership
3. The critical pre-purchase inspection
4. Access to a workspace

You’ll also find out why the popularity of late twentieth-century specialty cars will continue to grow (think increasing electronic complication and the still-large number of enthusiasts for whom “self-driving” means driving themselves) and explore the attributes that makes these cars desirable collector vehicles.

In addition, the book looks at the significant increases in quality and reliability of post-1970s machines and how that impacts their collectibility. Finally, learn why expectations that your newfound classic could outlast our current crop of lithium-ion-dependent electric cars may not be unrealistic: recent developments like ride-hailing and sharing services; expanded public transit; rental bikes and scooters; and garage condos and other storage options could actually extend the life of your “new” classic, permitting you to truly tailor the use of your classics.

Whether your collection requires a one-stall garage or a pole barn, the practical, useful information and keen perspective of The NextGen Guide to Car Collecting will ensure you pull this volume from your shelf time and again.