.........collector plate on an '87 Ciera.......it is 31 years old ya know......

If it were my car the first concern would be the bird droppings on the hood. Nasty stuff on paint.

In Southern Ontario 1988 and up need emissions testing. However there is a loop hole. If the car gets a heritage plate it doesn't need the test. This is the first year that the two rules interact with each other. When I went to put my 88 on the road for the summer, I was offered the plates. I have a serious problem with calling a car with plastic headlights a heritage car. At least the Oldsmobile is made in Canada.

My Dad used to own a "collector's car" then!

It's right up there with the supercharged Cord.

I could see collector status for a car that is kept as an example and gets a break in exchange for reasonable driving restrictions. When I was driving my '67 I just put regular plates on it and drove it to work if I felt like it. I didn't want the restrictions though I have only racked up under 7000 miles since I got it 33 years ago.

There were a lot of forgettable cars in that era, but engineers were balancing between emissions and now fuel economy imperatives. Build quality was improving as it had to. That doesn't mean that their designs were necessarily robust, though they usually were, but stupid stuff like plastic side tanks in rads, Dex-cool, and some of the early o.d. automatics. They used a lot of plastic in the interiors that would be a concern on an old car due to UV exposure over time. How do you restore the colour of such parts, especially after coming through the Armor-All era, thwarting all attempts to get dye to stick.

I can live with collector status on 1980s cars. The vast majority of them are gone, mostly the mundane ones. Finding tires to fit 14" wheels is grim. Beyond the drivetrain and electrical component rebuilders, there isn't anything available for that old stuff. Imagine what was gotten rid of when all those GM franchises were shut down within the last 10 years.

I think the 1994-96 Impala SS & '89 - '91 454 SS pickups deserve collector status, as would a GNX, Monte Carlo SS or selective Olds 442. Try to find a stock fox Mustang LX or GT from the 80s - early 90s. Or Capri, or even the Omni GLH. The paradox is that in that era, people had expectations of buying a car for future investment as a collector car. They didn't have a clue. Just because earlier pre 5-mph bumper & EGR valve cars were collectable didn't necessarily mean that a 1974 Chevelle or 1984 Toronado would be worth anything on the market down the road. Or a Daytona. When did you last see a Dodge Shadow? Add "oil-burning" to the list. Or a Hyundai Pony?  Welcome to Pimp My Ride. Today we are going to pimp out a 1984 Chrysler Le Baron. Wait, Chrysler already did it.

 

It's so rare and collectible he can't find a good plastic chrome headlamp and grille surround for it. But if he waits long enough, it will be reproduced by Classic industries, lol!

But really, to each his own. If the owner feels it deserves collector plates, then I say more power to him!

I bet owners of 50's and 60's cars said the same thing when collectible plates began showing up on 70's cars. Cheers.