Chances are, somebody, somewhere, sometime this year, was cruising down the boulevard in their 2003 Pontiac Vibe when “Unwell” by Matchbox Twenty came on the classic rock radio station, and it triggered an existential panic attack. The sudden realization that such an awful song is 20 years old and such an awful car is now considered a classic is enough to make anyone feel old.
Classic rock is supposed to be jams like Led Zeppelin and classic cars are ’53 Chevy Corvette C1s, but the actual definition for a classic automobile is anything that is 20 years or older. Speaking of making folks feel old, according to American Collectors any car that was manufactured 45 years ago is considered to be antique, so a 1978 Dodge Aspen is a precious heirloom. Weirdly enough, cars made prior to 1930 are called “vintage,” which doesn’t sound nearly as old as an antique.
This being 2023, that means cars made in 2003 are now considered classics. California actually requires a car to be 25 years old to be a classic, but 20 years is a general classification. Two decades doesn’t seem like that long ago and the early 2000s don’t immediately conjure up thoughts of iconic classic cars, but rules are rules. With that, here are 10 surprising newly-crowned classic cars, ranked from goofiest to coolest.
Since the term classic, in the world of cars, is often synonymous with collectible, these rides will be ranked by their resale value, which was determined from sources such as Kelley Blue Book and Hagerty.
10 2003 Dodge Intrepid SXT
Collector Value: $2,243
Honestly, the Dodge Intrepid actually wasn’t that bad of a car, and it’s hard to believe it has the least amount of collector value on this list. The cab-forward design was pretty slick and if they had thrown some decent wheels on it and maybe some cool graphics, it would have been pretty badass. It also came with some respectable performance options that kept it from being super-lame.
Power, Performance, and Price
The 2003 Intrepid SXT came with a 250-horsepower V-6 engine and was a favorite of highway patrols. It was probably slept on because it was wedged between two historic eras. It was made in the old AMC plant that cranked out killer muscle cars and was replaced in 2005 by the rebooted Dodge Charger. Basically, the Intrepid was the Jan Brady of performance sedans, and the middle child always gets ignored.
9 2003 Saturn Ion
Collector Value: $2,823