Dream cars to grown-up toys — why millennial car collectors are going crazy for these ’90s roadsters

On early Sunday morning, nearly 70 Mercedes-Benz SL convertibles lined the Alpine, New Jersey, boat basin against a picturesque Hudson River backdrop.

In colors ranging from classic black to rare green, with soft and hard tops, the R129s, a luxury convertible produced from 1990 to 2002, drew proud owners who peered through windows, compared price tags, and swapped stories.

“I’m the black 600 over there,” one attendee announced, pointing to his refurbished, two-seater whip.

“Oh, no s**t,” another replied.

But this wasn’t just any car meetup.

Although admission was free, attendees had to apply in advance, submitting photos of their prized rides to event host Andrew Glaser for a spot at the exclusive gathering devoted to the Mercedes-Benz R129 SL, followed by a scenic group drive.

Many of the selected enthusiasts were in their 30s and 40s, part of a growing wave of collectors turning childhood car obsessions into grown-up indulgences — and fueling a modern-classic car boom in the process

Auctions and online sales of collectible cars surged 10% to $4.8 billion in 2025, according to classic-car insurer Hagerty. A 2024 survey by the company found that 60% of Gen Z respondents were interested in owning a classic car, nearly twice the share of baby boomers.

For Nev Schulman, a 42-year-old New Yorker currently three cars deep into his Mercedes modern classic obsession, who co-hosted Sunday’s event alongside Glaser and Aum Bhatt who runs the handle 129mocha, the appeal is simple: it’s the adult toy he can actually afford now.

The car enthusiast stumbled across his blue hardtop Mercedes on Facebook Marketplace earlier this year while shopping for a friend’s 40th birthday present. But when his friend’s wife passed on the offer, he couldn’t resist fulfilling a childhood dream.

“I’ve always wanted this car,” Schulman told The Post. “These are the cars I grew up with, and they were so expensive, but now I can afford it,” he said, describing his latest acquisition for $6,000, with 72,000 miles on the odometer.

Tony Dinkins wiped down the hood of his hunter-green R129 hardtop as attendees gathered to admire the rare color of his 1997 model.

The 38-year-old who drove from Stamford, CT, told The Post he bought the whip two years ago for $12,000 after a lifelong search for the car he’d coveted since childhood.

“I used to watch MTV; this car was in Tupac’s “Picture Me Rollin’” music video,” Dinkins gushed.  

With 114,000 miles on it, Dinkins has painstakingly restored his only modern classic himself after watching YouTube videos.

The car, which represented peak status as a kid, is only his summer, warm-weather flex, with a Jaguar as his workhorse.

For Andrew Glaser, 40, who organized Sunday’s gathering, that nostalgia is driving big business.

The founder of Vantage Auto, a New Jersey dealership specializing in modern classics, and owner of Mercedes repair shop Wolfgang’s in Tenafly, said demand for the R129 has surged as millennials and Gen Xers with disposable income seek out the cars they grew up admiring.

“It’s relatable to people, and that’s why they’re going after them,” Glaser told The Post. “Their grandparents had one, and their parents had one, and they’re also incredibly built cars, superbly engineered, amazing cars.”

Standing in front of his black hardtop with a red leather interior, Glaser explained the boom, estimating he’s sold dozens of these models recently and noting that some models once scooped up for around $10,000 can now fetch $60,000 to $70,000 in excellent condition.

“Let me sell you nostalgia and really cool stuff,” Glaser said, summing up the appeal of the burgeoning market.

And the obsession is no longer confined to the traditional boys’ club of car collecting.

The Wall Street Journal recently chronicled the rise of the so-called “hot girl car,” with fashionable young women embracing beat-up vintage Broncos and other old-school SUVs as unlikely status symbols.

Glaser has noticed the shift firsthand. At a recent car event in Newport, Rhode Island, he estimated that at least half the people approaching his business were women.

The trend mirrors a broader nostalgia craze, from the revival of early-2000s designer handbags to Gen Z’s fascination with film cameras, flip phones and other analog relics.

Even New York City, hardly known as a car lover’s paradise, is now ripe with modern-classic enthusiasts.

“In New York, people are meeting at six, 7 a.m. downtown in Soho and parking their cars on the streets to meet up,” Glaser said. “It’s thriving.”

For many, the appeal goes beyond aesthetics. As new cars become increasingly dominated by touchscreens and computerized controls, older models offer a more analog driving experience.

“Everything was about new, new, new, and now people [are] like, wait a second, hold on, maybe we want what used to be,” Glaser said.

Back at the boat basin, a fleet of R129S followed one another in their prized rides, forming a nearly 70-car procession that snaked along winding roads toward Harriman State Park.

“This is my last day to drive it with the top off,” one owner remarked.

But judging by the lengths these collectors go to celebrate their vehicles, a little cold weather is unlikely to put the brakes on their obsession.