These Cars Were Totally Worth Waiting For

“The C8 Corvette.

“Chevy has been teasing a mid-engined Vette for what... almost 50 years?

“Now that it’s finally in production, it seems to be a giant killer, at least from what I’ve read – supercar performance for a fraction of the price of a ‘real’ supercar.

“I have a work colleague who is on the waiting list for a Stingray, he has promised me a ride once it delivers. Can’t wait.”

“2023 Defender. After looking at them and waffling for a year we finally got a build slot and ordered one in March. First new vehicle I’ve ever optioned out and ordered. Months getting updates from our sales associate about transportation delays, parts shortages, and finally took delivery almost six months to the day after putting in the order.

“Amazing truck, exactly what we wanted and totally worth the wait. Got it at MSRP but the dealer offered $20k cash for us not to take delivery so they could resell it with markup which was tempting but not worth waiting for a new build.”

“My 2022 GTI was absolutely worth the three month wait. I left a deposit for it knowing roughly when my dealer would have it. It was exciting for me to know when it rolled off the line and was on its journey to me. Best of all, I had plenty of time to go process all of the concerns feelings that often result in buyer’s remorse long before I even saw the car in person.

“The deal was put together before it even got here, so I knew exactly what I was getting into and could enjoy it from there. I’m planning to run this car for at least 10 years. If I’m buying new, I’m not buying something off the lot again if I can help it.”

“My A91-MT. I went to two dealerships the day ordering opened to put down deposits in hopes that I got one, then waited as the delivery dates were pushed back multiple times.

“I have to say, the reviews really don’t do it justice. The car is absolutely incredible to drive. It’s deceptively fast. The seats are comfortable, the visibility is much better than I expected. And, frankly, it’s beautiful to look at. After I picked it up, I watched the Hagerty video on the 2000GT, and then released just how many elements of 2000GT Toyota designers put into the Supra.”

“I think the ultimate winner in the worth-the-wait category is the Mercedes W123. People were following Mercedes employees to their homes, begging them to buy their cars. The dealers who managed to get a few of the early units sold them at ridiculous mark-ups, and those were then sold on the used market at a profit.

“Production eventually ramped up and the W123 became a legend. Dare I say that no car ever car’ed more in history, therefore well worth the hype when it was launched.”

“Miata right?

“Waited for the ND to come out since I wanted a reliable fun car to put a lot of miles on. After 5 years and 120,000 miles it was the right decision.”

“The F-150 Lightning was way better than I expected. I had my doubts, but one ride in one I was hooked..had to have one. The instantaneous acceleration is unreal.

“Will it work for everyone..no. However it does work well for many use cases. EVs just drive so much better than gas.”

“The Prius was long overdue for some car enthusiast love, and it looks like in 2023 Toyota might have finally given us something that we want to drive rather than an appliance to make some environmental statement or just because you don’t like paying $100 to fill your car up every four days.

“I predict that it is going to take Toyota by surprise and be a runaway hit, catching them off guard with their conservative production plans.”

“After watching the development from concepts to prototypes, early teaser reviews, etc – buying my Scion FRS (brz/86) in 2013 was absolutely worth the wait. I drove it for nine years and it was a spectacular car.”

“The two-door Bronco. I waited 16 months from reservation to delivery and while the wait was tough, the truck is awesome. Sure its not perfect, but rolling around like this while rowing your own gears on a nice day made it all worth it.”

“I waited six years from when I first saw the Alfa Romeo 4C to be able to buy one – it was everything I wanted in a small mid-engine sports car. Well worth the wait!!”

“I waited 11 months for a Maverick Hybrid (Lariat) and it was worth the wait. It was of nicer quality than I was expecting and I was averaging 44 mpg on the highway as well. Unfortunately someone lost control on the highway and slammed into it and it was a total loss.

“Now I am waiting on a new Model 3 Performance that should be here next month.”

“Back in 2001 or 2002 I ordered my WRX and had to wait forever for the first shipment from Japan. The first week I had it I got pulled over by a cop who just wanted to see it.”

“March 2016: Waited in a two-plus hour line at the mall to place a reservation.

“September 2018: Car delivered on a trailer to my house.

“Present day 2023, over four years later: Love it. Best daily driver money can buy. Not too large or too small, incredible performance, obviously incredible fuel economy, great tech, great road trip ability with Superchargers. Pair it with my solar panels and I estimate I’ve saved about $6,000 on fuel and home electricity since switching both over.

“Maybe less so in 2023 since they’re quite popular, but back in 2018-2019, it was real hit at car shows, especially putting a bottle of V8 under the hood. People just hadn’t seen something like that before.”

“Your first ‘nice’ car.

“Many of us drove, or still drive, crappy cars. There are multiple avenues to owning one’s first nice car, including the short-term easier route of borrowing outside of one’s means. I’m here to tell you that it is worth waiting, and saving, until you can actually afford your first nice car. It feels so much better to drive one’s nice car, knowing that it is not an albatross around one’s neck.”