GM's accidental collectible

The Pontiac Solstice looks hot and only a few will ever be made. But does that mean it has what it takes to become a collector's item?

Check out the Pontiac Solstice on AOL Autos

Once in a while, you'll find cheap cars that have that investment grade smell. The Pontiac Solstice Coupe, affordable, sweet looking and rare, positively reeks of a future collectible.

Experts advise caution, though. Cars just make lousy investments, especially mass-produced domestics.The potential pay-off is both unlikely and far in the future. At least the Solstice Coupe will give you an enjoyable ride even though its design will surely aggravate.

Production of the Solstice Coupe started shortly after GM announced it was killing the Pontiac brand. That's why fewer than 1,200 Solstice Coupes will be made. Of those, only about 800 will be the desirable turbocharged GXP high performance version.

"This has the elements of certainly holding its value, at least," said McKeel Hagerty, president of collector car insurer Hagerty Insurance.

Longer term, Hagerty thinks the Solstice Coupe GXP has a decent shot at collector car cult stardom. It's rare and it's cool.

Of course, he concedes, predictions like this have been made before... and been wrong. When it comes to mass-market cars, it's often the ones you would least expect that eventually become hot properties. For instance, the laughable AMC Pacer is an underdog darling now.

Plus, the fact the car is so rare could actually work against it, said Phil Skinner, collector car editor for Kelley Blue Book. Old Chevrolet Camaros and Plymouth Hemi 'Cudas are collectible today because kids grew up watching them tear around town. They'll be lucky to ever see one or two of these cars.

"Nobody's really going to be able to have that memory," he said. "and that's part of the nostalgia thing."