NEW YORK -- You might want to reconsider sending that 1971 Mustang to the junk heap. Classic cars are making a comeback.

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Classic Cars Making Comeback

What makes a car a classic besides being 25 years or older?

"It's a certain look, it's a certain feel," said Elliot Cuker, owner of Coopers Classics Ltd., the largest classic car dealership on the East Coast.

"It's like Sofia Loren: It doesn't make a difference if she's 20, 30, 40, or 50. Somehow it's accepted as a classic because it has an intrinsic beauty that just works."

Beauty appears to be in the eye of the beholder. Cars manufactured during the 1970s, which was thought to be a down period for the automotive industry, are actually fetching big dollars.

Cuker is selling a Plymouth Cuda for $75,000.

"You could buy this car back then for just a few thousand dollars."

Movies and television series like "Starsky and Hutch" have influenced the popularity of classic cars. A 1976 Gran Torino -- made famous by the cops and robbers show -- originally valued at $4,000 could sell for $20,000.

"I think what's happening now is that '70s cars make a statement," Cuker said. "There's nothing apologetic about them. I'm here. I'm tough. If you don't like it, tough. I'll roll right over you."