Since being introduced by Mattel in 1968, the Hot Wheels brand has been popular among consumers and collectors (young and old) from one side of the world to the next.

While some want nothing more than to play with these small cars, others realize these make great collector items. Believe it or not, some of the most advanced collectors have more than 10,000 of these cars in their collection.

Are you interested in adding to your Hot Wheels collection? If so, you should check out local estate sales. You may be surprised at what you find. Heck, you may even find a “gem” you have been seeking for many years.

Before we go any further, take a look at this Hot Wheels buying guide. It is complete with a history of the brand, how to start a collection, how to buy, and much more.

With so many Hot Wheels to choose from, it goes without saying that some are more common than others. Here are seven of the most popular Hot Wheels cars of all time:

· 1971 Purple Olds 442. This rare Hot Wheels car is valued between $1,500 and $2,000.

· 1970 Ed Shaver Custom AMX. There are not many of these cars in existence today, making it one of the most popular Hot Wheels around. Approximate value: $4,000.

· 1970 “Mad Maverick” Base Mighty Maverick. This car is extremely rare because of the word “Mad” that is found on the base. With so few of these to go around, it is hard to put a value on the car. Let’s just say this: it is by far one of the most coveted Hot Wheels of all time.

· 1968 “Cheetah” Base Python (Hong Kong Base). The first release of the Python took “Cheetah” as its name. There was a problem with this: the name belonged to a GM executive. Once this came to light, the name was changed to Python. There are only a few of these that have been found, all with a value of $10,000 or more.

· 1969 Pink Rear-Loading Volkswagen Beach Bomb. Since this body style was never released, there are only a couple of these in existence. It is believed that one of these was previously purchased for $72,000.

As you can see by now, there are many Hot Wheels cars that are worth chasing after. Don’t be surprised if you find a few cool cars to add to your collection when you visit your next estate sale.