Deion Sanders is very vigilant about the new world. He has adapted his program to the NIL better than any other coach in college football. But at the same time, he continues to make men out of boys by maintaining discipline the old-school way.
Old-school is not just a style statement for Deion Sanders, it’s his lifestyle, a code that he lives by. Be it his coaching style or his leisure activities like fishing, Coach Prime exudes his old-school class in everything, including his car collection.
Deion has a number of high-end cars in his garage, be it his custom Ford F-650 or his Lamborghini Urus. But the ones that really catch the attention is his collection of vintage cars that he has kept with him since his playing days.
In December 2023, Deion let his fans have a peek into his vintage car garage through his son’s vlog via Well Off Media. During that vlog, he talked about each of his old cars and the stories behind them, and let me tell you, it could not get more interesting than that.
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC
“This right here was my first car,” said Prime, pointing at the car. Though in 1988, Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC only came in coupe versions, Prime customised it to make it a convertible.
“It was $15,000 extra to cut the top,” he added. Prime certainly had a thing for convertibles, since almost all his vintage cars are convertible models. He was a personal brand before personal brands were a thing. He was outspoken, confident and also showy (that’s how he described himself).
“This is what I used to roll around Atlanta with. I was so ignorant and so showy back then. My first license plate said ‘Millionaire At 21’. That’s when they used to have big European plates.”
Speaking of the car specifications, the 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC came with a 5.6-liter V8 engine, a 4-speed automatic transmission, and a 2-door, 4-seat configuration. “This was like the Maybach right now,” said Deion. “In ’88, this was the top of the line.”
Back then, a 560 SEC coupe used to retail for about $75,000, but since Deion paid extra to cut the top, it can be estimated that he paid $90,000 for the whip.
As of 2025, a 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC coupe in good condition could be sold for up to $30,000, so considering the rarity of a custom-made convertible of the model, owned and used by Deion, it could go for way more than this.
1967 Ford Thunderbird Fordor Landau
Deion then moved on to the next vintage car in his collection, which was the ’67 Thunderbird. What made him excited was to show that this beast from the 60s had suicide doors.
“They think the suicide doors just came to pass. This is ’67, man, the suicide and everything,” Prime said.
The black and white Thunderbird was synonymous with his style, but Deion did not have to say much about the whip.
The car originally retailed for $4,704 when it was released, but as of now, a well-maintained ’67 Thunderbird Fordor Landau can go for over $13,650.
1964 Chevrolet Impala (not one but two of them)
Deion certainly has a love triangle with his Impalas, because he has two of them. Although he did not reveal why he had two cars of the same model, but the way he described them made it easy to see how much he loved them.
“These are my babies right here, ’64 Impala. Prime on the back,” he said. “I used to eat these alive when I was in Atlanta, playing for the Braves. I used to drive these on Sundays to the day games.”
Walking deeper into his garage, Deion displayed his second Impala. “This is the other ’64. I had three-wheel motion on these cars. I used to have hydraulics on both of them, both the 64s.”
The Impalas were originally launched at $3,196 in 1964, but as of now, they can go over $60,000 each, depending on the condition.
1965 Lincoln Continental
What made his collection stand out was his stunning ’65 Lincoln Continental, which was parked between the two Impalas. The car is over 50 years old, and Prime had some memories attached to it.
“Me and Bucky used to rock this,” he said. “We used to leave from the Cowboy games, Bucky was to arrive with me to the game, but we used to leave from the Cowboys games, we used to had the windows up, music blasting, and this what we used to drive back after I put in some work in Texas stadium back then… Bucky, he may be too young to remember, but he used to be right there.”
The car looked so classic that Deion was proud and enthusiastic to talk about the details of it. “Also suicide doors, push button, the top was already electric, everything was electric,” Deion added.
Coach Prime then talked about how cars used to be built tough unlike the ones made today. “The way these cars are so built tough is unbelievable.” Which is true since restoring classic cars is still a possibility but restoring some new age cars can be next to impossible.
Talking about his favorite part of this car, he said, “Gangster, white walls, we used to call that JFK.” Elvis Presley used to roll around in this car, but the only difference was that his Lincoln was all white.
Back in the 60s, this car retailed for $2,727, but as of today, an average condition Lincoln Continental could go for about $58,300. However, the one in Prime’s garage was in pristine condition.
Bonus
What made Deion’s vintage garage tour interesting was when he stumbled upon his old scooter, which was a Honda Helix, and he proceeded to reveal how this was the scooter he “actually went to jail on.”
“I’m not lying. I used to live downtown, and I used to ride my scooter to the game, to the baseball game for the (Cincinnati) Reds. So I used to go into this side entrance, and one night I was leaving after the game, and the security guard was like, ‘You can’t be in here.’.. He didn’t think I was part of the team. So I hit the gas and pulled off, and he grabbed my shirt. He was trying to keep up with it, while I was trying to hit the gas. So he fell and skinned himself up.”
“I went around the circle and I told the GM, ‘I said, look, it’s a security guard fell back there, I don’t know what’s going to go down, but I’m just telling you what happened.’ Next thing you know police come like crazy to arrest me.”
Deion was taken to jail, and the next day, he saw the security guard on the news channel with a bandage on. The case then moved to court.
“Much love to a brother named Kenneth Lawson, who’s a lawyer that I retained there. We won the case. We actually brought this scooter into the courthouse, because he got the guy, he cross-examined him.”
It was certainly a crazy incident that happened on August 10, 1994, when Deion was a household name. But that incident may have increased the value of the scooter since it was a big part of the case involving Deion’s arrest.