A spotter's guide to the latest <I>Hagerty Price Guide</i>

We’ve just published the 46th volume of the Hagerty Price Guide, and it was one of the most active updates in our history.

In order to stay on top of the market, we update the Hagerty Price Guide every four months. Our analysts look in depth at recent, confirmed sales, private and dealer listings, data from the insurance side of our business. We also seek input from marque specialists.

How much can happen in just four months? The short answer is, quite a bit. Here are just some trends coming out of the recent update.

Affordable classics are still increasing in value

Anyone paying attention to affordable collector cars over the past few years already knows that “cheap” cars aren’t as cheap as they used to be. That trend only seems to be accelerating. Many cars that could be had for a song like the Datsun 280Z or the 1990s Buick Roadmaster Estates appreciated by more than 40 percent. (Keep in mind that a large percentage growth doesn’t always equate to a massive dollar gain.)

Some of these vehicles could be benefiting from the unprecedented rise in used car values. Yet what’s contributing more, we think, is the very fact that people increasingly don’t think of these cars as used. Call it the RADwood effect or the result of deeper demographic shifts in the collector car market. Either way, there is some serious competition for inexpensive collector cars, and the prices are rising from it.

Muscle cars are hot again

Not that long ago conventional wisdom held that muscle cars had their day. This year, however, most cars from this segment have regained much of the value lost over the past few years. And then some. Our muscle car index, an indication of the overall muscle car market, is at it’s all time high, even exceeding the high points from before the 2008 crash.

As was the case prior to 2008, Hemi powered Mopars are leading the charge, with the ’71 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible posting some of the biggest gains in the latest guide.

Trucks continue to gain ground

We’ve been preaching for a long time that vintage trucks are the hottest market segment. There is no denying that this holds true with the latest volume of the price guide. What’s changing is that the definition of “vintage” is broadening to include ever newer trucks.

Just a few years ago, the focal point was the 1960s and earlier. Anyone who’s bought or sold a Ford Bronco recently can tell you they’re still plenty in demand. And yet, perhaps as a result of the fact that those old trucks have climbed out of reach for many, newer with trucks from the ’80s and even the ’90s are taking off. One of the biggest gainers in the entire truck segment were early ’90s Dodge Pickups equipped with Cummins diesel engines. These trucks posted gains of up to 50–90 percent, on average. Ford F-Series pickups from the same era also posted sizable gains.

Early Broncos and International Scouts continue their rise, but the truck market is branching out, and what once was a beater to haul wood or go to Home Depot is now a candidate for a show quality restoration.