We’ve just published the 47th edition of the Hagerty Price Guide, and as the editor I’m here to tell you: It’s a wild one.
To stay current with the market, the Hagerty Price Guide is updated every four months. Our team of specialists and analysts pour over mountains of recent, confirmed sales, private and dealer listings, input from marque experts, and data from the insurance side of the business.
This edition, those data sources sending a loud and clear message: Values are rising. An astonishing 56-percent of the vehicles we track gained in value in the latest price guide, with only 7-percent losing value. This is the broadest growth we’ve seen since 2014—and our coverage has grown considerably since that date.
In other words, the appreciation we saw in 2021 was not just confined to big-dollar online sales or select cars. Still, there were some vehicles that stand out.
Late model Porsches are smoking hot
For years now, air cooled Porsches have been the hot commodity. No doubt, they're still the ones everyone wants— the purest expression of Porsche performance. However with air-cooled 911s firmly out of the range of what anyone could reasonably call "affordable" for years now, it was only a matter of time before water-cooled 911s would have their day. In the latter half of 2021, that day arrived.
The biggest movement for any Porsche was seen by the 997-series 911 Turbo S Coupe, with an average increase of 67-percent, it is one of the biggest movers of the publication. Even the standard Turbo Coupe rose by 60-percent. Call it substitution, or just a tempering of opinions towards water-cooled 911s, but every 996 and 997 experienced some degree of appreciation. Outside of 911s, the Carrera GT appreciated by 30-percent, and the earlier 911 SC posted modest gains.
Japanese cars are becoming an ever bigger part of the market
While top tier models like the Mark IV Toyota Supra, Nissan Skyline GT-R and Acura NSX continue to gain ground and dominate headlines, the more affordable Japanese cars are also appreciating quickly. The biggest gains in the Japanese segment were posted by the 1988-91 Honda Prelude Si, which posted gains of up to 55-percent on average.
Likewise, although most of the focus has been on newer Japanese cars, older models also posted serious gains. The 1966-70 Honda S800 appreciated 40-percent on average, and 1963-70 Datsun Roadsters gained an average of 24-percent. All told, the Japanese segment of the mainstream collector car market continues to grow.
Muscle Cars continuing their rise
A little over a year ago, the "smart" line was that muscle cars had their day, and that the big movement in the classic car market would be for newer, likely imported metal. Like so many expert opinions, this one has been proved profoundly wrong by the last twelve months. Muscle cars posted their strongest gains in more than a decade.
Even with a tapering of auctions where these cars are regularly sold toward the end of the year, they still posted solid gains While we didn't have any more Hemi Cuda Convertibles come up for sale, plenty of GTO Judges, LS6 Chevelles, and Boss 429 Mustangs did bring ever higher values.
A rising tide lifts all boats
There were some clear winners in the 47th edition of the Hagerty Price Guide, but the real story is that there were almost no losers. No matter what classic car is in your garage, there's a good chance it's worth more now than it was even four months ago.
Editor's note: I'm excited to announce that starting this year, the Hagerty Price Guide will be updated four times a year, rather than three.
I bought a 2002 Honda S2000 in 2018 for a sunny summer day country driver and have enjoyed it ever since. I’ve spent a little money on it, new floor mats, a brake job, an ignition coil but at 139000 miles it runs well and still looks great. I hope to keep it for another few years and then sell it. If I get back what I have in it I will be very happy but if not I hope I will be happy anyway. Like with boats, the two best days of special car ownership are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.
Good time to sell. Remember buy low, sell high. Unless it has sentimental value, or you do not DRIVE it, why keep it?
Just read the interesting article on the market trend and thought I would check out the value guide , surprised to see all the cars and Motorcycles in my scope had tanked to extreme. Maybe a mistake is the value guide, do not know. 2002 996tt aero kit 1980 TTA pace car 1977 Porsche 911S
Hi Greg, an issue with the currency exchange from US Dollars to Canadian had been noted. If you are seeing tanked values, that is likely why. This issue has been remedied.
Sold my ’91 Honda Predlude Si with 30k a few years ago to “downsize”. Regretting it now! Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20!
Would really like to know more about the 87 lROC Z 5.7 mine is all original 66k miles
Hmmmm. What do your “pour” on the data?
what would be the approximate value of a 1995 Cougar XR7 with 8,125 original miles, I bought it new, garage kept, all original, only thing that has ever been changed is a new battery every year, no one has ever ridden in the back seat
All of this has ruined the enjoyment of our hobby as “investors” have taken over. It’s the same for auto racing. Big money rules and FU hobbyists.