Collector Car Values Stumble

1973-Pontiac-Trans-Am-SD-455

The muscle car that is escalating in value faster than any other is the 1973 Pontiac Trans Am Super Duty 455. This one can be found for sale on the Cars On Line website.

 
Collector Car Values Stumble on Their Way to a Recovery

According to the most recent research done by Cars On Line.com, the collector car market has hit a snag on its way back toward a recovery. Our numbers show that current collector car market values dropped 6.99 percent from June to September of 2013. (See our 2013 Mid-Year Market Trends Analysis). Although market values are still up 4.64 percent over 2012, they have not kept up with the prices we were seeing this past spring. After finally seeing some substantive growth earlier this year, has the market lost its momentum?

After viewing the Monterey Auctions last month we thought for sure that we were going to see greater strength in collector car prices. Turns out that only the very high end collector cars, i.e., classic Ferraris, Shelby 427 Cobras, McLarens, vintage Packards and Duesenbergs are rapidly escalating in value. But the average collector cars like Camaro Z/28s, Hemi Cudas and GTOs have not gone up at all.

We saw prices increase at the 2013 Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, which seemed to foretell an uptrend in the collector car market. A comeback of the market seemed even likelier after our Mid-Year Market Trends Analysis reported collector car values were up 11.6 percent over 2012 prices. So it was with cautious optimism that we did our market trends analysis this month to see if prices continued to go up in 2013. While we were relieved to see collector car values still up over 2012 prices, it was clear the market had lost some of its momentum from just a few months earlier.

Ford, Chevrolet and Pontiac all showed overall increases in values. According to our data, Pontiac prices saw the largest increase, as they were up 29.96 percent over last year. Meanwhile, prices for Fords and Chevrolets also went up 7.19 and .51 percent, respectively. In a surprise turnaround, Mopar prices dropped 3.41 percent from 2012 values. From our value chart below you will notice that the 1973 Pontiac Trans Am SD-455 has once again moved up the fastest of any individual collector car. Average prices have spiked to $130,000 on No. 2 condition Super Duties, up 77.27 percent over last year and up 14.99 percent over our Mid-Year Market Trends Analysis.

Below you’ll find the Cars On Line “Hot List” of the most popular collector cars. Newsletter readers know that we watch the top collector cars to determine how market values are trending. This “Hot List” is a quick measure of how collector car prices fare in the current market. We try to make sure we are looking at only No. 2 condition cars for our report. There is a better discipline on pricing when you get into the higher quality cars. By averaging the prices that top quality cars are drawing we can see which way the market is trending.

In the chart below we have recorded actual prices paid for some of the most popular collector cars in this current market. The first column shows the average values paid in 2012. The next column shows the 2013 Barrett-Jackson Auction averages. In the third column you will see this year’s current market averages. Remember, these prices were recorded for No. 2 condition, show quality cars only. An (*) indicates no No. 2 condition vehicle was sold for that column.

 

 

Cond.
Class

 

Market Values
End of 2012

 

Barrett-Jackson
2013

 

Current
Market
FORDS  
1928 Ford Model A Rdstr No. 2 

 

 $26,500

 

$30,800

 

$27,108
1953 Ford F100 No. 2 

 

$26,066

 

$22,000

 

$19,300
1956 Ford Crown Victoria  No. 2

 

$39,950

 

$44,000

 

$35,688
1956 Ford Sunliner  No. 2

 

$63,000

 

*

 

$53,012
1957 Ford Retractable  No. 2

 

$50,000

 

*

 

$71,700
1957 Ford Thunderbird No. 2

 

$43,857

 

$61,660

 

$52,359
1965 Mustang Convt No. 2

 

$27,260

 

$31,350

 

$33,563
1966 Mustang Convt No. 2

 

$25,255

 

$33,412

 

$25,833
1966 Shelby GT350 No. 2

 

$104,358

 

$99,000

 

$157,167
1967 Shelby GT500 No. 2

 

$145,667

 

$163,160

 

$139,833
1967 Mustang GT  Fastback (S Code) No. 2

 

$41,500

 

*

 

$38,377
1969 Mach 1 Mustang (M code) No. 2

 

$29,000

 

$44,360

 

$35,292
1969 Mach 1 428 CJ (R code)  No. 2

 

$51,058

 

$55,825

 

$62,438
1969 Boss 429 Mustang No. 2

 

$202,458

 

$261,250

 

$227,400
1970 Boss 302 Mustang No. 2

 

$69,550

 

$77,000

 

$69,079
1970 Ford Torino 429CJ  No. 2

 

$56,500

 

$55,000

 

$25,944
 CHEVROLETS      
1954 Corvette  No. 2

 

$69,309

 

$91,300

 

$69,967
1955 Bel Air Hardtop No. 2

 

$38,614

 

*

 

$40,517
1955 Bel Air Convt No. 2

 

$62,042

 

$62,516

 

$65,208
1956 Nomad No. 2

 

$53,555

 

$91,300

 

$57,683
1957 Bel Air HT No. 2

 

$44,249

 

$52,800

 

$52,525
1957 Bel Air Convt  No. 2

 

$75,937

 

$113,850

 

$74,097
1957 Cameo Pickup No. 2

 

$56,937

 

$61,600

 

$34,163
1958 Chevy Impala Convt No. 2

 

$83,763

 

$122,460

 

$76,153
1963 Split Window Coupe No. 2

 

 $69,000

 

$83,600

 

$85,833
1963 Impala SS 409 Convertible No. 2

 

$60,500

 

*

 

$53,064
1967 Chevelle SS 396 No. 2

 

$53,366

 

$33,000

 

$42,060
1967 Camaro Convt No. 2

 

$33,725

 

$33,000

 

$29,492
1967 Corvette 427/435  Convertible  No. 2 

 

$104,029

 

$143,550

 

$107,100
1969 Camaro Z/28 No. 2

 

$51,020

 

$77,000

 

$70,102
 1969 Camaro Pace Car No. 2

 

$65,000

 

$51,700

 

$55,700
 1970 Chevelle SS 396 No. 2 

 

$39,187

 

$43,630

 

$43,800
 1970 Chevelle LS6 No. 2

 

$75,174

 

$117,330

 

$83,250
MOPARS      
 1957 Chrysler 300C HT No. 2

 

$105,600

 

$88,000

 

$52,283
 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T No. 2

 

$33,450

 

*

 

$25,117
 1969 Dodge Charger R/T No. 2

 

 $46,700

 

$49,500

 

$43,275
 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T (440 6Pack No. 2

 

$75,633

 

$94,600

 

$62,233
1970 Dodge Challenger T/A No. 2

 

$56,913

 

*

 

$59,542
 1970 Dodge Super Bee No. 2

 

$35,833

 

$55,000

 

$44,938
1967 Plymouth GTX  No. 2

 

$41,217

 

*

 

$37,325
1970 Ply AAR Cuda No. 2

 

$61,515

 

$83,000

 

$71,113
1970 Plymouth Superbird  (440) No. 2

 

$118,767

 

$126,500

 

$111,027
1970 Hemi Cuda No. 2

 

$137,000

 

$275,000

 

$164,750
1970 Ply Cuda 340 Convt  No. 2

 

$46,940

 

*

 

$58,522
1970 Plymouth Road Runner No. 2

 

$42,353

 

$59,400

 

$44,400
CADILLAC      
 1957 Cadillac S62 Convertible No. 2

 

$52,500

 

$132,000

 

$71,350
1959 Cadillac S62 Hardtop  No. 2

 

*

 

 *

 

$33,700
 1976 Cadillac Eldorado  Convertible No. 2

 

$22,733

 

$9,570

 

$25,217
 PACKARD        
 1937 Packard V-12 Victoria Convertible No. 2

 

*

 

*

 

$244,250
 1953 Packard Carribean Convt No. 2

 

$74,200

 

$104,500

 

$77,950
 PONTIAC        
 1957 Pontiac Chieftan HT No. 2

 

$29,700

 

*

 

$24,438
 1965 Pontiac GTO (389  Tripower) Convertible No. 2

 

$40,725

 

$66,000

 

$48,851
 1967 Pontiac GTO  Convertible No. 2

 

$59,177

 

*

 

$61,100
1968 Firebird Convertible  No. 2 

 

 $22,900

 

*

 

$25,825
 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge No. 2

 

$57,110

 

$27,500

 

$77,400
1973 Trans Am Super Duty  No. 2

 

$73,333

 

*

 

$130,000
1977 Bandit Trans Am  No. 2

 

$35,321

 

$54,450

 

$46,025
 BUICK        
1954 Skylark Convertible   No. 2 

 

$117,389

 

$99,000

 

$127,000
1957 Roadmaster Convt  No. 2

 

$58,200

 

*

 

$65,675
1970 Buick GS Stage 1 Convt No. 2

 

$70,750

 

$66,000

 

$112,500
 OLDSMOBILE        
1957 Oldsmobile Starfire  Convt   No. 2 

 

$105,125

 

$85,500

 

$88,800
1970 Olds 442 W-30  (4-spd, HT) No. 2

 

$67,100

 

$44,000

 

$94,083
 AUSTIN HEALEY        
1967 Austin Healey 3000 No. 2

 

$67,155

 

$57,200

 

$68,067
 JAGUAR        
1967 Jaguar XKE Roadster No. 2

 

$92,570

 

*

 

$87,767
1956 Jaguar XK140 (MC) No. 2

 

$84,690

 

*

 

$102,567
STUDEBAKER        
1957 Golden Hawk No. 2

 

$124,250

 

$72,600

 

$60,300

* Some of the vehicles that we follow were not sold during the time frame represented by this column. We have simply put an asterisk in those boxes where a similar No. 2 condition car was not known to have been sold.

Cars On Line Daily Update newsletter readers know that we watch a “hot list” of top collector cars to determine how market values are trending. We frequently publish the chart below. We update it with the most current average pricing for the cars that are on our “hot list.” This is a quick measure of how collector car prices are doing. We base our numbers from auction prices on No. 2 condition cars. We look at No. 2 condition cars only because they are a smaller group to analyze and reflect a more stringent price discipline. Click here to view the definitions of classes for appraising collector cars as used by our Cars On Line Appraisal Service.

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