This 1977 Pontiac Trans Am Bandit edition is one of the popular classic muscle cars which is fast appreciating in value according to the new Cars On Line.com Market Trends Report. The report on recent collector car values was just released. This 1977 Bandit Trans Am is on sale now in the Trans Am Section of the Cars On Line.com website.
Collector Car Values Report: Not What We Expected
Cars On Line.com has just done an up to the minute analysis on collector car values for the classic car market, and the news is not what we had been expecting. After rising in 2013, recent collector car values are continuing to trend downward. Cars On Line.com, the most trusted name in collector car sales, reports that collector car values have actually begun trending downward in the last three months. Cars On Line.com, in its fresh Market Trends Report, shows that in their sample group of cars (see list below), the cars which change hands most often, are down by 8.3 percent compared to where average prices were at the end of 2013.
No, you say. What about the seven figure prices that you see at the top collector car auctions on TV? Unfortunately, while the prices on the most desirable No. 1 condition cars are ever escalating, the vast majority of collector cars are in No. 2 and No. 3 condition classes. Those prices are not going up. In fact, they have been trending downward for the last three months. The reason that it may seem surprising to hear that prices on collector cars continue to decline is that big name companies such as Hagerty Insurance have come out with statistics that show values are up in the past few years. That is true. But not at this point in 2014.
We always hear about the high profile classic cars, such as classic ’50s Ferraris, which are selling at what seem to be ever escalating prices at high profile auctions on TV. But the larger collector car market itself is tailing off at this point, trending slightly downward. The market is definitely experiencing some indigestion in 2014. The biggest loser for the past three months have been the 1967 Shelby GT500. Arguably one of the top ten most popular cars among internet buyers, recent sales numbers on No. 2 condition GT500’s has been trending downward. (See the chart below.) Classic ’50s Fords and Mustangs have been experiencing similar price reductions. Even the seemingly invulnerable Tri-Five Chevys have been seeing some slack in their pricing recently.
Below is Cars On Line’s “hot list” of classic cars which change hands frequently in today’s collector car market. We follow these cars to get a sense of what is happening in the larger collector car realm. This sample group is representative of the vast majority of cars changing hands today. Notice that we give you the average prices these cars have sold for for various years, i.e. 2008 before the economic recession; 2013 the most recent full year of sales; and 2014, the first quarter.
| Year, Make Model | Condition | 2008 | 2013 | 2014 |
| FORD | ||||
| 1928 Ford Model A Roadster | No. 2 | $23,100 | $24,675 | $24,125 |
| 1955 FORD F100 | No. 2 | $23,100 | $24,500 | $28,917 |
| 1956 FORD CROWN VICTORIA | No. 2 | $33,500 | $36,233 | $35,075 |
| 1956 FORD SUNLINER | No. 2 | $49,800 | $69,333 | $61,063 |
| 1957 FORD RETRACTABLE | No. 2 | $53,700 | $36,500 | $43,850 |
| 1957 FORD THUNDERBIRD | No. 2 | $55,500 | $58,832 | $48,169 |
| 1965 MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $33,800 | $27,492 | $26,694 |
| 1966 SHELBY GT350 | No. 2 | $164,100 | $152,343 | $157,000 |
| 1967 SHELBY GT500 | No. 2 | $191,000 | $142,675 | $131,190 |
| 1967 MUSTANG GT FASTBACK(S CODE) | No. 2 | $26,500 | $60,250 | $47,029 |
| 1969 MACH 1 MUSTANG (M CODE) | No. 2 | $37,400 | $42,738 | $36,744 |
| 1969 MACH 428 CJ (R CODE) | No. 2 | $81,000 | $72,317 | $60,933 |
| 1969 BOSS 429 MUSTANG | No. 2 | $269,500 | $244,738 | $239,125 |
| 1970 BOSS 302 MUSTANG | No. 2 | $85,000 | $74,440 | $64,015 |
| 1970 FORD TORINO 429 CJ | No. 2 | $45,900 | $53,149 | $35,625 |
| CHEVROLET | ||||
| 1954 CORVETTE | No. 2 | $111,600 | $73,708 | $73,820 |
| 1955 BEL AIR HARDTOP | No. 2 | $32,200 | $41,250 | $39,275 |
| 1955 BEL AIR CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $64,750 | $71,070 | $60,417 |
| 1956 NOMAD | No. 2 | $77,000 | $58,350 | $56,475 |
| 1957 BEL AIR HARDTOP | No. 2 | $62,700 | $54,550 | $47,774 |
| 1957 BEL AIR CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $94,500 | $85,774 | $73,233 |
| 1957 CAMEO PICKUP | No. 2 | $26,250 | $61,680 | $50,363 |
| 1958 CHEVY IMPALA CONVT (348 TRIPOWER) | No. 2 | $99,000 | $89,843 | $82,985 |
| 1963 CORVETTE SPLIT WINDOW COUPE | No. 2 | $71,400 | $80,194 | $82,340 |
| 1963 IMPALA SS 409 CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $55,100 | $59,800 | $54,333 |
| 1967 CHEVELLE SS 396 | No. 2 | $54,400 | $46,919 | $39,912 |
| 1967 CAMARO CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $28,700 | $33,238 | $31,712 |
| 1967 CORVETTE 427/435 CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $154,500 | $141,196 | $141,623 |
| 1969 CAMARO Z/28 | No. 2 | $81,675 | $77,312 | $68,850 |
| 1969 CAMARO PACE CAR | No. 2 | $67,000 | $66,625 | $61,292 |
| 1970 CHEVELLE SS 396 | No. 2 | $55,825 | $55,738 | $47,652 |
| 1970 CHEVELLE LS6 454 | No. 2 | $98,580 | $108,711 | $101,100 |
| MOPARS | ||||
| 1957 CHRYSLER 300 HARDTOP | No. 2 | $60,900 | $70,000 | $48,155 |
| 1957 DESOTO ADVENTURER CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $170,000 | $225,500 | $275,000 |
| 1967 DODGE CORONET R/T | No. 2 | $22,400 | $25,433 | $29,783 |
| 1969 DODGE CHARGER R/T | No. 2 | $73,500 | $46,600 | $47,725 |
| 1970 DODGE CHALLENGER R/T | No. 2 | $118,500 | $80,873 | $70,013 |
| 1970 DODGE CHALLENGER T/A | No. 2 | $89,600 | $62,400 | $68,575 |
| 1970 DODGE SUPER BEE | No. 2 | $54,000 | $51,013 | $48,350 |
| 1967 PLYMOUTH GTX | No. 2 | $51,500 | $37,369 | $44,231 |
| 1970 PLYMOUTH CUDA AAR | No. 2 | $99,900 | $82,510 | $74,231 |
| 1970 PLYMOUTH SUPERBIRD | No. 2 | $156,000 | $122,762 | $109,788 |
| 1970 HEMI CUDA | No. 2 | $261,400 | $207,800 | $197,333 |
| 1970 CUDA 340 CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $49,000 | $76,133 | $59,473 |
| 1970 PLYMOUTH ROAD RUNNER | No. 2 | $80,300 | $46,350 | $39,100 |
| CADILLAC | ||||
| 1957 CADILLAC S62 CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $54,950 | $64,788 | $61,792 |
| 1959 CADILLAC S62 HARDTOP | No. 2 | $21,000 | $39,300 | $31,463 |
| 1976 CADILLAC ELDORADO CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $16,800 | $26,283 | $22,325 |
| PACKARD | ||||
| 1937 PACKARD V-12 VICTORIA CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $103,600 | $192,500 | 150,000 |
| 1953 PACKARD CARIBBEAN CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $42,000 | $93,663 | $71,833 |
| PONTIAC | ||||
| 1957 PONTIAC CHIEFTAIN HT | No. 2 | $18,900 | $27,748 | $22,625 |
| 1965 PONTIAC GTO (389 TRIPOWER) | No. 2 | $35,000 | $59,737 | $64,575 |
| 1967 PONTIAC GTO CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $42,700 | $58,942 | $57,800 |
| 1968 FIREBIRD CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $19,600 | $26,900 | $25,692 |
| 1970 PONTIAC GTO JUDGE | No. 2 | $56,700 | $73,425 | $79,727 |
| 1973 TRANS AM SUPER DUTY | No. 2 | $45,000 | $125,875 | $99,675 |
| 1977 BANDIT TRANS AM | No. 2 | $18,000 | $50,983 |
$63,675
|
| BUICK | ||||
| 1954 SKYLARK CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $72,450 | $123,133 | $133,400 |
| 1957 ROADMASTER CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $32,900 | $73,100 | $71,283 |
| 1970 BUICK GS STAGE 1 CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $89,000 | $88,086 | $70,233 |
| OLDSMOBILE | ||||
| 1957 OLDSMOBILE STARFIRE CONVERTIBLE | No. 2 | $62,500 | $91,800 | $81,528 |
| 1970 OLDS 442 W30 | No. 2 | $57,800 | $69,700 | $69,005 |
| AUSTIN-HEALEY | ||||
| 1967 AUSTIN HEALEY 3000 BJ8 | No. 2 | $35,000 | $79,975 | $74,633 |
| JAGUAR | ||||
| 1967 JAGUAR XKE ROADSTER | No. 2 | $64,050 | $101,625 |
$83,300
|
| 1956 JAGUAR XK140 (MC) Roadster | No. 2 | $130,900 | $105,292 | $128,175 |
| STUDEBAKER | ||||
| 1957 GOLDEN HAWK | No. 2 | $19,800 | $57,000 | $43,583 |
Asterisk * means none sold in that period.
Hi: I have noticed the sliding values of the high end driver quality cars for the last few months.
1. Lots of these buyers of these cars are now unemployed or are afraid of losing their
jobs.
2. The cost of living has increased dramatically especially food and gasoline which means less
disposable income to purchase these cars.
3. There is an over abundance of these cars on the market today. A run of the mill Chevelle
SS 396 are a dime a dozen along with the Camaro’s. The only exceptions are the GTO’s
and Firebirds which were produced in less quantity than the Chevelle’s and Camaro’s.
4. When Ron Pratt announced that he was selling his entire collection, that to me was the sign
that the collector car market has reached its top as far as prices go. There also have been
other famous car collectors liquidating their collections. Hmmmm.
5. The collector car Auctions have ruined the market for Joe lunch pail as the prices are
way over inflated and the TV coverage has overexposed the market. Just look at NASCAR
it got way over exposed and ticket prices got crazy. Now look at all the empty seats at
the races.
6. There are way to many auctions today.
I could go on and on but IMO these are the top reasons that we are seeing declining prices. If you buy a collector car today at auction you better love it because you ain’t going to flip it and make money, those days are gone. Some of these collector car dealers are going to loose a ton of money as prices continue to slide on these driver quality cars.