The Collector Car Market Is Seeing an Influx of Younger Cars
Modern cars—those made from the 1980s to today—are on an accelerated path toward collector status. That’s what our analysts observed when crunching the data on vehicles featured at auction over the last decade. Collector cars are getting newer, faster.
Eventually, certain used cars gain collector status as enthusiasts decide to start preserving and restoring them. That’s just the natural order of things. Just look at the rise of Fox-Body Mustangs, first-gen Miatas, and almost anything in a Radwood show. Trends in more recent years, however, show more than just simple passage of time when it comes to collectability. Across the thousands of public auctions (live and online) for the six years prior to 2020, the average model year of vehicles listed got one year newer every 12 months. But from 2020-24, that pace has more than doubled: the rate is now 2.3 model years per year.
A few factors contribute to this quickened pace. These younger cars enjoyed a burst in popularity during COVID. From 2020-21 alone, the average model year of cars listed at public sale got 4.7 years newer. While it’s calmed down since then, the rate is still significantly above where it was (note in the chart above, there was even a period between 2018-19 where the average model year got older). We’ve written before about online offerings being significantly younger than their in-person counterparts, and the hastened adoption of online platforms as places to buy and sell collector vehicles has naturally supported younger cars—not to mention the younger consumers who more readily embraced the concept of buying a car online, sometimes sight-unseen.
Those consumers are another element—the generally agreed-upon start of Gen X (1965) and end of millennial (1996) generations puts these buyers at about 30-60 years old, a sweet spot for collector car purchases. It’s only natural that their preferences become a focal point of the market as their earning power is in its peak years.
Finally, by virtue of age, attrition and sometimes production numbers, there are simply fewer older collector cars than there are newer ones that have recently transitioned or are about to transition from used car to collector car. Add in the extra reliability and usability of 1980-and-up vehicles, and their increased popularity among old car fans makes even more sense. The rise of these cars doesn’t take away from existing classics, it just makes the enthusiast tent that much bigger.
Time marches on. I was in my 30’s from 1985 to 1995, but didn’t want what was available ‘new’ at that time, so I longed for 20 or so year old cars from the early 60’s to early 70’s. It’s just math. I’m now almost 70 and have my dream car- a 61 Chrysler 300G convertible that I bought in 1998. If you asked me on my 30th birthday if I ever thought I’d be thrilled to have a 63 year old car, I’d have said you were crazy. It’s just math.
I’m once again on the prowl for a 20 something year old car to relive that old formula. I’d like to find a nice Dodge Magnum R/T and re-enjoy the experience of a ‘cool 20+ year old car’ to cruise in again.
I’m an old man who loves Radwood cars. Before moving to newer cars, I spent 40 years working on and restoring 60’s cars. They’re easy to repair and I learned auto mechanics thanks to 60’s simplicity. Owning an older car allows the home mechanic to start the hobby with fewer and less costly tools. But if you run a ’60’s era car for more than a few thousand mile a year, expect to drop transmissions every 7 years or so, and pull engines about every 10 years. They require a lot of work to keep on the road.
Radwood era cars require more tools and experience to service and repair, but they offer many advantages, such as overhead cam engines, sequential port fuel injection, rack & pinion steering, disc brakes with ABS along with overdrive transmissions. They drive, handle and stop better while offering superior creature comfort. They often have superior rust protection. And they’re simple by today’s standards. A skilled home mechanic can still do a lot of service on ’80’s and ’90’s cars. What’s not to love?
Gen X here. I have a lot of cars, oldest is a 56 Chevy Nomad, but mostly Jaguars. I owned a few fox body mustangs growing up in the 80’s and have no interest in them now. I have a lot of 80’s and 90’s Jags, but mostly because they were cheap to purchase and are reasonably affordable if you do the restoration and upkeep yourself. Plus, they are much more challenging than a domestic. I daily drive a 97 XK8 which is a lot of car for the money. I recently purchased a 1971 E type in part because I was finally able to break through the high cost of entry. So I am enjoying the current mix I have and yes, the older the vehicle, the more creature comforts you may need to give up, but I find them all fun in their own way.
The Classic Car market is an odd thing to me. The value of cars is effected drastically by how much you want the car. Putting a price tag on a newer vehicle is simple. It has no soul . But a 1971 Z28 Split bumper Camaro.. most people are willing to spend 10k extra if it’s the one they want.. where am I going with this you ask? lol I have no idea. I finally just got my dream car and I’m rambling. Fully restored. Very excited.
I was born in 85, which makes me a millennial I guess. (Barf) I like the space race cars with the fins and rocket exhaust tail lights, but not much interests me between then and the cars of my youth, 90’s and 2000’s pocket rockets and performance sedans. Like said prior, the age and wealth of the key collector car consumers are what drives the market. I have as collectors a 58 Chevy truck, 91 MR2, BMW 540 wagon, and 2023 bronco.
I bought new in 89 cad coup deVille restored, original, garage kept, no smoke, leather like new,141mi. it’s a dream and pics coming to you soon.