These 5 Classics Started 2025 with Big Gains

Happy New Year and welcome to 2025! On our calendar, January means big auctions, as well as a time to reflect on the previous year and debrief. It is also when we release our quarterly update of the Hagerty Price Guide. In the big picture, 2024 saw the previously hot collector car market cool down and settle. However, the collector car market has become more nuanced than ever, and while many collector vehicles have settled or stumbled, exceptional examples are still bringing out motivated buyers.

As the year drew to a close we still observed some notable value increases, but those gains were conspicuously smaller than the huge increases we became accustomed to seeing earlier in the 2020s, and the more noteworthy increases are mostly found in the less expensive segments of the hobby. Let’s look at the price guide’s biggest winners, measured by percentage increase across all conditions, in detail below.

As always, if you have questions about how we arrived at these changes, you can read more about the methodology behind the Hagerty Price Guide here.

1981-93 Dodge W-Series Pickups

Average increase: +16%

Six months ago, we visited this series of Dodge pickup and here we are again. The trucks of note then were the burly Cummins diesel-powered models, but now it appears the rest of the series has decided to catch up. The third generation D/W series (“D” for 2WD, “W” for 4WD) saw a major face lift in 1981 as well as a rebrand to “Dodge Ram,” a name that sticks to this day. Many of these updates were cosmetic to give the series a refreshed look, but Dodge also tightened up engine options, with a basic Slant Six through 1987 being replaced by a V-6, two V-8 engines with the 318 and 360, and a diesel offering in the form of the six-cylinder mill from Cummins.

D/W-Series trucks closed out the year strong. The four-wheel drive W-Series performed especially well, with some good trucks selling in late 2024 for prices far outpacing price guide numbers, and this went for both gas- and diesel-powered trucks. Two-wheel drive models fared well, too, with values gaining seven percent on average. Good Dodge trucks of this era do not materialize often. Much of this has to do with a lack of the restoration support Ford and GM trucks enjoy, compounded by Dodge’s lower production numbers. That said, good trucks are making it onto the market and enthusiasts are eager to snatch them up regardless of what’s under the hood, though Cummins-powered examples remain king in this market.

1991-96 Chevrolet Caprice Station Wagon

Average increase: +13%

Chevrolet’s fourth generation Caprice marked the end of an era for GM, leaving the full-size, rear-wheel-drive market to Ford’s Panther platform. These cars were built in the hundreds of thousands and were the transportation of choice for families, taxi companies and police departments alike. The “whale body” Caprice is held in affection amongst Gen-X and Millennial enthusiasts who grew up with them.

We’ve been watching the rise of station wagons in general over the past several years. From family commuters to high horsepower sport wagons, it’s a phenomenon that keeps growing. Which is good news for Caprice wagon owners who saw their cars increase 13 percent on average in value over the past few months. But that surge is only a small piece of the puzzle. While driver to project grade cars saw only modest bumps, a surprising amount of excellent condition cars hit the market at the end of 2024 and sold extremely well, prompting a big jump on condition #2 (“excellent”) cars, widening the value gap between them and #3 (“good”) condition examples.

While a driver-quality Caprice wagon still costs in the neighborhood of $10,000 a clean, lightly used example is now approaching $30,000. Whether this phenomenon is just increased willingness of buyers to pony up for the rare excellent condition car, or if this is collector recognition remains to be seen. Either way, if you’ve been hanging on to a nice Caprice wagon, chances are you’ll be pleased with the news.

1981-83 DeLorean DMC-12

Average increase: +11%

John Z. DeLorean’s attempt at creating a full-blown car company was an ambitious and gutsy, but between money problems and the high-profile drug bust involving John Z. (who would later be acquitted on grounds of entrapment), the whole enterprise died a sad end before the car could really get off the ground. The infamous stainless steel sports car got a second wind in 1985 with Back to the Future and became a pop culture icon. Aside from pop culture, the DeLorean received the accolades of car reviewers who found the car to be quite good although it lacked any sort of real power. Road & Track even said “it may well be that the DeLorean will become a cult car, purchased for status reasons by persons wishing to be seen as individualists.”

For years, the DeLorean enjoyed reasonable pricing, but over the past five years it saw real growth in the market, and the past few months saw another sizable surge as a couple of exceptional cars traded in the deep $100,000 range and other excellent-condition cars approached the six-figure barrier. While good (condition #3) to fair (condition #4) cars did not enjoy such a lift, it’s clear that there is a strong appetite for DeLoreans and buyers are willing to pay up for exceptional ones. We will have to see if these strong numbers bring more great cars to market, but for now the future looks bright.

1981-90 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60/FJ62

Average increase: +9%

Land Cruisers make another appearance to our list of significant movers. The 80-Series model was a big winner back in October, but now we turn our attention to the 60-Series. Introduced in 1981, the 60-Series Land Cruiser offered creature comforts to make them more livable as a commuters than previous models, all while maintaining the Land Cruiser’s famous go-anywhere capability.

While not as expensive as the 80-Series that followed it, the 60-Series has a devoted following that reveres it for its ruggedness and overall usability, not to mention Toyota’s famous reliability. While the best examples are now fetching close to six-figures, excellent quality trucks saw the largest surge last year, going from a somewhat palatable price of around $40,000 to the mid-$50,000 range. Don’t despair, though, as driver quality trucks are still commonly available at lower prices, with good condition #3 examples in the $30,000 range and trucks with needs at just around $10,000. The continued increases in values of Land Cruisers, however, proves that there is a high demand and enthusiasts are snatching up whatever models they can get their hands on.

1958-60 Edsel

Average increase: +9%

Those who do remember the Edsel brand mostly think of it as Ford’s big failure in the late 1950s. To be fair, the idea behind it was not so different from what GM and Chrysler were doing at the time. It was an upper mid-tier car that aimed to compete with the likes of Buick, Oldsmobile, and DeSoto. However, at the time their styling wasn’t well-received and quality was inconsistent. Plus, Ford introduced this all-new brand during a recession, which never helps. Edsel ceased to be a brand in just three years of existence, after losing FoMoCo over $250M.

Edsel is a niche marque amongst enthusiasts today and values rarely change at a big clip, but we did observe a decent lift in values the past three months. A handful have come to market, selling publicly and offered for sale at surprisingly high numbers. And while asking prices are just that—an ask—the trend is in the positive. While most of the movement was relegated to four-door models, it is clear that there is still life in ’50s American classics, even the ones that lurk just outside of our attention.