Collector buying turns colder in Canada during the winter, just like the weather

The harsh reality for most car enthusiasts in North America is that each year we have to deal with a little something called winter. That means there comes a time (any moment now, actually) when we have to put away the ol’ rear-wheel drive convertible for a few months (or more) and dream of warmer, sunnier days.

There’s a definite driving season for those of us in northern climes, and our driving habits and choice of cars aren’t the only things that change with the weather. Our car-buying habits do too.

Insurance quoting data is a great measure of buyer interest. Once summer turns into fall, and as the days get shorter and colder, interest in buying a collector car decreases. Likewise, Hagerty quotes fewer vehicles. But when winter finally winds down and spring is in the air, enthusiasts begin to anticipate warmer weather, Cars & Coffee, and cruise nights, so their interest in buying a collector car naturally increases—right along with the number of insurance quotes.

Which brings us to an interesting comparison of Canada and U.S. buying patterns. Although the two countries are neighbors, their buying patterns are slightly different, as is their weather. Since Canada has less “good” driving weather, there’s a big spike in buyer interest as soon as winter ends, and it peaks near the end of spring before steadily decreasing into fall and winter again. American buying patterns are a little more even, however, because there are mild climate areas in the U.S. where collector cars can be enjoyed year round. So the highs aren’t as high, and the lows aren’t as low.

It makes sense. Since Canada has a smaller window of prime-time weather, Canadian enthusiasts are in more of a rush to buy (and get an insurance quote) so they can enjoy as much fun in the sun as possible before that window closes again. Here’s to a short winter.