By the numbers: Mustang vs. Camaro

When you have access to a truckload of information about classic cars and their owners, it seems silly not to use it. So we did.

Before you ask, yes, we considered doing a state-by-state comparison of Mustang and Corvette ownership but went with Mustang vs. Camaro instead. Why? A Mustang-Corvette story would be pretty short—and likely not all that interesting. Nationally, more Hagerty customers own Corvettes than Mustangs, and most states lean the same. Yawn to that, hooray to Mustang-Camaro.

Our Senior Data Analyst John Wiley created a color-coded map to illustrate which car is more popular by state, the 1964 1/2–66 Mustang or 1967-69 Camaro. He took a deep dive into other data, as well. It’s much like the Electoral College maps we see on television during the presidential election, although less likely to cause family strife when discussed at the dinner table.

Some observations about the first-generation Mustang vs. Camaro map:

• Overall the numbers are practically equal; in the U.S., Hagerty insures about 32,000 of each first-generation car. State by state, Camaros carry 30 states, Mustangs 20.
• In every state, Camaros are more valuable—on average—than Mustangs. Using Hagerty Guaranteed Value for each insured vehicle, the average Camaro is valued at $35,720, while the average Mustang carries a value of $22,449.
• Mustangs are not necessarily a Baby Boomer car. “I thought states with more Baby Boomers would explain the states with more Mustangs, but that isn’t the case,” Wiley says. “Only 35 percent of the states (7) where Mustangs are more numerous have more Baby Boomers. In fact, more often Millennials are more numerous in the Mustang states.” Of the 13 states in which Baby Boomers are more numerous, Mustang carried seven states and Camaro six.
• Utah is a big Camaro state. Camaros out number Mustangs by about 20%.
• Minnesota is a big Mustang state. Mustangs out number Camaros by 10%.

Bonus: As if that isn’t enough to chew on already, Wiley also compared Cadillac and Lincoln ownership.

• Hagerty insures over twice as many Cadillacs as Lincolns, but in 23 states (and D.C.), the rarer Lincolns are more valuable. In general, the average value (Hagerty Guaranteed Value) is amazingly close: $24,263 for Cadillac, $23,251 for Lincoln.
• On average, Cadillacs are a lot more valuable in Tennessee—$55,000 compared to $24,000 for Lincolns.
• In nearby Kentucky, the gap is smaller but the numbers are reversed—$33,000 average value for Lincoln, $23,000 for Cadillac.

Now wasn’t that a lot more fun than talking politics?