Are Classic Cars a Good Investment? What Recorded Sales Show Since 2022
We compared 607 groups of the same model and model year, 2022 against the last 12 months. The typical collector car sells for 9% less than it did in 2022, and only about a third went up. Here are the winners, the losers, and what they have in common.
Most collector cars sell for less today than they did in 2022. Across 607 groups of the same model and model year, the median change is 9% lower, before inflation, and only about a third of groups sell for more. A small set of cars did very well: the Ferrari F355 is up 80%, the 2005 and 2006 Ford GT 31%, the Mercedes SLS AMG 29%. The cars that fell hardest are mostly newer luxury cars that were never collectible to begin with.
The overall picture
| Model years | Groups | Median change since 2022 | Share that went up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1990 | 194 | 6% lower | 36% |
| 1990 to 2009 | 285 | 8% lower | 34% |
| 2010 on | 128 | 18% lower | 20% |
| All | 607 | 9% lower | 31% |
2022 was a peak year for the collector car market. The sales recorded since then show what a buyer at that peak would get today: on the typical car, less than they paid, before any cost of owning it.
The cars that went up
Models with at least 15 recorded sales in both periods:
| Car | Model years compared | Sales (2022, last 12 months) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrari F355 | 1995, 1997 to 1999 | 48, 52 | +80% |
| De Tomaso Pantera | 1972 to 1974 | 22, 30 | +32% |
| Ford GT | 2005, 2006 | 60, 55 | +31% |
| Mercedes SLS AMG | 2011, 2012 | 40, 50 | +29% |
| Ferrari Testarossa | 1988 to 1990 | 21, 25 | +28% |
| Chevrolet Blazer | 1971, 1972 | 24, 39 | +25% |
| Porsche 356C | 1964, 1965 | 28, 33 | +24% |
| Acura NSX | 1991 to 2017 (6 years) | 65, 99 | +22% |
| Subaru Impreza WRX | 2004 to 2006 | 33, 36 | +21% |
| Ferrari F430 | 2005 to 2008 | 51, 87 | +21% |
A 1999 F355 had a median recorded sale of $100,858 in 2022. In the last 12 months it was $241,500. A 2006 Ford GT went from $452,500 to $614,000.
What the risers share: limited production, a manual gearbox or an analog driving experience that newer cars dropped, and a generation of buyers who grew up with them on the wall.
Inside the F355: miles decide the price
The F355 shows how much the individual car matters inside a rising model. We took the F355 sales that state a mileage, from June 2025 to October 2026, and compared cars of the same model year and body style (Berlinetta, GTS or Spider), so a 1997 Spider is only compared with a 1997 Spider.
Seven groups had cars on both sides of 30,000 miles. In all seven, the cars under 30,000 miles sold for more. The typical gap was about 40%. Across those groups, 20 cars under 30,000 miles had a median sale of $196,251; 13 cars over it had a median of $121,800.
The sample is small, and mileage is not the only difference: low mileage cars also tend to have better records and fewer owners. But the direction held in every group. On a car like this, the odometer is not a detail.
The cars that fell
| Car | Model years compared | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Land Rover Range Rover Sport | 2011, 2012 | 53% lower |
| Land Rover Range Rover | 1993 to 2012 | 52% lower |
| Porsche Cayenne | 2004 to 2016 | 48% lower |
| Porsche Panamera | 2010 to 2018 | 47% lower |
| Jaguar XK8 | 1997, 1999 | 41% lower |
| Jeep Wrangler | 1999 to 2018 | 34% lower |
| Ford Thunderbird | 1955 to 1957, 2002 to 2005 | 30% lower |
| MG MGB | 1964 to 1980 | 27% lower |
Most of this list is ordinary depreciation: a 2014 Cayenne sold for a median of $47,517 in 2022 and $24,675 in the last year. That is a used luxury SUV getting older, not a collectible losing favor. The older cars on the list (the MGB and the early Thunderbird) are the ones to watch: affordable classics whose buyers are aging out.
What this means if you are buying
- "Classic cars go up" is not true on average. Since 2022, two in three groups went down.
- The winners were specific. Limited, analog, and loved by people now in their peak earning years.
- Price the exact car. A 2005 and a 2006 of the same model can sit $50,000 apart, and inside one model year the miles can move the price by 40%. Compare like for like.
- Costs come on top. These figures include the buyer's premium but not storage, insurance, maintenance or the fee when you sell.
How this was measured
Recorded sales from the major auction houses and online auctions, with the buyer's premium included. Each group is one model and one model year, so a 1999 F355 is compared with a 1999 F355. A group needs at least six sales in 2022 and six in the last 12 months (October 29, 2025 to October 28, 2026). Project cars, parts cars, replicas and tributes are left out. Medians, not averages, so one record sale does not move the result. Condition and mileage vary inside a group; a median of six or more sales softens that but does not remove it. Figures are before inflation.
See the sales behind any of these cars on its price page: Ferrari F355, Ford GT, Ferrari Testarossa or Ferrari F430.
