Classic Car Prices Resource Guide
Below I have listed a number of resources you can utilize to help determine classic car prices. While none of these are the “be all, end all” authoritative resource, each of them can give you a guideline for classic car values.
No two of them are likely to agree exactly on the value of a particular vehicle, but several of them averaged together should give you a fairly accurate idea of what a given vehicle is likely to bring at an auction. Keep in mind, these are only “guides”, and it is up to you to accurately appraise the condition of a vehicle you are looking at. The average enthusiast has a tendency to give a vehicle a higher condition rating than an expert appraiser or collector would, because the expert knows what details to look for when trying to determine classic car prices.
Here are the most popular places to go for a classic car price guide:
NADA has officially replaced what was previously the most common collector vehicle price guide, the Manheim Gold Book. NADA offers free online lookup of individual vehicles, or you can purchase a paper copy of a single guide to carry with you. You can also buy a yearly subscription that gives you three updated paper guides per year.
Hemmings Motor News is definitely a well-known name in the collector vehicle hobby, and they publish a bi-monthly Collectible Vehicle Value Guide for vehicles manufactured in 1946 or later. It is a pocket-size paper copy that is perfect for taking with you to an auction, and is available individually or by annual subscription.
Hagerty’s Cars That Matter is a classic car values resource that bases their prices on vehicles that have sold at auction, and provides this data through printed books, mobile access, or both. They are a leading provider of Classic Car Insurance and their guide is updated three times per year. It lists post-war (1946 and later) vehicles only.
The Collector Car Price Guide
Collector Car Market Review also offers collector vehicle values online at no cost, and a bi-monthly subscription for a paper copy of their classic car price guide. They also have begun offering offering a digital version of their “Collector Car Market Review”, available by online subscription.
Old Cars Weekly News and Marketplace offers several ways to get classic car values. They can provide a detailed report for a particular model for a small fee. You can get unlimited reports by becoming a member for a month or for one year. They also publish a bi-monthly old car price guide you can get by subscription. And of course, you can also subscribe to their weekly publication.
CollectorCarPriceTracker.com is a relative newcomer to the scene. They provide actual eBay auction data, average prices, details on the vehicles, and shows you the actual auction page with pictures. The first three searches are free, but after that you have to pay a fee. They have three day, one month, and yearly access packages with unlimited searches during the time frame you purchase.
Those are the most popular resources available today for determining classic car prices. All of them base their values on recent auction sales, and they each have a condition rating guide. If you are actively seeking to purchase or sell a collector vehicle, I would highly recommend taking a look at several current price guides to get the best idea of a reasonable value. Classic car prices can be quite volatile in some cases, so it is important that you have up to date information.
