Newer cars gain value, older ones lose it
The idea that newer cars outperform older ones in terms of value retention isn’t exactly new. For the most part, however, these are isolated observations.
But we wanted to take a closer look once again, so we compared thousands of current Classic-Data appraisals with those from a year ago.
The results showed that cars that have appreciated in value (at least 1% for the average Condition 2 and Condition 3 values) are, on average, 34 years old, while cars that have lost value are, on average, 50 years old.
If you then look at the vehicles with high increases in value, sports cars like the 1995 Lamborghini Diablo SE Jota (160% increase in value) or the Ferrari Enzo (2002–2004) with a 145% increase in value stand out. Among the cars with high value appreciation, however, there are also “more exotic” makes such as the Lada Samara Fun (a convertible sedan, built from 1990 to 1994) or the Land Rover Defender 110 NSAS (1992–1993).
At the other end of the spectrum, some super classics are surprising, as they can be purchased for significantly less than they cost about 12 months ago. Examples include the Maserati 3500 GT/GTI Vignale Spyder or the Ferrari 250 GT Boano, both of which have lost more than 25% of their value. The Jensen Interceptor Mark III and the Dodge Challenger R/T also appear to be worth significantly less than they were a year ago.
For those who wish to conduct their own research, we refer you to our valuation data provided by Classic Data, which we have been featuring on our site for many years and have just updated again with the latest valuations for all conditions 1 through 5 .
