Classic Car Models That Have Risen In Value
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Being Europe’s largest online marketplace for classic and niche vehicles, Car & Classic has access to a plethora of classic car sales data. This data is analysed by a team of experts at Car & Classic, who can spot existing trends, anticipate fluctuations in the values and track general changes in the market.
The data team at Car & Classic has noted five models from five distinctly different categories that have seen values rise between 5 and 17 per cent. Sometimes the reasons for these rises are clear cut, other times it is more unexpected, but these particular trends prove the enduring and increasing popularity of classic vehicles of all kinds.
(All figures have been adjusted for inflation)
Category 1: Luxury – Jaguar XJ
Jaguar’s long-standing full-sized luxury saloon was produced from 1968-2019 and became synonymous with the brand in that time. The last model to have been influenced by Sir William Lyons, the company’s founder, it was a model of incredible importance to the British marque. Since 2019, XJs have seen price rises of 6 per cent on average, suggesting that the model’s demise four years ago has not suppressed desire for the Jaguar. Modern luxury saloons come with incredible comfort and convenience, but classic XJs have a debonair charm that is impossible to produce in 2023.
This 1984 Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign in excellent condition with under 50k mileage sold recently for exactly £10k in October.
Category 2: 4X4 – Range Rover
Intended as a more comfortable, useable but still capable alternative to the hardcore Land Rover, British Leyland likely didn’t anticipate the cultural and commercial phenomenon the Range Rover would go on to become. 53 years and five generations later, it is still a roaring success and has gone on to spawn several successful variants of its own. Range Rovers are still popular on Car & Classic too. Since 2019, prices have risen by 17 per cent on average, showing that even in an industry where SUVs dominate, one of the forebears of the category is still held in high regard.
This 1975 Range Rover in excellent condition with under 50k mileage sold for £25,000 on 19 October.
Category 3: Family – Honda Civic
Coming in just two years younger than the Range Rover, the Honda Civic is now in its 51st year and 11th generation. Once affordable, the ever-popular Honda Civic will cost buyers over £30,000 in 2023. Values for classic examples have jumped by 14 per cent since 2019 in line with this, a clear trend that suggests Civics may become high-value classics of the future.
Amongst the most sought-after Civics are the performance-oriented Type-Rs, with their high-revving engines and sharp handling. Last year, a 2006 Honda Civic Type-R EP3 was sold on Car & Classic for £16,750. Powered by the famous K20A2 engine, this example was unmodified and had covered less than 15k miles, both rare qualities for these extensively customisable and useable hatchbacks.
Category 4: Sports – Toyota MR2
Aptly named after its layout, Toyota’s mid-engine, rear-drive 2-seater is a simple but effective Japanese roadster, that survived for an impressive 18 years against the global phenomenon that was the Mazda MX-5. Car & Classic has seen values for the MR2, which was discontinued in 2007, rise by 10 per cent since 2019. Cars of the MR2’s type are lesser seen in the showrooms of 2023, and so demand for existing examples is likely to rise as the segment shrinks, indicated in the rising values.
Car & Classic is currently offering a second-generation MR2 from 1991. This example was imported from Japan in 2020 and has only covered 19,688 miles in its lifetime. It is highly original and appears to be in excellent condition. Examples like these coming to market will be partly responsible for the average increase in values.
Category 5: Economy – Ford Fiesta
A low initial asking price and very high sales figures wouldn’t ordinarily make a car rise in value on a classic marketplace such as Car & Classic. However, with the discontinuation of the Ford Fiesta in July this year, values for the modest hatch have risen to 5 per cent above the 2019 average. Identified as a future classic in the minds of today’s enthusiasts, the Fiesta may no longer be rolling off the production line, but it seems like we will be seeing them on the UK’s roads for many years to come.
Examples like this 1988 Ford Fiesta XR2 are already firmly regarded as bona fide classics. The low miles and excellent original condition of this sporty example make it highly desirable, just as the more recent ST and RS variants will surely become.
