2021 Bull Market List: 10 collectible cars (and one motorcycle) on the upswing this year

[Bryan]

Hagerty ardently upholds the philosophy of “buy what you love.” When that love intersects with cars that are appreciating, so much the better—you might just be able to buy what you love and also drive it for free, which is surely proof of a well-lived life.

Over the past four years, that’s what Hagerty’s Bull Market list has been all about: highlighting fun cars, across a variety of budgets and tastes, that we believe are poised to rise in value over the next 12 months. This isn’t a get-rich-quick list for flippers; it’s a tipsheet to help enthusiasts get their cake and maybe eat it, too. And it’s informed by our analysis of all the market data Hagerty has at its disposal.

This year’s collection is as varied as any we’ve ever assembled. Its diversity reflects how easy social media has made it to discover, learn about, and fall in love with vehicles from nearly every age. The number of later-model cars is also a reminder that the past two decades have been a renaissance of sorts for design and performance.

Read the full article on Hagerty.com:

https://www.hagerty.com/media/magazine-features/bull-market-2021/

[spoom]

As always, some interesting choices and time will tell. I love this annual feature and appreciate all the time that goes into the number crunching.

[Kollector-Kevin]

Nice list, but would like to see a list that the "Regular Joe" could afford though. Collectors priced within reason say, $15K and under? 

[Solosolo]

The Jaguar XK 120 was a beautiful car ruined by the raising of the cowl and trunk in order to fit more luggage (and golf clubs!). For me, the 140's and 150's do nothing.

[Solosolo]

I forgot to mention that also with the rear fender skirts it looked great, but once they went to wire wheels with knock-ons, and had to drop the fender skirts the whole beauty was lost.

[1959Imperial]

Agree with above comments. Real skills come when predicting vehicles 20 years or older. Don't just look at the auction results or what people are insuring the vehicles for.

[40Ford]

I was thinking $10,000 and under. I'm a poorer "Regular Joe". 

[Gary]

My thoughts exactly 

[wdb]

Audi TT fits that range. 

[Greg_I]

@Kollector-Kevinask and you shall receive.

https://www.hagerty.com/media/valuation/8-cars-and-2-trucks-you-can-score-for-under-15000/

[77GL]

Miatas are still cheap and extremely competent cars and many are never driven in winter so excellent examples are still available.

[Sk1959]

I agree. Good old American cars that most of us can relate to.

[JohninNC]

I see repair $$$ bills.  But if I were wealthy I might just see awesome cars.  The Lexus versions of the Landcruisers can be a good but too!  
Anybody see some of the nutty low prices at Mecum in the off hours/ non primetime days???  MAN!  Awesome deals!!!!!!!!!

[70sKid]

Regarding those awesome deals... I tend to agree. In those instances where I've caught coverage of Mecum auctions during those times that you've mentioned, the thought that always goes through my mind is "man, you sure wouldn't find that car listed locally on craigslist going for anywhere near that cheap".

[BudOsbourne]

The author of the VW Vanagon write-up should do some research into VW model types.  The Vanagon is STILL a Type 2.  The Type 3 is the "Squareback/Notchback/Fastback" line of sedans & station wagons built on the Type 1 ("Beetle") chassis and introduced in the early 60s.

But, a good choice for this list and one of only a small handful from the list that I'd ever want to own (actually have owned a couple of Vanagons and they were wonderful).  Now, if only you can find one that's been correctly maintained and, if it's powered by the "wasserboxer", let's hope it's owners have used to correct coolant.  If not, the electrolysis between cylinder and cylinder head will mean some expensive repairs/replacement of heads.

Same footprint as my Super Beetle, but with cavernous (and very comfortable) interior and a ONE TON payload capacity. 

[Rick2]

Unfortunately I started looking for a VW camper this spring. Sticker shock! I wanted to travel in it not admire it.

[Eric]

you're correct, and we've updated the article with a revised graphic and caption to distinguish between both generations of the Type 2: the T1 camper and the T3 vanagon. Appreciate the call for clarification, and that's coming from a fellow Beetle owner!

[tahend]

Snooze alert!!!!

[spoom]

Mean Girls alert!!!

[Tinkerah]

Best phrase I'll see all week: "Lucas Replacement Smoke Kit". Impressive cover photo too, assembling all the examples for a pic. If that's trick photography, it tricked me.

[gsbeliever]

Completely on board with Kollector-Kevin's observation: make a list of vintage cars that the majority of your readers could actually afford (like my 1991 Celica convertible, lol).

[Greg_I]

If you’re looking for content on affordable cars. Here’s an article that may be more to your liking then.

https://www.hagerty.com/media/valuation/8-cars-and-2-trucks-you-can-score-for-under-15000/

[JIMEEZ]

I'm still thinking that the Pontiac Trans Ams, any year, are great investments! More practical don't you think?

[Gary]

Who cares about investment. I buy it because I like it period 

[merlebalke]

Audi TT and the Ford GT would be my cars of choice.

[KPgarage]

I get asked often "how did you know the Ford GT would appreciate?" and I give the honest answer that I certainly did not.  In fact most of my car purchases go quite the opposite direction and that is okay.  I waited since the first grade when my mom gave me a little Matchbox GT for Ford to make them again.  As I didn't have the money nor a license then to get one then. When they announced the reboot in 2003 the chances of getting one were slim but I ordered and lined up my husband points. My Ford dealer took my order and then promptly gave it away twice to a higher bidder.  I stayed after it and was fortunate enough to get one at MSRP from another dealer out of state. The car is now 15 years old and every single time I get in it I am thankful and still cannot believe it.  It is simply a great drivers car that is relatively basic given it's super-scientific competition.  I think it holds it's value and has increased because of that, it is simply a great car. IMHO, Thanks for the article. Kevin O.

[Tim]

I thought these cars were only going to go up in value. I was shocked when, a few years after they were introduced, we started seeing 5-digit prices for them. I didn't have the disposable income to acquire one at the time. I thought about recommending a purchase to someone I knew who owned a Ferrari, but that seemed blasphemous. But this is one vehicle that would be extremely tough to buy and just let it sit. It's better purchased and enjoyed as a #2. 

[JasonFromCT]

I recall one at Norwalk Ford in CT, that sat for 2 years on the showroom floor at the ~150K sticker.  Grey with the Grey stripes.  These came out during a pretty bad recession, there were certainly deals to be had for people with the foresight.

[Gary]

Apparently I don’t have the income you have to acquire these high priced and very rare cars. Your articles are not relevant to me anymore. I will just have to stick with my My mgtd, mga, mgb, 64 corvette, 67 mustang, and 36 ford. I can work on and restore them myself. They are still affordable and parts are fairly easy to get. I think these are in a class in which the majority of your readers fall. More articles along this line might be appreciated and seem more in our reach. Just my thoughts. Thanks

[Tim]

Go back and look at the list again. There are options available from $10-15K. An Audi TT Quattro is inexpensive enjoyment for a weekend car. I'd get the cabriolet. If you can find one with the glorious baseball-stitched leather, all the better.

Sure, there are pricey options on this list. But there are a fair number of accessible collectables here, too. Certainly for someone who has multiple collectables already.

[Greg_I]

Not every article covers big money or ultra exclusive stuff. Here’s just one example. https://www.hagerty.com/media/valuation/8-cars-and-2-trucks-you-can-score-for-under-15000/

[jberenyi]

I agree.  I love my Vette!

[Gary]

I’ll have to admit maybe I am out of it. I have a 2000 Miata and a 2001 Jeep Wrangler but I never even considered them collectible, they are just my daily drivers and I keep them because I like driving them.

[70sKid]

I'm really not sure why you're complaining as I doubt that most Hagerty customers could afford to own the same bevy of cars that you do. As a Hagerty customer myself, I personally found this year's Bull Market list to be pretty interesting overall.

[hastingsman]

Out of my league, as usual. Don't know why I bother reading these things, they are mostly foreign makes that hold no interest to me. Give me a good old Ford or Chevy any day, emphasis on the "old". 

[SteveNL]

My wife and I looked carefully at the early Audi TT when looking for a new sports car in 2003.  They certainly are striking in their styling, but a look under the hood reveals a complex engine compartment that wasn't designed to suit the needs of a home mechanic.  We opted for an NB Miata instead.

I have owned a couple of Honda SOHC CB 750s.  I still own a 1975 K5 model now.  Values have gone up on all of these bikes within the past few years.  Most people don't realize that they cost a lot of money to restore.  Four into four OEM style exhaust pipes will set you back over a thousand dollars or more.  The chrome parts on these old Hondas were always poorly plated.  Most restorations will require replacing all of the small chrome bits and the cost really adds up.  I ended up investing over $8K in my last K1.  The buyer of a sand cast model will probably not ride the bike all that much.  My K1 and K5 bikes were restored for riding.  Early CB 750s have their limitations.  The brick like engine sets the center of gravity too high for nimble riding thru the twisty sections of roads.  The front disc brake was revolutionary as a design feature, but it didn't work to stop the bike all that well.  The drum brakes on my old BMW actually work better.  One problem is that the caliper is aluminum and the piston is steel.  Electrolysis causes the piston to seize in the housing unless you rebuild the caliper once a year.

But they were revolutionary bikes that drove BSA into bankruptcy, which was a good thing.

[jberenyi]

I don't quite understand the fascination with these old death trap bikes.  The money spent on them you could easily invest in four wheels.  Oh well.

[spoom]

I'm curious what the going opinion is on people buying old car underpowered non disk brake death traps that don't have any air bags or collapsible steering columns, and the dashboards are made out of stamped metal so that your head won't go all the way through to the engine block in a crash? 😎

[az]

Hi,

This stuff is pretty new. Do you even insure them?

[Sajeev]

We sure do! 

[930Flachbau]

Sure looks like your photo shoot took place at Road America. A truly beautiful landscape in the Fall, or any season for that matter. The main photo looks like the approach to Canada Corner coming out of Thunder Valley. Awesome!

[70sKid]

Pulled directly from the photo captions: "Wisconsin’s Road America in the fall proved the perfect place to gather our 2021 Bull Market clan"

[Zephyr]

When I retired a few years ago I looked into buying a used VW Westphalia (the earlier T2 model). Looking at owner forums I discovered that among the recommended spare parts to take along on any week-long trip were a distributor, fuel pump, spark plugs and a few other major components. I decided against it. 

[Punk]

Driving for free? Well, I celebrated my 30th anniversary with my E-Type this summer. In that time its value went from $26k I paid for it to around $100k. Great! But free? I drive mine regularly, which means in that 30 years, one new interior, twice back to the metal paint jobs, one complete engine rebuild from the ground up. So I probably paid for its current value twice. But. 30 years of top down E-Type motoring? Priceless! 

[shoulderboards]

Interesting to look at the very similar data tables on the two Honda products in the story, albeit with two less wheels on the CB750.

[964c4]

Nice list. I really like the insurance quote demographic breakdown by generation.

[Racer50]

Nice article. However, the engineer in me can't sit by and say nothing when you quote power-to-weight ratios in units of lb/hp. Power-to-weight ratio, as its name implies, is a ratio of power divided by weight (hp/lb), where higher numbers are desirable. This article is actually showing weight-to-power ratios (lb/hp), where lower numbers are desirable.  This may lead to confusion among your readers.

[Maestro1]

The Jaguar, hands down, and the Audi TT, and the Toyota would be my choices based on where I live and my driving conditions. I've always wanted a Ferrari, but the servicing costs have always made me hesitate. I know all about Jock Whitney who said you can't afford it if you have to ask the price, but that's not the way I do things. Thanks for this. Well done.

[sspbcski]

Glad to see Vanagons on the list. Filled out your quote form for insurance on my 1990 Westfalia Syncro and received a message that you won't cover it. Lame.

[Historian]

The GT would be my first pick, followed by the Jag.  The CB 750 was what a friend of mine was killed on.  The rest, blah.