Market Guides The Under $40K Value Tier is where most of the action happens in the collector car market. With cars in this range making up nearly two-thirds of the entire market, it’s no surprise this tier offers an incredible variety of vehicles. Whether you’re into modern classics from the 2000s and 1990s or timeless icons from the 1960s and 1970s, there’s something for everyone here.
On average, cars in this tier sold for $17,000 at auction, just a bit lower than last year. Online auctions continue to dominate, accounting for 70% of sales and making it easier than ever for enthusiasts to buy and sell cars from the comfort of home. In 2024, over 48,000 vehicles in this tier found new owners for a total dollar volume of $844 million.
As we covered in our 2024 Year in Review, online auctions are booming, with sales activity up by 10%, and sold listings up by 17% compared to last year. With more cars hitting the market, prices did dip slightly—down by about 6% on average—but after years of declines, the sell-through rate (STR) for cars in this tier finally ticked upward by 4% at auction.
If you’re keeping an eye on the market or looking to snag a deal, the Under $40K tier is one to watch. It’s where affordability meets variety, offering opportunities for both seasoned collectors and newcomers alike.
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Top 10 Growing Markets
According to the CLASSIC.COM Market Benchmark (CMB)*, these markets experienced the most value growth between January and December 2024.
Top 10 Slowing Markets
According to the CLASSIC.COM Market Benchmark (CMB)*, these markets experienced the greatest value declines between January and December 2024.
Most Popular Markets
These Markets saw the highest activity in 2024, based on the number of new listings tracked across both auctions and dealers.
More Insights on the Classic and Exotic Car Market in 2024:
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For a list of data sources used in this article, reference our Data Sources.
*The CLASSIC.COM Market Benchmark (CMB) is a benchmark value for vehicles in a given Market based on data accumulated by CLASSIC.COM and calculated by a proprietary algorithm that takes into account volume and recency of each data point. CMB can be used to assess the performance of a market over a given time period. However, it does not represent the value of a specific vehicle.
** A Market on CLASSIC.COM is a grouping of comparable vehicles that have, at a minimum, the same Make, Model, and Model Generation. When relevant for purposes of valuation, a Market may be further segmented by Model Variant, Trim, Transmission Type, Body Style, and other factors.
