6 Trucks and 4x4s Making the Biggest Moves in 2025

If we asked you to imagine a proper collector vehicle, the first thing to pop into your head would likely be a sports car or muscle car, right?

But pickup trucks and assorted 4x4s can fill any project or collector vehicle void while simultaneously offering up load-hauling or off-road capability, and often both: That may be why so many vintage SUVs and trucks have become desirable collectibles and command premium prices. It can be pretty easy to justify buying one.

Just like their car counterparts, these more rugged rides are subject to changes in consumer tastes and preferences. As prices for one model go up, buyers may opt for a comparable, more affordable alternative that checks the same boxes. Our valuation specialists have tracked six vehicles in particular that have made the biggest change in valuation so far in 2025.

1979-1992 Mercedes-Benz G-Class W460

+25.7 percent

You can’t swing a Hermés Birkin bag on Rodeo Drive without hitting a late-model Mercedes-Benz G-Class. That makes it hard to imagine a time before these boxy SUVs were a luxury staple of wealthy urbanites, yet the early W460 models were much more utilitarian. Mercedes developed the rugged G-Class as a military vehicle beginning in the early ‘70s in partnership with Steyr-Daimler-Puch. This military-to-civilian pipeline was how we got some of our favorite 4x4s, including Jeep CJs and the Dodge Power Wagon, which are also on our list.

The W460 model was not as popular as its successor, the W463, which upped the refinement and luxury appointments to compete with the likes of Range Rover, and led to the G-Class being introduced to the American market. All of the W460s you’ll find stateside are imports, making them harder to come by. However, the W460 was built in a wider range of body styles, from two-door pickups and convertibles to three- and five-door wagons and panel vans, with a range of inline-four-, five-, and six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines.

1990-1993 Chevrolet 454 SS Pickup  

+22.2 percent

The 454 SS was built using the tried-and-true muscle car formula of dropping a big engine into a smaller package. In this case, it was the same 454-cubic-inch, big-block V-8 from Chevy’s heavy-duty work trucks stuffed into a regular cab, half-ton short-bed.

For its first year of production, the cylinder heads, camshaft, and intake on the 454 SS were the same bits found on the heavy haulers, and the output was not particularly impressive. Still, with 7.4 liters of big-block V-8, you’re going to produce a bunch of torque somewhere. With its mild top end, that torque checked in at a low engine speed. Initially, the big-block cranked out 385 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 rpm, but the updated powerplant in 1991 produced 405 lb-ft of tire-roasting torque at 2400 rpm. Also in 1991 came the switch from a three-speed Turbo 400 automatic to the bulletproof 4L80E four-speed automatic transmission. The overdrive auto enabled Chevy to justify a lower 4.10:1 ring and pinion for even more torque at the wheels.

The 255-horsepower output of the 454 SS was eventually matched by the Vortec 350 V-8, and easily eclipsed by Gen III and Gen IV GM small-block V-8s and even Gen V small-block V-6s. However, just like a big-block Chevy from the muscle car era, the 454 remained a great foundation for making more power with help from the aftermarket. These monochrome bruisers are a throwback to V-8 muscle long after big-blocks left passenger car use and remain the most collectible GMT400 models ever built.

1945-1968 Dodge Power Wagon

+15.9 percent

While 4×4 pickups are ubiquitous now, it wasn’t always that way. The Big Three were happy to sell you a rear-drive truck in the 1920s and ‘30s, but early 4×4 pickups were only available from aftermarket upfitters. Chevy truck fans may recognize NAPCO, the company that added four-wheel-drive capability to pickup trucks and Suburbans in the ‘50s before GM built 4x4s itself. Dodge was the first to offer buyers a 4×4 straight from the factory when it adapted the World War II, military-spec WC-series of ¾-ton 4x4s for a civilian market. The pickups got curvy cabs in place of the flat-topped or no-topped military versions and were dubbed “Power Wagon.” They were made for decades with the same basic body style and were truly relics when they ended production in the ‘60s, still using a cab that had been designed before WWII.

The rise of virtually all 4×4 collectibles has finally reached these original factory 4x4s, with prices of all B-1-PW and later WM300 models ticking up by an average of 15.9 percent since the start of 2025. Like many popular, vintage 4x4s, restomod Power Wagons have their own niche and may have helped spur more interest and demand in these rough-and-tumble off-roaders.

1947-1955 Chevrolet 3100

-17.9 percent

Chevrolet’s first clean-sheet pickup redesign post-WWII, the Advance Design trucks were powered by venerable Stovebolt inline-six engines and featured beautiful styling with fat fenders. It wasn’t until the Task Force lineup of pickups that debuted as 1955 models that Chevrolet gave consumers the option for luxury touches in the form of the upscale Cameo models, so these remained rather spartan. However, the cosmetic upgrade that added a single-piece windshield in 1954 also coincided with the availability of an automatic transmission, hinting that pickups would soon offer even more mass-market appeal. The Advance Design trucks have a quintessentially 1950s American style, which still makes them a desirable collector model, and there’s plenty of aftermarket support if you’re interested in restoring or modifying one.

1955-1983 Jeep CJ-5

-12 percent

Just like the original Willys MB and MC led to the flat-fendered CJ-2A and CJ-3A for the civilian market, the military M38A1 developed after WWII was modified into the CJ-5. This short-wheelbase Jeep was the basis of the mechanically similar but slightly longer CJ-7, which evolved into the Wrangler that enthusiasts still love today. It’s easy to spot the difference between a CJ-5 and CJ-7: Just look at the shape of the lower door. The CJ-7 door opening is rectangular, while the CJ-5 door cut line follows the shape of the rear wheel opening. The extra wheelbase of the CJ-7 allows for more interior room and also makes it a bit more desirable for the average buyer. So while CJ-7 prices are also down a bit, they still demand more than a comparable CJ-5.

1969-1979 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ55   

-10 percent

Along with the first-generation Ford Bronco and Chevy Blazer, Toyota’s various models of FJ Land Cruisers were among the first class of vintage 4x4s to become sought-after collectibles. And why not? The utilitarian 4×4 wagons have an interesting look and rugged, simple drivetrains that make them an excellent choice for a weekend getaway. After restored and beautifully restomodded examples commanded high prices at auction, many buyers wanted to get a piece of the action before the supply was scooped up, bringing the price of even well-worn vintage Toyota 4x4s into the same ballpark as desirable muscle cars.

The market hasn’t been quite so bullish lately. This is a trend we’ve been paying attention to, as we noted Land Cruiser prices coming back to earth back in 2019 with the FJ40, and they’ve come down even more since then. If you’ve been hoping to own one of these classic Toyota 4x4s, now may be the time to step up your search.