The hottest collector vehicles are still affordable vintage trucks

Different verse, same as the first. Well, same as the last verse anyway. That’s the refrain of the latest Hagerty Vehicle Rating—the thermometer to determine what collector cars are hot and which are chilling out.

Once again, pickup trucks are coming on strong, with every generation of Chevrolet full-size truck/SUV represented, from the first new post-war design in 1947 to the end of the aquare bodies. This time, the 1960–66 C/K Series has taken the top spot, swapping positions with 1973–87 Square-Body C/Ks, which are now in second place. Chevy’s GMC counterparts also made up three of the top 25 spots, with International Harvester, Dodge, Jeep, and Ford trucks and utilities also holding their own and filling in about half of the list in total.

1963 Chevrolet C10
1963 Chevrolet C10 Mecum

The remainder of the list is filled with Japanese and European sports coupes and sedans, with the only American car models coming from Pontiacs, Lincoln, and Chevy.

So why trucks? Their high production numbers (Chevrolet alone has built more than 85 million) means that used parts can be easy to find, and there’s also quite an aftermarket for reproduction parts. That’s not to mention the truck-only events and publications that cater to classic trucks. They are also capable of towing and hauling things that are outside the realm of even the biggest family truckster wagon. Their workhorse nature is what led pickup trucks to become arguably the most quintessentially American vehicle and might make them easy to justify as a second, third, or fourth vehicle. You know, just in case.

1983 Chevrolet Blazer
1983 Chevrolet Blazer GM

To establish the Hagerty Vehicle Rating we note the insurance activity, auction results, and private sales activity of hundreds of models of classic and modern vehicles, and we weigh those results to determine which vehicles are outperforming the collector car market as a whole.

Vehicle
1960-1966 Chevrolet C/K Series 98
1973-1987 Chevrolet C/K Series 96
1993-2002 Pontiac Firebird 96
1968-1976 BMW 2002 96
1993-1998 Toyota Supra 95
1990-1997 Lincoln Town Car 95
1973-1991 Chevrolet Blazer 95
1968-1973 Datsun 510 94
1947-1955 Chevrolet 3100 Pickups 94
1955-1959 Chevrolet Pickups 94
1969-1974 Alfa Romeo GTV 93
1966-1977 Ford Bronco 93
1984-1989 Toyota MR2 90
1992-2002 Mazda RX-7 90
1969-1975 International Harvester Pickups 90
1946-1955 GMC New Design Pickups 90
1999-2005 Porsche 911 90
1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS 89
1955-1959 GMC Blue Chip Pickups 89
1973-1987 GMC C/K Pickups 87
1955-1983 Jeep CJ-5 87
2000-2006 BMW M3 87
1983-1992 Volkswagen Golf Mk II 87
1984-1993 BMW 3-Series 86
1961-1964 Pontiac Catalina 85
1997-2004 Porsche Boxster 85
1945-1968 Dodge Power Wagon 85
1967-1972 Chevrolet Suburban 85
1981-1993 Dodge Ramcharger 85
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