Classic Car Appreciation Calculator

Historical appreciation rate by make, model, and era.

Purchase price ($)

Current estimated value ($)

Years held

Future projection (years)

Annual maintenance cost ($)

Tab to move between fields

Annual appreciation (CAGR)

10.76%

Total value gain$10,000.00

Total return %66.7%

Total maintenance spent$7,500.00

Net gain after all costs$2,500.00

Projected future value$69,444.00

S&P 500 equivalent$24,158.00

vs. S&P 500 difference$842.00

Break-even appreciation rate6%

How to Use This Calculator

Enter purchase price, current estimated value, and years held.
Set future projection years and annual maintenance cost.
Review CAGR, total appreciation, and projected future value.
Compare annualized return to stock market benchmarks to evaluate the car as an investment.

How the result changes with Purchase price ($)

Purchase price ($): What you originally paid for the car, including buyer's premium if purchased at auction.
Current estimated value ($): Today's market value based on recent comparable sales (Bring a Trailer, Hagerty Price Guide, auction results).
Years held: Number of years you have owned the car.
Future projection (years): How many years forward to project at the historical growth rate.
Annual maintenance cost ($): Average annual cost for storage, insurance, maintenance, registration, and consumables.

Annual appreciation (CAGR): Compound annual growth rate based on purchase price and current value.
Total value gain: Difference between current value and purchase price.
Total return %: Overall percentage return on the purchase price.
Total maintenance spent: Cumulative maintenance, storage, and insurance costs over the holding period.
Net gain after all costs: Value gain minus total cost of ownership (purchase + maintenance).
Projected future value: Estimated value after the projection period, assuming the historical CAGR continues.
S&P 500 equivalent: What the purchase price would be worth if invested in the S&P 500 at 10% avg annual return.
vs. S&P 500 difference: Positive means the car outperformed stocks; negative means stocks would have been a better financial investment.
Break-even appreciation rate: Minimum annual appreciation needed just to cover ongoing maintenance costs.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Purchase price ($) = 15000, Current estimated value ($) = 25000, Years held = 5, Future projection (years) = 10 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Annual appreciation
Annual appreciation = (pow(currentValue / purchasePrice, 1 / yearsHeld) - 1) * 100
10.76 = 10.76%
Calculate Total value gain
Total value gain = currentValue - purchasePrice
10000 = $10,000
Calculate Total return %
Total return % = ((currentValue - purchasePrice) / purchasePrice) * 100
66.7 = 66.7%