“I get more excited about this than million dollar cars.” A commenter is near-giddy over Mecum Auctions’ Day 1 Houston winning bids. Some of these cars average double or triple what a few lucky bidders got away with earlier this month. Here’s what eight buyers basically stole…since the sun was sure shining on them.
Before I get any feedback about the definition of “rare,” here, allow me to make a point: How often do we see a 35, 45, 55, or dang-near 60-year-old car – any make or model – casually cruising around town? If the majority of what I see in the Midwest are F-150s and RAV4s, then all of the below are indeed “rare vintage cars.” Now let’s see what these folks made off with.
1976 Pontiac Trans Am
Sold: $17,600
5-year average sale: $47,558
Top 5-year sale: $400,000
1967 Chevrolet El Camino
Sold: $17,600
5-year average sale: $29,237
Top 5-year sale: $97,000
1990 Suzuki Samurai JL
Sold: $15,400
5-year average sale: $12,495
Top 5-year sale: $50,512
Okay, okay…you can definitely find Samurais for less at auction. This unit was white, modified, and came with true miles unknown. It’s possible a couple of attendees really wanted it and drove up the price a bit. Bring a Trailer sold a few of these cars recently for less than $10k. Still, cool car for less than $16k!
1987 Nissan Pickup
Sold: $14,850
5-year average sale: $12,173
Top 5-year sale: $30,000
This one’s only got 42k miles clocked, is highly original, and right-hand-drive. To nab it for only $2,000 more than the average trailing sale, shewie…
1953 Willys Wagon
Sold: $14,850
5-year average sale: $25,796
Top 5-year sale: $82,500
It looks like this same red, highly original Willys went up in Glendale, Arizona, in March. It bid to $22k…and didn’t sell. Whoever got away with paying less than $15k knows they all but stole it.
1987 Chevrolet K5 Blazer
Sold: $13,200
5-year average sale: $32,946
Top 5-year sale: $154,000
1986 Porsche 928 S
Sold: $10,850
5-year average sale: $23,684
Top 5-year sale: $142,069
1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
Sold: $8,250
5-year average sale: $22,143
Top 5-year sale: $118,000
Just to give an idea of the steals here, let’s talk about the K5 Blazer. The 1987 is part of the K5’s second gen. It was replaced by the Chevy Blazer in 1991. Chevrolet offered them with a variety of engines, including a V8 diesel.
According to Classic.com, the average five-year sale price for a 2nd Gen K5 is $32,946. The highest recently recorded sale happened in Scottsdale in January 2024. That unit went for $154,000.
So, if you can make off with a super clean K5 for less than $14,000…boy, you know what you got. These days, it’s hard to find a highly original K5 since many folks like to modify. If you’re into stock, expect to pay a lot more than $13k.
By the way, the 1987 K5 pictured as this article’s featured image bid to $18,500 in 2019…and didn’t sell.
In general, expect to pay more than these bidders if you come across any of these cars and want to take a stab at bringing one home.
