2022 has been a very good year for the classic car market with a buoyant mood throughout the year. We have seen some cars sold for seriously big money in a market that has shown no signs of slowing down at all.

Just taking this year's Monterey Car Week as a prime example, the auctions set a new record for sales with a figure of $469 million, which was an increase of nearly 19% from the previous record of $394.5 million in 2015. With a sell-through rate nudging 80% and an average sale price of just over $590,000, this showcased the enthusiasm of the market in general in 2022.

The industry appears to be resilient to all that is currently happening in terms of price rises, inflation, or fears of a recession, with many buyers of collector cars in particular seeing their purchase as a real investment.

During the first half of the year, $2.16 billion was spent globally on classic cars, a good indication that the market is healthy indeed. Back in May, we also saw the sale of the world's most expensive car to date for $143 million - the Rudolf Uhlenhaut Mercedes-Benz 300SLR – one of just two built.

The live and online auction segment of the market has continued to thrive, with many auction companies posting post-auction record numbers, and this trend again seems set to continue into 2023.

In terms of trends during 2022 we have seen an increase in demand for cars and trucks made in the 1980s. This has been noticeable with younger buyers looking to purchase their first classic vehicles which are cheaper and more accessible than the older classics.

Porsche is a popular brand at any time, especially the 911 and Carrera models, but during the year we have seen a rise in the popularity of many vintage and older Porsches.

1930s cars have also become very popular, more so with those buyers looking for an investment, an object of art, or to be used on a very limited basis. Cars from this era are when designers really started to have an impact and their value is being appreciated right now.

For most buyers, however, the purchase of the classic car remains a passion rather than an investment, so trends will be constantly changing and different sectors of the market will see ups and downs in terms of what is currently popular.

As we look ahead to 2023, what can we expect? The market is expected to stay stable but without maybe some of the spectacular results we have seen in 2022.

Several vehicles are tipped to be the "ones to watch" in 2023 and could prove to be shrewd investments, these include makes such as the Lamborghini Diablo, Mercedes SL500, Bentley Turbo R, Triumph Spitfire, Austin Seven, the Saab 99 Turbo, and the original Ford Fiesta (with the Fiesta name set to be officially retired from June 2023) – to name just a select few.

At Classic Motors For Sale we have had another very busy year in all areas of the business. During 2022 we have seen our busiest months in 13 years of business with record months of site visitors, car sales, and clients signing up, proving the market remains positive and it is a great time to join us.

Our websites have recently undergone some major upgrading in preparation for 2023 and both our reach worldwide and subscriber list continue to grow, so we anticipate another big year ahead with these sites now live.

As a website media portal, we reach a huge global audience and we are committed to your success, offering a range of special dealer advertising packages to meet your specific budget and requirements.

The market would appear to be in a safe state moving forward and as always, classic cars should and will be bought to be enjoyed, so Happy Motoring to you all in 2023.

The festive season is almost upon us and with the holidays comes the usual selection of movies for the Christmas period. When we think of winter or the holiday season we wouldn't normally associate this too much with classic cars, but quite a few have made it onto the big screen in a variety of Christmas movies.

Here we take a look at five classic cars that have been featured in Christmas movies, the first being in one of the classic films, "It's a Wonderful Life", released way back in 1946. A 1919 Dodge Brothers touring car can be seen in this movie and is driven by the main character, George Bailey. He constantly has problems with a faulty side door and also drives the vehicle into a tree!

The 1919 Dodge Brothers touring car had a four-cylinder engine, 36 horsepower, and a 12V battery, making it twice as powerful as other cars from its day. If you look closely you will see a brass tag on the dashboard showing the number "789", indicating that the car was a movie prop rather than an actual road touring car.

A 1937 Oldsmobile Six can be seen in the early 80s movie "A Christmas Story", which initially was not a success but grew in popularity over the years. This family car features in the movie and was responsible for one of the younger stars having to have his mouth cleaned out with soap for using unsuitable language!

Bing Crosby in 1954's "White Christmas" is a true classic musical and a 1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe wagon is used in the story to take guests to the Columbia Inn. The station wagon certainly serves its purpose in one of the all-time Christmas classics.

A couple of our current US dealers have late 1940s Plymouth Special Deluxe models for sale and they can be seen here at GR Auto Gallery and Gateway Classic Cars respectively.

https://www.classicmotorsforsale.com/home/cars/1-cars/79784-1948-plymouth-special-deluxe

https://www.classicmotorsforsale.com/home/cars/1-cars/76920-1949-plymouth-special-deluxe

“Scrooged” is a modern adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol and takes place in New York City. A 1975 Checker Taxi is used by a taxi driver, who happens to be the Ghost of Christmas Past in this 1988 version of the film.

And finally, to complete our mini-list of Christmas classic movie cars is the wood-panelled 1988 Ford Taurus Wagon that is driven by actor Chevy Chase in the 1989 movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". Early in the movie the wagon is driven under a truck after getting involved in a race with a couple of pickup drivers but does reach its final destination of the Christmas tree lot!

So there we have our five classic car Christmas movies and there are many more, indeed movies that maybe don't have a Christmas theme but will feature a classic or two and be screened over the festive season.

Classic cars can be very expensive, however, this can be outweighed by the fact that many tend to increase in value, so they are considered to be a good investment. Getting help to buy your classic car is often a requirement, with finance companies offering various services.

Banks and regular loan companies are of course an option but many may lack the experience of financing such a purchase. A standard car loan company may not be interested in financing a car that is over 20-25 years old, which is often the criteria for a classic vehicle. For these very reasons, using a speciality classic car finance company is considered to be a wise choice.

Getting an accurate assessment of the true value of your classic car before purchase is very important, a loan company that specialises in the market will be much better equipped to handle this issue. Classic car finance companies understand why you are buying the car and their experience in the market means they will provide an accurate and fair valuation.

Before getting the loan approval there will be the typical application steps to go through, credit checks, plus maybe a few additional ones for a classic car loan. Normally, the standard procedure is to pay an initial 10%-20% of the car's value, and then monthly payments spread over as many as 7 to 10 years (which is slightly longer than most standard car loans). You can of course pay a higher initial deposit and higher monthly payments to reduce the length of the loan, so all of this must be taken into consideration before deciding on the car purchase and loan.

The bottom line is to be sure you can afford to pay for this car of your dreams over the specified timeframe, so it is vitally important to get the car thoroughly checked before committing to any purchase, just to be sure that the car is exactly as it should be.

There are many finance companies out there that specialise in the classic car loan market so it's a good idea to shop around for the best deal or one that suits you.

Are you a classic car loan company looking to offer your services to classic car buyers and enthusiasts? Why not advertise with us here at Classic Motors For Sale? We have a range of cost-effective advertising packages available that will get your services directly in front of thousands of potential customers.

Maybe you would like to become our exclusive finance company partner?

For further information on advertising options and all things classic car related then please contact us using the details below, we will be more than happy to help you.