David Mercer
Expertise
Market Values Auctions Investment Trends Valuations Collector Car Data
๐Ÿ“ Scottsdale, Arizona

David Mercer

Classic car market analyst with two decades of experience tracking collector car valuations, auction results, and investment trends.

David Mercer has spent the better part of twenty years following the collector car market closely โ€” attending the major auction events in Scottsdale, Kissimmee, Monterey, and Indianapolis, tracking hammer prices, and building a detailed picture of how values move across different segments of the hobby. He approaches the market the way a financial analyst approaches any asset class: with data, historical context, and a healthy skepticism toward short-term hype.

His focus is on what the numbers actually mean for private buyers and sellers, not just for the headline cars that dominate auction coverage. He writes about valuation trends, the gap between auction results and private-sale reality, and the segments of the classic car market that are quietly appreciating while everyone is watching something else. Based in Scottsdale, he is well-positioned to follow the January auction week that effectively sets the tone for the collector car market each year.

Magazine Articles by David Mercer

1927 Chevrolet Capitol sedan, parked at a roadside gas station
Car Features

Ford vs General Motors in the 1920s: How Chevrolet Caught the Model T

David Mercer ยท ยท 6 min
Pristine restored 1970 K5 Blazer convertible on display at a car show
Car Features

Why Full-Convertible K5s Command a Premium

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
1925 Ford Model T Touring, parked outside a dealer showroom at night
Car Features

How Ford's Dealer Network Sold Millions of Model Ts

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
Vintage turquoise fastback coupe rolling off an enclosed trailer at a restoration shop bay door
Restoration & Tech

Shipping Your Car to an Out-of-State Restoration Shop

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
1994 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer, two-tone truck in a sunlit parking garage
Car Features

Chasing a Clean Eddie Bauer Bronco Today

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
1928 Ford Model A Roadster, parked on a desert track at sunset
Car Features

Model T and Model A Values: From Showroom Price to Today's Market

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
Cream Chevrolet K5 Blazer Chalet with tan stripes, parked on gravel in the shade
Car Features

What a Surviving Blazer Chalet Is Worth

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
Restoration shop floor with a muscle car body on a rotisserie, a primed pickup cab and a pre-war chassis
Restoration & Tech

Restoration Cost by Car Type: Muscle, Truck, Luxury, European, Pre-War

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
Car trailer loading at a night swap meet with a 1971 Ford Torino
Ownership & Lifestyle

Car Hauling Rates per Mile: Pricing a Classic Car Haul

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
Appraisal camera and case in a home driveway with a 1970 Mercury Cougar XR-7
Ownership & Lifestyle

Errors and Omissions Insurance for Car Appraisers

David Mercer ยท ยท 8 min
1973 Chevrolet K5 Blazer, parked on an industrial waterfront quay
Car Features

What the First Squarebody K5 Is Worth Today

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
1969 Chevrolet Camaro, restored coupe at a rainy mountain pull-out
Restoration & Tech

Appraisal After a Restoration: Agreed Value and Documentation

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
1946 Willys CJ-2A, restored example on a backlit forest road
Car Features

Collecting the Willys-Era CJ: The Roots-Hunter's Market

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
1928 Ford Model A Roadster, parked on a city street
Car Features

What a Ford Model A Cost New, 1928 to 1931

David Mercer ยท ยท 6 min
1948 Willys CJ-2A, hitched to a plow at a farm field
Car Features

The Jeep as Farm Machine: Willys Sells the CJ to Agriculture

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
1973 Ford Bronco, parked at a dusty swap meet
Car Features

What a 1973 Bronco Is Worth Now

David Mercer ยท ยท 6 min
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray split-window, rainy vineyard lane
Market & Values

Reading Market Trends Before You Sell

David Mercer ยท ยท 8 min
1925 Ford Model T Runabout โ€” on a wet city avenue at sunset
Car Features

How Ford Kept Cutting the Price of the Model T

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
1928 Ford Model A Tudor, at a rural barn show
Car Features

Model A vs Chevrolet: The Four Against the Six

David Mercer ยท ยท 6 min
1981 Jeep CJ-7, interior view on a rainy night lot
Car Features

Collecting the CJ-7: The Blue-Chip Classic Jeep

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
Bare-metal 1960s muscle coupe shell on stands in a restoration shop while a restorer reviews invoices on a clipboard
Restoration & Tech

Financing a Classic Car Restoration: Loans, HELOCs and Pay-As-You-Go

David Mercer ยท ยท 6 min
Orange 1972 Datsun 240Z just unloaded from an enclosed trailer in a suburban driveway
Ownership & Lifestyle

Buying a Classic Car Out of State: Title, Registration and Sales Tax

David Mercer ยท ยท 7 min
Green 1971 Plymouth Road Runner being inspected at a consignment dealer's warehouse intake bay
Market & Values

How Consignment Dealers Price Your Classic Car

David Mercer ยท ยท 8 min
1969 Ford Bronco, parked on a brick city street
Car Features

Why 1969 Broncos Are a Collector Value Sweet Spot

David Mercer ยท ยท 6 min

Comparisons by David Mercer

Q&A by David Mercer