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 — 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
Luxury Car Nameplates That Vanished Entirely
Why Some Luxury Classics Are Undervalued Compared to Muscle Cars
How the Square Bird Invented the Personal Luxury Car
C3 Corvette Rising Collectible
Sourcing Rare Parts for Orphaned Luxury Marques: Packard and Imperial
How Automakers Survived the Great Depression
Driver-Quality vs Concours-Quality Classic Luxury
Storage and Preservation of a Luxury Classic
The Rarest American Muscle Cars Ever Built
The Rarest Classic American Trucks Ever Made
Marque Specialists vs General Classic Mechanics
Collecting the Two-Seat Thunderbird Today
How Factories Switched From Cars to War
The 1973 Oil Crisis and the Downsizing of American Luxury
Why Detroit Chased Size: The 1960s-70s Obsession with Bigger Cars
Collecting the Early Bel Air
Barn Finds at Auction
The Factors That Determine True Vintage Car Value
Cadillac or Lincoln: Which Marque Do Collectors Value Higher Today
Documentation and Build-Sheet Culture in Luxury Classics
The Most Expensive Chevelle Ever Sold at Auction
How the Muscle Car Reshaped the American Auto Industry
Does a Restomod Hurt a Classic Camaro's Value?