The car market’s in the toilet, which normally means it’s time to panic. EV sales for March dropped 51 per cent, diesels down 10 per cent, but plug-in hybrids were up 300 per cent. Apart from Tesla, the biggest losers were Toyota Land Cruiser (-3356), Toyota Camry (-2676) and the Kia Cerato (-2425). So basically, you’re either going hybrid, or you’re staying home.
But there’s good news for fans of rust, rarity and regret.
According to US insurer, Hagerty, a few collector cars are still going up even as the rest are going down faster than a politician’s promises after election day. The list of winners is as weird as ever:
- Honda CRX Si (1985-91) – up 53 per cent (your first car is now worth more than your first house).
- VW Golf GTI (1983-92) – up 29 per cent.
- Ford Bronco (1966-17) – up 25 per cent (No idea why. I’ve got two mates dumping six-figure sums into these and they’re still old Fords.)
- Lincoln Convertibles (1961-19) – up 23 per cent (perfect for any Westfield car park).
- Jeep CJ-7 (1976-86) – up 16 per cent, but only if it’s stock, pristine, and probably never driven.
“Meanwhile, prices on the rest of the classic car market have fallen to levels not seen since the plague. At public auctions, it appears that sellers have finally lowered their expectations,” says Hagerty.
“This trend was apparent at the high-dollar auctions earlier this month in Florida. For Enzo-era Ferraris, the sell-through rate of 53 per cent in Monterey improved to 71 per cent at the Amelia and Miami sales. However, the higher sales rate among these segments isn’t a sign of an improving market, but instead an increased willingness from sellers to accept lower prices.”
Road & Track’s Best Cars For The Money in 2025: If your car has only two modes: “check engine” and “check bank account” then have a look at these: Mazda MX-5? Of course. Toyota GR86? Yes. Hyundai i30N?
If you value fun over comfort at a hot price buy one now. BMW M2, Honda Civic Type R, Genesis G80 and the Corvette (my personal fav) round out the list.
Oscar breaks free
Ozzie’s Bahrain masterclass exposed Leaping Lando’s struggles, while the FIA delivered podium winning incompetence and Red Bull is missing its real masters.
Ozzie, the 24-year-old Australian originally from the Monaco of Melbourne, Brighton (“a potent cocktail of sun, sex, glamour and crippling property tax), now of Monaco (a potent cocktail of no tax but the highest power prices in the world – like Brighton), shrugged off a mid-race safety car and sweltering 30 degree heat to claim his fourth F1 win.
Oscar Piastri celebrates after winning the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix. Picture: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri
Oscar Piastri celebrates after winning the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix. Picture: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri
While Kayo tried to make it look dramatic, the Bahrain Grand Prix was a one-man show. The Boy from Brighton put on a masterclass of calm destruction, walking away from the field with a 15 second lead at the flag. The McLarens are still the fastest cars on track, not that Leaping Lando would agree.
Helmut Marko said the Red Bull performance was “very alarming”.
That’s Helmut speak for “our house is on fire”. With pit stop wizard Jonathan Wheatley at Audi and genius car-whisperer Adrian Newey at Aston Martin, the fizzy drink empire is starting to fizz flat.
Clown show
Let’s talk about the real clowns in Bahrain: the FIA. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the governing body for world motorsport and the federation of the world’s leading “mobility organisations” continues its descent into chaos.
Qualifying was a procedural shambles Mercedes pinged for leaving the pit too early, Williams denied a Q2 run due to a timing error, and Haas’s Hülkenberg somehow got through despite being outside track limits. FIA eventually admitted it all. Again.
Then, just in case we thought this was all a blip, Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid quit in protest at the conduct of the governing body and its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. He penned a scorched-earth resignation note about “critical decisions being made without due process”. Said he didn’t sign up to serve power, just members.
“Over time, I have witnessed a steady erosion of the principles we promised to uphold. Decisions are being made behind closed doors, bypassing the very structures and people the FIA exists to present,” he said.
George Russell, who moonlights as president of the Grand Prix Drivers Association when he’s not oversteering into gravel, wasn’t shocked: “Every time we hear news from that side of the sport, it’s not really a big surprise.”
That’s driver code for: we’ve stopped expecting competence.
Tesla: Now with more imaginary miles!
If you thought the FIA was dodgy, welcome to Tesla, where your car might be driving further than you are.
A California owner has sued Tesla, claiming their Model Y’s speedo overestimated distance driven by as much as 117 per cent, potentially ending warranties faster than Elon can go through the US public service.
The lawsuit says Tesla may be using a patented algorithm that estimates miles based on energy use, charging habits and unicorn dust rather than actual distance. If true, it’s a clever way to say “your warranty’s up!” when the wheels are barely warm.
Madison Zack-Wu removes a Tesla emblem from a Tesla vehicle during a "de-badging" event on April 12, 2025 in Seattle, Washington as part of a protest. Picture: David Ryder / Getty Images via AFP
Add that to the list of Tesla lawsuits this year: pollution, phantom self-driving features, fiery crashes, exploding Cybertrucks, and the general PR catastrophe that is The Mad Musk. And don’t worry, he’s still working on that $56bn payday.
Must be exhausting.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s sales in Australia are in free fall. The bottom five models for sales drops include the Tesla Model Y (-6835 units) and Model 3 (-5954 units).
Flying cars, bush style
The Outback Car Trek kicks off in May.
That’s 240 dusty cars bouncing through Bathurst, Dubbo, Bourke and beyond to raise cash for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Over 35 years, they’ve raised $36m and possibly consumed double that in beer. Expect auction chaos, no phone reception, and at least one unconfirmed UFO sighting.
Readers contest
Last week we asked for the best theory on how 900 Kia engines were nicked from a factory in India and nobody noticed for five years. Most entries were variations on the thief walking out of the factory with the engine hidden under grass clippings or in a crate that he said was firewood.
Anyway, the prize of a mention goes to Denis Partridge who believes it was an inside job, and a very simple one at that.
“The factory man or person (we can’t name him/her/other for obvious reasons) had one of the forkies on late shift putting engines from the warehouse into the trunks of 900 finished Kia Ceratos. The cars went to the wharf and were shipped to Melbourne, where they cleared Customs. Upon arrival to the Melbourne Terminal, the loose engines were removed by the wharfies and sold at the Engine Sale behind Margret Court Arena during the 2020 AO.
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