Wrapping Up Nice Price Or No Dice for 2022

As we are saying “Bye Felicia” to the rollercoaster trip that was 2022, it’s time to take another look again in any respect the vehicles, the worth tags, and the votes that made up Nice Price or No Dice over the previous twelve months.

Amazingly, that is our sixth wrap-up recapping our weekday contest of vehicles, loopy costs, and regularly flowery advertisements. It was a bizarre yr as we watched costs on each new and used vehicles spiked attributable to points with the provision chain, pent-up demand from the pandemic, and other people promoting just about something simply all typically being a bunch of money-grubbing Scrooge McDucks.

None of that was a fear for us, nonetheless. After all, we weren’t really searching for to purchase any of the automobiles that got here underneath our auspicious gaze, we solely sought to cross judgment — and frequent derision — on their costs. That’s one thing I believe all of us get pleasure from and I’d like to increase heartfelt due to each one among you for coming round every weekday morning and taking part in each feedback and votes. You make this all value doing.

Okay, earlier than we leap into the numbers let’s go over the principles I set for compiling all of the yr’s information. It’s essentially the identical as final yr, however I determine few of us wouldn’t thoughts the refresher. I do know I’d.

When I calculated issues like nation of origin, I did so primarily based on the producer’s nation, not the automobile’s. That means a Volkswagen inbuilt Mexico would nonetheless be categorized as a German automobile. I additionally took some liberties with the years on duplicate vehicles, estimating the goal yr relatively than the construct yr so issues like a Jag SS duplicate constructed within the ’80s get slotted into the ’40s relatively than the ’80s. Also, this takes me some time to compile so whereas it’s information from many of the yr, I’ve needed to exclude the final two weeks. We’ll choose these up subsequent yr. Finally, all Canadian worth tags have been transformed to freedom bucks for simplicities sake.

Okay, now on to the enjoyable!

Round 1: Nations of Origin

I’d wish to level out the inclusiveness of the chart above. In the previous yr, we had contenders from throughout the globe with the one notable holdouts being Australia and Antarctica.

Since we cull most of our candidates from the native classifieds right here within the U.S. of A., we naturally leaned closely on the house workforce, with American-sourced vehicles and vans taking the mantle for essentially the most contenders.

Perhaps not unexpectedly, each Germany and Japan stepped up as heavy hitters as properly. Each of these international locations has lengthy supplied a deep bench of enjoyable and attention-grabbing vehicles. Rounding out the repeat offenders had been England, Italy, and Sweden. No shock there. Perhaps a bit extra sudden had been the yr’s one-and-dones; Brazil, France, India, Mexico, Soth Korea, and the previous Yugoslavia.

Round 2: The Decades

Do you have got a favourite decade? Maybe the Disco ‘70s? Or, perhaps you’re a millennial who solely has eyes for the brand new millennium? Whatever your decade dotage, it’s not shocking to see that almost all of this yr’s candidates got here from the Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s. After all, that’s the candy spot for used vehicles and vans in the mean time.

As we pattern backward in time, we see fewer vehicles accessible and therefore making much less of an affect on our contest. The most up-to-date decade (2010 — current) was much less represented too, however that’s in all probability as a result of so many people are averse to that “new car smell.”

Round 3: The Dollar Signs

While it might be good if folks had been giving freely used vehicles willy-nilly, that prospect would make our shenanigans much more pointless. Fortunately, folks nonetheless like getting cash for his or her stuff—seemingly extra so than ever—and meaning we checked out plenty of worth tags this yr.

Those all totaled as much as a heady $4,159,838 in vehicles vans and different ephemera. That’s a large leap from the $3,363,306 and alter final yr, which means both costs have been spiking considerably or that all of us simply began having fancier style in our imaginary purchases.

For the yr, that complete averages out to a not-so-crazy $16,639.36 per candidate. According to NADA, the typical sale worth for a dealer-offered used automobile in 2022 was $31,025, which represents greater than a 30 p.c leap from 2021. Most of our candidates had been sourced from personal sellers so we had been properly beneath that common.

Delving a little bit extra deeply into the numbers, our most cost-effective candidate was the 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E we checked out in January for which was requested a mere $1,000. The uber-cheap worth was the results of an engine misfire, the origin of which went undiagnosed within the advert. Unsurprisingly at that low worth, 88 p.c of you had been prepared to roll up your sleeves and leap underneath the hood, awarding the damaged Benz with a Nice Price win.

On the acute different finish of the worth spectrum, the costliest automobile we thought of was final month’s 1958 Facel Vega Excellence. That basic behemoth was put available on the market at $185,000. Appropriately sufficient, the advert was listed on the semi-snooty Hemmings Classifieds. Considering the 53 p.c No Dice loss it suffered, it’s maybe unsurprising for it to nonetheless be there.

Round 4: Bodies, Bodies, Bodies

As everyone knows, the preferred automobiles available on the market lately are compact crossovers. And sure, they do all look alike. Admittedly, we did take a look at just a few of these this previous yr, however I’m guessing that our collective tastes are a bit broader than these of most of the people. That’s just about the explanation you’re right here proper now—your higher curiosity in all-things-cars relatively than simply get-me-there rides.

Most of our candidates come from options from you and I’ve to say that it warms the cockles of my coronary heart (and who doesn’t love a heat coronary heart cockle?) to see that when once more your suggestions leaned closely on sports activities vehicles. Combined with coupes, these made up over 40 p.c of our vehicles this yr. On a much less completely satisfied notice, wagons had been outpaced by SUVs. We’ll need to attempt more durable in 2023.

Round 5: Auto Manufacturers Represented

This yr we checked out automobiles from greater than 33 totally different makers. Some of them had been mainstream, whereas others had been far much less well-known. One factor everyone knows is that all of us have some favorites. Let’s see how yours faired in our listing.

As you’ll be able to see, this yr’s large winner was Ford, coming in with 23 contenders. BMW was proper on its tail with 21 whereas country-mate Mercedes-Benz rounded out the highest three with 17 contenders.

Ford additionally took the highest prize within the much less brag-worthy class of biggest divergence in losses over wins. The solely producer to see wins outweigh losses? Mercedes-Benz.

Round 6: Your Votes

The voting is the explanation we’re all right here. Well, that and the one time our respective mother and father’ determined to get randy. This previous yr you all did it (voting, I imply) 764,495 instances. Out of these, you went Nice Price 95 instances, threw down one 50/50 tie, and No Diced the remaining 151.

Out of these, our greatest win with a 90.9 p.c thumb’s up vote was the 1972 Opel GT we checked out in July. At $7,500, that proved a particularly standard selection.

Our greatest loser for the yr was one other sports activities automobile, albeit one which was far more costly and much much less cell than the profitable Opel. That was the 1968 Ferrari 365GTB/4 duplicate curler that was one among September’s candidates. Its situation and $39,999 worth got here collectively in an ideal storm of distaste, which manifested in a monumental 98.8 p.c No Dice loss. Unsurprisingly, it’s nonetheless available on the market at this time.

The narrowest win was earned by the $3,995 2002 Lincoln Blackwood we checked out in May which squeaked by with a 50.1 Nice Price vote. The closest loss was the 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 SRT that we thought of in August and which requested $26,888. That earned the identical 50.1 p.c vote, however on the dropping aspect of the coin. The tie? That was the 1923 Ford Bucket T we judged in May. At $23,500, it ended up in that divisive 50/50 vote.

Round 7: The Most Popular Cars of 2022 (And Remember, It’s an Honor Just to be Nominated) 

We denote the preferred automobile by being the one to garner essentially the most votes of all leading to a Nice Price win. Over the course of the earlier two years, that honor was held by Porsche. Unfortunately for the Stuttgart model, a three-peat simply wasn’t within the playing cards.

Instead, the preferred automobile this yr was Bavarian-born and bred. The honor goes to the 2007 BMW 550i that we checked out all the best way again in January.

Not solely did that E60 current superbly, but it surely got here with a six-speed stick and a modest $7,400 asking worth. That spurred each the voting and an 87.8 p.c Nice Price win.

Now, we gained’t name it a win, per se extra doubtless infamy, however at 223 posts, the 1989 Dodge Caravan from January did handle to garner essentially the most feedback. That minivan did have a uncommon combo of a turbo 4 and a five-speed stick, however at $18,225, its worth proved to a lot to swallow. It additionally got here up with a near the document 90 p.c No Dice loss.

Holy crap, that was a protracted publish! Of course, we needed to cowl plenty of floor — and practically a full yr. I hope you discovered it as worthwhile to learn as I did grueling to compile.

Before we put a fork on this publish, nonetheless, I need to reiterate to each one among you the way a lot it means to me that you simply come right here daily to be a part of NPOND. I do know I say this yearly, but it surely’s true—I drastically admire all of you and the contributions you make to the enjoyable we now have collectively. I hope it’s simply as rewarding to you.

Okay, I’ll shut out now, so we are able to all go and get accomplished what must be accomplished earlier than we are able to ring in 2023. Hopefully, we’ll all be again for extra enjoyable within the new yr. Be protected, and cheers to you, Jalops, every person!