The Mecum Tulsa Number Everyone Will Quote Is Wrong

The Mecum Tulsa 2026 numbers are out, and everyone's quoting the same headline: median sale price jumped 33%. Sounds like the classic car market is roaring back, right? Not even close. While the median climbed to $30,800, total sales fell 17% to $11.3 million. The number of cars sold dropped nearly 30% — from 433 to 304. The "33% increase" isn't a sign of a recovering market. It's a composition shift: Mecum simply offered fewer bargain-bin cars under $15,000, which mechanically dragged the median upward. In this episode of Auction Secrets, GuysWithRides Co-Founder Rudy Samsel breaks down the following: • Why the median price increase masks a shrinking market • How the vanishing "bargain bin" (30% of sales → 14.5%) artificially inflates the numbers • Brand-by-brand evidence: Chevrolet's median barely budged while Ford's "jumped" on 35% fewer cars • The revolving door: 22% of cars at Tulsa 2026 had crossed a Mecum block before — and 49 of them had already run another Mecum sale earlier this same year • The manual vs. automatic transmission trap — another composition shift disguised as a trend reversal • A real-world example: one 1940 Ford Custom Coupe that appeared eight times across three years of Mecum auctions If you're buying or selling a classic car in 2026, the headline number everyone quotes will cost you money if you don't understand what's behind it. Do your homework: check VINs, lot numbers, and auction history before you bid. 🔎 Search any car's auction history at Classic.com ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 — The Number Everyone Will Quote 1:15 — What Median Actually Means 2:30 — The Vanishing Bargain Bin 4:45 — The Auction Got Smaller 6:20 — Genuine Strength (Apples-to-Apples) 7:45 — Brand Breakdown: Chevy vs. Ford 9:10 — The Revolving Door 11:30 — Is Mecum Buying Its Own Cars? 12:45 — The 1940 Ford: Eight Times in Three Years 14:00 — The Manual Transmission Trap 15:10 — What This Means for You 🔔 New Auction Secrets most Saturdays at 8AM ET. Subscribe so you never miss one. #MecumTulsa #ClassicCarAuction #AuctionSecrets #ClassicCars #CollectorCars #CarMarket #MecumAuction #ClassicCarMarket #UsedCarPrices #carauction