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The Cars (self-titled) vinyl value

Median ask · 2023 RHF 135
$21
Typical asks
$21–$130
Basis
19 eBay asks
Live eBay asks, Sep 15, 2026; sold prices usually close lower. How we price

The Cars — The Cars (self-titled): pressings we track

PressingCatalogCountryNotesAsking
2009 Mobile Fidelity Sound LabMFSL 1-274USLimited Edition, Numbered, Reissue$62–$130
2016 Elektra081227951702UK & EuropeLimited Edition, Reissue, Blue Translucent$27–$101
2016 ElektraR1 135USLimited Edition, Reissue, Blue Translucent$27–$101
2016 ElektraR1 135USReissue$27–$101
2023 RhinoRHF 135WorldwideLimited Edition, Numbered, Reissue$21–$21
Undated ElektraR1 135CanadaReissue$27–$101
3 more pressings we track (no quoted eBay range)
PressingCatalogCountryNotes
1984 Elektra6E-135USReissue, SP - Specialty Pressing
1985 Elektra6E-135USReissue
2025 RhinoRHF 135WorldwideLimited Edition, Reissue, 180g, Gatefold

No quoted range right now (why). Scan your copy in the app for a current read.

11 pressings tracked, 9 shown · catalog of 974,753 releases, August 2026

What separates the pressings

Oldest we track, 1984First released 1978; our table starts at 1984 (Elektra, US). A copy older than 1984 predates everything here. Treat it as the find.
Collector variants2009 US: Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue; 2016 UK & Europe: Limited Edition, Reissue, Blue Translucent; 2025 Worldwide: Limited Edition, Reissue, 180g, Gatefold. Short runs like these often bring more than a standard early copy.
Reissues, 2016Easy to find, priced as a listening copy.

How to identify your copy

Three checks, in the order worth doing them.

  1. 1

    Match the catalog number. It is printed on the spine and the record label. Check it together with the country against the pressings table above: the same number can appear in more than one country.

  2. 2

    Read the runout. The code etched in the dead wax near the label names the exact pressing. On the 1984 US pressing it reads “6E-135-A SP” on side one and “6E-135-B SP” on side two. Jackets get swapped over the decades; the runout does not.

  3. 3

    Grade the condition. The same pressing can be worth several times more in near mint than in VG. Grade the vinyl and the sleeve separately — our grading guide shows the standard scale.

A 1978 jacket with a later disc inside is a reissue in an original sleeve. Judge the pressing by the runout etching and the label, never by the cover.

Questions

Which pressing of The Cars (self-titled) is worth the most?

Original 1978 pressings lead; they predate everything in our table, and that scarcity is the point. Among tracked copies, the 1984 pressings come first. Scarcer variants (the 2009 “Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue” and the 2016 “Limited Edition, Reissue, Blue Translucent”) can beat an ordinary early copy. After that it is all condition: the gap between near mint and VG is usually larger than the gap between pressings.

How do I tell which pressing I have?

Match the catalog number on the spine and label against the table above, check the country, then read the etched code in the runout groove. On the 1984 US pressing the runout reads “6E-135-A SP”. A period jacket with a later disc inside is still a reissue.

How much is The Cars (self-titled) worth today?

Sellers typically ask $21 to $130 for the pressings we track; for the 2023 RHF 135 the median ask is $21 over 8 listings (eBay, Sep 15, 2026). Sold prices usually close lower. Scan your copy in the app for the range on your exact pressing and condition.

Not sure which pressing you have? Photograph the label and RecordScout names it, then shows a current value range for its condition.

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