Morgan Factory

D+D Classics, OH

Excelsior Motors, KY

Reality vs Collector Car Auction Prices

Just returned from 2014 Amelia Island weekend. WOW!!! It is easy to get buzzed and lose your head when you see people you see on TV like Wayne Carrini, Mark Hyman, and Donald Osborne walking around through the auction crowd just like us “normal” folks. Sure 246 Dinos are brining $450k and un-restored 300SL Roadsters sell for $1.8 million, “but this is just the normal rise in values, isn’t it?”….. NO… Just stand back and take a breath. The good news is that there are still actual “good deals” when buying a collectible car… They just aren’t here at these venues. In fact it has become so comical that this 58 Goggomobil that was sold at RM auction for $35k was the same car I personally “gave” to a good car buddy of mine as a joke in 1983 on the occasion of his 40th birthday. These prices do effect the market and have caused rising prices overall so buy what you like and plan to hang on to it. Seeing this even caused me to call a friend of mine and commit to buying a nice Maserati Merak SS that I previously thought was “too expensive”, so no one is immune from the fall out that these media events cause. Just remember, the real money is made when you “buy” the car so be smart, be cautious, buy privately if possible. We all want to avoid the “Oh my word, what have I done?” pit feeling in your stomach that usually comes the day after the auction tents have packed up and gone off to the next town. 

- Eurocarguy