From the Shop and Showroom

I bought this car in Florida in 1980. It was running, but in need of restoration. I wanted a Ferrari, but couldn’t afford a nice one.  But, I had experience refurbishing cars, a garage, time and tools.  I stripped all the trim off and entrusted it to a professional shop for rust repair and new paint.  These cars primarily rust in the doors and rocker panels, so rather than patch, new door skins and rockers were made to replace the originals. 

Yes, you can, but the process is a little different than with modern cars. We will explain in a moment. And just FYI, the photos included in this article all show vehicles that have been financed when sold through our showroom. These include a 1970 Ford Boss 302 Mustang Restomod, a Porsche 911S and more. 

Negotiable, in checks or titles means you can transact it. If a seller has a negotiable title, he can transfer it to a buyer who should have no problems registering the car in his name.  Determining title status is a critical step in your due diligence, because if it isn’t completely correct, you can’t register or insure the car you just bought! Now - this is all assuming that you have already compared the title VIN number to the vehicle itself! 

An integral part of owning a special car, be it a Ferrari or a Firebird, is the necessity of selling it one day. Perhaps your interest has waned or you’re ready to experience the next rung up the ladder. Typical family cars are usually simply traded in on the next one because there are logistical advantages with taxes, finance payoffs and expediency. But a classic or collector car rarely accommodates a trade scenario very well and generally needs to be turned into cash for the next acquisition. Let's discuss why.

With a nod to my friend Dave Olimpi for coining the phrase, ‘sittin’ disease’ is a great catch-all to describe the varied deterioration all cars suffer when allowed to, well, sit. Most classic car buffs realize the problem exists, but often don’t appreciate how pervasive—and expensive—it can be to undergo classic car restoration on an old car that’s been hibernating for years.  

When every new ship is launched, after it is fully fitted out it begins what are known as ‘sea trials.’ These are short voyages with just the crew aboard that are used to test every system and its seaworthiness. No passengers are carried on these shakedown cruises and the ship is deliberately run at maximum speeds and under every stress that can be created before it is certified safe for the public or a full Naval compliment. 

The vast majority of our car sales wind up going out of state and occasionally out of the country. In almost every case, we help arrange truck transportation for those cars. Although this is usually the final step in what is often a multi-week and due- diligence-filled process, it is also the step most fraught with problems and a potential cause of customer complaint.

One of the Golden Rules of the automobile business is: almost any modification to almost any car hurts its value.  This has become even more valid in today’s collector car environment where originality is prized more than faddish ‘improvements.’  We bought the Testarossa above with period BBS wheels and simply HAD to replace them to originals to sell the car.

Fashion trends permeate virtually every human activity, from ladies wear to home design to…auto restoration. Before there was such a term as ‘collector car,’ the only people who drove old cars were laborers and teenagers. Working people were only concerned that their ride was reliable, but younger drivers took more artistic liberties. During the 1940s, kids would paint slogans on the outside of their prewar jalopies (Kilroy was here!) and hang a fox tail from the antenna. During the 1950s, tastes got more refined and shaving off chrome trim and lowering the ride height became popular, along with building enhanced performance into the engines with multiple carburetors, dual exhausts and other modifications.

When reading ads of vintage cars for sale, there will be the occasional prestigious award-winning examples. And then the opposite extreme: completely rotten carcasses sitting under a tree somewhere.  But, the vast majority—no matter the make or model, from Ferrari to Ford—will be billed as “drivers.” However, when reading many ads carefully, often the ‘driver’ car turns out to have been dormant for years and is, in truth, far from actually being driven anywhere.  So, what really constitutes a ‘driver’ car?