It's Worth What! How Dare You Insult Me.

     As every car guy knows, the Barrett-Jackson collector car auction is this week. I thought it might be interesting to talk a little bit about what a collectors car is worth and what is a collector car. Now, before we get to far I realize how controversial this topic can be and I also know at least a couple of guys will pop their clutch when they read this and comment (in all caps) who do you think you are you little #$#@&^((*% and then question my family heritage! Hey, I'm just a car guy who has had collector cars and follows the hobby pretty closely. My last collector car, this 1967 Mustang GTA, is a prime example of a car I feel is worth much more than the market will bare. Because I spent so much blood, sweat, tears and time its worth what I say it is. Due to the strong emotions that old cars bring out in people, it can be tough setting a value for a particular car. A car is only worth what someone will pay and if there are two people who want it....the sky's the limit, thus you have Barrett-Jackson.
     What is a collector car? I would say any vehicle that someone wants to save, preserve or restore. Maybe there is a special memory with a certain vehicle. Generally it would be a car that is considered of special interest, rare or just old. So does that mean a Chevy Cavalier can't be a collector car? I don't know go ask the guys at one of the Cavalier Owners Clubs. If there is a group of people, no matter how misguided, building a club around a certain car...then its collectible! There is a club for just about every car ever made. By the way, I actually like the Cavalier convertibles. They are fun to drive but don't take it from me, I was kicked in the head by a mule when I was six!   

Of course I don't expect to see a Cavalier crossing the block unless it has Jegs Racing somewhere on it but I think you can see how broad the term collector car can be and I never knock a guys choice of car to love even if its choke choke....Japanese! One mans lemon is another mans passion fruit. But whats it worth?

     I love watching Barrett-Jackson, especially the first couple of days when they run the "every mans" cars through. You know, just nice old cars most of us can afford. The problem with the auction is, due to its popularity and level of respectability it tends to set the pricing trends for the entire collector car hobby. Don't get me wrong, if you want to spend 1 million dollars on a Mopar Hemi clone more power to you, and God Bless The United States of America. If I had a million to spend I would probably purchase a dozen nice drivers and just have fun runnin' them but that's just me (remember...the mule). Oh and by the way they are no longer called "clones". They are now called "tribute cars". This is called, marketing. It helps to write the big check if its for a tribute car as opposed to a clone. Just sounds better doesn't it? HONEY, did you spend a million dollars on a fake car again? No dear, its a tribute to the real car! See what I mean, what wife could argue with that logic. Nothing wrong with clones. Say I bought a 6cyl Barracuda, the first thing to do is drop the biggest engine that I could afford into it and the only tribute being payed is to my need for more power and speed! I just feel you have alot of guys with new money who want cars they grew up watching and will pay anything to have them and it just gets crazy out there in Arizona. It creates a ripple effect through the market. An exceptional Chevelle goes across the block for $250,000. suddenly all the Chevelles in the Auto Trader go up as well. An excellent example involves our Mustang. We decided to sell it a few years back and with it being a coupe I new it was on the lower end of the scale. That January the hot car was the fake Shelby Mustang clones....I'm sorry I mean the tributes to Carrol Shelby. We placed the ads and waited for the calls. In almost every call the first question was "is it a fastback or convertible?.....No it isn't"...click. Everybody was looking for a base car to turn into a Shelby. To bad for me Carrol never made a coupe. My point is that Mustang convertibles and fastback values were inflated while the coupes fell off the market. Barrett-Jackson has its place and its not their fault what people will pay. As I said, if you have at least two bidders, the sky's the limit. So car guys, get your Mountain Dew, a bag of Doritos and kick back in your recliner and enjoy the one of the greatest car shows on TV. Oh and keep dreaming of that special ride after all this is America and anything can happen. If it doesn't that's OK, there are plenty of Cavaliers left!

Happy Motoring Gang!

Protecting Your Vehicle During The Winter

So we just had our first snow here in St.Louis. It was only an inch but in the STL it might as well be a foot. If you only have a show car you can stop reading now because we all know that vehicle doesn't come out in the rain let alone SNOW. We are obviously referring to the car you drive to the grocery store each time it threatens to snow to pickup bread, eggs and milk before you are snowed in for several hours. Now at this point I need to explain to our non St. Louis followers, that here in the Lou' when they call for snow everybody heads to the store at the same time for the above items because we can't seem survive without french toast! It's a St. Louis thing, you know, like toasted ravioli but that's a post for another day. Today we want to know how to protect our car during and after the snow and salt. The good news is there are steps you can take, the bad news is you should have taken them by November!...... Ok, thank you for reading my blog, goodnight all!.... Don't worry, I'm not gonna leave you hanging but it is true, before winter arrives you should have a good wax or preferably a quality sealer applied to your car. We will talk about those products before the spring but for now here is a punch list of chores you can do through the winter to protect your ride. It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it and that somebody is you!

1- Wash Your Car Often:     Seems like common sense but you would be surprised how this step gets overlooked. Run it through a car wash on the warmer days and get that gunk off asap. I prefer the self serve locations because you can use the high pressure wand to reach the wheels wells and under carriage. Most have a soapy brush for the stubborn stuff. Even a drive through car wash is better than doing nothing and please stop worrying about swirl marks. They can be buffed out in the spring but if salt and chemicals stain or damage your paint or clear coat swirls will be the least of your problems.

2- Remove After Market Wheels:     Ridin' around on a cool set of 22's? Salt loves chrome or aluminum wheels...Not! Also low profile tires don't do well on snow. Have a set of factory wheels and tires to put on right before winter. I realize the cost but how much did you pay for your custom wheels and wouldn't you like to get more than one season out of them. Think about that in the spring when the sun is shining and your ride is poppin' and your wheels are pitted;(

3- Have A Winter Beater:     People up north know what I'm talking about. Have a wreck to drive in the bad weather. Actually a cost effective plan. You can buy Caveliers and their like all day cheap and you get front wheel drive!

4- Work At Home:    At least during the winter!

Happy Motoring Gang!

So Now We Blog Too?

Ok, so I didn't have enough to keep track of now I have a blog. I'm sure it will be a bit clumsy at first as I learn how to work this. I figured out Facebook so I should be able to work this out. Of course thats what I said about Twitter and I am having trouble there! Keep in mind I was raised in a time when a business had a yellow page ad, an answering machine and a land line phone and that was it....well maybe some flyers. Today we need to be on so much electronic media to get the word out about your services. With this Blog my point is obviously to promote Proformance Mobile Auto Detailing, but to also share my passion of the automobile and anything related to it. With that being said, I hope you find this page fun and informational as I try to give my fellow motor vehicle lovers a variety of information.