QOTD: Yelling at the TV?
This week, the deep-pocketed guys and girls of the car collecting world will descend upon the state of Arizona for the annual collector car auctions. From the televised glitz of Barrett-Jackson to the white-gloved stratosphere of RM Sotheby’s, there is something on the docket to fit everyone’s taste.
For years, I’d watch the events on television or follow the sale prices online with a certain amount of apoplexy. “They paid how much? For that?!?” I’d routinely fume, reliably waking my spouse and buying myself yet another night in the guest room.
A couple of years ago, though, I had a minor revelation.
My moments of most pious outrage were reserved for when a person would bid shocking amounts on something hideous like a ’59 Ford Thunderbird or ’63 Dodge Polara.
“Do these people not have eyes?” I’d bellow with incredulity.
Then it hit me: these models are probably cars for which the buyers either harboured pleasant youthful memories or stared at longingly when they were but wee lads or lasses. It didn’t matter what other people thought. That car, for whatever reason, made them happy. Now, flush with the fiduciary leeway, they were buying it, reason be damned.
Suddenly, it all made sense. My own automotive affections are reserved for the Lincoln Mark VII, specifically a 1989 model in LSC trim. I owned such an example in my early 20 only to make the boneheaded move of selling it during a particularly aggressive and ultimately unnecessary fleet reduction program. The big spender in the desert had it right all along. I stopped yelling at my television.
I won’t be raging into the night at my television in 2017, either. This year, I’m headed to the Arizona desert myself to check out the action and experience the madness firsthand. If I get swept up in the excitement, or accidentally purchase a Polara by scratching my nose, you’ll be the first to know.
One thing’s for sure, it won’t be my last trip. I’ll return in 2035, spending an outrageous sum on a cherry 1989 Lincoln Mark VII LSC … while someone yells at their television.
What car makes you feel that way, B&B?
Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.
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I can't truly justify a Hot Rod, rare collector or muscle car habit with my pay scale, but I just stumbled on to the perfect car (and solution) for sale, in my price range and somewhat justified! A late '80s limo F-350 dually 4X4 crew cab XLT Lariat. Yes a legit limousine (6' stretch) from a Hollywood celebrity builder, low miles and 95% restored! CA rust-free! She's beautiful, all white, custom black interior, but otherwise stock, original chrome dually wheels. Friends/family/kids love her, and she attracts a crowd everywhere we take her. Drives like a dream! She's a true work horse though, and I'm careful not to bang her up too much, working the old girl. Scratches/dings will be inevitable. Either way, she'll be cheap and easy to fix/maintain, cosmetically and otherwise. Will she be worth a lot in the future? Who cares??
Yes, I'm yelling at the T.V. The Edsel has transmission buttons "in the horn!" These people are idiots. They seem to get worse every year. I don't expect everyone to know everything, I sure as hell dont, but c'mon. They talk about the 1948 Continental being "the last of the old technology" without mentioning it was a pre-war design, and how that all worked. The tiny tail lamps on a Beetle are "state of the art for 1956". Really? The Ford after burners were bigger than the rear oval window on the VDub! Not really, but c'mon! State of the art for 1936 maybe. Lol maybe the mute button was made for this.