Category: Commentary

Eighties Vehicles at the 2015 Mecum Denver

Mecum’s two day June auction in Denver included a few cars and trucks from the 1980s. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a 1985 blue Chevrolet Corvette GTP racing replica was bid up to $70,000) and add some of my opinions.

Friday:

  • 1987 red Pontiac Fiero SE coupe with five-speed manual transmission and V6—$3,000 hammer price.
  • 1988 red Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck—$3,000
  • 1982 burgundy Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with 5.0 liter CrossFire V8—an ouch! at $2,750.
  • 1986 white Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with 5.0 liter TPI V8 and 62,000 miles—$5,000
  • 1984 red Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe with the L69 HO engine and 10,000 miles—at $15,000, the first vehicle to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
  • 1982 white Toyota FJ-62 Land Cruiser SUV—$8,000
  • 1987 blue two-tone GMC Caballero pickup truck with 90,000 miles—$6,000

Saturday:

  • 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe—$19,000
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector Edition coupe with 46,000 miles—$15,000
  • 1989 red Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with 38,000 miles—at $165,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction.
  • 1984 white Porsche 928 coupe with 86,000 miles—$9,500
  • 1981 blue Chevrolet Camaro Z28 coupe with the 5.7 liter V8 and 77,000 miles—$7,500. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1981 Z28 in #1 condition is $27,700. The price paid for this car indicates that it is in #4 condition.
  • 1987 white Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA coupe with 61,000 miles—$6,500

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Eighties Vehicles at the 2015 Mecum Seattle

Mecum’s short two day June auction in Seattle included a few cars and trucks from the 1980s. As always, I’ll concentrate on the cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a white 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition coupe with 24,000 miles was bid up to $200,000) and add some of my opinions. Where I have covered the specific year and model of a car in this blog, I link to it.

Friday:

  • 1980 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe—at a $13,000 hammer price, the first vehicle in this auction is also the first vehicle to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
  • 1984 silver Jeep Scrambler custom pickup truck—$18,500
  • 1987 gray Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas sedan—$6,500
  • 1981 yellow Chevrolet K10 custom pickup truck—$19,500
  • 1989 white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck—an ouch! at $5,500.
  • 1982 silver Porsche-based Alfa Romeo replica roadster with no door handles or windshield wipers—$23,000
  • 1989 blue Ford Bronco SUV—$7,500

Saturday:

  • 1986 white Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV—$26,000
  • 1980 red Ferrari 308 GTSi coupe—$54,000. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for a 1980 GTSi in #1 condition is $63,600.
  • 1988 red Porsche 930 Turbo coupe—at $57,500, the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction, but not quite covering the original sticker price.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Eighties Cars At The 2015 Auctions America Auburn Spring

Auctions America’s spring 2015 auction at Auburn completed on May 9th. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not an all no reserve auction—a red 1988 Porsche 930 Turbo Cabriolet was bid up to $65,000) and add some of my opinions.

Friday:

  • 1980 yellow Dodge Omni 024 DeTomaso hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$200 hammer price for this truly sad looking car.
  • 1987 black/silver two-tone Shelby CSX hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$250
  • 1981 silver Dodge Omni 024 DeTomaso hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$400
  • 1982 blue/silver two-tone Dodge Shelby Charger prototype drag car with supercharger and four-speed manual transmission sold on bill of sale—$200
  • 1985 black Dodge Omni GLH hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$550
  • 1987 blue/silver two-tone Buick Riviera T-Type coupe—an ouch! at $200; they were a hundred times that when new.
  • 1983 red Dodge Shelby Charger race car sold on bill of sale—$550
  • 1984 white Dodge Daytona race car sold on bill of sale—$500
  • 1989 red Plymouth Sundance RS Turbo hatchback—$450
  • 1989 red Shelby CSX hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$3,700
  • 1986 silver Buick Skyhawk T-Type hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$500 for one of the semi-forgotten T-Types.
  • 1983 gold Plymouth Turismo hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$650
  • 1987 red Dodge Shelby Lancer hatchback—$1,800
  • 1980 red/black two-tone Dodge Omni 024 DeTomaso hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$325
  • 1983 silver Dodge Charger hatchback—$1,900
  • 1987 black Dodge Shelby Charger GLHS hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$1,000
  • 1986 blue Dodge Omni GLH hatchback with turbocharged engine and five-speed manual transmission—$1,400
  • 1981 red/black two-tone Dodge Omni 024 Charger hatchback with four-speed manual transmission—$900
  • 1983 white Dodge Shelby Charger race car sold on bill of sale—$2,300
  • 1986 yellow Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z custom hatchback—$6,300
  • 1984 silver Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible—$4,900
  • 1984 tan/brown two-tone Ford Bronco XLT SUV with 22,000 miles—at $15,000 the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I mark these vehicles with bold green.
  • 1980 brown Jeep CJ5 Wrangler Renegade SUV with four-speed manual transmission $18,000
  • 1984 gray Avanti coupe—$10,000
  • 1988 white Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan—$13,000
  • 1984 gray Buick LeSabre Limited coupe—$3,500
  • 1982 red Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible—$8,250
  • 1981 blue Mercedes-Benz 380SLC coupe—$3,100
  • 1985 red Porsche 944 custom hatchback with five-speed manual transmission—$6,250

Saturday:

  • 1983 gray Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme sedan—$2,400
  • 1984 silver Dodge Shelby Charger hatchback—$4,000
  • 1985 black Chevrolet Corvette mild custom hatchback—$4,250
  • 1986 black Dodge Omni GLHS hatchback with 9,000 miles—$15,000
  • 1989 red Shelby CSX hatchback with five-speed manual transmission and 46,000 miles—$4,400
  • 1986 black Dodge Omni GLHS hatchback—$8,600
  • 1988 blue Jeep Wagoneer Limited SUV—$12,750
  • 1982 white Ferrari 308 GTBi coupe—$53,000
  • 1987 black Buick GNX coupe with 119 miles—at $100,000, by far the highest eighties vehicle sale of this auction.

This auction was most notable for the incredible profusion of 1980s front-wheel drive Mopar sporty cars—some really nice, some really ratty.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Eighties Vehicles at the 2015 Mecum Indianapolis

Mecum’s May Original Spring Classic auction in Indianapolis completed on May 16th. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not an all no reserve auction—a black 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with 13,000 miles was bid up to $220,000) and add some of my opinions.

Tuesday:

  • 1981 red Asve convertible—$4,500 hammer price for this “neo-classic” with 2.3 liter Ford engine (and an embarrassing start for eighties cars in this auction).
  • 1984 orange Ford Mustang very custom coupe—$5,750
  • 1988 dark red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 89,000 miles—$7,000
  • 1987 red Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible—$8,500
  • 1988 red Pontiac Fiero Formula coupe with 50,000 miles—$7,000
  • 1985 red Pontiac Fiero coupe with 20,000 miles—$5,250
  • 1982 white Chevrolet Corvette coupe—$12,000
  • 1986 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS custom coupe—an ouch! at $4,500.
  • 1986 white Porsche 928S coupe—$7,000

Wednesday

  • 1986 black Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan with 50,000 miles—$11,500
  • 1987 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible—$8,000
  • 1988 green Jeep Wrangler SUV—$12,500
  • 1986 tan Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan—$16,000
  • 1988 red Dodge Daytona Shelby Z hatchback with 79,000 miles—$4,250 for what may have been the most unexpected eighties car at this auction.
  • 1982 silver/charcoal two-tone Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 32,000 miles—$12,000
  • 1985 black Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS very custom coupe—$16,500
  • 1987 black Buick Regal T-Type coupe with 45,000 miles—at $16,000 the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I mark these vehicles with bold green.
  • 1986 red Chevrolet C10 very custom pickup—$10,500
  • 1987 black Chevrolet Corvette Callaway coupe with 59,000 miles—at $7,250, a car that got absolutely killed by some really beat up exterior paint.
  • 1989 blue/silver two-tone Ford Bronco SUV with 66,000 miles—$8,000

Thursday:

  • 1985 orange/beige two-tone Chevrolet C10 custom pickup with 65,000 miles—$7,500
  • 1980 brown Porsche 911SC coupe—$25,500
  • 1985 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coupe with 12,000 miles—$17,000 shows that stock wins, at least this time.
  • 1985 black Ford Explorer pickup with 850 miles—$30,000
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 247 miles—$27,000
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 17,000 miles—$17,000
  • 1988 white Chevrolet Corvette Callaway 35th Anniversary Edition coupe with 430 miles—at $61,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale at this auction.
  • 1984 silver Rolls-Royce Silver Spur sedan—$18,000

Friday:

Saturday:

  • 1988 red Cadillac Allante convertible—$7,000
  • 1987 black Buick Grand National coupe with 20,000 miles—$24,000
  • 1989 white Pontiac Firebird 20th Anniversary Turbo Trans Am coupe with 743 miles—$42,000
  • 1985 red Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with 14,000 miles—$14,000
  • 1983 beige Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible with 11,000 miles—$47,000

I felt that there wasn’t a lot of money in the room at this auction, especially in the first few days — there were a ton of no sales. Things definitely picked up from Thursday on.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Eighties Vehicles at the 2015 Mecum Kansas City

Mecum’s April auction at Kansas City provided some interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the 1980s cars and trucks that actually sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction — a black 1987 Buick Grand National coupe with 36,000 miles was bid up to $25,000) and add some of my opinions.

Thursday:

  • 1986 black Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible — $8,000 hammer price.
  • 1986 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with 54,000 miles — $8,500
  • 1984 blue Chevrolet K10 custom pickup — $5,250
  • 1986 white (of course!) Ford Bronco SUV with 41,000 miles — $10,500
  • 1989 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible — $6,250
  • 1989 red Lincoln Mark VII LSC coupe with 22,000 miles —  $10,750
  • 1986 burgundy Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS coupe with 81,000 miles — $7,500

Friday:

Saturday:

  • 1985 white Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible — $11,000
  • 1981 black Chevrolet Corvette coupe — $12,750
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 3,500 miles — at $19,000, the highest eighties vehicle sale at this auction.
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 8,100 miles — $17,000
  • 1982 silver Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 4,000 miles — $16,500
  • 1984 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 12,000 miles — $12,000. According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, all the money for an 1984 Corvette in #1 condition is $15,300.
  • 1985 red Chevrolet C10 mild custom pickup — $18,000.

This auction backed up the truism that heading mid-west to get a collector car bargain is often a good idea. Fully half of the eighties cars that actually sold were Corvettes, with four of the 1982 Collector’s Edition coupes sold — it seems folks are finally giving up on these cars (the nicest of the late sharks) ever being worth real money.

What do you think of this auction’s results?

Eighties Cars at the 2015 Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach

This year’s Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction included some interesting vehicles. I’ll concentrate on the at least fairly stock 1980s cars (and a few trucks) that sold in this mostly no reserve auction (a black 1989 Lamborghini Countach Anniversary Edition coupe with 2,200 miles was a no-sale bid up to $335,000) and add some of my opinions.

Friday:
  • 1986 beige Mercedes-Benz 420SEL sedan with 77,000 miles—$3,500 hammer price.
  • 1985 brown Lincoln Town Car sedan with 37,000 miles—an ouch! at $2,500.
  • 1986 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with 14,000 miles—$9,500
  • 1986 white Chrysler Laser XT custom (some Dodge Daytona parts) coupe once owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Cotton Owens—$5,000 indicates that in this particular case celebrity ownership didn’t help the bidding much.
  • 1981 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am coupe—at $17,500 the first vehicle in this auction to meet my criteria for serious 1980s collectability of original cars or trucks: selling for equal to or above its original base list price. I’ll mark these vehicles in bold green.
  • 1980 red Ferrari 308 GTSi coupe—$45,000 is between number #1 and #2 money, according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.
  • 1982 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 6,600 miles—$26,000 is good money for a non-Collector’s Edition 1982.
  • 1985 beige/tan Excalibur Series IV Phaeton convertible with 5,600 miles—$29,000 for the most-respected of the neo-classics.
  • 1986 white Chevrolet El Camino pickup with the SS Choo Choo Customs package and 47,000 miles—$29,000
  • 1988 yellow Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV with 55,000 miles—$10,000
  • 1988 red Chevrolet Corvette convertible with 6,500 miles—$20,000
  • 1986 black Ferrari Mondial convertible with 34,000 miles—$22,500
  • 1988 red Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with factory slant nose and 11,000 miles—$43,000
  • 1980 green Porsche 911 custom coupe—$26,000
  • 1983 green Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-40 SUV—$38,000
  • 1988 black Mercedes-Benz 560SEC with aftermarket convertible conversion and 10,000 miles—$17,000
  • 1989 tan Jeep Wrangler very custom SUV—$10,500
Saturday:
  • 1983 black/gray two-tone Lincoln Continental Mark VI coupe with 38,000 miles—$4,500
  • 1987 black Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible—$25,000
  • 1985 silver Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible—$11,500
  • 1986 beige metallic Mercedes-Benz 560SL convertible—$15,000
  • 1989 green Jaguar XJS convertible with 32,000 miles—$25,000
  • 1985 blue Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit sedan—$9,500
  • 1980 black Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II sedan—$11,000
  • 1987 black Buick Grand National GNX coupe with 362 miles—at $150,000, by far the highest eighties sale of the auction
Sunday:
  • 1989 blue Jaguar XJ 6 sedan—$3,200
  • 1984 red Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible—$7,200
  • 1988 silver BMW 635CSi coupe—$4,500
  • 1985 brown Chevrolet El Camino custom pickup—$17,000
  • 1984 black Dodge Ramcharger SUV—$9,500
  • 1985 white Mercedes-Benz 380SL convertible with 36,000 miles—$15,000
  • 1986 black Buick Regal Grand National coupe—$15,000
  • 1988 black Lotus Esprit coupe—$18,000
  • 1984 silver/black two-tone Oldsmobile Cutlass Hurst Olds coupe with 10,000 miles—$25,000
  • 1989 cordovan Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV—$17,000
  • 1984 blue Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV—$24,000
  • 1985 black Chevrolet Corvette very custom coupe—$21,500
  • 1984 white Porsche 911 Carrera coupe—$25,000
  • 1986 white Tiffany coupe with 18,000 miles—$26,000 for this Mercury Cougar-based neo-classic.
  • 1982 silver beige Chevrolet Corvette Collector’s Edition coupe with 45,000 miles—$16,500
  • 1985 multicolored Chevrolet Corvette very custom coupe—$27,500 for this “VetteRossa”.
  • 1987 black Buick Grand National custom coupe—$23,000 for this coupe upgraded to GNX specifications.

Looks like a lot of Mercedes-Benz SLs, along with some Porsche 911s, turbo Buicks, and SUVs. What do you think of this year’s results?

Eighties Cars At The 2015 RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island

RM Sotheby’s traditional one-day auction at Amelia Island in mid March had a few 1980s cars this year among the hundred or so total. These particular cars definitely occupy the extreme high-end for eighties cars—none sold for less than their original list price.

  • 1989 Guards Red Porsche 911 Speedster convertible with tan and black partial leather interior and 6,400 miles—$264,000 for this Turbo-look version. This is actually only a little over #2 money, according to Hagerty’s valuation tools.
  • 1988 Guards Red Porsche 911 Turbo convertible with champagne leather seats and 2,400 miles—$363,000 for this “slant nose”
  • 1980 Nero Daytona (black) Ferrari 512 BB coupe with black leather interior and 12,000 miles—$418,000 for this lovely piece, despite the fact that it was not in its original red over black two-tone. All the money for a 1980 512 BB used to be about $225,000; obviously this is no longer true.
  • 1988 Jaguar XJR-9 race car—$2,145,000 for the winner of the 1990 24 Hours of Daytona. Race cars don’t generally do well at auction; this car was a definite exception, perhaps aided by the locale.
  • 1987 Guards Red Porsche 911 Turbo coupe with champagne leather interior and 12,000 miles—$220,000

Eighties Cars At The Mecum Rogers Museum Auction

Mecum’s one-day no-reserve auction in late February of what had been the Jim Rogers’ Classic Car Museum collection had a few 1980s cars among the 231 total. As one would expect for long-time museum cars, all cars in the auction were explicitly represented as “may still need mechanical and fuel system maintenance” and “car has not been driven”. Most had at least had their engines started.

  • 1984 red Avanti coupe with red interior and 22,000 miles. A Steven Blake-era Avanti (no more Avanti IIs by 1984) with a 180 bhp/190 bhp (depending on who you believe) Chevrolet 305 V8 and an automatic transmission—$10,000 is between #3 and #4 money according to Hagerty’s valuation tools
  • 1986 brown Jaguar XJ12 Vanden Plas sedan with 4,800 miles—$20,000 seems like a lot of money for this car, even with the low mileage. The cream interior did look near perfect.
  • 1988 triple white Rolls-Royce Corniche II convertible with 15,000 miles—at $68,000, by far the highest eighties sale of the auction and about $10,000 over Hagerty’s “all the money”
  • 1980 red/silver two-tone Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II sedan with red interior—$19,000
  • 1986 red Porsche 928S coupe with automatic transmission—$17,000 indicates about #2 condition

The rest of the auction was perhaps a little more interesting than these five cars. The oldest car was a black and silver 1915 Ford Motel T while the newest vehicles (from 2012) were a brace of Fisker Karma sedans and a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter conversion. The least expensive sale was a yellow 1948 Chevrolet fire truck that went for $3,000 while the most expensive car was a beige 1962 Rolls-Royce Mulliner convertible that hammered for $320,000. The distribution of cost versus year is shown in the chart below.

RogersAuctionPriceGraph

What do you think of these results?

Eighties Cars At The 2015 Mecum Kissemmee, Part Two

The January auction at Mecum Kissimmee provided some interesting fodder for commentary. I’ll concentrate on the at least fairly stock 1980s cars (and a few trucks) that sold (remember that this is not a no reserve auction—a blue 1986 Porsche 930 Turbo custom coupe with 29,000 miles was a no sale bid up to $85,000) and add some of my opinions. Mecum Kissemmee is a huge event, so I’m going to separate it into two posts—this second covers from Thursday to the final and rather spare Sunday.

Thursday:

  • 1980 silver Chevrolet Corvette coupe with the L82/automatic combination and 66 miles—$24,000
  • 1984 black/silver two-tone Oldsmobile Hurst/Olds custom coupe – $29,500. An interesting and unusual resto-mod which retained the original lightning rod shifter. How much would it have gone for if it was stock?
  • 1981 brown Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 custom coupe—$15,000
  • 1986 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS custom coupe with an aftermarket five-speed manual—$9,500
  • 1981 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 55,000 miles—$13,000
  • 1989 red Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z convertible with the LB9/ automatic combination and 9,300 miles—$20,500
  • 1985 red Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z coupe with the LB9/ automatic combination and 963 miles—$21,000
  • 1980 platinum Porsche 911SC Weissach Edition coupe with a five-speed manual and 9,500 miles—$56,000 for this handsome car with multiple awards
  • 1989 red/tan two-tone Ford Bronco II Eddie Bauer Edition SUV with 42,000 miles—$8,500

Friday:

  • 1980 red Porsche 928 coupe with the automatic and 46,000 miles—$9,500
  • 1987 black Buick Regal Grand National coupe with 6,900 miles—$28,000
  • 1987 black Porsche 911 Carrera Targa coupe with 66,000 miles—$37,500
  • 1981 red Chevrolet Corvette very custom convertible (by definition, since Chevrolet didn’t make any “shark” convertibles after 1975) with 45,000 miles—$19,000
  • 1981 white Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 coupe with 58,000 miles—$17,000
  • 1987 black Buick Regal GNX coupe with 276 miles—at $80,000, the fourth highest eighties sale of the auction and hitting the lower limit of Mecum’s estimate
  • 1983 red Porsche 930 Turbo coupe with the power sunroof and 33,000 miles—at $65,000, not quite making Mecum’s lower estimate
  • 1987 white Porsche 930 Turbo coupe with power sunroof and 40,000 miles—at $85,000, the second highest eighties sale of the auction
  • 1988 white Rolls-Royce Corniche II convertible with 65,000 miles—$47,000

Saturday:

  • 1987 red Porsche 930 Turbo coupe with 34,000 miles—at $84,500, the third highest eighties sale of the auction
  • 1987 black Buick Regal GNX coupe with 10,000 miles—at $67,500, the fifth highest eighties sale of the auction
  • 1988 white Chevrolet Corvette Corvette Challenge race car with 5,300 miles, driven in five 1988 races by R. K. Smith and Brad Murphey—$45,000
  • 1988 white Chevrolet Corvette 35th Anniversary coupe with the 4+3 manual, the Z51 sport suspension, and 9 miles—$38,000
  • 1989 red Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition coupe with 6,500 miles—at $350,000, by far the highest eighties sale of the auction

Sunday:

  • 1985 red Jeep CJ-7 SUV—$7,500
  • 1988 red Chevrolet Corvette coupe—$6,000
  • 1984 blue Chevrolet Corvette coupe with 60,000 miles—$4,000
  • 1980 white Chevrolet Corvette coupe—$5,000
  • 1988 black Porsche 944 coupe—$3,000

What do you think of this year’s results?

Some Quiet Love For A K Car

I walked to the local supermarket today to secure some Coca-Cola which we had somehow run short of. We’re located on the southeastern edge of what most weather forecasters seem to think is going to be a full-out blizzard over the next day and a half or so.

It’s only a couple of blocks to the supermarket. On the way is a little tan house which almost always has an original Natural Suede Tan Dodge Aries or Plymouth Reliant station wagon parked next to it. There is no garage for the wagon, so usually it sits out in the weather and rust is definitely showing in parts of that famously squared-off body.

An original K car wagon sits under snow and a car cover this morning
An early Chrysler corporation K car station wagon sits quietly under a little snow and a car cover this morning

This morning, however, there was a fitted blue car cover on the wagon to help protect it from this particular storm, which has just begun.

I may be projecting here, but I choose to see a lot of love and caring for an old and hardworking friend. Is that cover original or new (you can still get them) ? Does it only go on when the predictions are as dire as today’s? How many miles does that wagon have?

Questions, questions, questions. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the owner — if I do, maybe I’ll ask a few.