What Do You See?

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Ed: Was he killed in the fall?

Fred: No, it was the sudden stop when he hit the ground.

 

Other than my two “silly” posts on Friday the 13th, I have not posted for quite some time. My wonderful wife and I were away for much of that period, but not all of it.

I am struggling with an internal debate about this blog. I am considering a change in format, a change in content, a change in frequency or some combination of all of the above. Einstein is supposed to have said that insanity is repeating the same action over and over, but expecting a different result.

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We attended the recent Mecum auction in Indianapolis. Here is a picture from the event. What do you see?

 

 

Yes, it’s the front of a C6 Corvette ZR1. It’s also a picture of an extraordinarily beautiful young woman who was discussed every day, even the two days when she was not there.

Mecum hires a group of young women (for the most part) who take a contract to the winning bidder to sign after each lot. The young woman standing in front of the red State Farm sign was among that group for most of the auction.

I watch all of the Mecum auctions on TV when I am not attending. I had never seen this woman before. Believe me, I would have noticed her. My wonderful wife even noticed her. I think her name is Rachel although I am not 100% certain. Another photo:

 

 

I am an old, very happily married man. As I wrote here, though, I still notice women. I suspect I have that in common with 99% of straight men.

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So, how many pictures do you want to see? I always make a vow to take fewer pictures at these events and quickly break that vow.

I also have no idea how to present the photos I do take, including how much description I should write. Anyway, here are a few pics:

 

 

This is a 2004 Cadillac XLR, offered early on the last day, that I considered purchasing. Heeding the word of our friend Bob, a former mechanic for General Motors and Jaguar, I looked under the car and, sure enough, saw three fresh oil leaks. Those leaks and the model year put an end to my desire to bid on the car. The rest of the XLR didn’t look bad although the interior was a bit tired. Supposedly, the car had 44,000 miles.

With my Z06 still in the shop–yes, it’s now been there more than five weeks–I just am not in the right frame of mind to buy another car that might come with its own set of headaches. Maybe the oil leaks were just an excuse not to bid.

In all honesty, while the Mecum auctions have better dockets than those from Barrett-Jackson (in my opinion), even with an unlimited budget I would not have bid on that many cars. As much as I love Corvettes, I don’t think I want to see 400 Corvettes (my estimate; update: my estimate was off, the actual number of Corvettes was 297) in one auction. I sure as hell do not want to buy C10 pickup trucks or Broncos, of which there were quite a few.

 

 

This is a 1961 Buick Electra 225 convertible. This one sold, all in, for $33,000. (Oh…the ’04 XLR sold all in for $26,400.) A white ’61 Electra 225 convertible sold all in for $44,000.

 

 

During one of my many walks through the staging lanes, I couldn’t help but notice this 1966 Lotus Elan. The color, size and shape of the car made it stand out to me. It sold, all in, for $31,900.

 

 

This is a 1942 Lincoln Continental convertible, of which only 136 were made. The car sold new for $3,000; this one went unsold at a high bid of $95,000.

 

I welcome thoughtful comments and any suggestions you might have about this blog. Thanks.

 

#WhatDoYouSee?

#AlbertEinstein

#MecumIndy

#Rachel?

#somanyCARSjustonelife

#disaffectedmusings

If you like this blog please tell your friends and share the blog URL (https://disaffectedmusings.com). Thanks.

 

 

 

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Published by rulesoflogic

Empiricism over ideology!

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8 thoughts on “What Do You See?”

  1. Having watched most of the auction to catch glimpses of the two of you, I find there were many cars and trucks which interested me. There were some real bargains and there were some that went for stupid money that were not worth the price paid. If I were flush with cash, I would have been in the bidding for the Gurney Olsonite Eagle. One that did interest me was Lot S204, a 1957 Ford Ranchero. Another would have been Lot S3.1, a 1957 Ford Thunderbird. Of course listing those two would show my age and prejudice for red Fords. We’re glad you had a good time and we enjoyed watching to see you all and text back and forth about the different cars.

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  2. Re; Trucks and Bronco’s

    Auction houses, be it Mecum, Sotheby’s or BaT are there to make money. With the market for trucks and older 4 wheel drive vehicles hot, Hot, HOT, they are gonna load up on them. Muscle cars are still hot, restomods more so, most other stuff is “filler” these days. Once the economy changes, better or worse (more likely), the offerings will likely also change.

    Me? I’m holding off on buying for now. I sold off another of my “projects” last week and am probably going to sell a couple of my “drivers” in the next 2-3 months. I won’t get as much as I might have last year, but I probably won’t take a loss on them, either. That isn’t really important to me, as I’ve enjoyed them and that’s what really matters.

    Glad you had an enjoyable time and welcome back.

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    1. Good to read from you, DDM. Yes, of course auction companies are at the mercy of consignors and buyers. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.

      “That isn’t really important to me, as I’ve enjoyed them and that’s what really matters.” Well expressed, sir. I have often written here that for the vast majority of car enthusiasts, buying a vehicle should not be considered a financial investment, but an investment in the enjoyment of life. Whether your budget is $10,000 or $1,000,000, you should buy something because you like it. My 2¢.

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  3. I’d love to tool around in that beautiful old Lincoln. It would be a great parade car. What a waste, though, to keep it locked up for only a few short miles a year.

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  4. Late to comment but…
    The Buick would be of great interest to me, which should be no surprise. Even in ‘resale red’ they’re such handsome cars in my opinion.
    The fact I start a new job soon and some other signs things might be turning around has me making plans I still won’t likely afford for years. I’m actually considering having the Grand Prix done. It needs weatherstripping in the trunk and doors. Makes me think maybe I should get the body done (there’s some rust in the 1/4s, small hole under the roof vinyl, a couple of hail dents and scrapes).
    To make matters worse… fool that I am, I’m loosely contemplating how long the car could be laid up and the chances of buying another cheap cruiser so as not to miss a season… quick searches today turned up an 81 TR7 convertible at $3200, 87 Vette convertible at $9500, and a 89 Mustang GT convertible at $8500, not to mention the various F150s and C10s in the $5000-10,000 range…
    Ah the plans I make before the money is in the bank lol maybe next summer…

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    1. Good to “hear” from you, Mark. Congrats on the new job and hope it is fulfilling.

      Many economic papers have been published on the “income expectation” effect where people change or think about changing their behavior before they actually see a change in income. It’s human nature. That reminds, for some reason, of a line from another TV favorite of mine, Taxi.

      For part of the series the Latka character suffers from a bout of multiple personality disorder. During one phase when he has assumed the character of Alex, the “lead” of the show, Latka/Alex asks Louie, the conniving dispatcher, “Hey, Louie. What do you think of the human race? I’d like an outsider’s opinion.”

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