Buy What You Like, Pay What You Should
Keith Martin
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Keith’s Blog: Join “Wild and Wacky” on SCM Live
There’s a new dimension to SCM. We’ve added SCM Live. It’s a series of weekly Zoomcasts featuring SCM experts, collectors, dealers and more. Just last week we interviewed Bill Noon at Symbolic International. He talked about four cars he had for sale and predicted what the sale prices would be. They were a 1955 Lancia…
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Keith’s Blog: We Were Lucky to be at Pebble
We each have our own words to describe the magic of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Magnificent. Astounding. Crowded. Expensive coffee. Too many people. A once-in-a-lifetime gathering of important cars and people. Can’t get a picture with all the people in the way. Where did I leave my car parked? My pass doesn’t get me…
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From Successful Upstart to Corporate Ownership
Hearst can buy the Bring a Trailer community but it can’t own it.” As the shock and awe of the sale of Bring a Trailer subsides, we asked the founder of eBay Motors, Simon Rothman, for his thoughts about the sale and his predictions for the future. He said, “Over time, Hearst will absorb Bring…
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Keith’s Blog: How a BaT Seller gets Top Dollar
We just had our 4th weekly SCM Live Zoom session. Each week on Thursday at noon PST, we ask SCM experts to join us and predict the sale price of cars currently offered on Bring a Trailer. Recently, our guests were Matt Crandall of the Avant-Garde Collection, Alex Cartio of Cartiology (and a BMW 8…
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Keith’s Blog: Would You Sign Up for the SCM Expedition?
Would you sign up for the SCM Expedition? I watched with admiration and envy as the Copperstate 1000 added an off-road component. The Copperstate Overland is a six-day, five-night romp through the wilds of Arizona. A fully-supported luxury “glamping” moment, it is open to pre-1979 rigs, and limited to just a handful of participants —…
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Keith’s Blog: Don’t Forget to Ask About the Keys
I’ve gotten spoiled by Bring a Trailer. One of the benefits of their bespoke listing format is that sellers have learned to be complete in their descriptions. If they are not, the BaT peanut gallery is sure to chime in. A case in point. A friend of mine recently purchased a 14-year-old BMW from a…
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Keith’s Blog: Which Car for a Road Trip?
In just a few days, Bradley and I will be heading out for a 1,600-mile road trip. This journey is long overdue. It’s been almost two years since we threw our bags in the back of a car, put the top down and headed out from Portland. Our travel and vacation options are limited in…
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Bring a Trailer’s Big Step
There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” That’s how Martin Swig introduced me to Randy Nonnenberg, co-founder of Bring a Trailer. We were in front of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, where the cars for the California Mille were staged. “Randy has created this great website called Bring a Trailer. He finds interesting cars…
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Keith’s Blog: This Week a Ferrari Got Away!
Last week it was a 1975 Citroën DS23 that I backed off on. It sold for $37,800. This week’s temptation was a 2003 Ferrari 456M GTA. Matt Crandall at the Avant-Garde Collection is constantly getting in the way of my attempts be a thoughtful, patient collector. I asked him to handle some of the title work…
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Keith’s Blog: No Citroën for Me
When SCMer Greg Long listed a 1975 DS23 Pallas on Bring a Trailer, it caught my attention. In addition to being a very-late model with a 2.3-liter engine, it had a Citromatic 4-speed automatic that you shifted manually. I’ve always had a soft spot for Citroëns. Whenever I see one, my collector car heart starts…