Keith Martin

I bought my first car the day I turned 16, hours after I passed my driving test. (I was first in line when the DMV opened at 8 a.m.) I still think the $30 I spent for the Bug Eye Sprite with no first or reverse gear was “above market.” That was 57 years ago.…

Last Sunday was brisk and sun-lit. We decided to exercise our 1972 Mercedes 250C. I keep a log for all my cars. I discovered it had been six weeks since we last drove it. It took six to eight pumps on the throttle before it would fire up. The Webers still need the cold-idle speed…

Last week we talked about the care and feeding of SCM’s 2006 Lotus Elise, 1971 Mercedes 250C and 2000 Land Rover Discovery II and what they each needed to be considered “in service.” Our 1971 Jaguar E-type V12 coupe has turned out to be our “go-to” car for long distance tours. It’s covered over 6,000…

Now that December is upon us, it’s a good time for us (and you) to survey your collection and take care of little things that have been nagging you. Here’s what we will be emailing to Santa. With the 2006 Lotus Elise, the list is short. Last summer when we took the car in for…

After a couple of months of indecision, Al Blanchard at A&P Specialties here in Portland has decided on a path forward for our 1975 Porsche 911S Sportomatic. We’ve known from the start that its 2.7-liter engine had some broken studs. However, the compression was excellent and we were advised to just drive it as is.…

I’ve sold two cars in the past few weeks. Should you be thinking about thinning your nest this holiday season? I didn’t dislike either car, but it was time for them to go. I had learned everything the 2004 Mercedes SL55 AMG had to teach me, so there was no adventure left. The last time…

My son Bradley and I are looking for a classic four-door manual as a run-around car for him. I mentioned this to SCMer Brad Miller, and from his vacation home in Paris he started sending me links of possible choices. One that caught our immediate attention was a 1990 Mercedes 300E-24 with a dogleg 5-speed…

I’ve found a car in Germany that interests me — a 1990s Mercedes. It is a nice driver, but not a concours example. It’s been decades since I bought a car from Europe, and I would like your advice. Millions of cars come to the U.S. each year ro-ro (roll-on, roll-off); is there any reason…

At a certain point during my recovery from my stroke, I decided to look for classic cars with automatic transmissions. While universally loathed by enthusiasts — including me — I hoped that maybe I was just overlooking what might be a decent motoring experience. I bought two automatics. The first was a 1965 Volvo 122S…