It’s Valentine’s Day! Don’t forget your real “Sweetheart”!

The car of course! ( Don’t tell my wife I said that !! )

Well, here we are in the middle of one of the coldest winters of the last 40 years! January had so many days of single digit and in-the-teens temperatures that it set a record. When the temperature was in the 20’s it felt like a relief!

All these sub-freezing temperatures play havoc with water pipes, engine blocks, and car batteries. I hope all of you have your babies tucked in, warm, dry, and properly winterized! After a certain fiasco last winter I learned my lesson. For years (almost two decades actually), I would just put my cars away in the garage and that was that. In the Spring I would start them up and never had any problems. The tires may have been a little low on air, but otherwise the cars were always fine.

Last year the battery (one of those super expensive reproduction ones) in my 70 Road Runner Convertible split into four pieces inside the nicely detailed engine compartment. Apparently it wasn’t sufficiently charged, or it lost its charge, and then froze and broke apart. As you correctly suspect, I had some paint damage. I was lucky, it could have been much worse. This year I removed all the batteries from the cars, charged them fully, and put them away for the winter. As I said, I have learned my lesson.

This guy didn’t….

----On to another topic. I mentioned in the past Newsletter that I would discuss the January Barrett-Jackson Auction results and what they mean, if anything, for the rest of the car collecting hobby. Let me preface by stating what I believe the Barrett-Jackson Auction to be: This auction which is held every year in Scottsdale, Arizona is quite an impressive gathering of cars and people. Some very fine restorations, customizations, and one-off vehicles can be found at this show. Thousands of people attend. They come either to bid on these cars, or just to take in the sights and watch the proceedings. This show has come to be regarded as one of the largest and most important for the collector car hobby. You can find vintage, modern, European, and American vehicles. Many are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and some are worth in the range of ten to twenty thousand. Most are somewhere in-between.

As any of you know that have followed this and other similar auctions, the prices that people pay for cars are usually quite a bit more than what the general population of collector car enthusiasts feel that they are really worth. In other words, people (bidders) go crazy to get what they want. Yes, they do overpay. Sometimes by a tremendous amount! Plus in addition to what they bid on the car, there is a 5-8 percent buyer’s fee attached on top of it! So if you pay $99,500 for a Camaro, you are really going to end up paying about $108,000! Crazy! Nuts! Isn’t it? “Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!!” as I like to put it.

Part of this is explained simply by the competitive aspect of bidding. If you had your Mustang GT for sale and three people who all wanted it came at once to your house, what do you think would happen? If they all wanted it none of them would want to see the other guy get it and lose out, so they will systematically offer you more than the other person does. Up to a point. Couple that type of scenario (which we all wish we could be so lucky to have when we sell our car), along with the fact that it might be a super rare vehicle with matching numbers, in fantastic, fully restored and correctly detailed condition, and you see why the numbers start to climb well past what a car is really worth at a classic car auction.

This doesn’t happen to every vehicle though. On Friday night I watched as a big block Chevelle (red and black) was stuck at $19,500! That car was definitely worth more than that! It finally went to $20,000 even, right before the hammer fell. After the sale the seller also has to pay a percentage to Barrett-Jackson of the selling price, along with what he paid for the entry fee and transportation to get his car to the auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. After tallying all of that, he is lucky to have walked away with $17,500 for his Chevelle! Hardly worth it if you ask me. In fact, it was a losing proposition. He could have sold it for more out of his driveway!

The next night, a car just like it; 70 Chevelle big block, Red and Black sold for in the 50K range! Go figure. Only explanation I can see is that on Saturday the “Big Boys” came to bid and to be seen doing it. Two other SS 454 cars sold in the high 20’s to low 30’s. I think that is telling for what they are really selling for, barring the one exception.

Another reason why bidding sometimes gets out of hand is what I like to call the Rich Cowboys. (Did anyone see the guy in the funky yellow jacket?) These ego-driven puppies are used to getting what they want when they want it. Price is no option. They know that their face is on National Television while they are bidding, and they usually have some high maintenance gal-pal or mistress along for the ride that they want to impress. This is evidenced many times when you see the bidding war for a car come down to two guys. The camera is on both of them, the auctioneer (unlike in Europe where it is more dignified) is shouting his head off, babbling numbers semi-coherently through an echoing sound system so it sounds more like a cattle and hog auction down South, the bid takers are in their faces urging them to go higher and higher, and above all that is their power driven ego screaming inside their head “I want it! I want it! I don’t care what it costs just get it!”.

Whew! Let me catch my breath here for a moment.

Now you see why some exorbitant prices are paid for these vehicles. Even if they are not the rarest of the rare, or in the most perfect condition. People get caught up in the emotion of the moment. In the REAL world that you, I, and most other car enthusiasts exist in, that is not the case. We might go a couple of grand above what we want for a car that we have longed for, but to go up by ten to fifty thousand more than it is worth is just not going to happen.

All of this being said, I think it is safe to assume that despite what the Barrett-Jackson highs are, we can gauge the market more realistically by what the general public is saying is going on, and what cars are bringing on “the street”. Sure, the attendance and sales figures at Barrett-Jackson indicate that there is still strong demand and interest for collector cars, if the hobby was slowing down or prices were decreasing that would have bared itself out. But to truly know what interest there is for your particular car, put it up for sale and you will find out. Some people (many of them dealers who want to drive up prices for their own profit) love to say, “Hey, that Challenger R/T brought $55,000 with just a 440 in it at Barrett-Jackson. That is what they are worth now.” Bullshit I say!!

That car was bid up in a frenzy and may have been an ultra clean, high demand example. That doesn’t mean all Challenger R/Ts are suddenly worth $55,000. Use your head people and make your own judgments.

Those untrue statements have been said for years now! What sells at Barrett-Jackson or any other auction usually bears little resemblance dollar-wise to what they sell for in other places! The same holds true for the numbers matching Hemi survivor car or ultra low-mileage Z28 Camaro. Just because one particular example of a car sells for a high buck does not mean that all cars like it are worth just as much money. Thinking like that has disappointed many people, both on the selling and the buying end.

In summation; I think the market is still strong and that come springtime in the Northeast we will see the usually frenzy of car buying. I don’t think prices have gone up much, nor do I think that there will be a run for cars of all types and conditions like there was during the past three years. I believe (thankfully) that things have leveled off some, and that there will be a return to sanity in the collector car market. Sure there will always be some cars that go for big bucks, but in general, I think you will be able to find what you are looking for without having to break the bank or take out a second mortgage on your home.

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GUEST WRITER(S) COLUMN(S)

In this newsletter once again we present two new writers! Greg and Janet Fiandola will tell you the tale of their HO Firebird in the “My Car Story” feature. They are long time car collectors with an impressive fleet of various GM products. Greg actually owns an auto repair shop, and he and his wife Janet BOTH do almost all of the work on their cars! Our first feature is an article by Andy Vourlos. Andy also owns a classic vehicle (He’s a Dodge Boy) and in his article reminds us of some of the basic road courtesy that is lacking in today’s society. He makes a good point! Enjoy……

Terminal Velocity – The Roads We Share

By Andrew N. Vourlos, Long Island, NY

Its 2:30 PM on a sunny, cool Saturday afternoon. I am driving with my fiancée and my parents to go to a movie, then proceed afterwards to have a nice dinner somewhere cozy, where we can reflect upon our cinematic experience. We enter the parking lot’s main thoroughfare, stop, signal, check mirrors, the road is clear, so we begin to turn. About ¾ of a way into the turn and almost to a parking spot, WHAM! Our Ford Escape is broadsided by a Honda Accord.

Apparently, the young, inexperienced, unlicensed, learner’s permit-only equipped driver raced out of a lot behind us and intended to pass by on the wrong side of the road. Perhaps his inability to handle a motor vehicle was compromised by the fact that his driver’s seat was so far reclined that his line of sight was an inch above the steering column. Then of course there was the blaring hip-hop coming from the Honda’s speakers. Maybe his grandmother should’ve had the sense not to let him use the car in the first place.

Have you noticed how insane it has become on our roads? It is MVC, or motor vehicle combat, out there. Young kids barely finished with high school are driving Honda Civics and Hyundai Elantras festooned with wings, aero body kits, and 19 inch wheels like they are a ride at an amusement park. Soccer moms are wheeling around in 6000 pound Suburbans and Expeditions, cell phone in hand, as if to roll over whatever they hit without missing a second of conversation. And let’s not rule out the guys, most of whom want to think that their dowdy little Taurus really is like the NASCAR version and drive accordingly. The only thing missing is the window net.

The world has gotten smaller as our population continues to grow at a geometric rate. Our economy is the pinnacle of capitalism, and we have all the toys to boot. More than ever our lives are full of things to do and possessions to have. And with it all comes a bundle of stress and a pungent attitude. The automobile is no longer a mere conveyance; it has become a means to vent one’s feelings, emotions, and personal freedoms. While this is not true of everyone, think about it for a moment. We have all seen the aforementioned scenarios. Maybe some of us even fit the description. Its not that we mean to be this way, but somewhere along the line, we have forgotten that the road is a public place, utilized by everyone. People, the road, motor vehicles, all must be respected accordingly.

Here on Long Island, we share a small amount of space with a lot of people. Nowhere is the car more of an extension of a person than here, except for maybe California. We love our cars and the privilege (yes, privilege) to drive, as well we should. Other people in this world are not as fortunate as us. We have a tremendous car culture, one that is a great pastime and expression of the freedoms that our forefathers gave us when America was formed. And we have some beautiful scenery to motor through; Ocean Parkway from Jones Beach to Robert Moses, Route 25A through the North Fork, Sunrise Highway through the Pine Barrens.

Stop and think a minute the next time you get behind the wheel.

Think that we don’t need to drive so fast like a lunatic to get where we are going (you’ll get there, don’t worry).
Think of not using that cell phone to carry on personal or work related business while trying to navigate our congested arteries (at least use a hands-free device if you have to; it’s the law you know).
Think of that young, inexperienced teenager before you hand him the keys to the car (is he/she really ready to do this?).
Think of not having to go out and buy a car for that young, inexperienced teenager right away, before he has become responsible enough to know how lucky he/she is (you don’t have a right to own a car at sixteen young man/ma’am).
Think of extending a courtesy to your fellow motorist (don’t ride his bumper, don’t cut him off, don’t blow that light).
Try waving thank you to the motorist that just gave you a break to merge into the stop-and-go LIE.
Try thinking that your next time behind the wheel may be my last, because we don’t know what’s around the next bend.

The intentions here are not to offend or scare anyone, but to just give us all a reality check about where we are going in life. Slow down a little; ease up a bit. We are blessed to be so fortunate to have a luxury in life that is the automobile. If nothing else, perhaps keep this in the back of your mind; our troops are just waiting to come home and see family and loved ones. Many will probably pack the family or friends into their car and motor out onto the American road. If there were ever greater symbols of our freedom, it is the American road and that wonderful automobile. Please don’t disrespect these icons. And take care of your fellow American.

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My Car Story Greg & Janet Fiandola: 1967 Pontiac Firebird HO Convertible

Every day we drove past it. It was a green 67 Firebird convertible, back window broken, rain and leaves collecting in the well. It was parked on the street, right behind a 69 Corvette with a “For Sale” sign. On a whim, we left a note. “If you are selling this Firebird, give a call.”

Well we got the call, went to look at it. It drove OK, actually had good power. The deal was made. After a new convertible top and floorboards, it was the wife’s daily driver for 2 years. Even though the engine was really starting to leak oil, it still ran strong. So why don’t we just reseal the engine, do a valve job and keep driving it? Sounded like a good idea. Well once the cam wouldn’t come out of the engine due to bad cam bearings, oil starvation due to the timing gear nylon teeth clogging the oil pickup – Plan B was put in place: Buy the wife a new car and start tearing it apart.

Meanwhile we had tried to find out how original the car was. The previous owner had provided some records and we traced the owners as far back to a couple of Italian cousins in Brooklyn. They had enjoyed racing the car and surprised some – At least that’s what we could get through the broken English. The engine did not have a VIN number on it – Pontiac didn’t stamp them in 1967. The engine two letter code was used several years in a row so the engine’s identity was uncertain.

Certain “experts” looked at it: “Never saw anything like this – can’t be right”. My wife wrote to Pontiac –back then, Pontiac customer service offered the service now provided by Pontiac Historical Services. Pontiac confirmed what we were starting to suspect: we had an original 326HO car with the original engine. They provided the original factory invoice. It was Pontiac’s light-heavyweight as the marketing of the day called it. One of about 2000 HO automatics that year. The remnants of the original white HO stripes inside the door jams also confirmed it. The invoice also indicated the original dealer was in Virginia, how it got to the cousins in Brooklyn, we couldn’t quite figure out.

There were years of parts collecting, cleaning and repainting of all those parts, it finally went back together. A few upgrades were made along the way. Correct 4 piston disc brakes were added. As the original transmission was gone, a Muncie 4 speed was installed – lots more fun than the old two speed automatic ! A Ram Air IV cam was added and stainless steel exhaust.

No more daily driving for this car! Occasional cruises and a car show once in a while. We have some other cars and it is always fun to see that this little Firebird gathers plenty of attention.

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Here is where you can access previous editions of the Long Island Classic Cars Online Newsletter.

October 2003 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Oct03.html

November 2003 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Nov03.html

December 2003 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Dec03.html

January 2004 http://www.liclassiccars.com/Newsletter/Jan04.html

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I hope you enjoyed reading this issue of the Long Island Classic Cars.com newsletter. We welcome all writers who would like to share their stories or opinions. Please have your story submitted by the 25th of the month for inclusion in the following month's Newsletter. Pictures are welcome with your article but not required.

As promised, look for some great additions to Long Island Classic Cars.com beginning in March!!

We will have a free WANTED section for people to list cars they are looking for!

We will also be starting our free Message Board Service where you can discuss automotive topics, seek help for automotive problems, or anything else car related!

Keep your eyes peeled for this in the next few weeks!!

Hey! It’s only another month and a half until April. Then (if the snow has cleared and rain has washed away the road salt) we can start driving our beloved four-wheeled buddies again! I long for that. I can’t wait to go through the gears in my 71 ‘Cuda around the curvy, uncrowded roads of the North Shore! This winter is a cold one, and that first blast down the road will go a long way to making it a distant memory!

Pete

Long Island Classic Cars.com