Mecum Houston 2015 Report

Mecum Houston

2015 Report

Mecum returns to Houston for the 5th straight year next month so I thought I would report on my 2015 experience before I'm two years behind.  Sometimes when I go to car auctions I'm there for a specific car or cars, or at least a type of car (60's American convertible for example).  Other times I'm just there and open to anything that randomly catches my interest.  The 2015 auction was really more of the latter.  There were certainly a few cars I had an interest in but really I was in more of a random mood.  

Things we didn't buy:

My wife has taken a liking to micro-cars of late like this vintage Mini (she wasn't as interested in them a few years ago when they were cheap but now that they're popular and pricey she's a fan - of course).  I like them too, even though I don't really fit in most of them.  I refused to bid on this one though because it was right-hand-drive.  I'm not saying I would never buy anything right-hand-drive, but when there are 1000 cars up for bid there are just too many other options for me to be tempted by a car I'm going to repeatedly climb in the wrong side of.

I have a thing for Indy Pace Cars so I really wanted this '53 Ford.  Sadly, It was in just so-so condition and it didn't run through until Saturday and I had already bought more cars than I should have so I passed.  They're hard to find so I'll probably regret this if I ever try to fill in my Pace Car collection.

There's really no explanation needed as to why I didn't buy this one, but there may be an explanation as to why I thought about it and almost put my hand up - I really don't have one though.  It was just so ridiculous that it made you smile.  I didn't buy it (thank God) and didn't even bid, but what actually put me off at the time wasn't the outside, it was the inside.  It was all pink and teal ostrich with TV screens everywhere you could possibly fit one.  

Branelle found another Mini - with the steering wheel on the correct side this time.  Sadly, this Countryman wasn't in the best condition and would have really been a minor restoration project.  Even with that being the case I still bid on this one but I gave up before someone else did.  

I've always wanted one of these Superbirds.  I was in no real danger of coming home with this one however.  I gave it a cursory look, but the mileage was too low - I like cars you can drive without hurting the value.  Also, it's really not a good time to buy Mopar in my opinion.  The prices are all over the place and it's hard to tell where they're going.  This one ultimately sold for $480,000.  I like them in nice condition around $100,000, and they're out there, but this one was more for a serious Mopar collector.

Things we did buy: 

 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Convertible

Nel went with me on Thursday and that's the primary reason we came home with this little VW.  I'm guessing that her interest in micro-cars stretched to include small, simple and cute cars as well and she really liked this one.  While I probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger had she not been sitting next to me saying "buy it - buy it - buy it", I'm actually glad I did.  It's in remarkable condition and after spending a little money in the engine bay it runs great too.  BTW - When I say "we came home with this little VW", that's not entirely true.  We bought this early in the day and Nel had to head home before the auction ended so I stayed and just planned to drive this one home.  When I went to head out it wouldn't start.  I had to get Nel to come all the way back up to NRG to get me that evening and I had this one towed the next day.  It was just a little electrical issue - no big deal - but was annoying at the time.

  Being towed out of NRG Center by a golf cart is not exactly how you want your day to end.

 

 2001 Mercedes-Benz SL500

Nobody wanted to go with me on Friday so I was, as I like to say, unsupervised!  I was sitting up in the stands where non-bidders usually sit just chilling out and relaxing a bit as the first few cars went through that morning when this SL crossed the block.  I had checked it out the previous day briefly and it looked great so when I saw how low the bidding was I couldn't believe it.  I threw my hand up and a couple bids later I had stolen this thing.  It only had 35K miles on it and I have no idea why no one else seemed to want it but it's like a new car!  Everything is perfect on it and it drives great.  This is one of those 'right place right time' moments I guess.  Nel even loves this one!

     1949 Hudson Commodore

If this isn't the best Hudson Commodore in the world I'd like to see the one that's better.  I had become enamored with this car for some reason even before I saw it in person.  There's a slight sentimental issue for me, but other than that I can't really explain it.  It's not something that would usually be in my wheelhouse and it's the oldest car I've ever owned.  Sometimes a car just sort of calls to you.  I payed a lot for what is sort of a basic car by Hudson standards, but it really is a fully restored, better-than-new example.  

This one actually made it out of NRG Center before I had to call a tow truck.  It's a 3-speed on the column and the clutch was bad.  I've since replaced the clutch and everything is fine but the thought of trying to "find" gears all the way across Houston was not appealing so I just called a wrecker and my brother and I drove the SL500 home.   

All in all I would say it was a very successful Mecum auction for the Rodriguez household.  We came home with three fun new toys and even bought a baby!  BTW - We didn't take Samantha to the auction, she just tagged along when we went to pick up our cars.  I wouldn't recommend taking small children to these things.  They're extremely loud and there's a lot of exhaust fumes (I'm talking about the auctions, not children - although the statement certainly applies to both).  When she's a few years older maybe she can go with us, but for now Sam is going to sit these things out.