Mecum Houston 2018 Report

Mecum Houston 2018 Report

Mecum was back in Houston in early April and, as always, I was there looking for new ways to throw money away. I tried to go in with the attitude that I wasn't going to buy anything at this auction. I showed some good restraint but did end up with one new toy. I'll get to the "Things we didn't buy and Things we did" section in a minute, but first a few notes about the auction in general.

It was a great relief to find Mecum back in the NRG Center after being in the NRG Arena last year. The Arena wasn't a good venue for an auction, and I hope it was just a one time thing due to scheduling conflicts with the Houston Auto Show. The NRG Center is a great venue for an auction - one of the best I've been to anywhere. It gets every car and the auction itself under one air conditioned roof. The only downsides are the parking, which is close and plentiful but way too expensive, and the ridiculously overpriced - and not very good - food. Neither of these issues are Mecums fault, but annoying all the same.

Another annoying issue that has nothing to do with Mecum is my deteriorating eyesight. I wear contacts but have great vision with them...as long as I'm looking at something at least five feet away from me. I've gotten to the point where I have to wear reading glasses to see anything in front of my face. I probably took those stupid things on and off 1000 times over the weekend.

There are always trends that you notice at auctions. I noticed a few things this time. For one, there were a ton of Vipers! There were easily more than 20 Vipers at this auction. It may have been just a coincidence, but it was certainly noticeable. There was also a strange lack of 3rd gen Mercedes SLs. They're usually an auction staple and have been getting pricier of late, but there was just a single example at this event.

Things We Didn't Buy

1963 Renault Caravelle

I was sure I was coming home with this car from the moment I saw it on the list. I've been looking for one of these rare little rear-engined French convertibles for years (for some reason). This one was out of a collection in Mexico and had been very nicely restored. They don't cost much (usually) but are almost impossible to find in decent condition. I even told Nel that I would probably overpay for this one. When it crossed the block the bidding got up to nearly $30K, which is twice what I've ever seen one listed for - and it didn't sell! I'm not sure what the sellers were looking for, but I think they'll regret not letting it go.

1957 Pontiac Chieftain

Our daughter is actually interested in my car hobby, probably more so than my wife. When she looks at car lists she always says "I want a pink one". The options are limited when looking for a pink car, but this beautifully restored Pontiac would have done the trick. The lights in the venue make it look a little more tan in these pictures, but it was most certainly pink! Sadly for Samantha, It brought way too much for an old Chieftain. It was probably warranted based on the condition, but you just don't want to buy the most expensive house on the block...at least not just to amuse a three year old.

1982 Shelby Cobra

I don't normally pay much attention to old Cobra replicas, but this one caught my eye. They're at every auction, everyone likes them, and it would certainly be fun to have one, but there are so many different kits out there and so many different levels of quality that I just don't know what I'm looking at. I'm never going to buy a real Shelby Cobra because they're too expensive to enjoy driving. I think the fact that this one had an old school look drew me to it. I decided I'd go up to $30K for it. The bidding went to $125K and it still didn't sell!! I have no idea why this one was so much more than others that go through, but that's why I need to stay away from them - lack of knowledge.

1971 Lincoln Mark III

The car I regret not buying the most - this Lincoln was in perfect condition! It had only 29K miles and looked like it could be on a Lincoln showroom floor. It was yellow with appropriately hideous 1970s green interior, but I love that stuff. I bid on this one up to $12,500 but walked away instead of offering $13K and then immediately regretted it. Sometimes it's all about what kind of mood you're in and I wasn't feeling great on Friday. If Nel had been there this would probably be in our garage right now, even though she hates these things.

2008 Boss Hoss BHC-9 Trike

Speaking of things Branelle hates - there is at least one thing at every auction that she "forbids" me to buy . This was it in Houston. She hates clowns, and especially the creepy ones. She was never in any danger, as this isn't really my thing. Someone paid $38,500 for it which is about $35,000 more than I would have.

1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet

Older 911s are a little volatile at auctions right now so I don't pay any attention to them, and there's no reason to buy a newer one at an auction, but these 99-05 or so cars are right in the sweet spot of being at the bottom of their depreciation curve but a blast to drive and decent to own. I took a run at a few including this nice triple black example, but it would have had to have been a steal for me to come home with one this time.

Mid-Life Crisis Car

I wasn't really planning on buying a Mercedes SLS AMG this weekend, but I did spend some time trying to decide if I prefered the gull-wing version or the convertible. I'm narrowing the list of cars that I'm considering for my impending mid-life crisis. My wife can't really say anything because she got a 2nd kid so short of moving Alexandra Daddario into our guest house I can pretty much do whatever I want. I'm still thinking about a few options, but I'm a big fan of AMG Merc's and the SLS is at the top of my short list right now.

1984 Avanti II

I always gravitate towards the odd or at least less common cars at auctions. Everybody wants a Chevelle or a Mustang or a Camaro so the competition for them makes it difficult to buy one "well". The Avanti II is a car that is not really loved, and for good reason. I gave this one a cursory look and it was a no sale at $15K. 

1965 Ford Mustang Convertible

Speaking of Mustangs, I never bother with 1st gen 'Stangs at auctions because they're just too popular, but I did bid on a couple this time. I had seen this car at a local concours event last year and it struck me as something I'd like to own for some reason so I priced it and paid attention. It ended up being a no sale at $37K, which is strong money for this car but I understand why the owner didn't part with it. The condition was fantastic!

1971 Volvo P1800

The Volvo P1800 has been on my list of cars to add to my garage for years, and they rarely show up at auctions in the South. This was a nice example and it sold for $15K, which I would have gladly paid....but I missed it. I can't just sit there and watch cars go by for 10 hours straight so I go back and forth between sitting near the block and walking around looking at cars. I try to time it and pay attention to the cars I'm really interested in but occasionally I miss one. 

1978 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car

I've wanted one of these for years, and I always pay attention to them at auctions. This one was really nice on the outside but just a driver quality car inside and underneath, which was fine with me. I was bidding on it and no one else seemed interested. I was high bidder at $9K and the hammer was about to drop when someone bid $10K. I hit it once more at $11K but was quickly pushed out again by a $12K bid. They really worked me over to bid again but for some reason I didn't and it sold. I thought $12K was a bargain but I saw the guy who bought it checking it out in the parking lot when I was leaving and pulled up to chat with him and he didn't seem pleased with his purchase so maybe I dodged a bullet.

1950 Pontiac Catalina

Every auction it seems there is some car that I wasn't even considering that jumps out at me (our '49 Hudson - our '64 Riviera - our '64 Galaxie all come to mind). This time it was this beautiful Catalina. They aren't really worth that much but also hard to find. I stayed in up to about $22K but a phone bidder bought it for $25K. Probably a good price for the seller and buyer.

1971 Volkswagen Campmobile

We always look at the old VW campers when they show up. Most are Westfalias, but this was a lesser known Campmobile. Nel likes them (although I think she would change her mind if she ever actually drove one) and I find them to be quirky and interesting. Problem is, they've gotten really popular. I used to cringe at the thought of paying over $10K for one of these and this one was a no sale at $27,500. 

Things We DID Buy!

1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle Convertible

I watch a lot of cars that I normally wouldn't if they're offered at 'NO RESERVE'. That's what happened here. I had quickly glanced at this car before the auction started and when it went across the block I thought it was way too cheap so I bought it. Branelle always says that the best cars we buy are the "cute and cheap ones", and that's certainly this Beetle.

   
So far so good. It seems to run and drive really well and it's in pretty good shape. It's an old car so it's always going to have something wrong with it. It had a pretty bad fuel leak but being a Beetle I was able to fix it easily with a $3 part and a couple of tools. I kind of think every true car person should own a bug at some point. You could make a case that "the people's car" is the most important vehicle in automotive history.   

Samantha (and Bunny) approved!

I'm going to call this a successful auction. We added a new toy while spending basically nothing. Sometimes the least complicated route is the best choice.