A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog about spotting old car trends using the weather. The SEMA show is another great way to see which older cars or trucks younger members of the car world are starting to consider cool in the old car market. That show starts today.

The Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association show in Las Vegas is where the car world comes to show off its skill in fabrication, finish, and innovation — both in Read More

Traditionally speaking, the market has been good to Mopar. Some of the biggest muscle car pricing boosts in the 2000s went to Dodges and Plymouths, and they’re still among the most valued muscle machines — especially anything with a Hemi.

That leaves buyers in a tough spot. If you want to score a Mopar, in most cases you’ve got to pay up to own one — Chargers, Road Runners, ’Cudas, Super Bees, Challengers and the like tend to be expensive. Read More

Values and trends. That’s what ACC is about. 

How can we see trends before they really start to take hold? Well, it can be complicated, and it isn’t always an exact science. But there’s one trick to spotting trends I’ve been thinking about lately: Weather.

Weather? Really? OK, that may seem a little strange, but stick with me here for a second and I’ll explain what I mean.

When the weather is nice, you’ll often see classics out and Read More

I’ve been watching the leaves change color in my neighborhood over the past few days, and it’s been prompting me to get out and drive my old cars as much as I can before the weather turns south. Here at ACC, we’ve already started work on our annual Scottsdale insider’s guide for the upcoming January auctions. These things together are my annual reminder that winter is coming. Soon.

For a lot of us, that means it’s time to put cars Read More

The web has been a popular place to buy classic cars since the ’90s. But should you?

That can be a hard call to make — especially if you’re new to old cars, or if this is your first online buy. The pessimist in me likes to point out that a lot can be hidden in photos, and if you’re buying a classic sight unseen, you’ve got to make a valuation decision off of what the seller wants you to Read More

Back in the day, SS cars were the hot ticket among the Chevrolet faithful. They were special, limited-run cars with more street cred than the rest — even if their only true differences were in the amount of bright trim outside, some interior upgrades inside, and usually — but not always — a hotter engine. Still, that SS badge mattered on the street, and it still matters when a car sells at auction today. Would you rather have a Camaro Read More

It seems like auto registration rates climb more and more every time I look at them. But with more cars on the road each year, that makes sense. After all, somebody has to pay for the wear and tear on roadways caused the daily commuter grind. Here in Oregon, a new 2-year registration for a car or truck is $150, along with a $21 DEQ test fee if the car is newer than 1974. That’s comparatively cheap to what other Read More

When you’re thinking about a new addition to your collection, what’s the first thing that you look for? 

Last week, I talked a little about project cars, and we’re covering that topic in the next issue of ACC as well. But that’s got me thinking about buying project cars that aren’t complete basket cases — and when we do that, what sorts of problems are deal-breakers?

Answering this question really gets to the heart of the type of Read More

What do you see when you look at the car pictured above? Do you see a GTO that’s at the end of its lifespan, or do you see a promising project? Is this just scrap value, or is this the beginning of months (or years) of work in a shop and a well-earned finished project?

Car people tend to have Read More

When trucks started a march up in value, so too did truck-based off-road rigs. Now, Blazers and Broncos have eclipsed trucks in terms of value, and I’m not just talking about the first-gen rigs, either.

I’ve been looking for a first-generation Blazer project for some time now, and with auction sale prices often well above $50k, most all of the project rigs have either been snapped up by builders or they’re priced similarly high — even rust-riddled beaters. 

That Read More