http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s

One more.

gikigill said:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s

One more.

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What no Midnight Oil?
 
Bloody Drongo's
 
 
BTW I just learned what a "Vegamite Sandwich" actually means this year.

well my se535 seems to have developed an channel imbalance problem (as in the right ear became really quiet in comparison to my left ear) would reshelling them fix it?

I guess it's the same in every collecting "sphere", whether it's comic books, baseball cards, coins, or cars, almost no one is capable of being objective regarding their own stuff. The advantage with most of those hobbies is that there are 3rd party services that can grade an item so that when it comes time to determine its value it's a fairly painless process. With comics there's a scale between 0.5 - 10, the grader starts with a perfect 10 and then detracts for defects according to a grading standard, and the graders belong to a certification union, of sorts, that stands behind their grading based on that grader's experience. It has its drawbacks, but overall it's a very positive thing within the comic collecting community.

With collector cars, not so much. Actually, there's nothing like that at all. Sure, there's the Haggerty 1-4 scale (which is too limited) and the NAAA ratings (which aren't any better), but there's really no official standard detailing how cars reach a grade. There are concours grading systems, rating on 1000, 200, or 100 point scales, but outside of the concours event itself it's essentially meaningless because they all have different grading methods. With comics it's easy, they're locked in airtight holders and only need to be reevaluated if the seal is broken. The issue with cars is that they're driven, most of the time, and they accumulate wear and tear through normal use, so a rating system would have to be very sensitive to the date and mileage at the time the score is determined. A theoretical "perfect 100 point car" wouldn't stay that way for long, in fact, taking it out for an afternoon drive will likely take off 1-2 points, right off the bat.

- Any value scale would need to be weighted towards the middle with the vast majority of cars, so as not to strongly penalize those who actually like to drive their cars.
- Very specific details of any defects found would have noted by the person grading the car.
- The car would need to be re-graded each time the vehicle potentially changes owners, so that the buyer knows exactly what he's getting.

No, it wouldn't be cheap, but then the vast majority of collectible cars aren't "cheap" either. It would be like a much more involved PPI (private party inspection), but it's necessary at this point, because right now all we have is complete chaos.

Which brings me to the A-M V8 Vantage I went and looked it. I randomly met a fellow at the car auction, he noticed my messenger bag was embossed with the Aston Martin logo on it and he asked where I'd gotten it (it was in the trunk of my Vanquish when I bought it). Then after talking a little while about Astons he mentioned that he had an `87 V8 Vantage coupe he was looking to sell or trade. Since that's a car that's on my shopping list, I asked him for specifics about the car; color, mileage, history, options, and most importantly, condition. Well, he said it's deep indigo with a camel interior (great combo), has 45k miles (eh), he's the second owner, it's European spec (but LHD), is a 5-speed (awesome), and he claimed it was in "Excellent condition, easily a 2+" (based on the Haggerty scale). Okay.

Given all that he said, I was interested and wanted to see it. So I did. 2+ condition? Not even close. It might be able to eke out a 3, after a comprehensive detailing, but as it sits it's a 4, with all its; chipped paint, pitted brightwork, numerous small dings, dirty engine bay, bald tires, bad shocks, loose shifter, torn driver's seat, musty carpets, and missing (!) trunk release handle. I just kept thinking, "you want $170k for this?" :blink: I tried to temper his expectations but he was adamant, "It just needs a little TLC, nothing a good wash can't cure, and the trim can be re-chromed". I'm not sure if he was ignorant or trying to play me (probably a little of both) but I informed him that it wasn't chrome, it was nickel plating. He replied, "same thing". Geez. At that I point I thanked him for showing me the car but we probably wouldn't be able to meet on a price, since we wouldn't come close to agreeing on its condition. I actually feel sorry for it, it's far too awesome of a car to be treated that way.

It did give me a bug for a Vantage V8, though, I'm earnestly shopping for one now, and it made me appreciate the honesty of the guy selling the Lamborghinis, he was very forthright about what they are and what they aren't. So I did contact him and I'm working out a deal for them, can't wait to get started restoring those.

[VIDEO]http://youtu.be/TwkFqbGTNHY[/VIDEO]

? A new face lifted 650s ?

Damn. Too bad on the Vantage. For 170k he's put himself in a bracket he'll never compete in. If you kept his name and info he might be hammered down to reality within the year.
 
Then again some dimwad hiptoid might jump at it.
 
Valuation is tough for millions of reasons. You cannot use the same system for a race car as you would for a street one and then with the age of the vehicle you have to have a sliding scale with allowable mileages. Tough nut to crack. Probably even tougher to get consensus on unless you pitch a system to a premium insurer or some such.

customcoco said:

? A new face lifted 650s ?

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They're still peeved over the 458 Speciale kicking their asses in every match up. If they relaxed a little and made a car that was more fun to drive, they'd do a lot better.

I always liked the V8 Vantage 500-600 with the dual superchargers, it was ridiculous but I love that engine bay lol.

The B&O cans arrived, going to give them a listen today.

veyrongatti said:

well my se535 seems to have developed an channel imbalance problem (as in the right ear became really quiet in comparison to my left ear) would reshelling them fix it?

Click to expand...

Have you checked to make sure the sound tube is not block with gunk? The other thing that can happen is that one or more of the BA drivers goes bad.

Still waiting for the B&O H2 Magick.

I have always believed in being BRUTALLY honest in disclosing the condition of anything I have ever sold. I take lots of pictures, including pictures of every ding or dent. If something is wonky, I say it's wonky right in the ad. I look at it this way: if I am selling something, the LAST thing I want to do is deal with a hassle after the sale. After the item is gone, I NEVER want to see it again. My time is worth MUCH more to me than getting a few extra bucks for something. Granted, I'm not selling things as an investment, or that are worth over $100K. I'm usually selling things because I no longer want them - but I don't think I would feel differently either way.

My favorite ebay sale of all time was when I sold an old 8mm video camera that did not work. I put DOES NOT WORK in HUGE red letters in several places in the ad. I said flat out that I had no idea what was wrong with it, but it no longer powered on, and that if you buy it, you are keeping it, because I'm not taking it back - period.

I had no reserve on it, and I figured I would get about 10 bucks, primarily because I still had the case and the manual for it. If no one bought it, I was going to throw it in the trash.

It sold for $60. I was SHOCKED! I shipped it off and never heard a peep from the buyer. Best sale ever!

http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/you-can-still-buy-a-brand-new-1992-lancia-delta-integra-1682581758?utm_campaign=socialflow_jalopnik_twitter&utm_source=jalopnik_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

*twitch* *twitch* :blink:


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gikigill said:

Still waiting for the B&O H2 Magick.

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They arrived, I posted about it a couple days back. Still forming my opinions, based on comparison with others in the class.

billybob_jcv said:

I have always believed in being BRUTALLY honest in disclosing the condition of anything I have ever sold. I take lots of pictures, including pictures of every ding or dent. If something is wonky, I say it's wonky right in the ad. I look at it this way: if I am selling something, the LAST thing I want to do is deal with a hassle after the sale. After the item is gone, I NEVER want to see it again. My time is worth MUCH more to me than getting a few extra bucks for something. Granted, I'm not selling things as an investment, or that are worth over $100K. I'm usually selling things because I no longer want them - but I don't think I would feel differently either way.

My favorite ebay sale of all time was when I sold an old 8mm video camera that did not work. I put DOES NOT WORK in HUGE red letters in several places in the ad. I said flat out that I had no idea what was wrong with it, but it no longer powered on, and that if you buy it, you are keeping it, because I'm not taking it back - period.

I had no reserve on it, and I figured I would get about 10 bucks, primarily because I still had the case and the manual for it. If no one bought it, I was going to throw it in the trash.

It sold for $60. I was SHOCKED! I shipped it off and never heard a peep from the buyer. Best sale ever!

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That almost never happens in the collector car world, and it is due to pricing. The value differences between a pristine car and a high-quality regular driver are simply eye-popping, and that's driven by the market. CiP, that Lancia Delta Evo up there will bring 5-6x more than what mine cost, but frankly, I'd rather have the one I bought (which isn't a beater by any stretch), because I'd be scared to ruin a museum piece (and it's going to cost another 20-30Gs just to make it roadworthy). So it makes people become freakishly optimistic WRT what they own, even to the point of willful blindness.

Oh, and I could live in this guy's ebay store: http://stores.ebay.com/ricambiautomobilia?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

Halp! Halp!! Get me out of there!!! :eek:

hutnicks said:

  Damn. Too bad on the Vantage. For 170k he's put himself in a bracket he'll never compete in. If you kept his name and info he might be hammered down to reality within the year.

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What's sad is that if he sits on it another couple years, barring another recession or the bursting of the collector car bubble, he'll probably be able to get that price all day.