Keith’s Blog: My Hook is Always Baited

When we asked Somer Hooker to be the SCM Concours Ambassador, I envisioned his role as finding cars at events that deserved SCM recognition. I didn’t realize he would also start sending me links to cars for sale that he thinks might interest me.

For instance, this vintage 1965 BMW 2000 C.

While I’m not particularly interested in this car at the moment, this is no different than having a fishing guide who says, “I know you’re done for the day, but there’s just one more special spot I think you should cast your fly.” Would you turn him down?

I have always been drawn to these early covered-headlight cars.

I’ve owned a 2002 Tii, a 1600 and a 633, but never one of these transition cars. I will always recall passing on one at a Silver auction at $15k that sold later on eBay for twice that. The most attractive thing about this car is the New Jersey actual mileage title that shows just 26k km (16k miles).

This listing was my first introduction to ACC Auctions, and I found the site to be well-laid out and easy to navigate. It claims to have 22,545 vehicles available. An interesting feature is “The Reserve Meter,” which shows how close the current bid is to the reserve.

Of course, 16,000 miles of salted East Coast roads and improper storage could lead to unfortunate results. The photos also show a scruffy interior and there are some hints of possible rust in the written material. There is no way to tell without an on-site examination.

Luckily for me, this car is far from Oregon.

As I have now become the “cat lady” of vintage cars with automatic transmissions, I find my inbox has no shortage of them being sent my way.

Which has led me to think about how easy it is to find a classic car today compared to 10 or even five years ago.

When I was looking for a 1967 Alfa Duetto in 2013, it took me over a year to locate the one I bought. I blogged about wanting one, posted on social media and even mentioned it in my monthly column.

Over the course of a year, I was offered three or four, but none met my criteria.

In desperation, I asked the editor of our local Alfa club newsletter to include a “Duetto wanted” notice from me. I got a call right away from someone who lived 45 miles away with a car that had potential. I ended up buying it and still have it now.

Today, it seems like Duettos for sale come in fits and starts on Bring a Trailer. Some months there will be none for sale. Other months will have two a week. There are always a few on eBay, but buying a vintage car from that site has always seemed like, to quote former contributor Michael Duffey, “wandering in the dark using your wallet as a flashlight.”

However, just because there are more cars out there and they are easier to find doesn’t mean that the right car is more accessible.

It’s no secret that I have a hankering for a 911 Sportomatic. I have taken a run at three now, but I was stopped by what I thought was overambitious pricing on two and questionable condition on a third. I still think the early air-cooled 911 market is overheated, and if cars stay at their current values, I may be priced out of Sportos forever.

My plight as a hoarder of two-pedal vintage cars is likely to worsen. Given the increasing sophistication of search engines, and the increasing use of the internet as a place to list cars for sale, I wonder how long it will be before every morning I will be looking up at a list of Sportos being offered for sale on a global basis? With shipping costs to my door included.

The new face of old car collecting is no longer “finding a car,” it is ‘finding the right car.”

Thanks, Somer, for sending me the 1965 BWM 2000 C listing. While I am throwing this one back into the pond, my hook is still baited for the next one.