No Twitter, no Instagram and no Facebook. Minimum screen time. That’s the Goodwin way.
Obviously I can’t avoid looking at a laptop screen, because there’s no way I’m going to go back to using a typewriter; and I can’t not look at online classic car auctions on my phone, because I’m addicted. My day starts with a quick peek and ends with a look at what’s going under the hammer in the evening.
It started with Collecting Cars, but I’ve moved to The Market, because it doesn’t do personalised numberplates and Collecting Cars has too many Porsches and BMWs on it. The Market, I’ve found, has a more eclectic selection of cars.
It also has a premises at which you can view some of the cars, so if my enthusiasm turned from voyeuristic to actually wanting to make a bid, I could visit headquarters in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and kick some tyres.
The Market was founded five years ago and since last April has been owned by Bonhams. It lists its cars with a comprehensive suite of photographs taken by a professional snapper, plus a thorough description of the car written by a motoring journalist. In theory, whether the car is at the HQ or at its owner’s home, you will have a very good idea of what nick the object of your desire is in.
Apparently, 80% of winning bidders haven’t seen the car that they’ve bought. I’m not sure, after a lifetime of buying cars, that I could do that. But as an experiment, we’re at The Market’s showroom to have a look at what’s currently on offer and see if the written description and photo gallery really are accurate representations of the cars for sale.
There’s a 1984 Jaguar XJ6 I want to have a look at. It has done only 47,000 miles and looks very good in the photos; particularly under the bonnet, where there’s no sign of bodgery and the wiring looms look as they did when they left Browns Lane.
This XJ6 went under the hammer for £5302, and someone has got a very fine car for that money. But for me, that’s five grand that could have gone towards purchasing this exotic and supremely wonderful 1937 supercharged Cord. It has recently been sold, and some lucky person has picked up this rolling exhibition of art-deco glory for £60,000.
Join the debate
Add your comment
The ability to view items before purchasing is a fantastic idea, especially for classics. Almost often, in my experience, cars appear nicer in pictures than they actually do, and with older models, your nose and ears can even tell a story.
This is a great idea being able to see before you buy - especially with classics. In my experience cars nearly always look better in photographs than in reality and with older models your nose and ears can tell a story too. But it's always interesting to see what some are prepared to pay for rare older models. Makes you realise that perhaps some of todays new cars are not so overpriced after all!