Don’t Ruin the Value of Your Cool Car (With Pictures!)
Over the last several years, I have dealt with thousands of sellers, thousands of buyers, created thousands of print and digital ads, created more than 20 auction catalogs and placed tens of thousands of ads on online marketplaces. Though all this, I frequently hear the same series of complaints: “My car is amazing, documented, and should bring all the money. Why didn’t it sell/why isn’t my phone ringing?” Nine times out of ten, I go back look at the ad and the reason becomes instantly clear: The pictures are HORRIBLE. For me personally, my biggest pet peeve when browsing online or through a publication equates to low resolution pictures, shot from an ill-conceived angle of the car sitting in gross, brown snow. Just don't do it. Sure, photos serve an informative purpose in classified ads, auction catalogs and on online forums, but what the best, most successful auction houses and retailers know, is that they
Motorwerks CEO Darin Roberge on Cars Yeah Podcast
The CarsYeah Podcast is a 5 day a week show hosted by, Mark Greene. Mark is an incurable automotive enthusiast interviewing successful automotive entrepreneurs who live a lifestyle around their passion for automobiles. His guests include: Artists, celebrities, journalists, authors, concours directors, racers, designer, builders, and more. Mark takes you on their journey, gets under the hood, and provides some inspiration. This week, Mark spoke with Motorwerks CEO Darin Roberge about career and life challenges, industry insights and advice and of course
Best Cheap Classics to Buy and Enjoy Today
Fantasies are interesting things. On paper they seem like the ultimate height of desire, full of whimsy and prestige. As such, we as car guys and gals seem like we all spend a lot of time staring off into space as we mentally reach for the stars and think about how great that dream could be. I’ve spent a more than reasonable amount of time over the last few years living a lot of peoples automotive wet dreams and if there’s anything I’ve learned from this seemingly fabulous existence, it’s that high end cars are nothing short of a COMPLETE pain in the ass. Don’t get me wrong. More times than not, the juice is worth the squeeze, but as a result I have garnered a rather extreme appreciation for cheap cars. They are dopey and fun and present much the same degree of excitement, personality and in many cases, offer a much more rewarding
Darin P. Roberge Named Motorwerks Marketing CEO
Motorwerks Marketing, the specialty automotive marketing, design and public relations agency, is pleased to announce Darin P. Roberge as President and CEO. Darin brings nearly 20 years of experience in the marketing and media management of automotive and live music events and has been named a Business Trendsetter by Arizona Foothills Magazine, is a two-time nominee to Phoenix Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list and is one of Sports Car Market and American Car Collector Magazine's 40 Under 40 for 2017.
Top Trends at SEMA 2017
SEMA cars are polarizing beasts. By some, they are viewed as the ultimate statements of innovation and creativity. On the other hand, they are regarded as garish and semi offensive. The reality is, that SEMA cars are purpose built proclamations of ability. Exhibitors are limited by the constraints of a 10x10 or 20x20 piece of real estate and these cars have to be able to demonstrate everything that they are capable of therein. If you are a builder or manufacturer offering multiple products or services, you need to bring forth something that showcases all of this, to the highest degree in as many areas as possible, all within that allotted space. Of course, eye candy/attention getter elements additionally exist, but the standard is set and “keeping up with the Jones’s” comes into play for everyone else with a more limited purpose for appearing (think oil companies for example). Either way, these cars do have the
Ten Superstar Collector Cars to Buy RIGHT NOW
It seems to be that time of year again. With the flamboyant prestige of Monterey firmly in the rear-view mirror and Scottsdale still a few months away, aside from the random regional auction and a handful of “swap meets”, the talking heads in the industry have nothing to do and subsequently start getting bored. This means returning to the traditional wells looking for content. That seemingly always includes the obligatory “next big thing“ list. Normally, these are pretty good and generally I agree with most of them, but this year they seem to be falling into one of two categories: way ahead, or way behind. Now, I’m certainly not one to say that a 2016 Cadillac won’t be collectible someday, or that it may not already be painfully obvious to everyone on earth that things like Ford GT’s already are (OK, I’m totally being sarcastic about that second one. If you don’t know that Ford
Top Tips for Success When Selling at Auction
As we all know, auto auctions have become an extremely popular method of selling collector and specialty cars in the current marketplace. With their unmatched excitement, celebrity appeal, unique cars on offer and record breaking results, their popularity has broken into the mainstream public’s eye. Though auctions may seem like the new hot trend in collector automobiles, the truth is that hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of the most in demand metal trade hands at auctions every year, and they have thus become the preferred standard of buying and selling for savvy enthusiasts.
Monterey Car Week 2017 Analysis
Unless you currently reside under a rock at the bottom of a swamp someplace, there’s no doubt that you understand the critical nature of Monterey Car Week. Although, due to its strictly market focused nature, its location on the calendar and the legitimacy of the players involved (I’m not naming names here – or should I say, I’m not naming the name of who I’m leaving out of the “legitimacy” delegation), I’d still pretty firmly consider Scottsdale to be the most important series of stops on the annual collector car marketplace road map. However, Monterey, with its bevy of top tier events, Concours and ultra-premium offerings, remains unmatched in its preponderance from a “lifestyle” standpoint and serves as the primary barometer as to the ultimate heath of the market, for the calendar year.