#342 Bid Smart: Insider Tips for Buying and Selling Cars at Auction
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Concept
vinyl records
Vinyl records are old-fashioned music discs that people are buying again because they like having music you can hold and play on a record player, instead of just using phones or computers.
Concept
digital burnout
Digital burnout means feeling tired or overwhelmed from using phones, computers, and other digital stuff too much, so people want to do things that don't involve screens.
Concept
muscle cars
Muscle cars are big, fast American cars from the 1960s and 1970s that have strong engines and cool looks. Many people love them because they are fun to drive and have a special place in car history.
Concept
car auction
A car auction is like a big sale where people bid money to buy cars. The person who offers the most money gets to buy the car.
Brand
Peterson Museum
The Peterson Museum is a place in Los Angeles where you can see many cool cars and learn about their history.
Concept
hot rod
A hot rod is an old car that people change to make it faster and look cooler. It's a popular hobby for car fans.
Car
Gmc Sierras
The GMC Sierra EV is a pickup truck that runs on electricity instead of gas. It can do tough jobs like a regular truck but uses batteries to move.
Car
Nissan Not Nissan
The Nissan Note is a small car made by Nissan that is easy to drive in cities. It has enough space inside for people and things and uses fuel efficiently. Many people buy it because it is practical and reliable.
Concept
national vehicle safety recall week
Every year, there's a special week to remind people to check if their car has any safety problems that need fixing. If your car has a recall, the manufacturer will fix it for free to keep you safe.
Concept
car payment
If you buy a car with a loan, you usually pay a set amount every month called a car payment. This is money you pay back to the bank or dealer until the car is fully paid off.
Concept
auto sales statistics
Auto sales statistics show how many cars are sold in a country or area. They help people see if more or fewer cars are being bought over time.
Brand
Ford
Ford is a big car company from the US that makes many types of cars and trucks you might see on the road.
Brand
Subaru
Subaru is a car company from Japan that makes cars with special engines and all-wheel drive to help with driving in bad weather.
Brand
Mazda
Mazda is a Japanese car company that makes cars that are fun to drive and sometimes use special engines.
Brand
Hyundai
Hyundai is a car company from South Korea that sells cars with good warranties and prices.
Concept
new car incentives
New car incentives are deals or discounts that car companies or dealers give to help people buy new cars more easily or cheaply.
Concept
soft sales
Soft sales mean fewer cars are being sold than normal, which might make prices go down so more people buy cars.
Term
hoop-dee
"Hoop-dee" is a fun way to say an old or not-so-nice car. It's a car that might have some problems but still gets you where you need to go.
Part
struts and shocks
Struts and shocks are parts that help your car ride smoothly by absorbing bumps. Fixing or upgrading them can make your car feel like new when you drive it.
Part
control arms
Control arms are parts that help your car's wheels move up and down smoothly while keeping them steady. If they are worn out, your car might not drive straight or feel stable.
Concept
original paperwork
Original paperwork means the real papers that came with the car when it was new. They show what the car had from the factory and help prove it's the real deal, which can make the car worth more.
Part
air ride suspension
Air ride suspension is a special kind of car suspension that uses air bags to make the ride smoother and lets you change how high the car sits. But if parts break, it can be expensive to fix.
Term
aftermarket
Aftermarket parts are car parts made by other companies, not the one that made the car. They can be cheaper or better but might change how original the car is.
Concept
historical value
Historical value means how special and valuable a car is because of its story, like if a famous person owned it or if it's very rare. Keeping the car original helps keep this value.
Car
Porsche 911 GT2 RS
The Porsche 911 GT2 RS is a very fast and special version of the Porsche 911 sports car that many car lovers really want.
Concept
concourse
A concourse is a fancy car show where very special and old cars are shown to people and judged on how nice they are.
Car
Mercedes-Benz 220S
The Mercedes-Benz 220S is an old fancy car from the 1950s that many people like to keep and collect.
Car
Chevrolet Chevelle
The Chevrolet Chevelle is an old American car known for being fast and cool, and many people like to collect it.
Concept
future collector car market
Some cars become more valuable as time goes on because people really like them or they are special. The future collector car market is about which cars will be popular and worth more in the future.
Term
blue chip car
A blue chip car is a car that is very special and usually keeps its value or becomes worth more money as time goes on.
LIVE
We are hanging with you from the Renown East Valley Institute of Technology, always in
an absolutely incredible time right here in the desert.
Absolutely, Wrench Nation, it's an honor to spend it with you, mechanical maniac since
I don't know, 1927, Mr. Aiden is hanging in the studio.
How's it going?
It's good to hang with you, man.
Of course, Aiden is a Hall of Famer student, and now he's moving in grooving with Wrench
Nation.
If you're new to the show, WrenchNation.tv.
In fact, I got to take you people back.
We exposed some of the things happening in the trucking industry, and we actually interviewed
trucker Tim.
It's not his real name.
We had to protect his identity, but you can catch that.
He's a seasoned long hauler who's witnessed all kinds of stuff, shoddy repairs, loose
regulations, illegal labor that's going on.
So that show was done back in October.
I think you'll find it fascinating.
A big shout out to all of our podcast people.
If you want to binge, listen, and hang out with your favorite lemon cello, put your
pickies up, people.
That show, Episode 335, and of course WrenchNation.tv is where you can find it.
Also big shout out to the High Desert.
I see a maniacs out there hanging out in California.
We appreciate all your support of the show.
There's an interesting phenomenon, Aiden, that's happening.
I want to test you, because you're a younger generation.
How old are you these days?
21.
Oh, you're Sibuku young.
Man, I thought you were like 27 or something, you're seasoned.
But there's a real cultural shift, Aiden, that's happening right now.
And you listening may just be participating, or some of us, you know, Generation Billy
Idol X individuals may say, hey, yeah, I noticed this is a comeback.
And that is really how younger generations are reacting with physical media, i.e. vinyl
records.
Hey, are you buying?
I mean, do you have a little turn to buy?
I do have some, yes.
Right.
I do have some records.
I think that's cool, because I think there's some digital burnout.
And over the years on the show, I've been talking about that.
You people are droned in your phones, and we'd like to bring you into the garage and
get you under hood for some real action.
But you...
Now, I just wish that we'd have a little bit of some EV burnout.
Go back to the 60s and 70s muscle cars, please.
Ah, look at you.
You get all excited.
Well, you know, I may get a pronto team in studio, get our guy back from NHRA.
But I know you love that.
I took you down there.
Your whole body was shaking.
Oh, yeah.
I love that.
But really, it's not just the nostalgia that a lot of you are interested in.
Yes, you like the film cameras now.
Look at printed books, people.
This is amazing.
To see Barnes and Nobles coming back here locally, town and country, they've built a
big store.
Beautiful.
And I go in there and I buy books, but I see a lot of young people.
And I think that speaks to how Gen Z...
I think you guys are tired of being designed by algorithms that drive your emotion.
Do you guys know what I'm saying?
Algorithms that drive everything that you see.
They've trained on you.
I think you're tired of it.
I think you're tired of it.
It's an endless scroll.
You just sign it.
What do they say?
Doomscrolling.
Doomscrolling.
You're just sitting there in the restaurant, your first date with your boyfriend and you
over there.
Scrolling.
You're both scrolling.
I've seen you at the damn table.
You're both sitting there.
You're supposed to be looking at each other and smelling each other and all that stuff
you do on a date.
And you guys are just in that phone.
Some of you get it and you're tired of it.
You want to stand up and listen to your music.
You want to choose your album.
You want to drop the needle on the record player.
How many do you want to do that?
You want to listen intentionally.
Sure, you can get on a podcast or Spotify or iHeart and all these other and get your
digital stream.
But some of you want to get into the vinyl crackle.
Some little CD scratches.
You get little scratches on the CD.
This is coming back and a lot of it speaks to, you know, when we talk about the psychology
of it, you want to own your stuff.
You want to ritual dropping that needle on the record.
That has become a very common thing.
I mean, you see it everywhere.
Even gaming companies, for example, there's a gaming company out there not going to say
their names, but they're wanting to start renting their consoles again for the gamers
out there.
You know exactly who I'm talking about, but they want to rent to own their consoles when
they release them, trying to make it more accessible for gamers.
But in reality, they're just not going to own their consoles anymore at all.
Yeah.
They're renting them through a service and PlayStation or whoever it is can take them
back.
Yeah.
But I think the old look, man, I'm a Billy Idol kind of guy.
You know what I mean?
I'm Jen.
What do we call ourselves?
The Xers put your fingers up in the air and we live concerts, big arenas, 100,000 arena
Aerosmith, Def Leppard.
You name it.
We were there.
You like streaming, but you guys want your identity and vinyl.
I just pick on vinyl is identity and I'll tell you what else is identity.
I got a show topic for you and this is all going to lead into something that's happening
in Glendale, Cardinal Stadium.
We just talked about the shift of younger generations moving from this sort of digital
drone out.
They want to touch and feel.
They want an experience.
They want human beings, people.
You got me interested now, Frank.
How about I tell you, Meekum auctions is coming to town March 17th to the 21st.
All right.
Some of you say, wow, it's an auction.
It's a car auction.
Gotta love Meekum.
But I'm going to bring this story closer to you.
You're going to feel this.
You are absolutely, you're going to mark your calendar.
You want to touch and feel some wonderful history.
The Peterson Museum out of LA.
Some of you been out there.
In fact, I'll be out in LA this weekend.
I'm going to go out of my way and I'm going to the Peterson.
But the Peterson Museum at Meekum Glendale, March 17th to the 21st, they're bringing
together a whole hot rod roundup.
What does that mean?
You can watch the YouTube video of the 1930s hot rod customs.
You can watch YouTube videos.
Let me like it.
I'm telling you, don't fake out the classic fast and furious.
Well, the classic school classic.
That's right.
Meekum auctions is teamed up with the world famous Peterson and I have brought in.
I've really worked hard, man, for you people.
Some of you are going to go to the auction.
Some of you are registering as bidders.
You want to buy something.
I'm honored to have David Purvis.
He's Meekum's director of consignments.
He's going to come on and we're going to kind of peel back that onion.
How you can prepare as a buyer and a seller.
Now, if you're saying, Frank, I'm just going to go enjoy the cars.
We got something for you to bring your family.
Bring the kids, man.
Bring the kids.
These kids work hard in school.
Bring them because car people keep it happy.
Keep it happy.
Speaking of happy before we bring in David, we're going to take a break.
But I want you to keep us happy.
Mr. Aiden, let's hear your world famous automotive news segment.
All right.
Better be famous and it better be funny.
I'm in a mood.
So GMC has partnered with a golfing YouTube channel called Good Good Golf
for a unique event called the Great American Golf Adventure.
Six players drove custom GMC Sierra's EVs, I believe, each equipped with built-in
tee box inside the bed through rugged Western terrain and mountains.
And two teams competed across five extreme holes set around the challenging
landscapes they got going on there, combining off-road driving with competitive golf.
This video was shared by GMC as a preview while the full 42 minute version is
available on Good Good Golf's YouTube channel.
All right.
Good, good golf.
I'm not familiar with them, but I can't tell you.
Some people just can't relate to golf.
I get invited all the time.
And then when those that go, like our big shinding that we have right here in the
desert, it's one big drunk festival.
True.
Is golf trying to get unboring?
I think that's what GMC is kind of.
I mean, they did it for the uniqueness of it, but I could see them possibly
doing something like this for maybe some other sports.
Kind of presented by GMC.
I always like to get in the minds of these marketers, these Madison Avenue
big shots and figure out why not Nissan?
Why not Toyota?
GMC got in there.
They probably paid X amount of dollars and get a bunch of people to shoot some golf
right off the back of that truck.
Is that something you would entertain without a drink?
I think because we're not professional golf part of it, but I could see them doing like,
you know, maybe a basketball hoop edition or maybe like a football kind of like a small
little field goalpost there.
Maybe maybe and do something like that.
All right.
Well, that might get a little popular.
I don't know if it's ingenious.
I know that if you, you know, a sport like golf, there's going to be a lot of promotion
around that.
Oh, by the way, this week, get excited.
Some of you have birthdays.
You can tell your family this week with your birthday, March 2nd through the eighth is
national vehicle safety recall week.
If you got a car, you may have a recall.
So let me don't even check your mailbox.
Recalls are important.
So this week our federal government and the rest are reminding you that this is the week
to double check.
Does your car have a recall?
Now we talk about recalls often here on Wrench Nation and many times it's a quick
software update like your phone updates and sometimes it's drama.
You got a waiting line and there's parts and stuff.
So I always like to remind you, especially if you're looking to buy a used car,
don't get caught out there.
NHTSA.gov, go onto that site.
You can find it on our site.
If you, if you can't remember, I'll try to remember to put this in show notes for the
podcast.
It is extremely important.
Don't assume that the seller has done all that homework because yeah, it may not cost
you, but your car could be down.
And some of these recalls as a park do not drive kind of recall, which means you are
really down for the count.
Let's see.
January, February, you think auto sales were okay?
I want you to take, Aiden, you think we're selling cars compared to last year?
What's your mood, your vibe?
I know you're not connected directly, but what do you think?
You think we're selling a lot more cars than last year?
I think there's a chance for it, but I doubt they're going to be the cars you're thinking
of, the Tesla's, the Tesla's hit it.
Yeah, I doubt it's going to be the EV sales, but I think a lot of the other sales could
potentially be on the up right now.
Yeah.
I told you last year, and I do a lot of coverage there on channel three here locally on it to do
CBS and car care tips and things like that.
We'll do the whole use car prep vehicle inspection, which we should be looking for,
but I want you to hold on to your money right now.
Hold on to your money.
There's some uncertainty.
You got an old car, and you're like, oh, Frank, you tell me to hold on to my money because
you want to fix it.
Yeah, I'll be honest with you.
That's what I preach.
In the end, fixing is going to be cheaper than buying a whole new one, guys.
Well, it's also, I had to tell a gentleman this week, which was kind of sad, actually,
you know, we'll also tell you not to spend the money.
You know what I mean?
Sometimes it just doesn't, and the big misnomer is, oh, my car is not worth it.
Be careful.
What are your options?
Do you want to use car payment?
Do you want a new car payment?
So it's not always my car is not worth it, but you can spend money to bad by getting nailed
by five or six different systems on the car that just add up, and then maybe it's time to pull
the trigger.
You had a question.
Looking actually at an estimate of auto sales statistics.
From what I'm finding, the US auto sales are projected to dip 15.8 million units in 2026,
marking an annual decline since 2022 due to high vehicle prices and consumer demand.
Or lack of demand.
Right.
Right.
But that's consumer demand, meaning it's not quite there as opposed to.
Are you auditioning for ChatGPT?
That sounds like a ChatGPT, but you're right.
That wasn't a ChatGPT, though.
I promise you, that wasn't.
Yeah, the US auto market right now has proven a mixed bag for auto manufacturers, dealerships.
There's been a volume drop across the board where there's Ford, Subaru, Mazda.
Hyundai.
Hyundai, although Hyundai I'm excited about.
I think Hyundai's got some really cool incentives.
My point is this, first quarter, lay low.
Save your money.
Let's see what gives in the spring going into the summer.
This may sound brutal, but let's continue the pain with soft sales for what?
For maybe a reduction in prices, unlike our housing market.
The housing market is just bloodbath for anybody in that business right now.
Well, interest rates are high, home prices.
I'm trying to get my oldest daughter so told to save your money.
Right now it's just not the play for the market.
But yeah, you guys hold on to your paycheck.
Save that money.
Put it in the bank.
Put it in the bank.
Save it.
Stop playing Bitcoin.
I see you.
Some of you are going to get into trouble.
You try to gain Bitcoin, but yeah, I think we're going to see some sales incentives.
I got to ask you, is someone who went through the 2008 recession drop?
You were the baby, man.
I was.
That's why I'm saying for someone that was there for it.
No, don't even go there.
Come on, dude.
You're like for someone that was there for it.
I didn't mean it as an insult, Frank.
I'm just saying.
My media.
You were there.
No, I pictured you in a diaper, man.
Stop it.
You were a zygote.
You weren't even born in 2008.
But tell me, are you?
Hang on.
Hang on.
As a six month old.
Okay.
Was the bottle not was the bottle not warm enough?
So what are you saying about always?
So, I mean, are you waiting for even your daughter?
Is she waiting for another sudden drop like this again?
Or do you think there's a way out?
No, I'm a lowly mechanic, but I am not an economist, but I do pay attention.
I don't think you're going to have that type of correction.
You know, interest rates have to drop.
You got to pay attention to the 10 year bond, things like that.
But you know, I've always said, look, stop complaining about what you got.
Some of you complain, I need a house or I need a new car.
Stop it.
Enjoy your hoop-dee.
Get some nice fuzzy duct tape.
Well, duct tape.
No, man, I was trying to make it positive.
I was going to say a bit some fuzzy dice.
Put it in that rear view mirror, get some air freshener,
mechanically make sure it's good and enjoy what you got.
I'll tell you what, the fastest way for a car, before we take a break,
you want to know what that is?
About a $2,000 investment of struts and shocks.
Add another thousand for tires that's three grand on the average, whatever.
And you've now restored the ride of your hoop-dee.
It's going to drive like new.
Assuming you don't have control arms and all this other stuff.
But you know, spend a little money, save a lot of money.
Stop crying.
If you look, if the job is 30 hours a week, 40 hours a week, it's not enough.
Double it up.
Double it up.
100 hour weeks.
Do like Generation X did.
We just did.
We didn't complain.
We just moved forward.
Kept your nose down, grind.
Yeah.
I got David Purvis, Meekam's director of consignments.
If you want to learn how to buy and sell cars confidently at the auction, the big daddy
auction, I'm not talking about the little gypsy auction on the side of the road,
nothing against my gypsy friends, but we're talking about the Meekam auctions.
Or for that matter, any auction, how do you prepare a car for sale?
How do you prepare your wallet as a buyer?
David Purvis, who's director of consignments for Meekam auctions,
is going to join us next on Wrench Nation.
Pronto National Association supports the automotive industry through programs focused
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Right on, welcome back. WrenchNation.tv.
My podcast people, I love you.
Thank you so much for your show ideas. You can get in the comments.
If you miss bits and pieces of the Radio Live show here in the
event, or even out there in Radio Land in California where the weekend shows,
you can get onto the podcast. We appreciate your support.
Now, if you love some horsepower, chrome, and all that goodness under hood,
you need to mark your calendar. You're early. Don't tell me you're busy.
The Meekum auctions is rolling back in to Glendale, Cardinal Stadium, March 17th to the 21st,
from rare classics to modern performance machines.
It's one of the largest collector car auctions in the country,
and it's happening right here in the Phoenix Valley of the Sun.
Whether you're bidding, buying, or just want to soak in some amazing sights and sounds,
Meekum is a car lover's paradise. You can join us out there at the Meekum auction in Glendale.
For more details, visit Meekum.com. And I said, you know, why not get the talented
lead consigner, director of consignments, David Purvis. David, are you holding?
Yeah, I'm here, guys. I'm so happy, happy to have you on. How you been?
Man, I'm doing great. We're just gearing up for another great show out in Arizona.
Yeah, no doubt. This is a big show for the Meekum tribe. Yeah.
Dude, this is one of our fastest growing auctions that we've got. We're expecting about
1,800 cars this year. Got a really impressive lineup for you guys.
This is phenomenal. You know, we kind of talked on the first segment about how this
relationship with youngsters, we can see a shift where there's more interest into vinyl,
is more interest in how they control their destiny from an experience.
We tied that into the Peterson Museum. Tell us about that collection that's going to
be out at Meekum in Glendale. Well, you know, those guys are, you know,
got the best museum in the world when it comes to classic cars. They're selling five really
amazing high-end builds, all hot rods from the 30s. Builders like Chip Foos, Boyd Connington,
some of the best in the business that built these cars, and they're all for sale.
It's incredible to see that collection. You know, studying for the show just prior to the show,
I saw that, and I was like, wow, this is really cool to be able to see this kind of collection
go out. You go back with Meekum. What made you get into the whole
lifestyle, I have to say, right? Because it's not just a job for you, David. This is a lifestyle.
How did you evolve and how did you start with Meekum auctions? Take us back.
Well, I kind of got into business through my dad. He's a collector car dealer, bought and sold,
you know, thousands of cars over the years, everything from, you know, 1932 Fords to 70
Chevelles to Ferraris. You know, we just kind of, you know, had a love for all different kinds
of cars. And ultimately, we bought a lot from the auctions, and that kind of led me to Meekum
when I was ready to start my own career. So I've been with them now for 15 years,
and I love every minute of it. Yeah, it's one of those things. I've had people
tell me over the years like, and I can't even answer it because it just happens like organically.
I don't even know if doctors, lawyers have the same thing. But as car people, man, we just get
up in the morning, you're ready to go. You still have that in your gut. It's still in your,
in your bloodstream to make it happen. I bet. Yeah, no, it's an incurable disease.
That's what I was waiting for you to say. It's like, it's man with machine and we become one,
you know, that rumble is a big block and we're shifting the gears and like there's just nothing
better, man. Yeah, well, give me an idea of folks listening. They're interested in going to Meekum.
We're going to dive deep on this. What is a director of consignments? What's your biggest
affair there with Meekum and as far as what you're responsible for? Talk to us about that role.
You know, I'm responsible for basically the inventory in the auction, the cars, you know,
when people want to sell their car, they call us up, we get some information from them, try to,
you know, get all the details about the car, decide if it's a good fit for the auction and
I kind of oversee all that. So a lot of the cars that we have, you know, for sale,
you know, I've gotten the privilege to work with the sellers. Yeah, this is awesome.
Since we're talking about a seller, because a lot of, I just talked to a gentleman today,
67 E type. I do work on a lot of the older E types and he's trying to get
more money and I don't get it. I'm neutral. I've got people I can turn them on to that can
sort of evaluate the price, but in his mind, because of heritage and legacy and his personal
story with that car, he's trying to get double what I think it's worth. You often find that
as sellers, we're just not in reality. And then if you do, I mean, how's that conversation go?
Or not? You know, you always get that and, you know, we're in the business of selling cars,
we're not in the business of showing cars. So we've got to have that conversation.
That's part of, you know, what we do, how we preview the cars and we ask, you know,
what would you like for this car? What are you going to sell it for?
And if they don't have a realistic expectation, you know, we've got to bring them down to earth,
so to speak. And sometimes that means they're not going to consign their car. But at the end
of the day, you know, we've got to maintain, we've got a pretty good sales percentage every
auction and we want people to be bidding on cars that are for sale. So yeah, I would tell your friend,
you know, we need to get lower the expectations a little bit, you know, if you're wanting too
much money. Yeah, because I think the argument then becomes, and you'd have a drove of people,
drove of sellers that would say, Oh, don't go to me, come they can't sell my car when there's such a,
this is wide baseline, we've got a kind of narrow window. Otherwise, we just don't an economy doesn't
happen. Right. And part of me, you know, part of what we do is we allow you to have a reserve. So
you can have a protected price. You don't have to sell your car for $5,000. If that's all it brings,
you know, but we want that reserve to be, you know, within what the market should be,
based on the options, based on the condition. And so, you know, for the most part, people are
pretty real reasonable. It's not the first time they've heard someone, you know, tell them they
want too much for their car. But it's a conversation that has to be had. And that's
just part of it. Yeah, no doubt. All right, I'm selling. Let's say I'm the gentleman with the
C 6070 type. What should I be doing before consigning? What kind of like the top things
you've already had discussion with me about, you know, it's not going to bring, you know,
the market's right here for price. And I've said, okay, let's, here's my reserve. Let's just say
on this car, it's $60,000. What else do I need to do to maximize the sell of that vehicle? Assuming
mechanically, everything is good. What else can I do? Right, definitely. Number one is the, you
know, appearance. The car needs to be clean. You know, we've got this is an auction, but it's also
a place where people gather. It's competitive. People have been against each other to own the car.
It's got to look good or people aren't going to be interested, you know, so
David, do you ever you ever say, holy cow, that car doesn't look good. It should bring more money.
Do you get people that just don't really? I mean, I almost think that hardly ever happens. People
want to like dress up the car for an auction. Do they not? Yeah. My dad made his living on that.
Pick out, you like to pick out the weak ones, you know, you're like, Hey, I can make that car
better. Like this is a great car. It's just been, you know, neglected or they shows up dirty.
Nobody's around it. And you kind of look at that and you're like, Oh, there's, there's potential
here. Yeah, absolutely. It happens every at every auction. Yeah. So we talked about detail. Most
people get it. They want to pop the car. They want to make it beautiful. What about my paperwork?
What could be missing from my paperwork that's really going to hurt me?
Well, the more it depends on the model, but like a Chevrolet General Motors in the 70s, 60s,
and you want to have that original paperwork and you want to show it off because not many people
have it. But definitely anything that's gone, going to verify the options, the way the car came
from originally, that's usually something that's going to really help you when you sell your car.
Paperworks squared away. I want to tell you a story. I want to share this with you. I won't,
I won't mention the musician. He's a, he's a very famous musician. We worked on a few of his cars
and his people were doing suspension. I had the air ride suspension and it was collapsing on one
corner. And you don't need to pair of air struts up front on the vehicle. We do a lot of them.
They're common. I call his people up. This is the cost. By the way, this was a one of 25
made vehicle for this particular musician. One of 25. I'm cautious. I don't want to
reveal too much, but their people came back and said to me, can we get it after market or eBay?
Oh, so I listen, I, you know, I always tell our audience, I'm really like our bedside manner.
And most that get it is impeccable. Like we're, we're going to guide you. It's ultimately your
car. But I had to get into the discussion of, well, let me, he didn't like this, by the way,
David. I said, what if you leave the camp of this musician and this vehicle goes to auction?
And we now lost, I think the word is providence, right? The historical value because we know that
celebrities bring in a little extra oomph. And here's this one suspension component
barely used. Not factory on a very high line vehicle. That's a problem. That's not common sense.
I think we're losing value. So I was able to long story short, David. I was able to convince him.
Do you find, and I know you're neutral to all this, but do you ever hear some war stories about
folks that had sold their car and said, man, I wish I'd put a coyote motor in it and I would
got more? Is that often like, is that a sentiment sometimes? In other words, there's a seller's
remorse in that respect, if I can ask. Oh yeah. No, there's definitely people that wish they
would have did things differently. And absolutely. When you're talking about aftermarket parts and,
you know, going cheap versus doing it right and putting the correct stuff on it, that will affect
the value. People pick that out right away. So it's something to your best of your ability and
your budget. You've got to try and keep them correct. You've got to try and do them right for
the next guy. What kind of vehicles tend to really perform well? I mean, I'm picking on our
market. You guys are coming to town here in March 17th or the 21st. Are there specific vehicles
to the Southwest or Arizona that seem to do really well on that auction block?
You know, I would say that in your market, in the Southern California market, you've got an
incredible hot rod culture, custom car culture that you really don't see in other parts of the
country. So those are going to be strong. That's part of the reason why we're bringing these
Peterson cars to that market. You've got like 60s, late 50s, Chevrolet and Palos,
European sports cars like Porsche, GT2 RSs, Ford GTs. It's a real good market for cars like that.
We love it out there because it's a lot of car culture. They've either grown up there
or maybe they've moved there from different parts of the country, but you can enjoy your old cars for
a lot longer throughout the year than you can in like where I'm at in Wisconsin.
So it's just a great place to be. It is such a fabulous market. Picking up on that theme,
we just had our concourse in the Hills Phoenix Children's Hospital. This is like the 7th or
we had Peter von Leon. We're talking about a $70 million Ferrari that was on hand,
and you name it. But I did have to step back, David, and like, because you kind of,
I'll never get numb to it. I mean, I got a ton of classics in the garage from the 56 Benz 220S to,
you know, the Chevelle and a bunch of others. But my point here in the desert in the Southwest,
I had to step back and really like, because traditionally we think, oh, Southern California is
the king, but man, we're Clement. We're given some competition because it is off the rails. And
you're right. We get a lot of folks that that'll visit change, change career or ask to move career
or retire for sure from all over the world. And I remind you, some of you are here listening to
the show. You're visiting, you're hanging till we get to triple digits, which ain't too bad.
I'll take triple digits over the Florida heat, although I missed the ocean and fishing, that's
for sure. But some of you are hanging through, like, let's say May. Get out there March 17th
to the 21st. It's not too late. David, it's not too late to register your vehicle. Is that correct?
Absolutely. Yeah, we're still consigning cars adding to the docket. So you're happy to give us
a call at our main line and we'll get you taken care of. What are you seeing in general for trends?
And I'll just kind of nudge, nudge what I'm seeing in the garage. And I don't know if this is just
micro that represents the whole macro of the market. But all of my British, my Triamps, the TR7s,
I can't put Jaguar in there, although I'm seeing that unless it's like a concourse level build,
which we've had in the garage. What is like, what is the trend in terms of what's not getting the
money it used to? If we can talk a little bit about that. You know, from what I'm seeing in the
market, especially the last three or four months, it's been very strong for blue chip type cars.
And it doesn't really matter what it is. It could be a Jaguar, could be a LS6 Chevelle,
could be a Heritage GT with no miles. But those cars are bringing as much as they've ever brought
and there's as much activity as there's ever been. Cars, just you're running the mill drivers.
They're not soft, but they're not taken off like those kind of investment level cars. So
it tells me right now the people that are spending the money know what they're looking at.
They're well educated and they're buying from an investment type. Yeah, a lot of folks heard
blue chip and they just didn't associate with that. Talk to us about that. Those are strong
collector demand vehicles as in blue chip, as in stock market, as in these are safe cars that
increase in volume, right? I would say so. Over the over the long haul of blue chip car
is going to appreciate. So that being said, people are paying a lot of money now, but 10 years from
now, it's probably going to be looked at as a good decision. But right now in the market,
that mid level car is it's an opportunity if you want to get into the hobby and get into the
you know, old car game, it's not a bad time to start to start. Yeah, my daughter, she's a little
gearhead. My oldest, not so much. She's school teacher. I love my old I love my kids, but
my youngest who's 17, she'll come in the garage and work on her stuff and do breaks. She's really
my little engineer gearhead. We went to an auction recently. And she's like dad,
there's no future collector because obviously, right? She's into the Supras and talk to us
about that future collector car market that is popping. And I believe you guys will have some
of those out in inventory out there. Yeah, no, we've got some, you know, we've got some of the
pretty, pretty good piece blue chip type car on 5,000 original miles. I mean, that that is just
going to take off in the next 10 to 15 years as that generation kind of comes into their own
gets to that point in their life where they can have a have a fun toy. You know, that's
definitely something down the road that's going to be a good investment. So I think this is the
gentleman I took my daughter out to that concourse in the hills. David was really cool. And of course,
she was gravitated to the whole Asian row, which they had a lot of, which is really cool because
that speaks to the youngsters. Not that they don't want to see muscle cars, but we as a,
as a community, we need to like, we need to be there for them and what they're interested for.
I think the car, I'm trying to look at a picture on my phone. We met a gentleman from Canada,
sweetheart of a guy. He had a few of these. And we started talking and, you know,
next thing led to another and we got along really well and just kept going. He said,
he's bringing these cars to meet them. And my daughter, my daughter's eyes lit up. And I said,
honey, I got to get you to college right now. Hang tight. But I think his, his, his little,
his little super, his pretty cool Supra is an orange one. I'm trying to find this picture,
but I'm sorry. I don't have a name or any, any sort of providence on the, on the vehicle.
Bottom line is my daughter got excited. David seen a lot of, seen a lot of excitement with the
youngsters out there. Have you seen that in the last five years, younger people coming out?
Yeah, we're definitely seeing that younger generation get interested whether or not they're
actually participating and buying it. They're at the shows. They're, you know, learning all
they can about them. So yeah, it's a great thing to see. And I mean, you got to nurture that man,
like you just need to bring her down to the auction, open up the checkbook, you know, get her
that thing that she's, that she's got her eye on. Well, I think he's playing a little bit of car
salesman on. No, no, no, no, no. Listen, listen, no, I couldn't do that. No, no, no. David, my
wife's listening. All right. That's that. I got it. I can't tap into the offshore account.
But no, I may, I usually come out and it's an honor to work with you and the team there
associated absolutely. And we need to talk about this tech force foundation.
I've talked to your people. We may do some collaboration there at this upcoming event.
Usually go out as media, but I think I think I may get a bitter, bitter pass.
Hey, I'm going to hook you up. I'm going to look for you. Josephine's listening and you're going
to be met with a lot of toe tapping. Yeah, listen, this is David. David, here's the cell to the
wife. And if you're listening, follow this because this just may work well. Honey, the market's
correcting. We need to shift our sector of investments. We need a hoopty. I'm waiting for
your phone to blow up right now. Josephine's like, you better not. But in all seriousness,
I gave you, I gave you Natalie as my daughter and she'll be out there too. Her flavor is all
things super. She loves them. She drives a little GR 86 and we didn't go out and get her a super yet.
She's got a graduate high school, but dad's car and I've seen him at me come. Oh, that 1949
chop, Merck, baby with flames. There we go. There we go. David, what's your, what's your flavor,
man? What, what kind of cars do you like? You're in the business and our bread and butter here at
me come is muscle cars. Yeah. I gotta say that's what's running through my veins.
Yeah. 67 in pollen. Seventy seventy old W 30, you know, Camaro 69, Camaro. That's what we're
talking about. This is awesome. And we also got to cover, you know, we've got a lot of families
that'll be out there and we've seen that grow year after year. I remember when you guys were
first year in Meekam and I've watched the growth. It's incredible. The Meekam family is genuine,
sincere, runs a tight ship, well organized and you can feel that experience. You don't feel nervous.
You can relax. And yes, you as somebody that's collecting vehicles. Heck, yeah,
you want to get in there and add to your serious collection. All of that's put together. It takes
a lot of work to do that. I know as the largest auction house in the country, we think of cars,
but you guys also do an amazing job with memorabilia. Talk about the memorabilia.
Oh, yeah. No, we call it road art because that's what it is. It's artwork. You know, it's
signs and porcelain signs and gas pumps and just vintage things that, you know, people want to
decorate their garages with. You know, you got the cool car, but you also got to have,
you know, the atmosphere. So that's what we do that to. We're happy to offer. We're going to have
probably 300 really cool items there for sale in Glendale. But it's just part of it, man. It's just
part of the part of the atmosphere and the collector car ownership. I got to ask you,
the Meekham family, very tight family treats everybody with love and respect. No man, no woman
down. These shows are very difficult. Give us an idea when you're coming to town like Phoenix,
the Valley out in Glendale. We're a big city. What's it take to put an auction? How many
trucks? How many people give us some scope there? Well, we bring about 200 people into town for that
event that are our onsite staff. And the thing about Meekham is whether you come to Glendale,
whether you come to Kissimmee, to Indy, it's the same people. We have the same crew. We're,
we just love what we do. We're there for you. We're all car people. We're happy to help.
And that's one thing that we're most proud of is the most biggest compliment we get is not really
the cars, but it's the level of service that we provide. Yeah, family run, family friendly,
and a warm family welcome is the vibe you'll get. Meekham.com is the website for more details.
Whether you want to just come hang and enjoy, bring all the kiddos and the family,
whether you're a serious collector and you want to entertain your next
addition, put your pinkies up, they've got them, or hey, you know, you've waited 20 years. Maybe
you're getting ready to retire and you are looking for that hot rod. You're, you're going to be
treated like gold, like family. And the business has done impeccably. And then it's, it's got to be
said impeccably, not perfect impeccably, because the last thing you want to do,
and David, as we sort of exit out here in the next few minutes, when we talk about some of the
horror stories, and we're not talking emotion, because people sometimes get emotional and they
blame everything, but we're talking about some of the steps from a auction house that was missed.
Give us one or two things that are really extra attention to detail that the Meekham family
provides at every single auction, protecting both the buyer and seller. Let's open that up.
Man, I got to tell you, like you said, nobody's perfect. But, you know, emotions are high at
times. I've sat there and cried my eyes out on the auction block with some sellers, you know,
just knowing their story and knowing the situation. So it's, it's something we aren't
perfect, but we'll do every, everything we can to make a good experience. And if we do mess up,
you know, we're doing everything we can to make it right. Yeah, no doubt. And I do want to take a
moment. John Kramer, JK, I've worked with JK, who was your lead TV commentator who had passed away.
We want to acknowledge and recognize him. God bless the gentleman that passed away,
John Kramer, JK. What a spirit. I got to share a story, David. I think our audience would admire it.
We've had a lot of guests in studio. JK would come in. He had all his literature. And I'm like,
JK, this is a little old one hour show, man. We're not doing a five hour pack. But he was,
he was such a diehard and such a close family member with the Mekam tribe. And I,
I just want to recognize and he's looking down at the Mekam family and we miss him dearly. And
I'm getting a little shaken up because he, he, he was a bit of a mentor to me, to be honest with
it. Absolutely, man. On the greatest car mind, I think that I've ever lived. And just a mentor to
me meant a lot. Helped me in my early days. He was, you know, he was in this role that I'm in
now. And so I've kind of stepped into his shoes, you know, over the last few years. But man, talk
about a great guy and talk about a guy that had love for cars and love for Mekam. Yeah, he was
like that old school journalist, man. He was, he had all his rags and books. And, and, and I just
really enjoyed my time spent with him as much, I know, over 200 plus family over at Mekam. So
I'll be looking for you at the auction. I'm going to probably dive in. I'll get with Mr. David Morton
and I'll probably dive in beginning the week. Talk to us about that. Give us the actual days
during the week. I don't have the calendar up. So we start the auction starts on the Tuesday,
the 17th runs through Saturday, the 21st. We're open gates open at 8am.
Auction goes till about 637 p.m. So there's plenty of plenty of time for you guys to get
out there no matter what fits in your schedule and and come check us out. If you love horsepower,
just want a nice day in the desert at that big shiny jewel, the Cardinal Stadium State Farm
Stadium, March 17th, the 21st. Ranch Nation will be out there. In fact, I think I'm going to get
us some shirts and stuff, little giveaway stuff out there conservatively. So honor to have you
on David. It's really good chat and I can't wait to meet up with you. Pleasure to meet you guys.
Can't wait to see you there. Thanks for your time. Yeah, this is what it's about. Like, you know,
you would think that there's some homework to do, you know, he covered some of the basics, but I
want to speak on we've got, I would say we got about two minutes, but I do want to speak on the
fact that many of you have that project car in the garage and we, you know, we've seen you call us
or coming into our garage and there's a sense of fatigue. You've had the car for 10 years.
Life happens and things are shortcutted because there may be the pressure to get it done
fast. I'm being real with you. Your wife is tired of looking at it. Right.
I have so many stories that I can share with you, but I'll have one to share with you
real quick about a vehicle. There was a family vehicle. Grandpa died and this gentleman came
into the garage and said, Hey, I need this somewhat restored. Now we don't do the body work or any
of the trim. We're mechanical, all mechanical, which we could do, but he gave me a timeline of three
months. And realistically, it would have been an easy three to six months finding parts, sourcing
parts. What I say to you is that if you go to your working professional mechanic technician,
the first conversation is the timeline. Sure, you want to know cost. Everyone wants to respect
price. There's a difference in quality, but if there's a conversation that you need to have,
and I will be honest with you, it's something I improve upon every day of my career. Cause the
worst thing I can do is extend and delays that conversation needs to take place because if I
miss an October 15th date that you need it for a family reunion, that's a bad day for everybody.
And if you said to me, what keeps me up at night is my completion times and they're not exact
science. So we were careful. So make sure you take it in. You've got a good mechanic. Have that
discussion. They're working hard to keep that timeline and investigate. If you're not sure,
you can reach out to me, Frank at desert car care.com. If you don't have somebody and you're
not in upper area, Cave Creek, Desert Car Care, Cave Creek care, Free Cave Creek. I have people
all over the country actually, very rich with my network here in the Southwest. I want to make
sure you're taken care of. So Aiden, thanks for coming. Please don't tell me 2008 again. I gave
me a visual man. I thought you're in diapers. It's like this boy wasn't around. But I love you,
man. I appreciate you coming. Hang in every week with love it. Yeah. And I tell you every week,
man, be safe, hug each other and never forget to hug a mechanic.
Girl, I love you, man.
Oh, we need this good sense to rule our brains. Only one thing sets us free. Always our faith told
me about you.
About this episode
Dive into the world of car auctions with insights from David Purvis, director of consignments at Meekum Auctions, as he shares expert tips on buying and selling collector cars. The episode highlights the upcoming Meekum auction in Glendale, featuring rare hot rods from the Peterson Museum, and discusses market trends, the importance of realistic pricing, and prepping vehicles for sale. The hosts also touch on generational shifts in car culture, the rise of younger enthusiasts, and the value of maintaining originality. Plus, practical advice on recalls, vehicle maintenance, and the emotional side of car ownership.
Original notes
Mecum Auctions Coming to Glendale: Inside the Collector Car Market with David Purvis
We recently welcomed special guest David Purvis to the show to talk about the excitement surrounding the upcoming Mecum Glendale 2026 event coming to Glendale.
David’s passion for collector cars began early, attending classic car auctions with his father—who was a regular participant at Mecum Auctions dating back to its second-ever sale. That lifelong connection to the hobby eventually led David to join Mecum in 2010, where he began working at the fast-paced “Bid Goes On®” desk, gaining firsthand experience in the energy and excitement of live collector car auctions.
In 2011, David moved into a full-time role as a consignment agent, quickly becoming a trusted advisor for collectors looking to buy or sell vehicles at auction. His dedication and leadership earned him a promotion to Director of Consignment in 2023.
Today, David oversees Mecum’s team of consignment agents within the classic and collector car division, working alongside Frank Mecum. Over the years, he has built strong relationships with collectors by focusing on trust, transparency, and delivering successful auction results.
Beyond vehicles, David has also helped bring several significant Road Art® collections to auction, assisting consignors in showcasing and selling rare automotive memorabilia.
During our conversation, David also shared insights into what collectors and enthusiasts can expect at the upcoming Glendale auction—from standout consignments to tips for buyers and sellers looking to participate in one of the most exciting collector car events in the Southwest.
Wrench Nation
Frank Leutz
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