TMCP #552: Ask Rick – Is it Wise (or Possible) to Have Collector Cars as Your Retirement Investment?

It is September and football is back!!! It is also time for another riveting Ask Rick segment were I ask him the tough questions that not everyone wants to hear. As always Rick delivers sage advice and wisdom founded in years of buying and selling classic vehicles. When it comes to cars as investment, possibly a with a great ROI, Rick has strong opinions and advice here. Can it be done? Short answer; yes! Should it be done? Long answer……maybe.

As with all things, it depends what you understand and where you can make your gain on the purchase of the car initially. For Rick and his dad, their collection has immense value today of course, but every car in inventory was chosen for it’s specialness to the Schmidt’s not as a hedge on a great investment. They chose high quality low mile original cars and didn’t just stick to muscle cars. Their collection has many examples of unique rare American cars that have less than 1000 miles (think Rivieras, Eldorado’s, and Lincoln’s).. Some have interiors with the delivery plastic still in place! Others are beautifully restored treasures. Today, it’s paid off. Technically, it could payoff if they ever chose to sell….which they almost never do!

TMCP #542: Ask Rick – Mecum ’23 Indy Auction Recap, What Sold, What Did Not, and Why You Need To Check The Paperwork!

It is June and finally the start of summer is upon us (technically it’s June 21st…but who’s counting). The recent Mecum auction ended with some very interesting surprises and apparently some gossip and fallout after the bidding was all done. I Asked Rick what he thought about the prices and investment quality of the offerings this year as well as his take on some cars that I was considering until the prices went up!

TMCP #539: Ask Rick – Good (and Bad) NPD Sponsorships, The End of of the Challenger and Camaro, and Investment Cars!

May is here and car shows are starting up across the nation. Also Cinco de Mayo and Memorial day are around the corner and the official start of summer is near. I hope you have your car out or your project almost done to a point where you can drive it and enjoy the warmer weather. This time I decided to once again Ask Rick about six cars from two different categories.  The first set of cars are of “pedigree”and have either a track record or history that makes them special. The other category is $10k starter cars that are ready to go out and make some summer memories. Ricks take on these is always clear and to the point.

TMCP #503: Ask Rick – All Electric C8 Corvette’s vs Investing In Blue Chip Classic Muscle Cars!

Happy May! Rick Schmidt is back again for an all new Ask Rick segment, this time devoted to the future of new American performance cars …. specifically the Corvette and the Mustang.  Both of those iconic cars have a new “electric” version available along with an amazing gasoline variant….at least for now. American buying habits started changing long before the high gas prices and inflation surges we are experiencing now. As Rick pointed out, in the case of the Mustang (the “Mach-E” SUV, specifically) it’s only crime is bringing many new first-time customers to Ford! At the same time, it would appear that the gasoline powered Camaro’s, Challengers, and Chargers are all on borrowed time. What does the future hold?

TMCP Milestone #500 Celebration: Ask Rick – All About the Low Volume Vehicle Manufacturers Act!

Happy April Fools Day! Believe it or not, but we don’t have any fun pranks to pull for you this year….but it absolutely IS time for another insightful, thoughtful, and surprising edition of Ask Rick! This time took a deep dive on the topic a LOT of you want to know more about: the SEMA Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act. The law itself was passed in 2015, but it took over six years (and a second SEMA lawsuit) to get the NHTSA to finally give the ruling needed to make it a reality. It now us, and manufacturers can begin the process of producing up to 325 cars per year…..legally, at least.

TMCP #487: SEMA Show 2021 Special #3, Thanksgiving Edition! – Eli Dewitt, SEMA Young Guns 67 Lemans – Riley and Courtney Case, Ambition Strikes – Dave Fortuna, Classic Auto Reproductions, 78 Mustang II – Redcat RC Cars, You Next Garage Toy! – Vance Kershner, 73 Roadrunner “HellRunner” – John Wargo,The Custom Shop, 67 Nova CaSSaNova – Bart Bugsby, God, Guys, and Gears

TMCP #487: SEMA Show 2021 Special #3, Thanksgiving Edition! – Eli Dewitt, SEMA Young Guns 67 Lemans – Riley and Courtney Case, Ambition Strikes – Dave Fortuna, Classic Auto Reproductions, 78 Mustang II – Redcat RC Cars, You Next Garage Toy! – Vance Kershner, 73 Roadrunner “HellRunner” – John Wargo,The Custom Shop, 67 Nova CaSSaNova – Bart Bugsby, God, Guys, and Gears

TMCP #473: Steve Rupp – The Life and Ever-changing Times of a Magazine Writing Superstar

This week, marks the return of Steven Rupp! You may not remember hearing Steve on this show unless you go way back to one of our very first interviews in episode 37. Back then he was working for Camaro Performer magazine and loving it! He started at Motor Trend as the Technical Editor for Popular Hot Rodding before moving to the Camaro only publication where he wrote tech articles as he built fast cars. He went on to helm Super Chevy Magazine as well as other publications and is today one of the most highly read authors on the MotorTrend family of website magazine publications. I ran into Steven again and thought it would be great to get an update on what he has been up to, and most specifically to understand how magazine for him has changed since 2010. To put it short…..nearly everything has changed except the love for cars!