Jeff Yost’s 1976 Chevrolet Corvette, purchased through Hemmings Motor News. Photos by Jeff Yost.
These days, there seems to be an endless array of outlets in which to sell a collector car. From free classified sites to online auctions to specialist boards and websites, there is no shortage of options for both sellers and buyers. Why, then, after 61 years in the business, is Hemmings Motor News still considered “The Bible of the Collector Car Hobby?” Consider the tale of satisfied customer Jeff Yost.
Jeff turned to the Hemmings Motor News smartphone app when he began the search for a 1976 Chevrolet Corvette, ultimately locating a clean and low-mileage example listed with us in Pasadena, California. Hopping a cross-country flight to view the car in person, Jeff was impressed by the accuracy of the ad, the condition of the car and the integrity of the seller. When a question came up during the transaction process, the seller was quick to respond with an answer or, if needed, documentation.
The Corvette arrives in Georgia.
After arriving at a price, Jeff and the seller cut a deal on April 11, and the car was shipped cross-country to Georgia using Horseless Carriage Carriers. It arrived on the expected date, in the expected condition, and his overall satisfaction with the buying process through Hemmings prompted Jeff to place an ad with us to sell his wife’s 1991 Toyota MR2 a few months later.
Like the Corvette, the MR2 (built in the first year of the car’s second generation) was in exceptional condition, showing low mileage for its year of manufacture. That’s not to say it was flawless, and as with any 25-year old car, it had a few issues to address. Jeff was up front about the non-functional A/C in his ad copy, as well as the small dent in the passenger kick panel, and ample photographs were used to paint as accurate a picture of the car as possible.
Coincidentally, or perhaps because your humble author has a thing for second-gen MR2s, the car was chosen as a Find of the Day, appearing in the Hemmings Daily on June 16. Shortly after, Jeff contacted us to let us know how smoothly the buying process went for his Corvette, and we began a dialogue that ultimately resulted in the “Open Diff” piece about tire age, published in the Daily on July 7.
While working on the piece, Jeff and I exchanged emails on several occasions, and at one point Jeff wondered if he should lower the price of the car to attract more buyers. As the car was priced fairly for the year and condition, I advised against it. It wasn’t really a matter of finding a buyer; instead, it was more about finding the right buyer, one who understood the value of the car and its condition.
A bittersweet moment: The new owner drives away in the Yost’s 1991 Toyota MR2.
The right buyer saw the ad on July 7, but not initially online. Upon receiving the August print edition of Hemmings Motor News, an eager shopper reached out to Jeff requesting more details on the car, along with more images. Before he could even reply, the potential buyer contacted Jeff a second time, saying that he’d just found the car online and was eager to see it in person as soon as possible.
Enter potential buyer number two, who’d found the car through Hemmings.com. Without even inspecting the car in person, he offered Jeff $500 less than the listing price, but with the first prospect on his way to look at the car, Jeff declined. The initial potential buyer, who regretted selling a similar (but turbocharged) MR2 the year before, agreed to a deal on the spot after seeing the car up close.
Of his experience in buying and selling cars through us, Jeff wrote,
Buying my ’76 Corvette and selling our ’91 MR2 via Hemmings exceeded my expectations. Hemmings is an excellent resource connecting both parties to a higher caliber of buyer and seller. Admittedly, I cannot write this about many other auto sale resources. Many are marginal at best.
Can we guarantee every ad placed with us will result in a sale, or that every transaction will be as pleasant as Jeff’s two experiences with Hemmings? Of course not, but unlike many other potential options for selling cars, we go to great lengths to ensure the cars advertised with us are legitimate offerings, which is one reason we’ve had great success in connecting sellers and buyers for over six decades. Jeff’s experience also illustrates the benefits of advertising both online and in print, and in this regard our reach is second to none.
See original article at" https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/08/15/heres-why-you-should-consider-advertising-a-car-with-hemmings/
No comments:
Post a Comment