The gargantuan auction which is Mecum Kissimmee (over 4,500 vehicular lots) is held every January in its namesake Florida city. This year, the big show extends across 13 days, from Thursday January 6 through Sunday January 16. My previous two-day visits to Mecum Harrisburg were mind-numbing and ear-deafening; the thought of attending this circus for its entire duration would require earplugs, aspirin, and frequent excuses to temporarily vacate the premises. In reality, bidders most likely attend only on the days when the lots which interest them are crossing the block.

Mecum purposely schedules the expected show-stoppers for the weekends to maximize TV exposure. In contrast, it’s been traditionally observed that the first few hours or days can bring out the bargains. I therefore took the liberty to peruse results from Days 1 and 2 to see if there were any standout deals. Setting an arbitrary cutoff of $15,000, I found nine cars that struck me as good values for the buyers. These are personal judgements based on photos and sometimes scant descriptions; an in-person examination is always preferable.

The nine cars are listed below in model year order. All were sold on either Thursday Jan. 6 or Friday Jan. 7. The prices below include the 10% buyer’s premium; divide the number by 1.1 to obtain the hammer price. Links are provided to Mecum’s site (I cannot reprint their photos here). In a few cases where a recent BaT sale of a similar car was found, I included a link to that vehicle.

 

1. 1964 Chevrolet Corvair Monza 4-door sedan: beige over black, 44k miles, 4-speed stick

SOLD for $11,550

First generation Corvairs usually pop up as 2-door coupes or convertibles. This 4-door (with its GM “flat roof”) is a rarely seen body style. Corvair owners are fanatical, and there’s good club and parts support. If not for the manual gearbox, I would not have included this. As Corvair enthusiasts like to say, “try buying that OTHER air-cooled flat-6 engine car for this kind of money”.

 

2. 1971 VW Super Beetle convertible, yellow, black top and interior, mileage not noted, shiny paint, aftermarket wheels

SOLD for $14,300

Car looked very clean in photos; paint is almost too fresh. Lack of mileage indication usually means it’s high. Beetles of all years and body styles have recently garnered more attention at auctions. Like the Corvair, club and parts support are plentiful. BaT sold a very similar ’72 also in yellow in November ’21 for $21,500, making this one look like a deal.

 

3. 1975 Plymouth Fury, green, white top, green interior, 440/automatic, no miles listed

SOLD for $11,000     

By 1975, Plymouth had moved the Fury nameplate down a notch to the intermediate platform; the full-size car was called “Gran Fury”. This coupe looked funky, and it’s not a body style that will appeal to many. The only reason for its inclusion here is the 440; obtaining this motor in most other Mopar products would cost multiples of this sale price.

 

4. 1977 Chrysler New Yorker 2-door, triple beige, 20k original miles (19,583 shown on the 5-digit odo)

SOLD for $11,000

Forget the Fury; for the hardcore Mopar man (or gal), this was the one to have. If Walter P. were alive in 1977, this would be his company car. The car looks brand-new in photos. Sure, it’s from the Malaise Era, and you need a double-length pole barn to store it, but it’s perfect. And it’s a two-door! Once you learn to parallel park it, you will be the hit at every cruise night and Cars & Coffee you attend. As an added bonus, you can bring all five of your friends.  Oh, and get a gasoline credit card. Maybe two.

 

5. 1981 Fiat 124 Spider Limited Edition, gold, tan top and interior, 66k miles, A/C, clean under hood, outside mirror broken off

SOLD for $14,300     

These Spiders, after languishing for years, are getting more attention and more bucks thrown at them. This Limited Edition car (only came in this color) was exceptionally clean-looking (and no rub strips!). BaT sold one in December 2021 for $16,500. Rust is enemy #1; try to not let it ever, ever get wet. Stay on top of maintenance (easy DIY or become friends with Tony) and they’re actually reliable.

 

6. 1990 Ford Mustang convertible, 7-UP edition, green, white top and interior, 5.0/automatic, miles not stated

SOLD for $7,150

Fox-body Mustangs continue to be bargains, and I’m waiting for prices to take off. How can you go wrong in a drop-top pony car with a 5.0 V8 for well under 10 grand? Yeah, I also wish it were a stick, but that’s one of the tradeoffs at this number. (Mecum’s Kissimmee lots include many sporty cars with slushboxes; is this a reflection of Florida’s population?) Last month, BaT sold a ’92 ‘vert in the same colors with the same drivetrain for $13,250.

 

7. 1992 Chevrolet Corvette coupe, double red, automatic, 35k miles

SOLD for $10,450

Corvette C4 prices are all over the map and largely dependent on miles and condition (and unwanted mods). The attraction here is the low mileage. I’m a fan of the ’91-and-newer restyle, which cleaned things up inside and out. I do think C4s represent a bit of a performance bargain, but the new owner should drive the car and not expect (or worry about) any future upside, which may never come to pass.

 

8. 1994 Ford Mustang GT convertible, black and tan, 56k miles, 5.0/automatic

SOLD for $8,800

An additional $1,650 over the ’90 Mustang above nets a car four years newer, wearing updated styling on the SN-95 platform. Personally, it’s a toss-up between the two, and really dependent on color, miles, and service history. Again, the auto is the tradeoff at this number, but it’s still a lot of stylish fun on four wheels for under nine large.

 

9. 1995 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 convertible, blue/white top/black interior, miles not stated, 5.7L/6-speed

SOLD for $8,250

I’ve not forgotten my bow-tie friends (some of whom look askance at Mustangs), so here is a very attractive Z28 drop-top with a stick (must have been brought in from outside of FL) for well under five figures. In October ’21, BaT sold a black ’95 Z28 with only 9k on the clock but with an automatic for $14,060; I’d rather have this blue one and pocket the almost 6 grand difference.

 

When Kissimmee is over, Mecum will brag about the high-five figure, six-figure, and (if there are any) seven-figure sales, implying that ALL their sold units went for big bucks. The collector car market is very strong right now; selling is favoring the sellers. That does not mean that bargains don’t exist, a point proven by these 9 examples (8 if you take away the Fury). The trick with auctions is to be at the right place at the right time. Looking at “sold” results is hindsight. With this many cars crossing the block, some are bound to fall through the cracks. (Mecum will keep a bidding session active for only one to two minutes.) The savvy bidder researches the lots of interest ahead of time, sets an upper limit, then places her/himself near the block, ready to bid. Each of these cars was sold to someone who is convinced they got a good deal, and they did.