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What makes a car rare??


md murray

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I think it depends on what your talking about when asking what’s rare. My 91 Reatta is one of one in its color combo and options. if you know what it is you’ll appreciate it but if not you’ll walk on by. I also collect coins and that’s a lot worse in what’s rare and valuable. There’s the mint bad a few hundred thousand rare then there’s they made six coins rare. Both are rare but in a very different sense. 

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3 hours ago, mercer09 said:

Which bucket you are in can be used to guess with great precision all the other ideas you have about cars.

 

and if you are on the fence like me?

 

huh...........

 

The "great precision" thing was a bit of BS,  but not many people are sitting on the fence.  Seems like you love them or hate them.

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I think you could call me one who is in the middle about the Tuckers. I certainly don't hate them or think they're a joke, but a Tucker isn't on my short list of dream cars, either. The story has gotten bigger than the cars, which always makes it difficult to evaluate cars on their own merits. I will admit that I have never driven one, but I do have a good friend whose father bought one in the '70s and they drove it for many years (it's the blue one in the Swigart Museum). He reports that they drove it home from another state to Cleveland at 75 MPH without incident and drove it for years with nothing more than routine maintenance. It was fast, smooth, and competent. That's first-hand experience from a guy who is now a noted antique car restorer, so I take him seriously. He says it was a great road car, not a bumbling joke with unreliable componentry.

 

I think the Tuckers are important for representing a different way of thinking in an industry that was pretty homogenous. Love him or hate him, Preston Tucker wasn't afraid to try something new and some of his ideas are still in use today. Love the car or hate the car, you can't deny that it was sophisticated for its time even if the execution wasn't up to modern standards. The ideas were there, but the technology wasn't ready, so it can feel finicky even if it isn't. It was the first time Detroit had to confront the idea that maybe their way wasn't the only way. 

 

It's a mistake to dismiss the Tucker as being noteworthy just because of a movie. It wasn't quite a game-changer, but it was nonetheless significant. Today, that significance, combined with its rarity, is what makes a Tucker an extraordinary car. You don't have to love them, but you can't pretend they aren't important cars.

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I have a good friend who has restored three of them............a very talented and accomplished gentleman who’s work is on the 18th green every year..........I can’t repeat what he thinks about them here.........and I tend to agree. The workmanship is poor to terrible. Neat part of American history, but spend my money on one.........no thanks.

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I'm not as interested in being at Pebble as I am in being the only make of car in any one particular location at a time.

That is usually the case when I'm out with my Pierce, except when at a PAS meet of course, but it is always the case when I'm out with the Rickenbacker.

I like educating people about the cars and their historical significance.

Most have never heard of either marque.

If I can get another person interested in pre-war cars just by being out and about and showing the value of preserving this little piece of history then it's all worth it.

On top of that, driving a pre-war car is like driving a time machine.

Heck, I've been seriously considering picking up a Ford Model A so I can drive the snot out of it and not have to worry about hunting down parts when something breaks.

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