Almost 6'6".

Most of the time it is, but not always. For instance, I can't really enjoy smaller sized sports cars, as it's impossible for me to fit comfortably.

Well . . . I am almost 51 years old now, happily married. Our daughter is a high school senior who's ready to go off to college now.
I have an educational background in business and philosophy and was raised primarily in Europe, just like Bill. After moving back to the States in '86 I first lived in Florida, finally moved to Southern California. Better climate for cars here, you know . . .

I was a pilot once, but after I got cancer they pulled my license. Then I used to restore and collect balloon tire bicycles, but that faded away. I still ride my bicycles, but I'm now mostly interested in vintage motorcycles and cars these days. My favorites are patinated originals. Of course race cars, especially vintage road race cars, will always have a special place in my heart.

Yes, we are--in some aspects--and that's an advantage. We are a team and complement one another. But in other aspects, we are quite identical: We both love Classics and sports cars! In fact, we have managed to keep this our one true hobby in life. For us, finding these lovely cars is a treasure-hunt we both utmost enjoy. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to do this the way we do it. Our main motivation still remains to have fun. Combining work with play . . . I think we have the best job in the World!

Not anymore. I used to be a free-lance writer for two European car magazines as well as a tech advisor, but lately my plate is more than full. If I find time to write, I dedicate it to our Web site. I want to expand the Buyers' Guide and add some technical articles until the end of this year . . .

Only partially. Bill and I are a team, and we are both fairly experienced copywriters. I am the photographer and the Webmaster, but when it comes to writing, it takes Bill's genius to create these fascinating and sometimes mesmerizing presentations, where people can virtually re-live how much fun we're having.

Absolutely, and we both wouldn't want to miss that!
In fact, it's one of the most appealing things connected to the cars we buy and sell. Sometimes, when we have a really interesting car, we actually take it out for an extended weekend trip, our way to combine work and play. Another advantage is that we learn more about the car; we communicate with it, find out about its inner soul . . .
And if we happen to have a race car, I often can't resist taking it to the track. Being a family man, I'm retired from active auto racing now, but I'm still a road racer at heart and participate in quite a few track events annually.

Ahh . . . cars, my favorite subject!
See . . . Bill and I, we both appreciate survivors. Cars that have been cherished and led a pampered life. And there is probably no better place on Earth to find survivors than Southern California.

Because of the ideal climate, although that's not quite accurate since there is no "ideal" climate for cars. After all, they are made of quite different materials. See, if there is too much humidity in the air, cars will rust, which is really bad. However, if there's not enough humidity in the air, cars will "dry out," not so much the metal--that wouldn't be bad at all--but the interior. Dashboards and seats get cracks, rubber weatherstripping disintegrates, and seals start to leak. And, of course, paint fades if exposed to the powerful radiation deriving from our sun.
Now . . . the perfect compromise for a car therefore is a dry-climate, without rain and with a humidity of around 37%. In a word: Southern California!

Of course it is! Fact is, rust is like cancer. Sure, there are ways to get rid of it, sometimes, but they are quite radical and expensive. So why bother with a rusty car? The best advice I can think of is to buy a car with no rust, or at least no serious rust.

Almost equally important is, to choose a car without accident damage. There's a saying: "They will never be the same" and there's a deep truth behind it. Of course, assuming the car had just a fender bender or received a new door at some point in its life, that's not a problem, as long as this has been repaired properly. But if you find major structural damage, you would be well advised to pass on such a car, unless its rarity would justify a professional restoration.

Well . . . Bill is usually the one who finds them. He has created an amazing network and frequently meets the most interesting people. As you can imagine, many people who appreciate and can afford the finer things in life, often also have at least one classic car in their garage. Bill hands out his business cards and sometimes, often after years, he receives a phone call, asking him whether or not he's still interested in that old car he saw back then. Amazing!

Sometimes it is. But it is more of a system of presence and persistency. That's why tourists are often upset if they leave the plane at LAX and, after a few weeks of vacationing and searching around, realize they can't find the car they are looking for. It's not that easy. And the implied danger here is that these folks then settle for any car that resembles their dream vehicle. It almost always turns out to be a huge mistake . . . you have to have patience!

Yes, we do. But paying a bit more for a much better car is a wise decision and always pays off in the long run. That's ancient wisdom. Don't buy a mediocre car and attempt to restore it to prime condition. In almost all instances you will lose the farm over it.
That aside, we still are able to sell classic cars reasonably, since we rather have happy customers, who help to build our reputation, than generating huge profits.

Of course we make money. But it's probably less than people tend to believe. What separates us from typcial classic car dealers is that we turn our inventory more quickly than about anybody else in the country. The average time we have a car in stock once it's readied for sale is about 3 weeks and many cars we acquire sell before they even make it onto our Web site. That's unheard of in the business, so we must do something right! Bill and I have high ethical standards, and we believe that there are more important things in life than making as much money as possible. Californiaclassix suits us just fine the way it is.

Sure. Buying a car is a matter of trust. If you have doubts about a car you are considering, either inspect it yourself--preferably with someone who's familar with that type of car--or, in case it's too far away, have somebody take a look at it and get a professional appraisal. That'll always be money well spent.

Not a lot. As much as it hurts to pay substantially more at the pump, keep in mind that the rest of the World is paying about twice as much for gas and diesel as we do. Yet, an alarming amount of collector cars are leaving the country. If you see your Classic as a hobby, it's a non-issue; if you just like to drive an older car on a daily basis, as Bill and I both do it, you're saving substantially by not having a car payment and not having to deal with the inevidable depreciation of a late model car.