Drive, She Said

Car Stuff Podcast: Mecum Auctions, 2021 Acura TLX, Mini Cooper SE

On this week’s Consumer Guide Automotive Car Stuff Podcast, I geek out a little bit over the fact that Acura brought its Type S Concept to life in the form of the all-new 2021 Acura TLX. Sure there are some differences, but the shape is there — as are some of the cool design elements.

We also discussed the all-electric Mini Cooper SE, which Damon loved. But I’m still skeptical about spending $38K on a commuter car that will only have 100 miles of range. Damon makes a good case that it’s fun to drive (which will deplete the range even faster) and that most people won’t drive more than 100 miles in a day. But in my mind, a car like this only works if you have a second car, and you truly rarely push beyond 80 miles in a day. Plus, you’re going to want a Level 2 home charger — otherwise it’ll take 24 hours to bring the battery back to 100%.

Our guest this week was John Kraman, lead TV commentator/analyst for Mecum Auctions, who discusses how the company will begin hosting live events again in the COVID Era. Plus we take a deep dive into one of their Featured Lots for the July 10-18 Indianapolis auction — a 1971 Plymouth Cuda Convertible, which is an unrestored model. What’s more interesting is that the same auction will also feature a restored version of the same make/model.

Kraman anticipates the unrestored model will go for at least $500k, while the restored version will clear $1M.

While I will continue to post the podcast to my blog each week, you can subscribe to the Consumer Guide Car Stuff Podcast on any podcast subscription service or visit the Buzzsprout link. New episodes are usually posted on Friday, and then the show itself airs on WCPT 820 AM on Sundays from 1 to 2 p.m.

Be sure to let us know if you have questions or if there are any topics you’d like us to cover on future podcasts.

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