Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Tefft.
Hi Jeremy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
After working for 15 years as a hollywood talent agent in Los Angeles, brokering deals in the entertainment and advertising industry, my passion and love of classic cars inspired me to go into business selling them. I stand by our product of high quality Mercedes Benz young classics from the late 1960’s thru early 2000’s. We buy, sell, trade and consign classic cars.
Our focus is buying and selling cars of European vintage with a special emphasis on Mercedes Benz young classics. My passion is cars and I pursue it on a daily basis seeking out fine collector grade vehicles as well as affordable quality drivers. When your passion is your profession it creates a synergy that translates easily into cultivating relationships with loyal clientele. Our expertise in this field allows us to always have a pulse on the classic car market in every economy. When choosing to buy a special car you should select an enthusiast/specialist that will satisfy your particular needs and desires. If you have an opportunity to obtain that special car make sure you work with someone who can navigate the landscape and provide the service you deserve. Knowledge and trust should be at the top.
In addition to buying and selling worldwide with an emphasis on Europe and now The Middle East, currently heating up with demand, our locale is essential to these export markets. We set the standard for the best preserved cars in California and the expectations are high. When a client ships a car to their home destination market whether it is Germany, Netherlands, The South of France or places like Dubai, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi the trust and expectations from the buyer have been earned over the years and therefore our reputation to find great cars hinges upon this trust and expertise. With our network of relationships via collectors, dealers and private sellers we are able to assist a client with specific orders such as color, model year and special order cars. They will find us when on a specific search that is heavily tailored to a niche demand. We know these model years of Mercedes-Benz will be key to long term ownership because they truly were built at a time when Mercedes was so much more superior than any other car maker. When we acquire a car it starts the process of what we call “the pipeline” where we begin with any mechanical needs and start with any deferred or regular maintenance needed with our expert Mercedes shop in Orange County. Then we move over to our detail expert facility also located here in OC. We will often cover steam clean underneath the car, dry ice treatments if client request this special service, paint correction and full interior detail including leather treatments and upholstery work if needed. Once the cars are ready we photo shoot and put them onto our advertising and marketing platforms along with social media feeds.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Inflation and challenges of 2023. Car market correction after COVID finished. Spiraling car market in 2023 and 2024 due to major changes in financial markets and fast rising interest rates for those buyers needing loans. Demand for luxury goods and classic cars quickly slowed and buyers tightened their spending. Auction platforms challenged competition for selling and buying in cyberspace saturating the market. We began to invest in better quality cars and spent more money where it mattered improving a good car to a great car.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Classic car sales specialists of European Vintage Automobiles specializing in Mercedes-Benz Classics. Known for finding high quality “young-classic” Mercedes-Benz automobiles from the 1960s through the 1990s. We’re proud of our accomplishments to succeed and be well known as a “go to” in this niche sector. Most sell a variety of classic cars. Many sell Porsche, for example, exclusively. We specialize in Mercedes-Benz automobiles and there are few in our sector with a top reputation and ability to deliver consistently. We weave dreams. We go deeper from clean up and preparation to mechanical turn key ready to drive cars. We separate from the pack by delivering high quality cars that are uniquely cleaned and detailed on the highest level of preparation and source from our home base in Southern California where some of the best preserved Mercedes Benz cars live on the West Coast of the United States.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Deep understanding of marketplace and sales trends. Ability to relate to your buyers and quickly understand their needs and tastes. We are in the people business and it is very important to understand people in addition to your product, the cars. You have to have a fearless mentality to compete in a massive classic car market. You must always stay disciplined to buy high quality inventory. Able to adapt in a competitive and challenging marketplace. Utilize social media as a major selling platform by exposing your business and inventory cars constantly to a global audience. You need excellent communication skills to be able to operate within the international market dealing with many foreign buyers needs and requests and foreign language barriers. Trust is everything in our business.
Pricing:
- $15,000 starting prices
- up to $100,000 for rare ultra low mileage cars
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.slautogallery.com
- Instagram: @sportleichtag
- Youtube: @sportleichtautogallery
