Chasing Classic Cars (2008– ) User Reviews (21)

Haters gonna hate.

[bretosborne-52366 · 8/10 · 14 June 2015]

Those posting reviews trying to suggest that Wayne isn't a car/motorcycle enthusiast or that he's just in it for the money are a)completely wrong and b) completely missing the point. First let's get one thing straight; he's running a business. Of course he's trying to make a profit if he didn't there would be no business to have a show about. Second regarding his validity as a car enthusiast I would love, love to see any of you try and match your car knowledge to Waynes. No one knows as much about a subject like Wayne knows cars and motorcycles that isn't dedicated and passionate about it and if you think otherwise you're only fooling yourself. Wayne's passion for cars and bikes is what drove him into this business and again if you aren't profitable you aren't in business.

Now with that said as a fellow car enthusiast I find the show informative, entertaining and a true joy to watch.

Symbolic of the Trashed Economy

[Clive-Silas · 7/10 · 2 December 2011]

As each episode begins, we see a fast-moving montage of beautiful classic cars, body shop mechanics cutting and buffing metal, and the auctioneer banging his gavel, while Wayne Carini's voice-over explains that his job is to find the specific classic cars that are wanted by wealthy clients, restore and bring them up to showroom condition and then sell them on for a massive profit. We then see a half hour show in which none of that takes place.

The credit crunch appears to have turned this show's premise on its head. Now the client comes to Wayne,not to find and buy a classic car he or she covets, but to sell one they already own, presumably because they're feeling the pinch. The restoration part of the show - if any - does not take up very much of the running time. Often the whole of the second half of the show is spent at the auction. Carini is shown trying to sell gorgeous cars that have an impeccable pedigree and gleam like they just rolled out of the factory yesterday. But they invariably fail to make the hoped-for reserve price, and don't sell.

The show represents a fitting epitaph to the boom years of excess. For unemployed Britons reading this, job opportunities beckon in America: every one of the auctioneers are posh-accented Englishmen.

Carini not a lover of classic cars.

[simpilot777 · 8/10 · 19 July 2018]

First, he cannot read. Cars with look but do not touch signs he misses and leans on the car with bare hands, body oil and all. He must have been asleep all his years to have missed caring for cars. He must be very tired as he is always leaning or touching. I continue to watch his show, even though I cringe watching him, as he does bring beautiful cars to the show. He does give history of great cars to the younger people that missed living in the time period.

Originally wasn't a fan, but have since turned around

[jaredusui41 · 9/10 · 17 February 2014]

When I first watched Chasing Classic Cars, I really wasn't interested in it. I love classic cars, but I'm not super into the high-brow world of specialty cars (i.e. numbers matching, ultra rare etc etc). I am interested in them for their history, but I find the circles that are involved seem to be not so much in my interest. Upon first watching, I assumed that would be the case. While Wayne is interested in unique and rare cars, he has a true passion for automobiles in general. On top of that he wants nothing more than for those cars to be on the road and driven. His knowledge of cars is amazing in its own right.

His lead mechanic Roger Barr is also an amazing watch. No nonsense straight shooter with some great commentary. I would love to spend some time wrenching on some of those cars with him.

Finally, to Newjunkees review. What did you expect? He's in the BUSINESS of making money off of automobiles.

one of the best shows about cars on TV

[blitzebill · 10/10 · 12 January 2016]

Wayne Carini knows cars. It is his business to know about them. There are no pretensions.

Wayne owned his dealership/restoration shop way before he got a TV show, so the reviews here dissin' him and his agenda are foolish and inaccurate.

Wayne is not always financially invested in every car we see auctioned off, nor does he chase after widows whose husbands left behind expensive automobiles. They come to him learning or knowing of his expertise in moving a car to a new owner. Sure he probably collects a fee, but that's part of his business.

The show is well done and shares his love of the automobile and many types of vehicles, including trucks and motorcycles.

I especially appreciate his sharing of the restoration process, which seems to be happening less and less on the episodes. Roger, his main mechanic is great, with a sense of humor that is not to be missed. He usually steals the show when he's on.

Answering Crackpot Reviews!

[Bronco46 · 9/10 · 22 August 2017]

This is a fun show to watch! Can't be sure how it came about. But, one thing is sure. Wayne Carini is a successful purveyor of exotic, classic, and unusual cars. All through the many seasons of the show. We get a glimpse into this Connecticut Car Dealer. A man who doesn't wait for people to bring cars to him. He goes to them. And many times it's not for him to purchase cars. Many times he's going to inspect the cars because the sellers want him to represent them at any one of the many high-end auctions scattered around the country every year. He has a vast background in automobiles and motorcycles, going back to his teen years. He's been buying and selling cars for decades and many people rely on his experience and connections to represent them at high-end auctions. He helps them deal with the auction houses, he also attends the auctions. And he speaks with his customers while the auction is going on. He advises them on when they should decide to withdraw or not, any reserve that might be part of the auction. He also advises them when they've reached a good price for their vehicles. Based on his knowledge of the various markets. I've seen some"Crack Pot" reviews on this show. Reviews trying to attach silly economic and political connotations to the course of this show as it has moved along over the years. In one particularly disgusting example of a false premise is the review "Symbolic of the Trashed Economy". This is clearly someone who does not understand the history or premise of the show. The show is about atypical cars. Cars the average person doesn't get to see. It's not a restoration show. He does have a great crew of talented fabricators, upholsterers, body men, and mechanics. Including Roger Barr a Championship Driver and knowledgeable mechanic himself. Unlike restoration shows where a car is followed through the process of putting it back on the road. This show treats us to a side of the sale of cars we don't usually get to see. And we also to get to hear many interesting histories of featured cars and their owners. And lastly, "the Trashed Economy" reviewer thinks cars not garnering the money that is asked or estimated is some kind of statement about the national economy. Anyone who's watched any auto auctions of any kind would know that cars frequently do not sell for what is asked or estimated. Car prices are based on what the market will bear. And those prices are based on rarity, condition, and model. This is an excellent show on its own merits. A good host, interesting cars, interesting stories, and visits to high-end auctions. Nothing political. Just good entertainment.

Pleasant Show, Fun To Watch

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 21 March 2015]

If you like classic cars and you enjoy seeing some of the best displayed in the best venues in the United States (Amelia Island, Pebble Beach, etc.) you should enjoy this half-hour television show.

Host Wayne Carini, based out of Portland, Connecticut, restores and collects classic cars and motorbikes. The show usually consists of him going around the country looking at a few cars and perhaps purchasing them. He then restores them, if he needs to, and then attempts to sell them at high-price auctions. Sometimes he does this for friends and sometimes he just goes to a show to see if his car(s) can win a prize. He has a nice collection of his own.

Carini keeps things varied on the show which is probably one reason the show is successful and has been on the air for 7-8 years and has aired about 120 shows. You see literally all kinds of vehicles, from the early 1900s and on. Carini also has a low-key, pleasing personality. I like the fact that the show is the same: fairly quiet and classy. No screaming and yelling.

Chasing Classic Cars is aired on the Velocity Channel.

Touching Classic Cars

[full_stress · 10/10 · 27 February 2019]

Great show. Love to see how long it will take him to touch the car he's looking at. Besides that Wayne is very knowledgeable about the cars he touches.

Somewhat entertaining, comparatively

[kjgood-82464 · 4/10 · 17 March 2021]

I have watched this off and on for years. Compared to much of the other appalling crap the Motor Trend channel currently shows, it is worth watching to see some truly interesting and often unusual cars. Carini's dealing with them is another matter. He does tend to be a flipper at times, but in fairness, he's in business to buy and sell cars. Others have questioned his ethics, so nothing more is required from me. However for a guy who has been doing this forever, there are times I question his auction acumen, at least when on the selling side. I have seen him fumble with reserves (having one or not having one) and then have a bad outcome. He generally explains it away with "that's the way auctions work."

In a 2020 episode, he covers a client who has an AC Ace-Bristol, and a Jaguar E-type, late Series 1. He opens with the assertion that he previously tried to buy them both, but the owner didn't accept his offer and wanted more. So in this episode, he has reached an agreement to act as the owner's agent to prepare them for auction, and then take them to the auction for sale. He selects a Mecum Auction in CA, and the show follows the unfortunate action and outcome there.

Mecum? You must be joking. Taking a super rare AC to Mecum (for which the owner was trying to get $400K), the home of the endless '60's American car sales with occasional imports dropped in, was doomed from the start. Who the hell among their normal bidders even knew what an AC Ace is? Even the much more common E-Type was "exotic" compared to the other lots being sold. Naturally, the bidding did not come close to the owner's reserve for either car, and neither sold. The upset written on the owner's face was palpable.

I left that episode thinking about the cost the owner paid to Wayne for the prep work, and the cost to ship the cars plus traveling expenses for everyone involved, only to have to ship the cars back. Was this incredible lapse on Carini's part deliberate? Surely Bonham's or Gooding would have been better auction options for those cars, and Carini has taken cars to these auctions before. I wondered if Carini deliberately sandbagged the guy so that he could follow up with his own offer again. Of course we don't know what the final outcome was with the guy's cars, so who knows? Either way, as one of the later episodes, it seemed a surprisingly knuckleheaded narrative.

needs to be a one hour tv show

[Cinema2kMendoza · 10/10 · 14 September 2021]

Wayne carini is a real petrolhead, he loves cars and bikes and knows alot, even the slow episodes are good because he shows that he drives and cares about any car, any bike and he likes to talk about how he learned about cars, tell the story of car makers, etc...needs more time, and more episodes.

Not entertaining

[mrjim-08372 · 4/10 · 9 November 2018]

I like the cars I get to see on this show. But there's something that I just don't like about Wayne and how he conducts his business.

Car enthusiast Wayne Carini is NOT

[nyjetsfabn · 2/10 · 15 March 2014]

I thought I was the only 1 who watched this show that realized Wayne Carini isn't a car enthusiast as he portrays himself to be. Every show does have him know every important person in the business. Every show has him drive and fly to these remote areas where vintage cars are for sale. Every show has a camera on him pace auction floors. Every show has him worry about his profit margins. Is his profit high enough for himself or his clients? The positive of the show is the displays of the rarities of some of the cars. I really like the old man mechanic. He can do anything. Now thats a car guy...The show should be about him. Not Wayne Carini's thirst of $$$ So if you LOVE Car Flipping and making $$$$ this is the show to watch.

What a complete Hack!

[newjunkees · 3/10 · 9 September 2013]

Wayne is not a car enthusiast...he is a profiteer. He is so full of himself that I wonder if he knows that nobody cares about him or his shop.....if you've ever seen him at a car auction you can see how much he really thinks of himself...ugh. He continues to find cars that he says he has loved all his life and has always" dreamed of owning one ." ever since "he was a kid "and in the next scene he then says... " maybe I can make a decent profit on it." Old ladies whose husbands or dying or recently passed away seems to be his favorite target. I wouldn't mind so much if he stuck to his " find em , fix em, and sell em" mantra. That would be keeping it honest.....but someone at the show seems to want to portray this guy as a do gooder along the way but he somehow just comes across as a pompous smarmy used car dealer.... Sorry Wayne!

Doesn't Give us the Real Story

[scottjtepper · 3/10 · 25 January 2017]

As interesting as the show is, it doesn't tell the real story about auctions. We've been told about the 10% premium to the buyer and the 7% to the seller. Are those premiums also charged to volume buyers and sellers like Carini? How about the ins and outs on reserve vs. non reserve cars? What is the cost difference to the seller when he has a reserve car? When won't an auction take a reserve car? Carini also fudges on prices. When he wants a car to sell for a certain amount and it doesn't, he adds on the buyer's premium to bring it up to his estimate.

I suppose if Carini or the other big auction customers who show up on Velocity actually told us about with the details they'd lose their favored status as auction customers. So much for reportage.

It would be nice if Wayne would learn how to pronounce "concours d'elegance" (there's no "dee" sound in there, Wayne) and stop saying "but yet." The word "yet" doesn't need a "but." Agggh.

And one final thing -- despite all the cars Wayne supposedly owns and sells on the show, the cars advertised on his website for sale or that have been sold don't relate at all to the great cars paraded on the show.

Bottom line is this is just another "reality" show which is from far reality.

Becoming Boring

[princessrosie-83771 · 3/10 · 30 March 2017]

Was a fan for many years, enjoyed my personal contacts with Wayne Carini , but I was the last person in our Corvette and Ferrari clubs to watch the show. The objections include: overuse of superlative personal pronoun, inclusion of fees to make sales price look closer to the estimate ,and, the latest episode was the final straw. Congratulations on the sale of the STUTZ, well done and well deserved. But, the forced applause at Sardi's restaurant for the "world shattering announcement" was abysmal. Donating the car to a museum would've been world shattering news not selling it for profit. Shame as now I'm down to only three car shows that I can watch.

This show should be called "Flipping Classic Cars"...lame

[mberk-44591 · 3/10 · 23 May 2017]

The cars are great, the host is a pompous ass. He may like the cars he pursues, but because he smells the MONEY he'll make reselling them. It's completely obvious because the show does everything it can to conceal ANY HINT of the car's cost. I just can't stomach Wayne's thin veneer of enthusiasm for the car itself (he obviously reads and researches the cars extensively before ANYTHING is filmed) and he love of the almighty profit.

It's money grubbing flippers like Wayne Carini that drive prices up and are ruining the hobby.

exposed as a flipper, nothing more

[warmwatersailer · 1/10 · 30 May 2017]

was a fan, now, he should be arrested for fraud. tell the truth when you show up to 'help' the selling party. in the interest of full disclosure, you should tell them what will happen to the car(s). i am a car enthusiast, hoping to learn more about the pitfalls of buying classic cars. very disappointing

A MORGAN 4 4 !

[jefadlm-1 · 5/10 · 19 September 2019]

MADE himself look like a jerk with the Morgan owned by his friend who died. and so it was up to the guys widow to decide what to do with a lovely self built MORGAN ? Well , mr Carini you screwed up good ! Anyone who knows about cars would surely check the head gasket, carb air flow efficiency and perform a suitable track upgrade before attempting even as he put it a slow gentle spin round on a track day ? His actual words " I WILL JUST DRIVE MY OWN RACE " OVERHEATING and BREAK DOWN , TWICE HUH and that was so blatantly obvious to fail which due to his laid bac ignorance is precisely what happened,,,,,, ! No money for him here, he promised the so called friend with a hug that she can drive it whenever she wishes and he will for ever keep it , as he put it " in the family " Well unfortunately that lady is far too easy going and he presumanly, sad there is no money in it for him, just garaged the car somewhere to gather dust ! No sir, it is definitely not all glamour is it ? In other words the glamour is in chasing the right auction for the highest price ? SO, finally this lovely old British clasic Morgan has proved to be Mr. Carina's Achilles Heel and sadly shown him to be a self made heel ? NO SPOILERS, SIMPLY THE BARE FACED FACTS ........... Finally, I hope this site has the honest outlook to publish this, my honest review of a basically honest, albeit flawed man of cars.........

Slow and formulaic

[tpbartholomew · 4/10 · 21 February 2017]

Old Wayne CARini seems to be paid according to how many times he says the word 'CAR' per 19 minute show. You'll hate me now that I've made you aware of it. I've only counted once, but the figure was 40+.

Wayne is happy go lucky when things are going his way, but when a car doesn't sell or he doesn't get what he wanted for it, he goes bright red and wanders off camera in his Dad jeans.

The show ends up having no real content because the guy is so over-mannered and is basically promoting / protecting his business - so we don't hear how much he buys things for, we don't hear how much he spends on repairs / restoration, and he always gives us the PR side of things.

As a classic enthusiast, I do watch the show, but it's endless repetition, recaps, PR focus, and lack of detail make it barely worth it.

Wayne, try 'it' issued of 'car' once in a while....

Insulting to real car people

[benchseat · 1/10 · 21 October 2020]

Watched my first and last episode of this show. The supposed expert and host has just taken a car that has sat for 20 years, thrown some fresh gas in and tried to get it started. Anyone who knows anything about cars knows you don't do that. One of the first things is to put in fresh oil and then lube the cylinders and turn it over by hand. Flush out the old fuel and check over all the hoses and belts replacing as necessary. Then you think about seeing if it will run. This guy knows squat.

CCC

[tyson-64057 · 3/10 · 29 May 2020]

Fabulous show, well presented but totally ruined by the constant dreadful background 'music'. Why can't we just listen to Wayne & the cars?