When automakers advertise cars, they don’t really advertise cars. They advertise dreams. You see commercials with off-roaders climbing the tallest of mountains and barreling through a desert. You see muscle cars with clouds of tire smoke behind them and sports cars drifting effortlessly through the city. For people buying cars it isn’t about the car, it’s about a dream and the vehicle giving the opportunity to achieve it.
This doesn’t not really trickle down to used cars unless you have an exotic of some kind. That said, it sure helps to have good pictures of a nice, clean car. Since I am planing to sell my ’95 Integra GS-R on Bring-a-Trailer, I decided that I wanted better than good pictures. While I can take a decent picture, I am far from being a professional photographer. So I hired someone who is a professional photographer.
The pictures were taken by a local New England photographer whose work can be seen in various automotive magazines. Follow Syd on her Instagram account and check out her website. She’s got a real talent for cool artsy pictures and other stuff. For those who might be curious, yes I did pay the same price as anyone else would. There was no collaboration or work-for-exposure, or any kind of bullshit like that.
Looking at the pictures I have one big regret – not taking the front license plate off. It would make the car look much smother without the big contrasting thing in the front. It also looks like it needs some negative camber in the back, because it does. I’ve been meaning to get some LED headlight bulbs, too. That would have given it a refreshed look.
In part 3 of this series we will discuss additional pictures. I took some pictures of my own, specifically pictures under the car and some details showing true mechanical condition of the car. It’s important that for internet-based sale we show the true condition of the vehicle. Making a crap vehicle look good is easy but dealing with a dissatisfied buyer, and thereby the auctioning medium, isn’t good for anyone.
Following that, I’ll write about compiling all information the seller should have on his vehicle. Everything from the owner’s manual and service records to keys and additional items such as factory wheels. To have a truly good posting I may need video, too. A video would convey the sounds and give the posting a more life-like feeling.
All images copyright Syd Cummings/Hooniverse 2020.
