Freeport Car Guy (Cape Elizabeth, Oxford: home, purchasing, closing)

[SportFury59]

Nice story/article in the November 2008 issue of "Hemmings Classic Car" magazine about Neil Martin of Freeport. Seems 30 years ago he bought a defunct chicken farm in Freeport and has turned it into a thriving classic car business known as the Goldenrod Garage. Nice pictures included. Definitely be on my list of places to see when I visit ME again.

[MRVphotog]

I guess it's not that big classic car place just south of Freeport on US 1 between the Classic Custard Ice Cream Stand and the Naked Pig BBQ joint as all three places were just a few years ago.

[Maineah]

No Golden Rod is on Rte 125 about 2 miles from my house. Buck's Naked BBQ place is now up where route one meets the Desert road. A guy named Roger Bowden owns the Classic Convertibles, Classic Custard, and now a Classic Cook Out where you can get old fashioned hamburgers.
I've been by Golden Rod Garage a million times but never stopped by. I guess it's quite a place and yes it's in an old chicken barn.

[AlisonL]

Oh gosh, definitely stop by Golden Rod. Neil is an awesome guy and he loves to show off his cars and talk about them. We raced against him at Oxford Plains and he is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

[HilbornNH]

Originally Posted by AlisonL

Oh gosh, definitely stop by Golden Rod. Neil is an awesome guy and he loves to show off his cars and talk about them. We raced against him at Oxford Plains and he is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

I'm wondering if we met the same guy, or if he was just having an off day. I was interested in purchasing a truck he had advertised online last year, and gave him a call and said I'd be stopping by. He was outside when I pulled up, introduced myself, and told him I was the guy interested in the truck. No introduction, no smile, just pointed in the direction the truck was in, walked off, and I never saw him again the whole time I was there.
The condition of the truck was grossly exaggerated in the ad (as is most of the stuff he has there), and even when the market was good, was only worth a third what he was asking for it. (A warning to anyone interested in anything he's advertising: if the picture is taken from 30+ feet away......there's a reason for it.)
Before I left (as a car veteran, not a newbie, completely disgusted in the prices he was asking for everything), a couple of his workers were kind enough to acknowledge my existence. I asked them what the deal was with this place, and was he interested in making a sale, and they informed me that it didn't really matter much to Neil if anything in the collection sold or stayed.

Neat place to visit to see the collection (some of the cars ARE very nice), but if you know anything about cars, you probably won't be paying the prices he's asking.
Wish I'd had a better experience, as I've heard lots about this place over the years. Personally, I won't be back.

[retiredtinbender]

Always wanted to go there and check it out. The website is great and worth a visit.

[Kracer]

Here's a note about your own. Jack Panzica from Cape Elizabeth did this trip last summer. for tons of details Jack kept the corvette community up to date on several websites. Try corvetteforum C1/C2 section sticky.

"Jack Panzica pick up where he left of in the 1970s as he drove his glen green, 1966 corvette convertible from his home in Cape Elizabeth, Maine across 48 states and 19,500 miles in 87 days, ending up in Branchburg, NJ in mid October before closing out the last 500 miles back to Maine.

Beginning in late summer, Jack cruised, solo, across America, the embodiment of Buzz and Todd from the 60s TV series, "Route 66", as he met with fellow corvette owners in all contiguous 48 states who had their 50s and 60s corvettes for more than 30 years.

A personable and articulate fellow Jack, kept the corvette community up to date on four separate corvette forums as thousands of corvette fans lived vicariously though his travels."