Auto Collectors Garage

Auto Collectors Garage is a classic car and truck dealer that has moved from the Houston area to Round Top, Texas, about halfway between Houston and Austin just off US-290. Its current website credits the company to Ken and Kathy Dougherty and says it was founded in 1990. Older directory listings and a 2016 press release put the founding at 1979, so the exact start date is unsettled. Many directory pages still show the old Houston address, which is worth knowing before anyone plans a visit.

History and founders

The founder's story on the company site says Ken Dougherty turned a lifelong interest in cars into a full-time business in 1990, after earlier ventures that included his family's Houston appliance store. Kathy Dougherty is described as co-founder and vice president, handling operations while Ken sources cars and works with clients. The company says it has placed more than 1,200 cars with collectors on six continents, and that its founders have about 50 years in the classic car world. It also cites concours awards and associations with Carroll Shelby and Sir Stirling Moss. These are the company's own claims and we could not confirm them independently.

The move to Round Top

Older listings, including the Better Business Bureau, place the business at 10812 Fallstone Rd in southwest Houston. The company's current site gives only "Round Top, TX 78954" and does not publish a street address. We found a company post about a new garage in Round Top, but could not open it, so the date of the move is not confirmed. Treat any Houston address as out of date and call before driving anywhere.

What Auto Collectors Garage sells

The inventory page when we checked listed seven vehicles, a mix of classics and later-model cars. The headline classic was a restored 1957 Ford Ranchero with a modified 390 V8 at $26,900. Others included a 1973 Honda CT70 resto-mod trail bike at $2,999 and a few newer vehicles such as a 2009 Mercedes-Benz S550 and a 2016 Range Rover Sport. The site says every car it lists is inspected, driven and photographed, with walkaround videos. Stock is small and changes often. For wider choice around the state, see Texas classic cars for sale.

Consignment, financing and shipping

The site lists several services for buyers and sellers:

• Consignment: the company says it handles marketing, vetting, paperwork and transport. Fee terms are not published; for background, read about consigning a classic.
• Financing: specialty classic-car loans through lending partners, according to the site.
• Shipping: door-to-door enclosed transport anywhere in the country.
• Pre-purchase consulting: independent vehicle reviews, listed at $350 per car.
• Appraisals: offered, with no pricing given.

The site also mentions a Texas registration guide for out-of-state buyers. A 2016 company press release said it consigned more than 16 cars to the Dan Kruse Classics auction held during the Houston AutoRama.

Reputation

The BBB page, which lists the old Houston address, shows the business as not BBB accredited and not rated, with one complaint closed in the past three years and no customer reviews on file. A Birdeye page showed no reviews when we looked. A short public record is not a negative, but it means buyers should lean on documentation: the title, the service history and an independent inspection.

Visiting Auto Collectors Garage

The company's website lists its showroom as open Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Friday through Sunday by appointment. Call 832-731-6471 or email [email protected] to confirm hours and get the location before visiting.