On June 11, 1957, Neil Martin, then 14, paid $25 for his first car: a 1947 Pontiac station wagon “Woody.” Three months later he sold the car for $65. And that was that. An old car dealer was born.

Neil Martin knows old cars and he knows what they mean to millions of Americans. “When you think about it, everything significant in this culture, in almost everyone’s life, is inextricably entwined with the automobile. The long family trip. The first date. The prom. The first amorous adventure. It’s a nostalgia thing.”

Since 1978, Neil has been doing what he loves to do: buying and selling and, well, just being around and talking about old cars. Visit the Golden Rod Garage in Freeport and you’ll get a sight for old car-loving eyes: rows and rows of vintage automobiles. At any given time, Neil has around 300 old cars of all makes and all ages stored in three buildings.

Every car has a story (e.g. “Aunt Millie died and we found this ’44 Studebaker in her garage.” Or “My wife wants me to get rid of this ’55 Chevy.”) Neil buys over half of his cars sight unseen, basing his offering price on his encyclopedic knowledge of old cars. Moreover, most of his sales are over the phone. In this business, you have to know what you’re doing and you have to build trust. Neil knows what’s he’s doing, and he’s built up a great reputation over the years.

“I buy what I like,” admits Neil, “because if the car doesn’t sell for a long time I want to like having it around.”

Neil buys and sells around 100-125 cars a year and his customer base spans the globe. “We’re delivering a car to Norway next week.”

A savvy businessman, Neil operates under a few core principles such as “100 percent down and nothing to pay.” He also offers what he calls a “30-30 guarantee: 30 seconds after the sale or for 30 feet down my driveway.” He does not restore cars, but he might buff them up a bit for resale.

Not surprisingly, Neil has amassed some good stories over the years. “One day a businessman from Dubai drove up in a limousine. After he washed his hands and laid out a rug on the driveway to pray, he went inside to look at the cars. When he saw one he liked, he’d ask, ‘What’s your very best price?’ I’d tell him and then he’d say, ‘Now, what’s your final price?’ After he’d picked out five or six cars, playing the same ‘best offer’ game, we totaled up the list. Then he said, ’Now, what’s your best price for this group of cars?’”

The sheik bought all those cars on that visit, but when he came back the next time, Neil was ready. “I started with a very high price on each car, so I could afford to be bargained down.”

Neil Martin loves old cars, but what he loves most of all is racing old cars. “It’s exhilarating,” he says, “the most fun you can have with your clothes on.’”

For years Neil drove in the Weekly Racing Series at Oxford Plains Speedway, and he ultimately competed at the top level, the “Late Model Sportsman” class. He quit racing at that level four or five years ago because, he says, “I was racing against guys half my age and it was getting expensive.”

Now he races old cars just for the fun of it with the Wicked Good Vintage Racing Association (“Maine Racin’ done in 50s, ‘60s and ‘70s style”). The club, composed mainly of Mainer’s, sponsors a dozen races every summer at asphalt tracks around the state. The cars reach speeds of up to 80 miles an hour on small (1/3 of a mile) tracks. “Up to 15 drivers race in every category,” Neil explains, “and we have a rule that you can only win one race every summer. So if you win one, then you try for second in all the remaining races that summer.”

Neil has a blast racing old cars, and so do the racing fans. “We’re kind of a gimmick, part of the show,” he says with a smile. “Places like the Oxford Plains Speedway always want us to come back.”

Neil Martin’s life is filled with great joy, to be sure, but his other interests confirm that he’s not just a savvy car guy, not just a terrific character. He’s a loyal supporter of his alma mater Bowdoin College, for example, and he’s helped many students with tuition expenses over the years. A strong believer in the importance of small business to the health of the Maine economy, he currently serves on the Governor’s Advisory Board for Small Business.

Garbed in overalls and suspenders and sporting a beard, Neil Martin does not look like your typical Bowdoin College graduate. During a reunion, one classmate noted, “The older we get, the smarter you look.”

Neil greets every day with a smile, “Every day I get to wake up in Maine and smell the tires. Every day is a beautiful day.”

The initial $25 investment that Neil Martin made 57 years ago in an old Pontiac “Woody” proved to be a might good investment. And the dividends keep on coming.

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David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary or character nominations. He can be reached at dtreadw575@aol.com.