Mcrider

I love watching the MECUM and BARRETT auto auctions on tv drive me crazy. I love watching them when working in my garage/shop and am amazed at the incredible cars that routinely go up for auction.

Watching MECUM in Portland this weekend there were 2 (that I saw) C3's, a 68 and a 70 that went for under $20K. I know it's a buyer beware situation in an auction, but damn, this is the series I want to own with my C6. I shudder to think I could put both of these on my credit card!!

I'm going to have to pay a visit to a MECUM auto auction and be prepared to drive one of these C3's home!

KenSny

I'm not wealthy enough to watch that show.

rikzvette

Luv watching those auctions. A few times i would say to myself damm if i was there i would have bought that..

Kacyc3

Watching on tv, attending, participating are 3 very different things.

kenba

Most of the time cars are bid what they are worth. Most people there are in the business or are big time collectors.

20mercury

That is pretty cheep for a 68 and 70, but maybe not if a NOM engine or has frame problems.

I think the buyer and seller both pay a commission on both or one of these, might be good to read the fine print to know for sure.

L-46man

CAVEAT EMPTOR....I've been to B-J some 25 times...never missed a one.

#1 If you have money to burn...good for you!

You cannot tell what you're buying, or even what you're seeing. In some cases you can't find the owner to actually start the car and see all the blue smoke spewing. Or the car sits crooked. Or the bushings died with your first dog.
Other times, the car is a 5 footer...but when you get close and see that the car needs, glass, $1000 worth of weatherstripping, much of the underside has a rime of rust from sitting, the date codes on the tires are from the Reagan administration, The spare is fossilized. The gauges sort of work...

You can't see ANYTHING on TV.

Pig in a poke scale;
Ebay
Craigslist
Auctions
BAT
AutoTrader

If you physically cannot look, drive, touch the car ...pass....unless, see #1 above.

Entertainment.

So here At B-J (SCTS) add 10% buyers premium, 9.6% City of Scottsdale Sales Tax (they are a dealer) and transportation....not much of a deal.

Great to look at, not so much to buy for the regular guy.

Unkahal

crawfish333

how much does it cost to sell a car on B-J?

L-46man

10% Seller's premium
10% Buyers premium

IF NO RESERVE!

IF RESERVE=20%

JMS2980

I bought my first Vette at Mecum Chicago last October, 1979 with 54K miles. Pretty much all original - decent original paint that needs buffing/polishing work. Needed a tach board, new drivers seat upholstery and the cruise and AC doesn't work. I like to believe I paid reasonable market price even with the buyers premium. While it is definitely buyer beware, I was able to lookover the car, open the hood, sit in the seat and hear it run. I also made sure to be around when they started the car and walked along with the car while in the staging line. Not the same as test driving full mechanical inspection but better than buying sight unseen. I drove the car the 100 or so miles home so avoided shipping costs.

As has been stated, the buyers premium and shipping costs add up quick so you definitely have to be careful. Also, whether legal or not, you have to be careful of ghost bids - I'm pretty sure I bid against myself at one point. Not a big issue to me as I knew what my maximum bid was going to be and as it was the owner had to lower his reserve to get the hammer to fall with my final bid. This was the second Mecum auction I had attended. They are fun in my opinion - like a big car show. Grab a beer and sit in the stands and watch a bunch of people with way too much money buy cars I can only dream of.

James

71 Vert LS1

I've only been to BJ but I was a bit surprised to see there are all levels of cars. When you walk around them out in the staging area and then saw them go across the block you would be surprised how nice they look on the block.
What I didn't like was that if the owner wasn't around the car you can't open the hood or sit in the car or look in the trunk if it has one.
Some very nice cars and some you have wonder why they are paying the sellers premium to run them across the block.
My father and father in law were sales managers for car dealers all there working days. They attended many car auctions and there many "air" bids just to get the price up.

SB64

I used to enjoy watching the BJ auctions years ago. Now I believe like everything else the cash flow has gone to their heads.. My buddy who went and sold a Chevy said they charge for everything like the folks wiping the cars off and underneath photo shots. Not interested in all the fat cats loaded with money flaunting it front to be on TV . Half of them are probably drunk and then were told BJ sets the mark for the price of cars. Don't think so. I'll pass. Those are the people who have screwed up the so called hobby for us.

Tally Ho

I lived in the Phoenix area from 1990 to 1997. I went to B-J every year in Scottsdale. It was amazing how much fresh paint you could smell looking at the cars. I went to Mecum Kissimmee last year and will go again this year. Up close and personal is how you want to see these cars. The TV hides a lot.

Stev-o

I went to Mecum Houston back in April, had a great time! We got there at 8am, there was close to 300 cars scheduled to hit the block on Saturday, we did not have enough time to look at all of them before the auction started at 10a.

It is the ultimate car show, if you get the chance, go! My good friend has started a classic car collection [he has 2 each - C1, C2 & C3's] but we had a list of other cars he was interested in. Prices for the cars he was interested in seemed to be high, we were looking for deals.

By 4pm, he hadnt even bid. By 6pm, he bought 4 cars! My two fav that he bought was a '68 AMX and a '57 Thunderbird [for his wife]. Both are beautiful, fully restored, and mint. He also bought a '56 Ford [cheap] and a '88 Porsche 911.

F4Gary

I've driven for Mecum twice in Dallas. I see potential buyers opening hoods, trunks, doors, glove boxes all the time. I've had buyers open the passenger door and take pics of the C2 tags under the glove box while I'm moving the car towards the stage.
I've had them ask me how it runs, what kind of shape it's in, etc. The drivers are told not to answer these kind of questions, you are there just to drive the car to and from the stage.

joewill

yup, 20K car costs 2K in buyers commission, 2K sales tax and other fees, 1K shipping, another 500 license title plate insurance fees.
seller pays 10%..
so seller gets 18K minus some fees
buyer pays 25500
the state, dealer, insurance, get the rest..
in what world does this make sense? so hard to buy and sell..

try to reach a deal with the seller before or after the auction will save both of you thousands.

kenba

It pisses me off when people who either choose not to go/buy or sell at auctions bad mouth those that do. If you don't like them stay home & don't watch on TV. Also half the pricing stated on here is wrong. If you want to know what the buyers /sellers fees are go to the auction web site & get the facts. I believe that if you are out of state you only pay the tax & fees in your state not the state where the auction is. If in state the taxes would be paid anyway same for transportation whether you buy from a individual or auction or dealer. Bring a trailer & bring it home free.

Z06LMB

Ok, let me explain something most never understand about these auctions.

Until 4 years ago I moved over 100 cars and trucks through the top 5 auto auctions around the US. I’ve bought in person and over the phone, sometimes I was bidding on the phone while I was just outside the tent. I did this because I was an agent for a buyer and if seen by certain people it could possibly change the outcome of the final bid.

Of all the people you see at these auctions, maybe 15 to 20% are there to be a serious buyer, the others are spectators, guests of the buyers, sellers or there for the vendors and activities.

For the most part information about the cars, inspections and contact with the sellers has been completed sometimes as much as weeks before the show. Most buyers are focused on their favorites and ignore all else. Generally it gets around that a car is questionable or just not right and that’s one of the reasons a car will go cheap. The professional buyers will ignore any car they don’t trust, or when there is no owner contact and information and or documentation is non-existent.

Last but not least, just because you see a car hammer out at say - $18,000 and you get all upset and wish you were there, guess again! You have no idea how high that other guy with the high bid was willing to go for that car.
I used to make the auctioneers laugh, when I walked in and said “hello” I’m here to bring your bottom line $25% higher today!

I would see a big block Chevelle stop at a ridiculously cheap price and hear the countdown begin. Then I would step in . . . . and the bidding would go from $18K (a steal) to nearly $30,000 and then it wasn’t a steal anymore and I would drop the bid on the other guy. I have done this move as many as a few dozen times with just twice being caught as the winning bidder (I still have both of them �� to this day!

From experience Bonnhams, Barrett Jackson and David’s are the top Auto auctions I dislike the most, but they are the most organized, ethical and have the best car guys anywhere and when you buy at one of these places you are almost guaranteed to get exactly what was represented. Mecum is so chaotic these days a good “looking” car can be listed and misrepresented so It’s up to you to know what’s in front of you.

Z06LMB

That’s what most think. Most all auctions charge fees for how the car is marketed. Full spread for the catalog and detailer fees are just 2 of a half dozen possible “extras” that can be charged for new or infrequent sellers. Those that bring several or more cars get substantially discounted prices.

Z06LMB

You are right about people and bad mouthing the auctions. I have people now and then find out while “sleeping on it” (really their time exploring on the Internet) that I paid less for it at BJ’s then they don’t want to pay my acquisitions fee of 10 to 20%.
Nobody wants to credit me for being there and the ordeal I had to go through to get this car.

Most auctions have been in loads of trouble collecting out of state sales tax and holding back way too long paying the tax.
Now it’s common, despite what their website or catalogs state, when you return to your home state you then pay the taxes for that car when you apply for a transfer of title and or register that car. You will need the bill of sale receipt so that your homestate doesnt levey additional taxes if their system says your car is worth more.