Cheap ‘68 on Barrett
Racer
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 400
Likes: 207
From: Liberty Bay, WA
Before I moved to the west side of Puget Sound, I lived a short drive from Park Place Ltd., a high-end consignment/specialty car dealer in Bellevue, WA. They sell lots of cars at auction, and it was my impression that these cars generally sold at auction for considerably more than they were listed in the PP showroom. So I did a little experiment to see if this was generally true. Amos Mintner Thunderbirds in Dallas is the preeminent restorer of 1955-57 'Baby Birds,' and they sell tons of these cars at auction. I downloaded a copy of their inventory prior to the BJ auction a few years ago, then compared the asking prices in the showroom to what the cars actually sold for at auction. In general, the Mintner cars sold at BJ for nearly twice the asking price in the Mintner catalogue, and in no case did any of these cars sell for less than 150% of the showroom price, and this before auction fees etc. were even considered. Lots of caveats here about whether this is generally true, or even if it applies to Corvettes, but the BJ crowd was clearly willing to pay top dollar at auction for Mintner's cars. I'm not saying that you can't find deals at auctions, particularly at the low end of the price scale, but for some cars, auctions are a pricey way to go.
Thread Starter
Administrator
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 53,982
Likes: 6,209
From: About 1100 miles from where I call home.
His name is actually Minter.
He is a well known name whose provenance adds a ton of cache to cars sold at B/J. Without a doubt, his cars oversell at Barrett and without a doubt, many cars oversell at auctions. But, I don’t think Minter cars are a good example for car prices at auction overall... his restorations are an outlier on the docket.
He is a well known name whose provenance adds a ton of cache to cars sold at B/J. Without a doubt, his cars oversell at Barrett and without a doubt, many cars oversell at auctions. But, I don’t think Minter cars are a good example for car prices at auction overall... his restorations are an outlier on the docket.
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 46
Likes: 7
From: Council Bluffs, IA
If you looked closely at that '69 silver Corvette that sold for $31k, it didn't have the original fender profiles - each wheel opening had a flared wheel well similar to the '70-72 years. Definitely not the same as my original '69. May have had an impact on sale price......
Don
Don
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 245
Likes: 132
From: Port Coquitlam BC
If you looked closely at that '69 silver Corvette that sold for $31k, it didn't have the original fender profiles - each wheel opening had a flared wheel well similar to the '70-72 years. Definitely not the same as my original '69. May have had an impact on sale price......
Don
Don
Something for everybody.
On my bucket list as well to go to BJ in Scottsdale. I even have in laws there, but not enough garage space...LOL!
Rob
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,849
Likes: 367
From: PHOENIX AZ. WHAT A MAN WON"T SPEND TO GIVE HIS ASS A RIDE
At the auctions I went to there were a lot of "auction prepped" cars. The top / paint was great, the rest not so much. There are 2 cars at a local restorer that were auction cars that came in for a clean up after purchase, one currently has $25k in work, the other is still getting it's rehab and will be over that.
Remember if you bid on a:
$30k car
$3k auction fee
$3k (up to sales tax)
$2k shipping
So that $30k car costs $38k.
Remember if you bid on a:
$30k car
$3k auction fee
$3k (up to sales tax)
$2k shipping
So that $30k car costs $38k.
