Barrett-Jackson hilarity

Feedyurhed said:

This year seems to be more of a "Truckathon" than ever. Every other vehicle is a truck.  Just like our every day reality.

60's and 70's trucks were bringing a long dollar last year, too. 

The Pinto actually beat inflation. That's pretty impressive to me.

Any of you who've never been to a BJ auction should attend one. I go every year to the one in Palm Beach. I spend an entire day but only watch maybe a half dozen vehicles cross the block. There's a lot to do and see and you'll go home with swag worth more than your entry fee, especially if you go weekdays. I highly recommend for anyone remotely interested in automotive stuff.

My tip for attending a BJ event.

Arrive in morning. Move right past all the new car displays, auction block etc and head to the farthest point where they're giving rides in vettes, Hell Cats, Raptors, etc and get the rides, free T shirts and hats or whatever before the lines get long. Then work your way back through the car inspection areas that are like giant car shows. Go to the vendor areas around dinner time when crowds have thinned. Watch a couple auctions early evening when some nice cars come up. Then finish off the day in the new car section, get more swag. Essentially work the event backward from the general crowd.

How many of these got cannibalized just for their steering rack? Probably an extremely low percentage of Pintos are still on the road? I think of going to my uncle's house back in the '90s where he had an entire hillside covered in Mustang IIs with their front suspensions removed.

Someone please explain WHY the Pinto / Mustang II front suspension is so damn popular for rods?

It wasn't particularly good, as I recall.

Duke said:

Someone please explain WHY the Pinto / Mustang II front suspension is so damn popular for rods?

It wasn't particularly good, as I recall.

High availability, Low price.

Indy-Guy said:

Duke said:

Someone please explain WHY the Pinto / Mustang II front suspension is so damn popular for rods?

It wasn't particularly good, as I recall.

High availability, Low price.

Narrow track width which is perfect for already narrow cars.

Ranger50 said:

Indy-Guy said:

Duke said:

Someone please explain WHY the Pinto / Mustang II front suspension is so damn popular for rods?

It wasn't particularly good, as I recall.

High availability, Low price.

Narrow track width which is perfect for already narrow cars.

And the design opened up a lot of space under the hood. I could barely fit a 351 in my 65 mustang, but if you get rid of the giant shock towers a big block will fit. Also the bulk of the people using them werent trying to build things focused on cornering.

I was able to go to the Mecum auction a few days before it started.  All the cars are there for inspection, no one really around.  I was surprised at how crappy many of the cars were.  Paint jobs that looked great from 10' and would look wonderful on TV but when you got up closer there was obvious paint runs, orange peel etc. 

Truly a buyer beware situation...

What I haven't figured out is how to capitalize on the silly cheap stuff that gets sold purely because the seller didn't understand the audience.  I watch form time to time in the off peak sections where late model Euro cars go for hilariously low prices. 

I didn't think about the swag factor pointed out.  I might have to check one of the events out with 84FSP junior.

Ian F said:

BoostedBrandon said:

I always said it's like a car show on TV. Is it my first choice? No. But it's January, there's nothing else car related on TV and I don't want to be outside any longer than necessary.

Yeah... but now there's YouTube... 

I bet it's streaming live on YouTube. I'll have to try to find it tonight. Good show to fall asleep on the couch with.

Hot rods are a thing that should NOT be sold at BJ, but definitely should be purchased.  I have seen stuff go across there that is way, way too personal a vision to attract a big bidding audience, and go for money that you could easily double or more by parting it out. There was some hideous deuce went last year for way less than the blown big block would cost to build. 

I think Barret Jackson and then Mecum attract the deep pocket crowd more then other auctions. It as much of a “place to be seen” be able tell others “I bought a car at BJ”and also prove to others “ I can afford anything I want”. We have all watched cars sell for way more then they are actually worth or could be purchased for less elsewhere. Unfortunately it drives up the price of cars because other smaller auction prices never get published. 

I do like the early in the week auctions as they as they reflect more realistic pricing. However by the weekend most of the cars sold seem over priced and probably become garage art never to see the light of day again. That being said I wold like to attend a BJ auction as a non bidder just to see the cars and all the things not seen in the TV broadcast.

As for more corvair from yesterday 

MotorsportsGordon said:

As for more corvair from yesterday 

that makes me angry

Man. There are so many of us out there that  don’t mind the skeletal structure of an auction like this, but can’t really stand the absurd prices and the clientele, and the genre of cars. Perhaps, what some of us should do, is start a poor man’s auction of unique cars. And I will say the caps On prices for final selling is $20,000.

 Oh, and then when things start getting more popular, we can increase the prices and get completely out of control and lose our Fanbase. I’m thinking about calling it “bring a trailer“.

AngryCorvair said:

MotorsportsGordon said:

As for more corvair from yesterday 

that makes me angry

That’s disgusting. Rampsides haven’t been worth more than $20k Concourse. Corvair people getting pissed that these prices are skyrocketing for absolutely no reason. 

These people buying these Corvairs at auction for these insane prices have no clue how much of a hit they’re going to take if they’re planning on flipping. 

I've been to several Barrett-Jackson and Mecum auctions.   Keep in mind, the "star cars" usually dominate the juicy time slots on T.V.  

Both of these auction houses sell reasonably priced cars--- -they just aren't on T.V. at 8pm.   I just got back from the Mecum Kissimmee auction and you guys would have loved it!   Thousands of cars up for sale, with most falling in between $20K and $70K.  That's pretty reasonable money  for most car collectors, or enthusiast who have been saving up for their "dream car".   The variety was pretty awesome too--- with tons of Porsches, Triumphs, and I even saw a mint / bone-stock ND RX-7.  

Also, keep in mind there are a ton of folks who still love muscle cars.  You may not be one of them, and that's ok.   Just because you don't like a 67 Chevelle SS--- that doesn't make it a bad car.  They sell these cars because there is a huge demand for them.   If there was a huge demand for the old Civic Si --- you'd see them at auction too, maybe you will in 10 years....maybe not.   

Don't let the T.V. fool you.  There are good values to be had at both of these auctions.  There's also hidden gems that don't get the T.V. coverage--- and those are usually the best buys.   People pay top dollar for muscle cars at B&J and Mecum, but that MGA might slip through the cracks.   There are always good deals---- you just have to hunt for them.   

SyntheticBlinkerFluid said:

AngryCorvair said:

that makes me angry

That’s disgusting.

Geez, calm down guys.    It's their money, they can spend it however they want.  Besides, it just makes your Corvairs more valuable.

$70,000 for a Rampside!!!  Wow,  I am guessing they are thinking it's somehow similar to a VW bus!

I know someone who just got a LOT richer. He has the nicest Rampside I have ever seen, likely at least as nice as that one.  Hopefully this does not mean he will stop driving it around, that would be shame.

Yes, normally that car would pull at MOST $20,000.  Heck, it isn' even that rare.  Now, a 61-2 Loadside, that's a bit rare (less than 3000 made, only 400 in 62).

Do I care?  No.

I drive my cars, I don't sell them.

(heck, maybe some of those hard to find parts will be reproduced now!)

Yipe!  I'm a lifelong Corvair fan (pun intended) but these prices are just nuts!  Was the Stinger a Corvair Yenko, or one of the Novas that also carried the Stinger name for a while? 70K for a Rampside?  Back when we were stage rallying a '66 turbo 35 years ago our service truck was a van that had been specially ordered by a utility company with windows on the passenger side and no windows on the driver's side (so they could put tool racks on that side), powered by a 140.  Just a utility vehicle, but probably pretty rare, wonder what it would be worth today if it were well restored?

Wish I still had my first car, a '63 Monza 102/4 speed with the one-year only 3.08 final drive that my dad ordered because he was a gas mileage nut.  Talk about rare.

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

Or Pontiac weirdos.

A couple of years ag, I was hanging out at my friends shop that specializes in Mustangs.  A customers car was on the lift,a 69 Mach I Mustang. The guy got it at a BJ Auction.  Paint and interior were beautiful.  But... The end links were threaded rod with dollar store nuts and washers. The fuel lines were held up with zip ties, and the clutch linkage was flopping around.  God only knows how the rest of the car was mechanically. The guy paid over $45,0000 all in.  My opinion, worth maybe half the $, if that.

I have a Muscle, Classics and Sports Car Trader magazine/paper from 1998 sitting around. This publication was Ohio-only and is literally hundreds of pages of Old Muscle with of course some 3rd and 4th Gen F-bodies, Foxes, SN95s and C4 Corvettes. Almost no cars were over $20k, with most decent Old Muscle $8-15k. Very little in the way of European or Japanese cars -- nearly none. Certainly some of the Old Muscles have been wrecked or wound up in much worse shape over 20 years, but it was staggering to me how common the cars were. Hundreds of pages of cool cars for sale just that one week in Ohio! It's fascinating. Things people are trying to find today like Integras, GLH-Ses, DSMs, Supras, Celicas, 190Es, E30 M3s, 964s etc. JUST DON'T EXIST as compared to Old Muscle, F-Bodies, Mustangs and Corvettes.

These people are supposed to be "experts" in the vehicles...