RE: [Chrysler300] 1961G convert?

["Samuel Cohen scohen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300]" <Chrysler300-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I buy cars I want to keep and often end up underwater value wise, but I buy them because I love them. I bought a 71 Challenger for $200 when I was 14 so 30 years later I restored a Challenger convertible. It will never be worth what I put into it, but when I took my 85 year old neighbor and saw the grin on his faced when I floored it, it was worth it. Driving with me in one of my old cars, my leadfoot Mom has never once suggested I slow down, though on her 10th birthday my daughter suggested I slow down to 90 passing the neighbor’s house. Those are the memories you don’t forget.

I have been looking for a G convertible preferably or a coupe to enjoy as is restore. I saw this auction listing and decided not to go when I figured out it wasn’t black originally and couldn’t get any additional information from the auction house. Auctions always seemed to me a very bad place to buy or sell a quality car. Hence the saying, not all auction cars are bad, but all bad cars go to auction. Auctions are always good for the auction house – they collect commission from the buyer and seller in most cases plus fees – they never lose. Auctions are also good for dealers. They pick up the cars that had no one clamoring for them that day and get a big mark up by taking more time to market them.

I collect 56-61 Mopars, particularly convertibles and they’re hard to find. For a while, I checked out auction listings, but in my experience as a potential auction buyer, the auction houses are not willing to provide any detailed information or photos. If you show up in person, you often have to spend a day for the preview and the auction with limited access to the car and generally can’t drive it. It’s also impossible to predict if the prices are going to be reasonable and worth spending $1000-2000 for travel and inspection, let alone your time. Often auction cars are the ones that look good when viewed from 20 feet away and split second purchase decisions are regretted. Also, there are often multiple interesting cars from a collection and you don’t know if one further down the auction sales order might be a better deal.

For the seller at auction, they have to pay shipping, seller’s commission and pay for good placement. Many auctions are no reserve or charge more for a reserve. I have several friends whose cars ended up in the rain and were auctioned off at a lousy time slot and they really lost out. If I bid at an auction, it’s only because I think can’t find the car elsewhere and I have inspected it more diligently than other bidders and have some confidence in the car. I went to a rural auction last year and was the only one willing to crawl under cars in the rain to inspect them. The car I went to bid on didn’t have the correct displacement engine. Another I considered was not a factory convertible. Neither of these key facts were listed in the auction materials.

I did buy a very solid 61 Imperial convertible at auction last year, but only after paying someone I trusted to drive 400 miles to inspect it. Bidding on the phone, I wasn’t even sure exactly what I paid for it until I played back the recording from the auction. I’d much rather buy a known car from an enthusiast in a club than an auction.

Sam Cohen  |  President  |  scohen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:scohen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>  |  (510) 482-4420 x222   |  449 15th Street, 4th Floor. Oakland CA 94612<https://www.google.com/maps/place/449+15th+St,+Oakland,+CA+94612/@37.804946,-122.2702854,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x808f80b3d066a949:0xb4504afa7b1ef498>
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From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 'Ron Waters' ronbo97@xxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300]
Sent: Saturday, January 30, 2016 7:03 AM
To: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] 1961G convert?




I was at B-J last year. 'When' your car crosses the block and 'where' it is displayed for previewing isn't always a random decision. From what I understand, people will pay for a better auction day/time, with Saturday night being the most desirable. Also, there is the option of displaying your car indoors or outdoors. I sense that the owner of this car didn't want to pay-for-play, so he ended up at a less desirable time and display-wise, found himself wedged between dumb and dumber.

Another first hand observation was that with some cars, the auctioneer would hold them on the block if he thought they would bring more $$$, while others were rifled across in 30 - 45 seconds.

Ron



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Posted by: Samuel Cohen <scohen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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