You all probably know all this but, having been in the middle of the BJ fiasco, I strongly urge you not to buy anything there without a thorough (yes the rubber gloves) inspection. That includes all the paperwork and the exhaustive restoration photo gallery and especially the guru authentication reports. And, in my opinion, buy nothing over the phone..
Now, a word about the phantom bid. Watch for the phantom bidder that the auctioneer just seems to pull out of the air to raise the bids and watch how many times the bid is interrupted as the auctioneer asks the ring man way in the back if his bidder's bid is confirmed at $yyy and oops, that bid is recinded and the real bidder’s last and lower bid is the live one.
Watch out for exuberant, well-lit, re-bidder who should clasp both hands around their umpteenth cocktail and keep either one from urging the bid up senselessly. Cars run every 2:30 on the block. It happens soo fast and they keep it going that way to urge the bidder to rebid quickly. They’re skillful subcontractors, the best in the business.
Been watching the Mecum results at Kissimmee? A different crowd but a good bell weather in my opinion. A very many of the best cars this year aren’t making their reserves.
Buyer and seller each pay 10%, plus the run fee. When transaction costs get that high, only the buyer and seller suffer.
BJ decides where to put you > Thursday at 9 AM or Wednesday at 7:10 PM. And make sure if you’re early in the docket on any day that there are real cars ahead of you for all the docket numbers or you’ll find yourself thinking your car crosses the block an hour later than it actually does. You run too early before the real money shows up and, at no reserve, you lose. I know that for sure. ‘Oh, the other cars just didn’t show up, sorry (after the fact)’. I have no proof, I have only hours and days of personal experience and I’m not very happy.
If you wanna buy a car in January, get to the owner early and often and shake it out. Last year, I met one guy who had 93 cars in the auction and know of a few others with 15 or more. Think they know what each car is? And when you’re bringing that much commission business to BJ, do you think every vendor gets a fair shake?
Wanna find a reasonable deal at an auction? Look at Russo and Steeles docket list and get over to their set up at Talking Stick. The in crowd knows, if you wanna buy a car in Phoenix in January, go to Russo and Steele; if you wanna sell one, put it up at BJ's and take your chances.
In my search for Imperials and Letter cars, source cars through our network, our site, our references. Then build a relationship with the seller and go and visit him if you can. Oddly, and thankfully, we all have a responsibility to tell the truth and build trust with each other. Never know when you’ll meet up with the guy you bought a car from later on down the road. Nice to be able to share the memories of what was an honest negotiation at a fair price.
M.
Hello 300’ly to all!
Just finished reviewing the entire docket of offerings at this year's B-J Scottsdale auction. Two Letter Cars: a G hardtop in black with red interior? Special order color? Steering wheel had red also. Not sure if correct interior, and a gorgeous E Hardtop. Five Demons (2018), beautiful ’56 Chrysler convertible, ’60 Fury convertible, and “58 Dodge D500 convertible. Fabulous ’63 Imperial Southampton. Several ’64 Plymouth Fury convertibles and hardtops. Looks to be a fun time! Info. regarding the G interior accuracy would be appreciated. Rob Kern
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