This week, I’m attending the classic car auctions in Arizona, including Barrett Jackson, RM and Kruse. This is the first in a series of blogs from Scottsdale.
Wednesday
Fellow car appraisers might not agree on everything, (Okay, they don’t agree on much…) but one thing that has become universal in automobile appraisal is what I’ll call “the Barrett Jackson effect”
The Barrett Jackson effect happens when anyone anywhere decides to sell an antique, classic, special interest or exotic car. Something in his mind snaps and the seller decides that his car is –
1. Just as nice as the one on TV, and
2. Should be worth as much to anyone locally as with the feeding frenzy of 5,000 pre-qualified bidders chasing after 1,500 cars.
Reality check – even if your car is a nice as the one you saw sell on SPEED last night, you likely don’t have the marketing skills nor the numbers of interested buyers that a powerhouse auction organization such as Barrett Jackson does.
Barrett Jackson is to be congratulated in doing the good job that they do. But don’t forget some of the basics. Barrett Jackson Scottsdale 2006 is an all no reserve auction. The final bidder with their hand in the air goes home with the car. It costs money, often big money, to take a car to a sale. Trailering, lost work time, entrance fees and commissions added to a few nights in a hotel, tickets home and a rental car all enter into the final equation.
Dave Kinney