Choose which auction would have the roadsters you would be interested in by viewing their online catalog which will include pictures and a comprehensive description of the vehicles that will be up for sale on a particular date. Most offer a free of charge viewing period for prospective buyers.
Keep in mind that sale companies usually charge a 10% buyers premium for which they will do as much vetting as possible to ensure that the car is what the sellers says it is, and you need to consider this to determine your maximum bid. Auction companies do a great job of bringing a large number of qualified buyers to view your vehicle in person, online and through television.
The cost for you to assemble an audience of that size would be much higher than the seller’s premium you will be charged for this service. You may be thinking you could sell your vehicle better on your own, and that could be true.
You can attend a sale to view a specific year/make/model only to come across a different year/make/model more suitable for what you are looking that you hadn’t considered before. Just because you have always wanted a particular roadster does not mean you should own it.
The more cars you can investigate by going to an auction, the more likely you are to find a classic vehicle that fits your budget, your skill set for maintaining it, and your dreams for owning one. More often than not, the rare and historic roadsters that are sold at sale will go into to private collections or museums.
A day at a collector car auction can be one of the most educational adventures one can have outside of going to a museum. Each vehicle seems to have a story or history lesson whether it’s about technology, artistry or innovation within the automotive industry.
Many people have partially finished restoration projects hanging around the garage, or a project rotting in the barn. Attending an sale can be a motivator for getting you off your rear and actually doing something about finishing the restoration.
When restoring a classic roadster, you can photograph like models found at the many auction events. These pictures may prove invaluable as you look to them for reference when putting the vehicle back together.
You will also start to realize the care and detail you will need to take in restoring a roadster to concourse levels by the examples you will see at sales. Or if you want your vehicle to be an everyday driver, you can find ideas for smart conversions to make the car more amiable for today’s conditions.
If you are more than the casual hobbyist, and may at some point want to participate in the buying and selling of vehicles, you need to be at an auction for the true insights and education on the health and wealth of the classic roadster market. Too many people make general statements regarding health or decline of collector vehicle values based on sales at recent sales.
Each car will have its own value dependent of the condition, documentation and desirability regardless of what an identical year, make and model sold for, and you can only determine that with a full inspection. The auction itself is often crowded, noisy and bizarre with showmen making their presence felt upon all gathered.
The sellers are nervous and wondering if the roadster will bid up to undreamt of heights or will they be slinking away with a reserve not met. All the emotions get put on display…greed, avarice, joy, fear, surprise, disgust, anger, anticipation and trust.
If you ever plan to buy or sell a vehicle at sale, you need to be prepared for this drama. And most of the large auctions are being televised now and stream live feed on huge screens that surround the auction block knowing that no one wants to look like a penny pincher in front of such a huge audience.
Tommy Greene has worked as an auctioneer for the past 18 years and written hundreds of articles about penny auctions and Bidsauce.
Contact Info:
Tom Selwick
Tom Selwick09@gmail.com
http://www.bidsauce.com
In January 2010, Scottsdale, Arizona will morph into the epicenter of the collector car world, with more classic vehicles for sale than any other weekend of the year. What began as Russ Jackson’s interest in Tom Barrett’s V-16 Cadillac Town car in 1967 has grown into a series of auctions with hundreds of millions of dollars in classic car sales in a 7-day period. Here’s a look at what to expect at the 2010 Scottsdale Classic Car Auction week.
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