Best place to sell my corvettes

[Michael J.]

Re: Best place to sell my corvettes

There was a guy in our club years ago who had a real black 67 427 coupe NOM he restored himself. He drove it to B-J paid the Saturday premium and two guys got in a bidding war and he got $160k for it- it did have a chapter top flight. It's a risky proposition, but more and more B-J Scottsdale is a place where rich guys go to flaunt their wealth.

Since I have one going across the block on Saturday the 27th, I do hope you are correct here.....

[Mark E.]

Re: Best place to sell my corvettes

Aren't auctions a good place to sell a car with hidden problems?

I never bought/sold at an auction, and prefer a private sale where I can thoroughly inspect and drive the car.

[Michael J.]

Re: Best place to sell my corvettes

Private sale with thorough inspection and a drive, especially from someone you know, is obviously the best, but not all cars are available that way. In an auction when the hammer falls, it is your car. I have only bought one car through a typical auction like Mecum. It was in Kansas City in December, with a snow and ice storm approaching. I thought I inspected it well, checking all the fluids, etc. but unfortunately I could not test the antifreeze. I thought I got a good deal for an original engine Cougar XR7 428 Cobra Jet. On the way to NM on the transporter it spent a night in single digit country and arrived with a cracked block. So much for the original engine.

[Mark E.]

Re: Best place to sell my corvettes

I'm so sorry Michael. That's a heartbreaker.

[Michael J.]

Re: Best place to sell my corvettes

Thanks, it took a few months to find a properly dated 428 CJ block for a replacement, but of course I could not say it was the original engine anymore. Luckily, Cougar folks are a lot less concerned with that than Corvette folks are.

[Danny P.]

Re: Best place to sell my corvettes

I like Bring a trailer but be ready to answer alot of questions from all the experts !! and make sure you post the casting and part numbers along with all the photos and video's of the car, the better you can describe the car the less question , you don't ship the car anywhere you set your reserve and you wait.

[Mark E.]

Re: Best place to sell my corvettes

I like Bring a trailer but be ready to answer alot of questions from all the experts !! and make sure you post the casting and part numbers along with all the photos and video's of the car, the better you can describe the car the less question , you don't ship the car anywhere you set your reserve and you wait.

Sounds like a good option for sellers. Any idea how many bidders inspect the car in-person beforehand? It seems risky (to not inspect) or inconvenient (to inspect) for remote bidders.

[Michael J.]

Re: Best place to sell my corvettes

Having bought and sold on BaT, I have found the videos and tons of detailed pictures are about as good as any inspection or drive. But be aware that many NCRS, Mustang Club of America, and Shelby American Auto Club members and judges make a hobby out of critiquing the cars they are familiar with in the questions and comments. Good for buyers, annoying, or can be, to owners.

[Duke W.]

Re: Best place to sell my corvettes

When known experts positively comment on a car, that can really boost interest and the price. But there are also some moron trolls who might try to discredit a legit car though they are usually outed by the real experts.

Most BaT auctions are for 7 days, but it's possible to get 10 if you really press. This doesn't give a lot of time for potential buyers to plan out a long distance trip like coast to coast, but if you're local it's a good idea to personally inspect.

Sellers also need to understand that to maintain credibility they need to keep up with what's going on. Look at the Web site several times a day and answer all reasonable questions in a timely and courteous manner. Also keep adding more information, photos, history, etc. That will keep serious buyers there to the end.

BaT gives you at least 7 days to market the car and you don't have to drag it off to auction and hang around for three days to get no more than a couple of minutes on the block. The auctions have a lot of junk and fakes. The last one I went to, B-J in Phoenix nearly 15 years ago, had a '65 "396" with a four digit sequence number... an obvious fake, but who knew back then.

BaT sorts out the wheat from the chaff. If you've got a primo car BaT is your friend. If much less than that, take it to an auction.

Hector did a great job managing his '67 L-71 BaT auction, but I have another friend who sold a primo vintage 911 and got so stressed out I thought he was going to have a heart attack!

Duke

[Mark S.]

Re: Best place to sell my corvettes

Duke has some very valid points when selling on BAT. I first used BAT to sell my 56 and I had several trolls trying to pick out something that might detract from the sale. With that, I also had several knowledgeable supporters that came to my defense. In one instance, there was one very caustic troll that kept coming after me. When that happened, another Corvette seller contacted the management at BAT and had the troll censored. BAT may not allow you all the information that you want to market your Corvette; however, this is where you supply your extra information in the comments section of BAT. One surprising thing that happened was that my Corvette sold a bit under my reserve price and BAT picked up the difference.