Mecum Auction on now - Results

[Floyd]

Not car related, but caught my eye:

$4200+  - https://www.mecum.com/lots/FR0119-365149/dodge-sst/

$3200+ - https://www.mecum.com/lots/FR0119-365146/rapid-transit-system-plymouth-ssl/

[RUNCHARGER]

I guess going to an auction is like buying a 1 year old used car off a car lot all right. You pay extra so you can compare a few of them side by side. I would feel like a sucker if I bought a car at an auction.

[JH27N0B]

Not car related, but caught my eye:

$4200+  - https://www.mecum.com/lots/FR0119-365149/dodge-sst/

$3200+ - https://www.mecum.com/lots/FR0119-365146/rapid-transit-system-plymouth-ssl/

Are either or both of those your reproductions you used to sell Bruce?  Or originals?
I love vintage automobile showroom signs, and petroleum related signs. However, the prices have gotten ridiculous and there are so many repros out there being passed off as original, I feel like collecting these items beyond what I already have is out of the question now.

[pyro273]

I guess going to an auction is like buying a 1 year old used car off a car lot all right. You pay extra so you can compare a few of them side by side. I would feel like a sucker if I bought a car at an auction.

I think that they are a good way to get a decent car provided the price is right, but a man's got to know his limitations.  Find a car or cars, decide what you feel they are worth and stick to that decision.  At BJ, where almost everything is NR, you just might get lucky but usually there are most than a few true suckers there who either just don't know better or have more money than brains to kill the dream. 

[Floyd]

Brad - Those are the reproductions I made back in the late 90s.  They were licensed by Chrysler, but neither sign was a direct copy of anything Chrysler ever made.  While many people are aware of the much larger and original backlit Scat Pack Bee Sign, to my knowledge there was no equivalent Rapid Transit System backlit sign ever made by Chrysler.

I see that the signs that sold at Meecum were part of a collection of signs.  I am not sure how they were represented, but I have to think that the bidder(s) thought they were vintage.  If so, that's a bummer. 

As for the big original Bee signs, there are repros of those out there as well.  You really have to be careful when buying this kind of stuff!

[JH27N0B]

I bought my '71 at an auction in 2010, and did OK.  But I do feel I took a gamble, and am not sure if I'd feel comfortable buying another car at one.  For any mid to high level car, one needs to do their homework and learn everything about the cars they are interested in before going to the auction.  There usually isn't much information available there.  Rarely is the owner handy to ask questions.  You can't test drive the car, at most and at best, an auction rep might start the engine up for you.
You can go in the interior, and dig around under the hood, but more often than not, the trunks are locked.  After I bought my 71 I opened the trunk and found no jack, no spare, nothing but a cheap trunk mat.
There are some professional inspectors available, and it's often worth hiring them to an evaluate a potential purchase unless you are able to find out about the car's history through prior research.
For low level cars, it's a big gamble, as you can buy a 10-15K car and not find until after you buy it that it needs major mechanical work!
There are good deals to be had, but also there are buyers who've gotten royally screwed!

[RUNCHARGER]

I guess the other thing is that time is money. You can fly into an auction and inspect and bid on maybe 5 cars rather than fly somewhere to look at one and maybe come home empty handed. You do that 5 times and it runs up a pretty big bill and a lot of time wasted.

[JH27N0B]

We could go way off topic on this thread talking about the collector car marketplace, methods to buy and sell.  Probably best discussed sometime in a dedicated thread.  But for better or for worse, auctions have become a big part of the marketplace now, and for one seeking a rare car, they can't be dismissed entirely, as some cars just don't turn up for sale often.  Back in the mid 90s when I was in my early 30s and decided I wanted a Challenger convertible, I spent over 2 years looking at classifieds in places like Hemmings and Mopar Collector Guide searching for one before I succeeded in my goal.
I've got several cars on my list of ones I'd like to own someday, and if space and budget allow me to seriously search for one of these cars, and if one turns up at an upcoming auction, I certainly will consider bidding on it, regardless of my reservations about auction games.  I'm not getting any younger and I might not live long enough to find one any other way!