Estate sale (not mine)

[HawaiiH20]

I was browsing through Craigslist and stumbled across this ad, my apologies if it's a duplicate.  This isn't my ad, but I thought someone would be interested.  There are hundreds of parts.

 

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/d/san-jose-buick-reatta-estate-sale/7055331351.html

[DAVES89]

I feel sorry for the family. Maybe Steveskyhawk might be interested...

[Barney Eaton]

Art Kaufman was a BCA technical advisor for Reattas for several years.    He pass away at least 10 years ago and his son has handled the cars and parts since his passing.   We often talked on the phone but I never met him in person.   I hope they can move the parts and cars..... I often think about the future of my "stuff",

I don't have that many Reatta parts,  but I have lots of NOS Corvair stuff,  literature, car books,  etc.   This is a dilemma for anyone that has accumulated  hobby

stuff over their lifetime.  

 

[B Jake Moran]

That seller is in fantasyland.  $30,000 obo?  I have never seen a collector car market completely fold like for the Reatta.  They are worthless. I get it, they are not worthless if you own one and are enjoying it.   But whether it's the convertibles Jim posted in the U Pick It Yard or this ad or it's me unable to give away my NOS parts, this is a total tire fire for a market for a supposed collector car.  I have a few reconditioned power window switches from Jim I will have to toss as well. 

 

$30,000!  I need to clean up my desk after laughing while drinking coffee.  I threw away 6 NOS wheel covers.  The 1988 #105 the oldest remaining Reatta left went to a guy for $500 and I doubt he restores it, so it will be crushed.    The reason the Reatta convertibles were in the U Pick It was because they have no resale value.  It probably ran and drove just fine, but when placed on Craigs List for a fair price, normally speaking, you get crickets. 

 

Drive your cars until you can't then send them to the crusher. 

[victorialynn2]

On 1/15/2020 at 6:18 PM, Barney Eaton said:

 

I don't have that many Reatta parts,  but I have lots of NOS Corvair stuff,  literature, car books,  etc.   This is a dilemma for anyone that has accumulated  hobby

stuff over their lifetime.  

I had to liquidate my dad’s stuff. He had a lot of literature, magazines and books, which I sadly had a hard time giving away. Some I had to dump. He had a lot of NOS parts (Corvair and others), that I didn’t have time to identify, so I put them in a pile and sold them for $100 or so at a garage sale. @JackM can attest to that. 

 

Sadly, the time to deal with his stuff cost more in lost work for me than the value of what he had. To put it in perspective, his estate of 12 old cars and parts from his 7500 sq ft of garages, including land (9+ acres), and buildings (2 shops), and his home, had a retail value of maybe $400k, at best. I lost more than that in lost wages to deal with it, and take care of him, and it was 2200 miles away, so there was travel expenses, etc. Being in a hurry, I didn’t get anywhere near that value. I still have to sell the real estate and have a few things left to deal with and it’s been over 5 years. 

My father had Alzheimer’s, and taking care of him and trying not to sell too fast to avoid capitol gains, all complicated my situation. 

 

Please think about what your collection will mean to your successors. It bankrupted me. It would have been so much easier to care for my father if he’d have liquidated most of this before hand. I would have been able to spend more time with him and less time dealing with selling also. Dealing with grief complicates it even more. I know my father didn’t intend to burden me with his hobby, and I know none of you do either. Please make a plan. 

[Y-JobFan]

1 hour ago, B Jake Moran said:

That seller is in fantasyland.  $30,000 obo?  I have never seen a collector car market completely fold like for the Reatta.  They are worthless. I get it, they are not worthless if you own one and are enjoying it.   But whether it's the convertibles Jim posted in the U Pick It Yard or this ad or it's me unable to give away my NOS parts, this is a total tire fire for a market for a supposed collector car.  I have a few reconditioned power window switches from Jim I will have to toss as well. 

 

$30,000!  I need to clean up my desk after laughing while drinking coffee.  I threw away 6 NOS wheel covers.  The 1988 #105 the oldest remaining Reatta left went to a guy for $500 and I doubt he restores it, so it will be crushed.    The reason the Reatta convertibles were in the U Pick It was because they have no resale value.  It probably ran and drove just fine, but when placed on Craigs List for a fair price, normally speaking, you get crickets. 

 

Drive your cars until you can't then send them to the crusher. 

Better let the fellow that just paid 9 grand for the one I just sold know that the market folded, and better remind me of that as I just spent more than that for one I just added to the collection.  Nice you offered the 6 NOS wheel covers here before tossing them

 

 

[Ronnie]

4 hours ago, victorialynn2 said:

Please think about what your collection will mean to your successors.

 

@victorialynn2 You and I are on the same page.  I only allow myself to have one old car at a time and a few spare parts to keep it going. Right now it happens to be a Reatta.  I have told my wife and daughter to sell it for whatever they can get out of it or give it to a friend or family member if they have to when I'm gone and not worry about it.   I think what you wrote about the experience you've had with your father's cars should be a wake up call to all of us who are well into our retirement years.  Thank you for sharing your story.

[victorialynn2]

If anyone went and read my posts for the last 5 years on here and saw what I went through, I am sure they would make sure they had a plan. My struggle is well documented on here and I hope it opens some eyes. 

I also appreciate all the help I got from everyone. I couldn’t have done it without the help of many here and many others in my “real” life. 

[victorialynn2]

5 hours ago, Y-JobFan said:

Better let the fellow that just paid 9 grand for the one I just sold know that the market folded, and better remind me of that as I just spent more than that for one I just added to the collection.  Nice you offered the 6 NOS wheel covers here before tossing them

 

 

I frequently sold my dad’s cars for more than people estimated. The seller should do their own research and price accordingly, of course. 

[padgett]

What gets me is no description or pictures of the six Reattas (but is keeping the nice ones). Not interested since on the left coast (isn't Milpitas near Goleta ?)

I have one set of 15x6 wheels and is enough, mine have 16x7s though I have a set of 17x8s.

 

If someone was close and had a semi $10-$15k sounds about right depending on the car's condition.

 

Just sold my 90 vert, 16ways, respray, haartz top for a bit over $5k after six months of trying.

 

Wouldn't say the market has folded, there never was one except for some exceptional cars.

 

Am keeping my coupe because I like it but want only retractibles for 'verts any more (kinda vaguely looking for an XLR but have two SLKs).