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Selling 6 classic cars, not sure where to start.


hashuman

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Today I took a deep dive into the internet world of classic cars. My dad is retiring and I'm trying to sell many of the cars from the collection that he built with his dad. I have no idea where to start and thought maybe there would be some bored people out there working from home that might be able to give me advice! All of these cars need to ideally be sold by September, so we are very motivated to sell. As far as I know, all of them run and have been kept in a temperature-controlled garage for as long as I can remember. He's had all of them for at least 25 years and before he passed, my grandfather very passionately took care of them. Unfortunately, there is no one to love them right now, so we're trying to sell them. We are located in metro-Detroit. Here's what we have:

 

-1931 Chrysler Deluxe 8 Coupe
-1917 Ford Model T Touring

-1928 Dodge Victory Six Coupe

-1933 Plymouth Model PC 4 Dr

-1925 Chrysler B-70 Phaeton

-1909 Maxwell Model A, Runabout

 

Again, they're all in very solid condition and run. Additionally, many have them have won like literally dozens of awards. For example, the Dodge won a senior national first prize in 1986, which according to my dad is important information. 

 

Truly any information on how to price and sell these would be helpful. I've attached a photo as well. Thank you for any advice, I know I'm in over my head!

IMG_3154.JPG

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Classic Auto Showplace might be worth investigating as a consignment shop.  They don't have many pre-war cars in stock, but might recommend someone else. 

https://classicautoshowplace.com/vehicles

 

If your Dad is a member of the Walter P. Chrysler Club, advertise in their monthly  magazine.  

 

You could also call a number of Chrysler-Dodge dealers in the Tri-County area and find out if the owner is looking for something to display.  Better yet, show up with one of the cars and see if anyone working there might be interested in buying.

 

Good luck! 

  

 

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Selling six cars by September requires a fast sale, and selling cars takes time. They look very nicely kept and displayed. An auction might be a good choice to get them all sold. RM Sotheby, Bonhams and others come to mind, provided they can be stored until the sale date. At auction, you remove yourself from the hassles of the sales process. If you have prices in mind, you can list them on this Forum (free), the HCCA Forum "Sale" section, the Model T on the MTFCA Forum "Cars For Sale" forum (free).

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To sell fast they're going to have to sell cheap, and even then it is going to be a slog. Sadly, cars like these struggle to find homes at any price, although this forum is a good place to start if you're willing to sell them inexpensively. Lots of guys here appreciate cars like your father's but most of us already have toys in the garage so a buy has to make financial sense. An auction is an option if you're willing to cut them loose for whatever bid you get, but unfortunately, most auction houses right now are either not doing any auctions or are doing only online auctions. While that can be a valid route, it does require some extra work on your part to get them prepped for sale and photographed properly, which can have a big impact on values.

 

There's always eBay with a no-reserve auction as well. Probably not the best way to net top dollar and there are plenty of deadbeats there, but without a reserve it should shake out most of the sport bidders.

 

Sad as I am to say it, price is the only thing that matters anymore. Nobody asks, "How nice is it?" they only ask, "How cheaply can I get it?"

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A year and a half ago I sold my restored '70 Chevelle SS 396 to Vanguard Motor Sales in Plymouth, Michigan which they resold a month later priced at $74,900. I know your cars aren't worth that kind of money but they sell "muscle cars and more" so since they're also in the Detroit area like you are I would recommend giving them a call. They're not a consignment place-they would pay you cash for your cars and then resell them through their website or from their showroom in Plymouth. I was very happy with the way they handled the transaction, shipping, etc. with my Chevelle. Check out their website at www.vanguardmotorsales.com for more info. The guy I dealt with was named Don Rinke (drinke3@yahoo.com). If you want more info first before you contact them then feel free to call me at 502-767-7773. My name is Dave. Good luck....

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2 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

To sell fast they're going to have to sell cheap, and even then it is going to be a slog. Sadly, cars like these struggle to find homes at any price, although this forum is a good place to start if you're willing to sell them inexpensively. Lots of guys here appreciate cars like your father's but most of us already have toys in the garage so a buy has to make financial sense. An auction is an option if you're willing to cut them loose for whatever bid you get, but unfortunately, most auction houses right now are either not doing any auctions or are doing only online auctions. While that can be a valid route, it does require some extra work on your part to get them prepped for sale and photographed properly, which can have a big impact on values.

 

There's always eBay with a no-reserve auction as well. Probably not the best way to net top dollar and there are plenty of deadbeats there, but without a reserve it should shake out most of the sport bidders.

 

Sad as I am to say it, price is the only thing that matters anymore. Nobody asks, "How nice is it?" they only ask, "How cheaply can I get it?"

Matt: Saw your Buick in the AACA magazine received today.  It continues to be a beautiful car.

 

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I would suggest listing them on Bring a Trailer one car every week or two.  $95 for a 7 day listing and you take the photos.  If they take the photos it is less than $300.  Either way you will be assigned a listing assistant who will write the add and take care of the mechanics of listing.  You can place a reserve if you like but No Reserve listings sell better.  Sign up for their daily emails to get familiar with the system.  They sell 40-60 cars every day and have a large following.  If you use a reserve and the car doesn't sell you can go to plan B.  Just my opinion.

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I looked up NADA values for some of your cars. The guide only goes back to 1926, so all your cars aren't listed.

-1931 Chrysler Deluxe 8 Coupe Average Retail $16200 High Retail $28000
-1917 Ford Model T Touring Not Listed

-1928 Dodge Victory Six Coupe Average Retail $6975 High Retail $10350

-1933 Plymouth Model PC 4 Dr Average Retail $6225 High Retail $9600

-1925 Chrysler B-70 Phaeton Not Listed

-1909 Maxwell Model A, Runabout Not Listed

 

This may help give you some idea.

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I would be interested in more info and pictures of these vehicles and whether or not they would be available for anyone to have the opportunity to inspect them in person.

Thanks! JohnB AACA member# 012941. Email: paradocs@palacenet.net  or  johnbergan925@gmail.com

 

 

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2 hours ago, old car fan said:

Nada will not help actual  auction  prices would 

I will disagree slightly with your comment. Yes, auction prices may help, but auction prices may be inflated by the fact that more than 1 person is interested in buying a particular car at a specific point in time. If you plan to put the cars up for auction, then perhaps ONLY look at auction prices. If you plan on listing them on a for sale site with a fixed price, then NADA & OCPG may be of some help. 

I wouldn't be surprised if all of the overpriced cars we see posted in the For Sale forum here were priced according to auction prices of cars sold in the past ie. OVERPRICED.

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On 7/18/2020 at 9:09 PM, Lebowski said:

A year and a half ago I sold my restored '70 Chevelle SS 396 to Vanguard Motor Sales in Plymouth, Michigan which they resold a month later priced at $74,900. I know your cars aren't worth that kind of money but they sell "muscle cars and more" so since they're also in the Detroit area like you are I would recommend giving them a call. They're not a consignment place-they would pay you cash for your cars and then resell them through their website or from their showroom in Plymouth. I was very happy with the way they handled the transaction, shipping, etc. with my Chevelle. Check out their website at www.vanguardmotorsales.com for more info. The guy I dealt with was named Don Rinke (drinke3@yahoo.com). If you want more info first before you contact them then feel free to call me at 502-767-7773. My name is Dave. Good luck....

Dave has a good suggestion.  I have been there a few times.  A lot of the cars (and trucks) are restorods, but the facility is nice, they have at least one hoist, and a lot of clean vehicles for sale.  I talked to a guy with a '70 Torino Cobra a couple of years ago who was real happy with his purchase from them.  It is located  in an office park on the South side of 5 Mile, between Sheldon and Beck.   

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Robert G. Smits has the right idea. Take your best-looking car and pay $300 to list it on Bring a Trailer. Seven-day auction period. Have a listing assistant write it up and take photos. Place a reasonable (low) reserve on the car to cover a really bad result.

 

Good-looking cars with a solid history seem to get better prices on Bring a Trailer than eBay. 

 

If nothing happens, then you've only invested $300. If the car sells beyond expectations, place another up for auction.

 

 

Edited by RansomEli
austin -> auction (see edit history)
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1 hour ago, Bill Boudway said:

.....................Where are you located?.................

 

Hi Bill,

Says "metro- Detroit"

 

And a suggestion for seller, hashuman : Everything about these cars and the environment they live in implies great condition and at the very least, benign storage. As your dad and granddad appreciated and properly cared for these beauties, I think you should take the time to get the cars running. Through the forum here you almost certainly could find local, knowledgeable help. A few hundred bucks spent getting each car running well, should return a few thousand over a non-operating mystery machine. You have enough car guys & gals within a relatively easy drive there in "The Motor City" for interested people to come on over for a test drive.

                     Best of luck to you and your dad. Thanks for bringing these cars to the attention of our fine group here.   -   Carl 

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