Are 2023 BaT prices real?

[fordsucks!]

Bat has been discussed before but I'd like to start a fresh and current discussion

Are BaT prices real? I just read a listing where a K5 sold for 31k. The original seller re-bought it back from buyer 3 months later, dumped a bit more money, and then relisted it - sold for 25k.

And then you have the Blazer that just sold for 150k. It's beautiful

are these auctions real? or some of them have to be foul play yes ?

 

[Big Ray]

I'm beginning to think its a money laundering operation....

 

[shady]

Some people have more money than time or sense. So they pay the crazy prices.
There are a few times I seen one and thought, 'that's a fake sale to drive up prices'
But, in reality, it's probably real.
It's actually had me contemplating the sale of my last remaining square even though it's not pretty. Just because I know some dummy will give me twice what I have in it.

 

[Big10]

Local annual car show last weekend. My son and I try to go every year and of course we inspect all square bodies up close. This one was nice, not like barretjackson nice, but nice. New paint, new tires, 383, nice interior, etc....they had it marked for 32.5K. It sold! Not for that price but close to it. Local guy bought it.




@May-May87

 

[nvrenuf]

No idea if BaT / Barrett Jackson / Mecum are real or fake but the crazy high prices are definitely in local markets. You can't buy jack sheet around me for less than $10k (on a GOOD day) if the square body is in fair condition and running. Rough, rusty parts trucks are bringing $3k~$4k, it's crazy.

 

[Big Ray]

Glad I got mine when I did...it was a fair price.
Got new springs on the way. It's got to be an improvement, even if it's a small one. That and recovering the seats.

 

[Big Ray]

Glad I got mine when I did...it was a fair price.
Got new springs on the way. It's got to be an improvement, even if it's a small one. That and recovering the seats

 

[Tnsejed]

As someone who holds auctions for a different high end market I would wager that 99% are real.

There are alot of people with alot of money. For most of these guys 30k is like us buying a gas station coffee. It's not more money than sense, these guys are very smart. It's more money than you can dream. Things are very interesting in the high end goods market now and the international players have changed a bit over the course of 6 months. Russian guys are making bank and are back to buying. China has slowed. The EU guys are doing ok. USA guys are currently apprehensive. Granted this is only my subset of customers but I'm sure it overflows to most other high end areas.

You have to understand that things like this are not some sort of happen-stance event. Trends can be motivated on specific items or subsets of items by builders, buyers, and sellers. High end customized goods markets are generally, IMO, the free-est of markets and it can be fun to play in and watch the trends. It's also fun to watch the auctions, as that is part of the enjoyment for the buyer. The hunt.

BTW, at 30k for an old automobile we're still in the low to medium-range of goods. The 145k truck up there is getting towards the high end buyer. You'll see more of that. Right now the high end guys are probably just dabbling in low end stuff, and then possibly sending back off to a builder.

 

[bigjbear]

As someone who holds auctions for a different high end market I would wager that 99% are real.

There are alot of people with alot of money. For most of these guys 30k is like us buying a gas station coffee. It's not more money than sense, these guys are very smart. It's more money than you can dream. Things are very interesting in the high end goods market now and the international players have changed a bit over the course of 6 months. Russian guys are making bank and are back to buying. China has slowed. The EU guys are doing ok. USA guys are currently apprehensive. Granted this is only my subset of customers but I'm sure it overflows to most other high end areas.

You have to understand that things like this are not some sort of happen-stance event. Trends can be motivated on specific items or subsets of items by builders, buyers, and sellers. High end customized goods markets are generally, IMO, the free-est of markets and it can be fun to play in and watch the trends. It's also fun to watch the auctions, as that is part of the enjoyment for the buyer. The hunt.

BTW, at 30k for an old automobile we're still in the low to medium-range of goods. The 145k truck up there is getting towards the high end buyer. You'll see more of that. Right now the high end guys are probably just dabbling in low end stuff, and then possibly sending back off to a builder.

I see similar things in travel, particularly when you look at two specific markets- high end “experiences” and luxury brands. So it is not surprising at all that classics are continuing to rise in price. When you consider the price of a new loaded truck or sporty car $45k is suddenly a “bargain”. I am really considering picking up a shark nose 6 series bmw before they go nuts. I’ve wanted a 635CSi since the 80.

 

[fourwheelerjeff]

Glad I got mine when I did...it was a fair price.
Got new springs on the way. It's got to be an improvement, even if it's a small one. That and recovering the seats.

Glad I got mine when I did...it was a fair price.
Got new springs on the way. It's got to be an improvement, even if it's a small one. That and recovering the seats

said twice because 2 seats

 

[HankScorpio]

To some banker making $500,000 plus a year its not a big deal to spend $30,000 on a truck. Also, that money isn't gone, its just invested in a toy. They drive them around on weekends for a few years and then sell. It doesn't matter if they make or loose $10,000 at that point because they had some fun and are going to buy another toy. Same thing for houses or cabins, its just a place to park some money for a while.

 

[1-ton]

Glad I got mine when I did...it was a fair price.

I bought this for $4700 20-years ago. I have since put about $20,000 in new engine, transmission, suspension, steering, brakes, fuel, tires/rims, gears, etc, etc (not to mention my labor). I can only imagine what it is worth now.

 

[kennyw]

I bought this for $4700 20-years ago. I have since put about $20,000 in new engine, transmission, suspension, steering, brakes, fuel, tires/rims, gears, etc, etc (not to mention my labor). I can only imagine what it is worth now.

At least $5000. Let me know where I can pick it up and drop off your check.

 

[1-ton]

At least $5000. Let me know where I can pick it up and drop off your check.

I have street gypsies try that on me all the time. They will come up to me in a parking lot and say "cool truck. How much do you think it is worth?"...hoping I am stupid, and will say a few thousand dollars. I have had some street gypsies say to me they will give me tens of thousands of dollars cash, I know that those scum bags do not have, right now hoping I am stupid enough to drop my guard, and let them get into the cab, or get the keys in their hands. That is when I holster my CCW Sig in .40 S&W caliber in front of them, and give them a sh!ty look. They get offended by that, and walk away growling and mumbling.

 

[kennyw]

I have street gypsies try that on me all the time. They will come up to me in a parking, and say "cool truck. How much do you think it is worth?"...hoping I am stupid, and will say a few thousand dollars. I have had some street gypsies say to me they will give me tens of thousands of dollars cash, I know that those scum bags do not have, right now hoping I am stupid enough to drop my guard, and let them get into the cab, or get the keys in their hands. That is when I holster my CCW Sig in .40 S&W caliber in front of them, and give them a sh!ty look. They get offended by that, and walk away growling and mumbling.

Seriously though, you should have at least $50-100K of insurance on that thing for a replacement standpoint.

 

[1-ton]

Seriously though, you should have at least $50-100K of insurance on that thing for a replacement standpoint.

Classic car insurance companies will not insure my truck because it is a 4-wheel drive. I have had every classic car insurance company turn me down as soon as they figure out it is a 4-wheel drive truck.

 

[a77blazerchalet]

Regarding the Blazer Chalet #1683 which bombed in its reserve-not-met price of $24,750, that might actually be a real-world market price because this time around, enough savvy bidders looked deeply into the photos and spotted enough things wrong with it that they balked at going any higher. The kid speculator auctioning it had a Facebook post announcing his Sept 20 purchase where down at the bottom of the comments section on the same day he announced it was for sale. The head-scratcher situation here was whether he was the first or second buyer of the rig within a month of it being allegedly sold on FB Marketplace for $45 grand - the link still works showing that price. I was alerted right after the sale that the new owner wanted to talk with me, but a week after that I was alerted that the new owner decided not to keep it and was selling it to a relative, but he had a completely different name than the kid speculator.

At the BaT auction, a commenter asked the kid speculator what it would take to get the sale done, and apparently they worked out a deal, at least according to his Nov 7 FB page announcement. Except the oddball thing here is that parked right in front of this latest owner's Chalet #1683 is the red Suburban with sorta artistically done hand-painted fakewood accent panels ….. that was sold by this new guy on BaT in mid Sept for $29,200. Why would that Suburban, sold 51 days earlier, still be parked at the seller's house? And if the kid speculator said in the BaT comments after his failed auction ended that "We were close to where we needed to be" concerning the bidding falling short of his reserve price, does that mean the last-seen FB Marketplace $45 grand price was fake, or was he not telling the truth about the $24,750 "being close" to his reserve price?

 

[eodcoduto]

That suburban was nice.

 

[kennyw]

Classic car insurance companies will not insure my truck because it is a 4-wheel drive. I have had every classic car insurance company turn me down as soon as they figure out it is a 4-wheel drive truck.

Hagerty will insure 4wd trucks, just not offroad use of them. Both my M1009 and M1028 are covered by them.

 

[1-ton]

Hagerty will insure 4wd trucks, just not offroad use of them. Both my M1009 and M1028 are covered by them.

I have called Hagerty two times asking about insuring my truck. I give them the year, make, and model, and they say they do know what kind of vehicle it is. I give them my VIN number, and they still say that VIN does not come up to anything they can find (the 1991 Chevy V3500 is a real odd ball truck). Then I give them a description of what the truck is (1-ton 4X4 crew cab truck). Then they say "this is a 4-wheel drive truck. We do not insure 4-wheel drive trucks." even though I cover all the requirements with my truck...it is driven less than 5000 miles a year, it is kept in doors in a commercial building, and I have a residential address, but they still turn me down both times.