Seeking BJ auction advice

[thefixer]

Hi all,
I came here to consult to group to see if anyone has specific experience auctioning through Barrett Jackson. I have an '05 with 6000ish miles we intend to take to Scottsdale and was wondering what the recommended process would be beforehand as far as getting tune up, appraisal etc. What specific things would buyers want to see or want original. And any detailer recs in Scottsdale for pre show prep? Thanks in advance. The more info the better if you have it.

 

[fjpikul]

You might do better on Bring a Trailer

 

[thefixer]

You might do better on Bring a Trailer

We are set so far on BJ. Obviously bat is easier but I am specifically asking for info on Bj from people who have experience with it.

 

[extrap]

I have no experience with BJ, having only watched them on TV, but here are some thoughts anyway:

Assuming all of BJ's listings are still No Reserve, I can't think of a reason an appraisal would be needed. But if you do need/want one, you could appraise it yourself pretty easily by checking Bring a Trailer's prior GT listings: https://bringatrailer.com/ford/gt/ ... just find the most recent listings that have 1) similar mileage, 2) same stripes (ie the optional Full Stripes (the double over-the-top stripes and side stripes), Side Stripes Only, or Stripe Delete (no stripes top or sides, and the window sticker actually states "BODY SIDE TAPE STRIPE DELETE" otherwise the side stripes were just peeled off) and the 3) same color, as these 3 details seem to be the most important to buyers.

Again, I don't have any experience with BJ but do know their fees to the Seller (8% of hammer) and Buyer (10%) are much, much higher than Bring a Trailer's. In case you're not aware Bring a Trailer charges (https://bringatrailer.com/how-bat-works/#seller-fees) a $99 listing fee plus $330 for pics unless you want to take care of them yourself, and the buyer pays 5% capped at $7,500 ... so Bring a Trailer would net under $8,000 from a $400,000 sale, while BJ would net $72,000. Hopefully their higher fees are worth it.

As for your tune-up question, I feel like no matter where you sell it a full service (tires, belts, hoses, fluids, brake pads, A/C check/recharge, alignment, etc) probably always helps on a GT with more than about 500 miles on the ODO, whereas with mileage under that the car may be destined for a museum / collection with no intentions of ever driving it and those buyers might prefer every single detail is OEM as it left the factory including tires, belts, filters, all delivery items such as windshield decals / seat covers / steering wheel cover / steering wheel center cap cover / floor mat covers / hanging warning tags, etc.

As for your question re specific things buyers want to see or want original, I would want/expect, in order of importance to me: Both keys/fobs, the OEM car cover in its OEM bag, the OEM floor mats, the OEM tire inflator/tow hook, the original window sticker, the owner's manual in its case, the delivery items I mentioned above, as much documentation as possible including original sales docs and any subsequent sales docs, all maintenance docs, all repair docs, anything and everything that documents the car's history ... and make sure every square inch including the bottom, wheels, wheel wells, door jambs, frunk, engine bay, etc are very clean.

Good luck!

 

[fjpikul]

I don't have direct personal experience, but which BJ auction of the many they have are you going to use? Seems like Scottsdale and Palm Beach have better results.

 

[twobjshelbys]

I sold my Heritage at BJ in 2019. We donated a charity car in 2009 and I bought a Cobra at the same auction.

The charity car was an extremely positive experience. Proceeds went to the Shelby Foundation. I had several conference calls with Steve and Craig and Jenni from the foundation.

My purchase was one of those "who really was left standing". I had made my final bid and then it bumped. I started to walk away and the assistant asked me to wait while they unwound the activity after me. It turns out the guy made an action seen as a bid but they later said he backed out immediately and so it came back to me which I accepted. Support afterwards was great. I had been alerted by the car handlers that the car came from southern CA and probably had no anti-freeze (which it did not). The guy in charge of the floor allowed me in to actually drain some coolant and replace it with anti-freeze and then helped get the car outside to start and warm up and circulate it. Bottom line is that staff was very supportive on both the auction sale and purchase.

The GT sale had been "pending" for a couple of years. I'd first approached Steve before we moved to Nevada and after we got here Steve connected me with one of their senior handlers. Craig and Steve again communicated directly on a couple of occasions. I had wanted a reserve since they were still doing it at the time but they told me they would give me what amounted to an incredible amount of placement and advertising. My car went across the line during the prime time on Saturday placed between two other vehicles that were "pricey". The down side is that while sandwiched, the GT didn't get near what I nor Steve expected. There were only two bidders, one in the skybox and one internet at the end. They pushed the car in dozens of press releases and private client mailings and I got a copy of those from my agent (Mike). They used my photos from a shoot I had done at Red Rocks. I sent them raw Nikon images and their photoshop magicians did some cleanup, like removing parking lot stripes and other distractions. Mike told me I should be on the lookout for "something special" when I got to the pre-bid time when owners can go in to touch up the before it gets to the floor. I went through the maze at Mandalay Bay and saw the auction catalog with my picture of the car on the front page (it's the exact same image as I use in my little icon, but taken about 10 minutes later with more daylight). During that prep time the in-house detailer that I had lined up to freshen it needed some jack stands to get to the belly pans. Again, their staff was OK with bringing in my floor jack and jack stands so they could do the work.

I've been around auctions since I was a kid - farm auctions. Everyone complains about the commissions BJ charges (8% seller, 10% buyer) but this is by no means out of line. My grandpa's farm auction was 10% SELLER in the 70s. I'm sure that the "regulars" that buy and sell get a break on them (especially those liquidating collections) but their fees are in line with what other auction houses charge for their services. Don't minimize the cost of the venue either. There's a relationship between BJ and the Scottsdale park that goes on for a long time, but the other venues cost them the same as say the Consumer Electronics Show... Not cheap.

If you're going to use them one thing to recall is that the Ford GT is getting up in years and while my car was only one of two GTs in 2019, more and more are showing up and prime-time placements are rare for "cars with miles". On the other hand, prices for the 06 seem to be increasing overall while others are softening. If you're planning for a 2026 Scottsdale you have plenty of time to work on the details. Note that you can back out up to a certain point, but you do surrender the listing fee which I think was about $900 at the time. So if you decide to do Bring A Trailer as time goes on you're not out a lot of money.

I'll PM you the contact info for the guy that handled my car...

 

[twobjshelbys]

I don't have direct personal experience, but which BJ auction of the many they have are you going to use? Seems like Scottsdale and Palm Beach have better results.

I disagree. Palm Beach doesn't do as well with high performance sports cars. It's more like the older luxury cars. My feeling is that they just don't get the same respect as they get in Scottsdale. My car was one of the last Vegas (Mandalay Bay) auctions before the pandemic and Vegas did well with those cars too.

They used to do 4 auctions. They eliminated the New England one and moved the Vegas fall back to Scottsdale.

 

[nota4re]

I think for an informed GT buyer, you should at least have AN ANSWER for the following questions. (Note: It doesn't necessarily have to be a good answer. GT's have remarkably low maintenance requirements BUT, I think it is important for GT owners to get a good maintenance baseline and then move forward from there. This probably means some expenditure initially but after the GT is "caught up", low costs can be expected moving forward.)

• Date codes of tires
• Date and mileage of last oil change
• Date and mileage of last oil pump belt change
• Date and mileage of last transaxle fluid change
• Date and mileage of last clutch fluid flush
• Date and mileage of last power steering fluid level check
• Date and mileage of last SC oil level check
• Date and mileage of last belt wear/age check
• AC performance - charged if needed
• Airbag recall performed - date and mileage proof via Oasis
• Axle bolt upgrade performed
• Power steering return line hose replaced - if needed
• Date of last battery replacement
• Confirmation that all gauges are working
• Confirmation that Horn emblem is free from defects/delamination
• Confirmation that front bonnet and clamshell gas struts are functioning
• Confirmation that front splitter is not "frowning" (Bent or broken struts)

In summary, this is pretty much "the list" of what we do when a new owner brings us a car. Once all of these items are confirmed, then annual maintenance costs will be a fraction of any similarly priced supercar.

 

[twobjshelbys]

For service I'd advise you to get a "big service". If you can (and I think you have time) I'd send the car to GT Guy Rich and have him do the refresh. He'll replace every liquid (if it runs, itll be new) and service belts, probably replace the oil pump belt, and do the axle bolt if needed. I'd replace the battery unless it is less than a year old. He'll do detailing too and if you don't have it already, clear bra on the front facing parts is a plus.

BJ does have an on-site detailer. They used to do Mothers, but when I went it was the guys that do detail polishes that I think they market now (from Colorado, they actually did my Cobra and Mustangs). There are lots of other detailers in the valley though so it's more about convenience/price.

 

[Specracer]

I do not have the risk tolerance to sell a car with no reserve.

 

[texas mongrel]

No BJ auction experience, but I sold my Merlin-engined Rolls through Bonhams at Amelia a few years ago. Totally painless experience, very professional, negotiable fees and instant post-sale fund transfer, I'd use them again in a heartbeat.

 

[Howard]

I saw that auction sale in person, and recognized the car from this forum.

 

[QuickSilverShelby]

In early 2019 I had just bought my GT for $235k. In the fall of 2019 I was at Barrett Jackson Vegas when Tony's (twobjshelbys) heritage GT crossed the block. It sold for $295K + commissions and a red/white stripe car somehow also sold for $295k + commissions. I remember standing right next to the stage watching this all unfold and it made me queasy that a heritage car had just gone for $295k ($324,500 with comissions) and I had just paid $235k for my car which had 16,000 miles on her.

Obviously the $295k for a heritage car was an anomaly and quit frankly, a horrible result but that's what you just might get when you go with a no reserve auction house. On the other hand, a heritage GT recently sold for a million at Mecum in Florida so ya never know.

Recently, this past January, I was at Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale and I bought a 2017 Ford FP350s. I didn't get a deal on that car and I didn't over pay for it either, I knew my pricing so I was comfortable buying it. It's a real crap shoot when you're buying or selling at a no reserve auction. If you can handle the stress and you can accept the result, no matter what happens, then go for it. If you'd like a more relaxed experience, sell it through Bring a Trailer with a reserve, or sell it at a reserve auction house like Mecum.

Just my humble opinion.

QSS

 

[twobjshelbys]

Then the guy that bought it at bj took it directly (only parking lot miles added) to mecum in January to flip it and by my calculations of commissions on both sides barely broke even or lost. From there it went to a private museum where a guy bought it a year or two ago contacted me from service receipt