So I've sold a car on BaT, and I've been keeping an eye out for another "keep it for a year and resell" type vehicle.
So today I made my first attempt at bidding on BaT, but apparently getting an idea from Hagerty as to what the car is worth is detrimental to a successfully winning a bid on BaT. The bidding is still going but my limit was hit around $1500 ago...
This is the car - I think it had a lot going for it, but with no photos of the underside and at least one missing part, I wasn't going to bid past Hagerty #3 condition:
... and now the killer, that thing had a reserve of over 10k? That seems a tad, err, optimistic based on the lack of information and the visible condition of the car.
Oh well, back to forums and FaceBerk mystery ads then.
Based on the reserve and how high it got bid up I don't think the "bargain" part of the title would've applied.
yea throw the hagerty valuations out the window for BaT or CaB.
I have a friend that has been searching for a specific year range FD RX-7. and they are going for like 40-60k on BaT and CaB.
MrChaos said:yea throw the hagerty valuations out the window for BaT or CaB.
BaT in general, but basically anywhere and everywhere in the current market.
Has CaB finally gotten enough visibility to start doing big money sales? Earlier on their viewership was low enough that they actually had some reasonable sale prices.
Too bad that one is a 75 and later model with the big ugly bumpers . Always liked the cars - need more power (apparently some shoehorned a 124 engine in there somehow) but superb handling. A friend slalomed his and beat many a frustrated American V8 powered car.
In reply to BoxheadTim :
Can you now make direct contact with the seller?
Drive to Pittsburgh and see/drive the car before buying?
Side step BaT charges for both seller and buyer?
In reply to John Welsh :
Seller only pays $100, no savings for the seller as it's already paid.
Basically, what Steve says.
Given how high the bids went on this car and not meet reserve, I'm not going to bother contacting the seller as I expect the expectations to be too far apart.
Without detailed under car photos, I wouldn't bid. The cobwebs tell me it's been sitting and a Pennsylvania history...
I can think of a bunch of cars I'd pay 10k for but none would be an X19.
maj75 (Forum Supporter) said:Without detailed under car photos, I wouldn't bid. The cobwebs tell me it's been sitting and a Pennsylvania history...
I can think of a bunch of cars I'd pay 10k for but none would be an X19.
This. Its just not a 10k car. You dodged a bullet
I don't really think that the X-1/9 is an investment car at this point. At least not here in the US.
JThw8 said:maj75 (Forum Supporter) said:Without detailed under car photos, I wouldn't bid. The cobwebs tell me it's been sitting and a Pennsylvania history...
I can think of a bunch of cars I'd pay 10k for but none would be an X19.
This. Its just not a 10k car. You dodged a bullet
I agree - this particular car isn't (which is why I didn't bid that high). Good X1/9s have been going up in price quite noticeably over the last five years, but then again we have a whole discussion about how fully valued the market is right now.
I've owned several X1/9s in the past so I'm unfortunately rather familiar with their foibles, but I wouldn't mind another one. So yes, I'd probably pay $10k or more for one, if the condition warrants it.
The one to have would probably be the one Midwest Bayliss is selling right now, as that is extremely original and low mileage, but it's so low mileage that driving it isn't a good idea unless you're Jay Leno.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:I don't really think that the X-1/9 is an investment car at this point. At least not here in the US.
Better return on one's money than a Porsche 930, at least if you believe Hagerty's price guide 
.
Fortunately FB Marketplace is providing enough "hey look, squirrel" moments right now, most of the British variety. That's why owning a trailer is a dangerous idea.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:I don't really think that the X-1/9 is an investment car at this point. At least not here in the US.
With the overinflation of the market in general I dont think there are any good investment cars out there right now unless you just get a "seller doesnt know what they have" kinda deal. And those wont be found on sites like BAT which are just fuel for the overvaluing of mediocre cars. Heck they probably wont even be found online.
If anything grab Kei cars, they are rising in stupid ways right now, if you can get in cheap you might beat the bubble.
In reply to JThw8 :
It's an interesting question regarding the market right now. Having been through a few classic car bubbles, the question is if we're getting close to the end of the bubble or if it still has time to run. Heck, we won't be able to tell without hindsight if we have reached the top yet.
And that begs the question - when do you decide to stay out? It's never going to be a safe market, so it's a balance between trying not to lose one's shirt and sit on the sidelines for too long.
I've got a few cars I've got my eye on that are still advertised online but at least outside the real inflated places like BaT so I may have to invest some shoe leather. My general take on it is that I don't want to get something I don't enjoy driving, so at the very least I'd get value out of that.
That's assuming that some of the Brit stuff and a/c Porsche stuff I'm looking at stays running long enough in the first place.
As to Kei cars, I'd love to get an AZ-1, but I'll have to get to someone who has one for sale because I suspect that at 5'11" I might be a tad oversized for it.
In reply to BoxheadTim :
Stop looking at the Turbos.
I think that there are still a few solid bets out there:
- While normally aspirated, air cooled 911s have gone way up, I think there's still room to grow. These cars aren't super rare, but they've always been desirable, they never made quite enough of them, and...here come the Tesla swaps. It's the prefect platform for that kind of thing.
- Rust free mid-eighties to early-nineties Japanese cars, bone stock or with very modest and reversible modifications. Especially Hondas.
- First generation GTIs, and maybe Sciroccos to a lesser degree. No rust, no engine swaps.
Or just use your European connections and import as many E30 wagons as you can find.
Getting into any nice collectible car for $10-11k is hard right now, so that may have been a good deal. That auction would have gone higher if there wasn't a reserve in the first place.
If you want an x1/9 just watch xweb. You'll see a car just as good as that go for half. In fact I know that one was posted on xweb.
https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/original-owner-1980-fiat-x1-9-bat.41314/#post-384562
I don't know if I should say "you're welcome" or "sorry"
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
Take a guess how I found that car .
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