Question of the Weekend: Would You Ever Attend one of the Famous January Arizona Classic Car Auctions?
Welcome to Maximum Auction Weekend, and I thought I would throw this question out to the collective audience. I have been highlighting some of the lots tat are currently scheduled to go under the gavel under the Arizona Sun this January, and wondered if any of our readers would ever go to one of these events, either as just a spectator, or someone with a bit of cash to burn, a prospective buyer.
So, Would You Attend one of these events? As a bonus, if you have attended, let the rest of the Hoons know what you thought about the venue with a comment or two below….
Related posts:
- Hooniverse Fastback Friday: A 1965 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Coupe to be offered at RM Auctions in January
- Question of the Weekend: Could You Ever Own a Classic Italian or French Automobile?
- Hooniverse Weekend Edition: The 2003 Mercury Messenger Concept offered at RM Auctions Monterey
- Maximum Auction Weekend: A 1964 Dodge Hemi Charger Concept offered by RM Auctions
- Question of the Weekend – Will you ever participate in a 24 Hours of LeMons Event?
Having watched on tv, I would have to say NO Freaking Way. And I thought watching golf was boring…
Nah, even if I had the money to participate. Watching on TV is as close as I'd care to get.
Id just as soon be the only non shill at an Amway seminar. While the cars are interesting, most if not all have been "restored" way beyond what they every were as new. This leads to them being nothing more than highly valued pieces of art, to be kept in climate controlled garages. That said, the "value" they have assigned to them is driven by a bunch of asshats masturbating with their money.
Now, when and where is the next LeMons race?
*Please remove the can before throwing fruits or vegetables*
Even if I had the means to participate, I'd most likely only attend as a spectator. I don't really care about 'all original, unrestored survivor, numbers matching, new-in-box' cars, which seem to be the main focus of these. Provenance doesn't really interest me either, I'm not going to pay another 50K$ for a car because "It once drove past Carrol Shelby and Colin Chapman and they both turned to look at it a little. On another occasion, Joe Lucas was said to hiss and recoil from it's presence as if burned."
I think it would be better to attend than watch on TV, because if I saw one of the aforementioned 4 cylinder Chevy IIs, I could just keep walking, instead of flipping channels for five minutes and forgetting what I was watching.
I think that I would just for the atmosphere. Also, it would be a good opportunity to snap pics of a lot of really cool autos. I'm like a Japanese tourist, when it comes to taking pictures of cars!
Never been to one of a the AZ auctions, but I did work as one of the support crew wheeling cars in and out at the Seattle auction several years ago. It was fun.
Do they charge admission to spectators at a Barrett-Jackson event?
I wonder if I could get in free by claiming to be a long-lost cousin…
Looks like a week-long pass costs $125. Cheaper than Disneyworld and no maddening "It's a Small World" music.
You, me, and Coupe Z600 live so close that we don't have much of an excuse to NOT go. It would be a real blast, you'll have to admit.
I love old cars, but even living <30 minutes away from Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale, I don't think I'd go. Just too much over-restored stuff. I love it, but it's not as accessible as a C&C-style cruise-in, where you might actually get to talk to the owner.
However, if any of y'all find yourself wanting to check them out, we have a spare bedroom and occasionally even beer!
I am not interested in watching on TV, or actually going (and now that I live in SoCal, it could actually happen… )
Reading posts on Hemmings about some of the cooler cars to cross the block is more than enough for me.
I've been to the Scottsdale auctions several times and plan on being there again next month. It's a great opportunity see car friends from around the country, meet new, like-minded crazies and see (and possibly acquire) some amazing cars.
My favorites are definitely RM (the Biltmore location is second to none) and Gooding (great customer service), primarily because the cars they offer most closely match my interests. Russo and Steele have a great and dedicated following and even though Barrett-Jackson is my least favorite, it is definitely the eight pound gorilla in Scottsdale.
As they say, variety is the spice of life.
From my perspective, Scottsdale in January is one of those things like the Indianapolis
500 or the Hershey swap meet that every enthusiast should try to experience once in their life.
lives.
I'm with Junkman. I've been fortunate enough to get paid to go to these by a previous employer. This, Amelia Island, Pebble Beach week, you just have to go once. Remember, it's not just millionaires pissing away cash, it's a whole bunch of car people who want to come and watch. The parking lots at some of these events are better than what is inside. If you're a LeMons guy, you'll have more fun at the Silver Auction than anywhere else. There are always a couple of diamonds in that rough…
In the abstract, I'd say sure. Looks like fun. I'm assuming you'd get to walk around the cars, see them at different angles and what not. I'd bring a lunch. Spam on white with mustard and sixer of PBR. They say window shopping is bad for your finances. Heck, not if you can't afford anything.
The recent surge in the popularity and advertising of these auctions have had a horrific effect on classic car prices for anything remotely rare or pretty, doubling or even quadrupling the cost of entry into classic car ownership simply by whipping people into a frenzy with fanfare and television. Moreover, they have promoted "investment" and "collecting" over mechanical labor and driving, so that the cliche auction buyer is not really a car guy at all. The auction typology is pushing the kind of people who come to this site out of the scene.
This isn't to say that car guys don't go to the auctions to see the cars, just that the auctions are much worse even for these guys than the old paradigm of the car show. At car shows, trading still occurs but the cars are the focus not the transactions, and the deals are based more on real ownership than commodity trading. So to answer the question, I'll go to car shows till the sun goes down, but you can keep the big auctions.
If I found myself in Arizona in January, I'm sure I'd go. I've already been to the RM auction in Toronto, and there's often some interesting stuff squirreled away.
Although, I'm about 20 years and 50lbs away from bidding too much on a 5.0 Mustang (I've already got the Hawaiian shirt).
I would go spectate, especially in AZ in Jan. It has gotta be a little warmer then the North East as an added bonus.
I would definitely go given the chance. I enjoy watching on TV, even if sometimes the prices are ridiculous. The whole auction environment looks like big fun, and occasionally some pretty decent deals come across.
Also, my wife has expressed interest in going, always a plus.
If I had the time and the funds I would love to go. There are even a few sub $10k deals the first couple of days before dumb rich guys start paying $100k for $50k cars. I like auctions in general, but I am a self professed bottom feeder. Sometimes auctions such as the AZ car auctions that feature mega bucks highlighted items can have cheap stuff that the big money guys aren't interested in and can be a real bargain.
I'd go if I could look at all the stuff before hand, car show style, but I would not stay for the actual auction. There is no fast forward button in real life, and I get my fill of camaros and corvettes pretty quickly.
I went out to Barrett Jackson two years ago. I live in Connecticut. If you are into cars, beautiful women, and drinking, then this is mecca. There is so much more happening than what is shown on TV. From vendors to food to other smaller classic car auctions in the Scottsdale area. Definitely worth the trip for hardcore classic car fans.