First…in Where Is Cristy Lee? I noted her absence from the telecast of the Barrett-Jackson auction from Scottsdale, Arizona in January. Well, as some of you may know that was Motor Trend’s last broadcast of a Barrett-Jackson auction, at least for the foreseeable future. When those auctions resume they will be shown on the A&E networks (e.g. History, fyi). As Cristy Lee is under contract to Motor Trend, I assume, given that Motor Trend is part of the Discovery “empire” and that A&E is jointly owned by Hearst and Disney, I don’t think the gorgeous Ms. Lee will be on the broadcasts, anymore.
Of all of the on-air talent only Steve Magnante actually works for Barrett-Jackson. It could be almost an entirely new cast of characters the next time a Barrett-Jackson auction is held and broadcast.
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Some automotive “experts” advise not to buy a car for less than $15,000 or so at any auction as that is strong evidence, they believe, of a sub-standard car. Well, I think that all depends. Some cars can be purchased for so little money that even if they need work the total cost will still be low. Example #1 from the recently concluded Mecum auction in Glendale, Arizona is a car like this:
From autoblog a picture of a 1999 Cadillac Eldorado. The actual Mecum car was White over Tan with a faux convertible roof. Mecum’s own estimate for the price was $5,000-$10,000, granting that they have incentive to overstate the value. Anyway, the car sold all in for $3,850, which is even slightly less than Hagerty’s estimated value of about $4,500. OK, maybe this is not the best example of a frugal buy, but I think being able to buy a good-looking (IMO) Cadillac for under $4,000 is a good buy.
How many of you know what this is?
From smclassiccars.com a picture of a 1986 Mercury Capri ASC McLaren convertible. Only 245 of these were made. They were powered by a 5-liter/302 cubic-inch, fuel-injected V-8. The Mecum example, also in Red, had just 28,000 miles. It sold, all in, for $5,775. That’s a rare, good-looking (IMO) convertible that is not a slug for less than six grand! I’m sorry, but that screams “Buy The Car!” to me.
If we weren’t about a year away from moving, which means we would have to store a new car outside and then move it across the country, we might have purchased a car like this.
#FrugalFriday
#MecumAutoAuctions
#somanycarsjustonelife
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Disaffected Musings 
I think given the turmoil in the stock market, there soon be some cars offered for prices that will be hard to refuse. I have already heard of one casual collector who is in deep water and looking to get any cash he can to cover his losses. I’m gonna keep an ear open, who knows I might get that Hemi ‘Cuda for the price of a new Tesla (wink, wink).
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It takes a seller and a buyer to make a market. Those with resources and cojones could be in a position to acquire some cars on the cheap.
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I’m not sure a floor on pricing is the type of hard rule I’d take into an auction. I can see having a ceiling of course. And certainly it depends on what you’re looking for. I’ve been to CCP Auctions in Toronto many times, and a number of sub-$15k (Canadian) cars that would be fun cruisers. Granted one shouldn’t go in expecting to come away with a steal, but it’s more than plausible you could buy a decent car at a decent price.
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I don’t necessarily agree on a floor for buying cars at auctions, just repeating what some “experts” think. Obviously, the Frugal Friday posts show I like to find cars that are good value. One should have a realistic ceiling on their potential purchase, though, unless their net worth is in nine or ten figures (or more).
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