hello from Vegas
well figured i would post an official thank you to those members that offered to help with my attempted purchase of "empty nest" under the
post of "guidance from Vegas" with another thank you to Steve for the additional information he provided.
I am sorry to say that I was unable to bring home the car due to the final selling price of 85k
i had established a number of 75k bid based on the fact that there was the issue of commission, transportation and my state fees.( all said and done 100k) ( i chose that number not on the value of the car but my budget) and for a brief moment i really thought i had the car .......
I also had to take into consideration the fact that this car was going to be driven and driven hard - be it to a cone filled parking lot ,the dragstrip, local road circuit or taking my daughter to school-- THIS car was NOT going to be bought as an investment/collage fund or a trophy whore or trailer queen ego booster. (I have one or two of those and to be honest - they are nice to have considering the investment but not much fun.)
it was going to be driven and i am guessing that frank and i would have become quite close as i broke things.
I do think the car was VERY well worth the selling price - and I want to offer my congrats to Frank and Lisa on not only a very well built
car but the energy that car did generate - trust me - i was in the middle of it. now considering i didn't end up with the car I feel that frank and lisa
cant help be a little disappointed about what the car sold for especially due to the amount of traffic that was surrounding the car at times (today including Jay Leno) and now that this is over.... the thought of i had friday afternoon has again come to pass in my brain that maybe i should attempt to hedge my bet and figure out a way to secure myself another 10 or 15 grand .... sigh .... i now need a double Tequlia on the rocks ......
i did not see the face of the final winner ... i was up along the wall under the banner close to the lounge/skybox attempting to avoid the chaos of tv cameras and the stage ...but part of me HOPES that frank bought the car back and maybe a deal still can be worked out between him and myself
(that at the moment is my only hope and yes a slim glimmer at that but i am getting more "bummed" as i continue to write ..... so
on a different note - this was my first BJ dealing. I had been to auctions before be it RM auctions in Cali during the pebble beach weekend or Mecum in Indy (they are the two that come to mind at the moment) never as a bidder but as a guest of a vintage race bidder/seller.
To Be blunt- BJ is a different animal and not one for the meek - yes there were a limited number of deals to be had - as at all auctions (cost of a restoration ... get the car for free kinda deals) - but the aura of the room seemed well to be blunt fueled by egos - now maybe that had something to do with the location of Vegas and the gold chain and Rolex crowd
not to mention Speed Tv and the hope of someone at home seeing themselves on Tv spending 100's of thousands of dollars - i am not sure what
it was.... i also remember making a face and thinking "something is up" when Steve Davis took the phone during the Shelby Supersnake drag car..... and at that point i had seen enough and called it a night
the though i have as i am getting ready to crash out for the night and catch an early morning flight home (besides the fact i didn't get my car) is that BJ is a double edge sword for the car market. It gives the cars that are truly special a place to get what they deserve but it also makes me question the actual value of the market. (example that "insert your car here"you have in your garage -one just like it sold at BJ for this much - so mine must be worth ..... ) there was a feeling of padding the market and i guess what i am saying BJ has gone way past what a hotrodder /car guy who tinkers in the garage is ever going be able to "enjoy and take advantage of and to me
personally ....that is sad ....something about don't forget your roots and where one came from comes to mind ......
in BJ defense - the charity aspect is second to none and its nice to see that they not only sell the cars but do it without taking money away from the charity... now..... yes the cars were great some of the nicest i have ever seen and that is saying something considering i have done pebble beach and Medowbrook type shows so if you ever get the chance or one is in your area ... go to it. I am not saying as a bidder .... but spend the 20.00 whatever it was to get into holding and staging areas and view it as a day out at a car show. I also want to add that the BJ staff was very very friendly and helpful not only thru the whole banking/ bidding but in general. And i would be ashamed of myself if i Did not publicly say thank you to Steve Davis for the concessions he made for my daughter on Friday.
to frank of prodigy .... you did happen to get the car back ..... please get a hold of Scott Gulbranson .... i assume he is a moderator of this site .... he has my Phone Number and i am giving him permission to release my phone number via an email to you - If i don't hear anything by the end of the week i will attempt to contact you at the shop and ask the question ....
so i didn't get the car (sigh) ....and i learned something .... If it wouldn't be to much to ask i would like to hang around get to know some of you ....
cause its a safe bet that my next "toy" will be a resto rod /g-machine / pro touring .....and if not empty nest who the hell knows what that it will end up being.....
thanks again everybody
Note - I'm writing this from a blackberry phone from my hotel room .... posts on this thing are very tough to read so i have not read any other post about what happened tonight, i shall do that when i get home .....
sorry to hear ya didnt get car and from what i watched and read on pro-touring.com..Frank did not buy the car back and the new owner has her..good luck in building or finding a car to drive the snot out of..
Yes, great post! We appreciate you sharing your experiences at BJ. Sorry you didn't get the ride. While I was watching the auction for it, I was thinking about your earlier thread and wondering if you would end up with the car. When I saw the woman win the car, I figured maybe not. If you're looking to find a car to drive the snot out of, well, you should have plenty of chances to do that. I hope you find something special!
Good post! Sorry to hear you didn't get your dream (yet!)
Hang out here buddy! This is THE BEST DAMN WEBSITE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!
X2^^^^ Stick around! This is a GREAT site and full of really great people. If you want a car you can find one here or have one built, or build it yourself.
Thank you for posting about your experience at BJ and for your thoughts on what it was like to be in the middle of it all. I am sorry you didn't get your dream car. But odds are there is another one just around the corner.
If you are still looking for a top notch well-engineered car get ahold of Charley about Camaro X; 69 Camaro with an LS7 and 6 speed, all the goodies, and built and engineered by Mark Stielow. I believe it fits your budget of $100K. You can drive this car to the track, beat on it all day, and drive home, it's that good.
I'm also going to be putting my twin turbo LS2 Chevelle for sale in the same price range. Originally built and engineered by Mark Stielow also, it's a more subtle old-school look with big power modern underpinnings. Mini-tubbed, paddle-shifted 4L80E, can drive anywhere.
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
guidance from vegas /empty nest part 2
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