Craig Jackson/Con Artist

Given how much money he's made doing it, I'd challenge your statement and say that he's a very good and rich used car salesman...

That said, caveat emptor, it's not the schills that are causing the problems (despite the ethical issues inherent to schilling bids), it's the morons that keep bidding up - sorry to say, these are wealthy people who often demonstrate that they have more money than restraint in what amounts to little more than a big wallet pissing match, and I have not the least amount of sympathy for them. Shame on schills if they exist, but bigger shame on the people who overpay based on it, then cry in 5-10 years when the bubble bursts.

 

Yes a few key players can drive prices up wity collector cars, its happened with Ferraris as well, but the purchasers have no one to blame but themselves for being duped and not thinking rationally.

These old muscle cars were poorly made rustbuckets, heavy, poor handling hulks on a good day, I owned many of them and don't have very fond memories of them with all the problems they had, its crazy, they were not even that fun to drive either compared to a light weight sports car.

Who are these people buying these cars anyway? Non car enthusiest speculators? Granny mortgaging the house and cashing in the IRA for a quick flip and a buck?

 

^ I don't get it either. Many of the prices seem wholly unmerited in light of the underlying vehicles. Most tend to not hold a special, unique place in history. It's 1 of 10 ugly-as-sin purple with green interior with this carb package... who cares? I just fail to see the significance of being 1 of X cars when that X really doesn't represent anything other than some memories of greasy burgers and thick milkshakes.

In other words, you see Camaro clones going for $70,000+. Anyone could have bought this same Camaro for $5000-6000 in shoddy condition. Dropped $30G - $40G in it in engine, trans, interior, and exterior work and had an identical clone. They're not buying a special piece of history... like an original 250GT SWB with an alloy body, or an original factory hotrodded Stingray Vette built for GT racing, etc.

I just don't get it, and being 23, that's a problem for future values. I don't fault BJ, they're auctioneers... but you have to wonder about some of the bidders.

 

Personally, I can't see why people pay that much for the resto-mods either (just from a personal standpoint), but think of it this way...cost to replicate the cars that "don't make sense" would likely be a lot higher, so why not pay $140k for a car that used to be worth $45k but has the equivalent of $150k worth of work, customization, etc done to it. Me, I wouldn't spend money like that on a car I probably wouldn't drive, but then again I'm not bidding.

 

msdesign......

I'm ditto with Jason on this one..........if someone wants to outbid someone else, on something I or anyone else is selling.....so be it.....it's not like I put the pen in their hand......I have also told clients what I think cars are worth that they are buying somewhere else many a time......sometimes they ignore my advice....sometimes they do not.......

If this was your 512BBi that went on the block and you got the $125K you seem to think it is worth....harumph....then you'd be singing a different tune about the BJ auction.....

I for one do not think any of these musclecar prices are realistic in any way, shape or form......but's that why they call it a bubble......watching BJ is like the automotive equivalent of "Jerry Springer" for me anyways.............

 

Whats ironic and funny IMO is I and others that owned these old muscle cars because they were cheap back in the day and easy to hop up, I couldn't afford a real performing sports car like a Jag E Type, P 911 or even a Healy 3000 which I wished I could let alone a Ferrari which was a fantasy, maybe many of these buyers never had them back then and now are making up for it at any cost.

 

Thats exactly what I think is going on!

But the whole thing reminds me of that beanie baby auction/show with those guys yelling and screaming a few years back, This is rare and will not be made anymore. You must buy now.

 

I doubt there is shill bidding going on. What if no one outbids the shill...then Craig is stuck with the car. Not worth it for how much money he makes. They also know many of the top buyers/bidders and have a relationship with them that extends for the entire year, not just January. Also, if I were a consigner, I would be more than happy if Craig took over if bidding slowed on my car. Just my $.02

 

The whole Barret-Jackson deal strikes me as little more than show business.
They have guys out in the crowd egging bidders on and the whole WWF type commentary just seems seedy.

In contrast, I attended the Gooding Auction Sunday at the Palm Beach International Concours event and it was enjoyable to witness. There was no one in the crowd begging people to bid more and the cars were very representative with the 1938 Talbot Lago (a car I drove just before the
auction) going for $3.55M.

BHW

 

In theory B-J do not own any of the cars that run across the block, unlike the dealerships that sell cars.

With them rejecting so many cars every year, they are able to pick out the better cars to bring to auction.

There are plenty of inexpensive cars at B-J, and I think they know this is an area where they can look to make new "customers for life". Year one they buy a sub $50k car and LOVE it, next time they will come back with more money and be excited about their pending purchase.

 

B-Jackson, doesn't need shills, if he has them so what. These folks are gonna pay anyway, free booze for high rollers, TV cameras, ego, is a formula that works well and is a first for live TV is it not. This market will contract and expand like it did around the dot.com days.

If people will pay over MSRP for new 430's, 360's and Ford GT's it doesn't matter if its in Scottsdale or your local showroom.....it will and does happen.

 

No one forces people to spend their money, he's figured out an angle to make money off the market, good for him.

I never got into muscle cars, born at the wrong time I guess. I'm pretty sure it is a bubble and it will burst at some point. If someone can make money on the ride up and get off before it comes crashing down, they've done well.

 

Yep, I don't think he needs shills to fuel the hysteria. I also seem to recall when around 1990 anything used or new with a prancing horse on the hood was going for well over sticker. So, muscle cars may be junk, but they're evocative of an era that meant something to a lot of Baby Boomers, and there are enough short-sighted buyers around to fuel any kind of bubble.

Look at California and New York real estate, which people continue to buy using smoke-and-mirrors financing: many fools, no shills.

 

I have a 360 spider and a 6.0 Lambo, but i also have 6 or 7 muscle cars and i love them. You pay the money for the same reason you buy a Ferrari, when you sit in the car and turn the key..the world is a good place again. It's really that simple.

Vince

 

I don't have one positive thing to say about these auctions. So I wont say anything.

Stupidity................

 

Spanky Assiter's wife is easy on the eyes.

 

Wow, in a less enlightened time, I would have suggested that someone needs to get laid.

Nobody is holding a gun to any-body's head are they?

Hey, I have a tip for you. Over the next five to ten years, nostalgia will be big. VERY, VERY, BIG.

Craig Jackson just figured it out sooner than most folks.

Nostalgia will be big on EVERYTHING. Train sets, slot cars, Roy Rogers lunch kits. Anything and everything from the 60s. Ebay is gonna make a whole pot full of money.

Why?

Slightly less than 1/3 of our population will be suffering from mad cow disease (Denny Crain) as we waddle off into the sunset. Us aging Boomers are also going to have wads of cash to spend, and the junk being peddled today is all crap.

Look, for example, at new cars. You call those pieces of dog do do - cars? They all look the same. They all drive the same. Crap, crap, crap. You tell me. Whut's the difference between a Yamagushiehondamamasan and a Mercedes-Bimmer mobile?

So if some overweight slob wants one last piece of fun before they start discussing "do not resuscitate options," what's the harm? Hell, if Craig Jackson doesn't take this chump's money, his kids and the IRS will.

Yeah, maybe we disgust you Gen X types, but Chuck U.

Just remember, there are millions and millions and million of us. In fact, there are more of us than you, punk.

Dale

 

The only way I could see shill's is by phones bid. You never know who is on the other end of the line..Heck it could be Craig himself./ I think there is some degree of fake bidders to get prices up. Its the only way such an auction can operate.

 

That's a pretty dumb theory. If 50 or 100g's is nothing to him why would he worry about it then? Why risk 16% of $30 million+ year after year? The people at his auctions do not care what it costs to make themselves happy. End of story.

 

Someone on the board said its like agreeing to pay a price for a car and having the salesman scream in your face for you to pay more.

Sounds like an accurate statement IMO