ALL Pontiac Auction!

[Larry]

We need your feedback.

I met with some businessmen in Sarasota, Florida today who are interested in building and hosting an ALL PONTIAC AUCTION, and to make it a yearly event. Their desire would be to see that this grows into the single largest, most exclusive venue for hobby Pontiac selling and buying- anywhere.

These are hobby and collector/classic car people with the facility to do just this. They are also "Car Guys" who love their Pontiacs. The goal is not some shoe-string affair, but top notch all the way.

We will coordinate all the activities and promotion through PontiacRegistry.com. Consigned Pontiacs will be available for extensive review of photos, data, spec sheets, authentication, etc. through the site-- unlike anything ever done before. People will not travel across the country based on a 2"x2" photo in a brochure, and have to scramble to try to assess a vehicle just before it crosses the block. You can do nearly all your investigation on-line first. Your membership in PontiacRegistry.com will get you full access to every car consigned in advance. It will also get you reduced admission to the actual auction.

There will be more too. They hope to invite all major Pontiac product vendors as well as open it to an all Pontiac car display for those who wish to attend the auction as well as share their own Pontiac with others to enjoy.

So, what do you think? Do you want to come to beautiful Sarasota, Florida in the dead of winter to buy or sell a top quality Pontiac? While here you can also soak up our Florida sunshine on our white sand beaches, and generally enjoy the best part of the country to be in the winter time. You will also only be 45 minutes from Busch Gardens and 2 hours for Disney World. We will be working with the local Convention and Visitors Bureaus to make your Florida All Pontiac Auction a memorable event.

Tell ALL your Pontiac friends about this plan and ask them to report back to us also. As a matter of fact, feel welcome to copy and paste this message to any other forums you may participate in.

[duncan2plus2]

Hi Larry,

The idea of an all-Pontiac auction sounds pretty exciting to me. My brother recently experienced one of the better-known auctions and had some interesting things to tell me about it. I'm not sure I would be willing to tolerate as much as he did, but maybe that is how they all go for the most part.

One thing I've noticed when watching the auctions on TV is that some cars (i.e. Mopars in Scottsdale) seem to get a lot more "pushing" by the auction house than other models such as Ford and Pontiac. At first I thought it was my imagination and bias, but after seeing the results for several Chrysler "tribute" cars as opposed to other Ford and Pontiac model "clones", I don't think it is.

I think it would be be very interesting and enlightening to see how many serious Pontiac buyers would actually take the time and spend the money to go to an all-Pontiac auction. I may be just way too optimistic, but I think it would have a very positive impact on how the cars would price out in a situation where Pontiacs were the focus cars.

Being in California, the Florida location would be less than ideal, but with the right situation, that would not be a deal-killer for me.

I hope you can get it pulled together.

Duncan

[Larry]

Thanks for your feedback.

We met again this past weekend and there are more people on board already. We are also starting discussions with Kruse Auctions (as a matter of fact there is a conference call scheduled for this afternoon with Dean Kruse, me, and one of our members in Indiana). What does this mean? It means this IS going to happen.

On another note, we have decided to make this a B-O-P Auction.... but more than that, a B-O-P EVENT. This is Florida, and in the winter it is THE place to be. This is going to be a high class event, but geared to the car lover, no matter what their means. It will be FUN, with tons of things to see and do, and I guarantee you, it is something that will happen again and again. The organizers (me being one of them) believe it is the right time to promote these cars, and make a specialized event that will showcase them to the fullest. Let the MOPARs and Ford guys play somewhere else.

Everyone, start spreading the word, and tell people to contact us at PontiacRegistry.com. We are going to be the main focal point for information about this event.

Want to come and have fun? Buy a car? Enjoy a car show? Go to the beaches? Go on a charter fishing trip? Golf at a Jack Nicholas designed golf course? More??? These are all under development now.

If you are a parts or service supplier, we want you here too. Contact us at: info@pontiacregistry.com

If you want to see where this B-O-P EVENT will take place, check out: http://sarasotacarmuseum.org/

[Larry]

Yes, Florida is a bit of a hike from the Left Coast. However, one of the neat things we want to do is make sure there is internet "presentation" and Exposure.

By that I mean, we are going to offer, through PontiacRegistry.com, a many-page presentation of every car consigned. It will be just like our On-Line Magazine with 10, 20, 30, or more pages of photos, documentation, etc. on every car. Dean Kruse of Kruse Auctions (who has already agreed to run the event) says this would be "a first".

A car owner will be able to decide if he wishes to make this sort of "display" and perhaps not even bring his car to Florida. And, a bidder/buyer can also decide if he/she wants to buy the car this way. Which, by the way, happens all the time at auctions (by phone) and on e-bay (by computer). This will just be a combination of all these possibilities.
But the main thing will be that we will make a massive review presentation of each car, unlike anyone else.

Now, we are going to charge for that, because it can't happen magically all by itself. But, it will only be the normal PR.com registration fee of $12.99, and that is nothing for the capability of reviewing EVERY single car all year long leading to the auction.

By the way, this is NOT going to be just an auction. It is going to be an EVENT... a pull out the stops B-O-P happening! Bring your car (or just yourself) to play in Florida in the winter!

More thoughts, ideas?

[Larry]

See if A.P.E. sells Gorilla Glue! That might work, ya think?

[duncan2plus2]

Hi Larry,
I would love to take the 2+2 to such an event, but travelling from CA to FL in the winter could present some pretty nasty challenges. I wonder if one of the professional classic car transporters could be talked into offering transportation to the event at some kind of group rate that would be affordable and attractive to car owners? My concerns would not be with just the gas costs, hotels and lodging, etc.. for a 4-day or better trip, but also the security concerns with weather, vandalism, theft. A professionally driven secure transporter would definitely make the trip much more feasible if the costs would be OK. I think this would be especially true for those who would want to take their high-end cars to the auction in order to make as good a sale as possible without having to buy a covered trailer or make the winter drive.
I like the idea of the "virtual auction" but have no experience with it and wonder if having the car at the auction would result in a better sale?
Just a thought.
Duncan

[Larry]

There are a couple of angles to look at this from.

Consider that big name auctions are held all the time during the winter, and they seem to do great. Now, that being said, it is probably due to two factors, or a combination of them. 1) there might just be a boatload of cars already down in the warmer states to come, or 2) the people who are selling quality cars don't have a problem traveling with them either because of secure trailers of their own, or because they use a transport service.

We will be working to get a good transport service involved, and bet that Kruse already has good contacts and recommendations for us.

The other consideration about a "virtual" auction is that this goes on all the time in that people buy over the phone at the auctions very often. So, using that as an example of not needing-to-see-the-car, it wouldn't have mattered if the car bought over the phone was actually at the auction site, or tucked away in its warm garage at home somewhere else.

We will give such extensive coverage through PontiacRegistry.com, that little could be doubted of a car's condition or pedigree. We are talking about putting up 10-20-more pages featuring each car in a format just like our On-Line Magazine. We would also project these images (if the car wasn't present) onto a screen at the auction for everyone to see.

Lots of things to consider. I really ask everyone to put on their thinking caps to help with ideas that would make this, not just an auction, but a "Celebration". But, as concerns the auction, lets move the event into the hi tech arena and use everything available to us to help the hobbyist buyer/seller.

Keep those ideas coming.

Thanks,
Larry

[1035kmiller1]

I like the idea of using all of the high tech methods to conduct the auction. You certainly will be able to get a lot more exposure for the cars that way and could draw in cars from all over the country without risk of travel in winter months through the midwest. One thing I have noticed however, is that photos can be deceiving at both ends of the spectrum. By that, I mean to say that it can be difficult to show the quality of an exceptional paint job in photos, and then on the other hand, a lesser quality paint job may not be as evident in photos. When trying to sell my car on the web, I had a number of contacts from interested parties, but friends and car guys in my local area stated emphatically that it needed to be seen in person to be appreciated. Once it was at the auction, the quality of the restoration became clear to potential buyers. I am convinced that is why the car brought in tall money for a hardtop, automatic, 2+2.

Given that situation, I'd recommend sellers of cars that will not be present have their information and photos submitted early enough for a potential buyer to go in person to preview a car. Another option would be to have a bank of unbiased members throughout the country who would be willing to preview a car in their local area and provide a report to potential bidders. I'm not sure how that could be worked out in terms of gas costs etc.. but it's just a thought.

One other suggestion has to do with payment once a car, present at the auction site, is sold. I had to wait 4.5 hours for payment because the buyer had no "history" with the auction company. I would recommend that buyers either have a blank check on file before being given a bidder number, or, that they be required to immediately provide payment once they have won the bid. Since there will likely be folks who need to travel home, I'm sure there will be some who want to collect their money and get on the road.

Just some food for thought.

[lightning]

Given the amount of high dollar restorations out there, and the success of Pontiac muscle cars sales at previous auctions, this concept should be successfull also.

[duncan2plus2]

I know it's early to start thinking about the event and all that will take place, but one thought I had would be a BBQ or casual party (Beach Party!) for the PontiacRegistry members and event organizers so we can just get together to talk about the cars and the event in a relaxed atmosphere. I realize the event personnel will be working like mad, but such a get together, even if just for a couple of hours, might help to break the tension a bit for everybody, and would also give the PR members time to look up on-line contacts, etc... Again, you are probably a couple of steps ahead of me, but living near the ocean and not suggesting a get together on the beach would be unforgiveable.

I think it would also be fun to have each member send in a before and after digital photo of their car and project it on big screens at the social functions so others can see what kind of time and effort and creativity has gone into the Pontiacs.

I also wondered if you are planning on-site or even earlier pre-auction appraisals to help sellers understand the approriate pricing associated with their Pontiacs cars to be auctioned, since many of them are going to be pretty rare rides.

[Larry]

The idea of a "pictorial presentation" does have its drawbacks. However, because we are going to give such a tremendous amount of space for on-line presentation, there will be plenty of room to post appraisal documentation. This will be the seller's responsibility to obtain.

The idea of being able to travel to see a car well in advance is a good idea also. Certainly it would be a good idea to allow one's car to be submitted to an unbiased third party examination. I have called friends in the past to go check out a car for me, and with the information returned actually have bought that way.

Now, It's Party Time! Florida is a wonderful place that time of year. We are already looking into a golf tournament at a Jack Nicholas designed exclusive club here at a very attractive package price... a once in a lifetime opportunity for many (the cost to join this club is only $150,000!).

We will also be looking into charter fishing trims (my neighbor is a shrimp fisherman and his wife is a charter Captain). As for BBQ and beach party, we are planning on that also. We have some good friends from Dominica who have a great island band and play throughout this area. You would love them!

Remember this is not going to be just an auction, but an EVENT! Sort of a Florida Woodstock for car people.... featuring Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac.

Keep those ideas coming. This is great idea stuff for us. And, for heaven's sake tellas many people as you can about this. It is early, but we want a ton of feedback.