Looking for opinions on WIW...

[cantflip]

I get dealers will sell for more, but it doesn't help matters with realistic pricing. We want as much as we can get for our cars, I get that too, and think they should be valued higher than they are. But then you have flippers with cash in hand that use the dealer pricing so you have two inflated prices from two avenues of sellers. And of course a buyer's mindset is as low as possible, which I get, that's my position, a buyer. Regardless of how much I have into my car, I don't see any realistic price being near my "let it go" amount. Just because B & E bodies are getting some crazy money, it doesn't mean that our beloved C bodies are going up proportionally. Would be great if they were, but they're not. I think I'd probably buy from a member here if I was in the market for another car. There have been a few lately going for around 5k or less that I would have jumped in had the circumstances been different. Until then, I'll keep rebuilding my car,and my other car, and maybe even my truck!

Thank you, I agree. Gesswein has been the unofficial high dollar mark for Formals for some of us... mostly because they always have several in inventory and they market the heck out of them. Any search for a 74/75 Imperial will bring you to more of their ads than private cars on most days. IDK if its really working, but I do perceive more dealer/flipper cars trying to get similar prices... and few sales in 5 digits.

 

[1978 NYB]

The cars sit on that lot FOREVER (years and years) and at those ridiculous prices don't sell.....

 

[moparnutcase]

Contacted him early 2016 about a '77 Monaco Brougham with the blue plaid interior(I may have posted a link) and 18,xxx original miles. When I first saw the car the price was nearly $10,000. It dropped to I believe around $7900 when I became interested. Knowing I would have to spend for shipping, I offered $5500 and he turned it down. His bottom was $7000. Sometime this past year the same car showed up on a Colorado C/L ad with an asking price of $5500-$6000 if I remember correctly. Needless to say, I think my offer at the time was certainly "ball park". Still overly thrilled I got my 'Doba instead!!

 

[Carmine]

Isn't Gesswein also a bit of a collector? I'm gessing (see what I did there?) that he just puts big prices on these so they don't sell, writes off the overhead costs, and sells the stuff he doesn't like as much at more realistic prices.

We formal owners should feel complimented.

 

[cantflip]

Isn't Gesswein also a bit of a collector? I'm gessing (see what I did there?) that he just puts big prices on these so they don't sell, writes off the overhead costs, and sells the stuff he doesn't like as much at more realistic prices.

We formal owners should feel complimented.

I have held the belief that this is the tax write off collection... I base that on the amount of advertising they do as well as the big prices/slow sales these cars seem to get. I have no way of knowing if anything sold or how much it went for, but there used to be a number of other Formal Imperials in the inventory. They could still be around and just off rotation I suppose.

As a buyer, I hated what Guesswein did to drive prices up... with small sales numbers in the auction houses, I bet the price guide folks look at the ads too. Worse, every wannabe flipper looks around and decides this is a good price point too, I suspect without ever actually watching how long the cars sit at those prices.

As an owner who is unlikely to adopt any more for a long time... it bothers me much less.

I suppose I'd be really thankful if I was a seller... but that's not happening anytime soon.