'72 Stage 1 Convertible

3 days left for the yellow Stage 1 - The user (CBB5795) on BaT who bid above me by $333 has 230 bids (since Dec 2022), 15 comments, no wins/no listings, etc. He has no comments in this auction. He is one of those that keep the bidding moving along. Won't be surprised by another serial bidder who will jump the bid $5K - $10K as the auction comes to a close...

 

Yes thats me- all your questions are valid as a buyer trust me. I just have my own opinions. Those body lines are completely inconsequential to me and i laugh to think about someone that would actually care about that, but if you do- the body work should not be a concern of yours bc this car is gonna command a serious premium to even get the title in your hands.

 

I understand your point of view.

To me, and I may be the only one, but I won't pay big dollars for a car that I'm not sure of its condition. I am not a body man/painter/mechanic - these trades I have to pay for and these days the financial demand is 300% more than yesteryear, IF you can wait the 18 months on their list. Those deck joints won't stop me from having fun, but they will cost thousands just to get them gone, forget about any other ancillary body/paint/aligning work. All those other little "problems" and the awkward fact that the seller just won't hand over basic info. He won't post simple vids of it starting, the top cycling, descent engine compartment pics, etc. From day one, after many e-mails, the seller made it clear to me he was not going to comply with the basic asks when one sells a car. I'm just glad others here took notice and got involved. Great car, but I'll stop at $50K. The BaT shills have already driven the price up $10K today. If it goes $100K+, I wish the buyer the best...

 

There was a flame orange 72 Stage 1 vert, zone car, that sold a couple months ago on Hemmings for around 90k, iirc. From what I read about that car on here it was much more well sorted out than this one. I don't see how this car sells for more. Then again, I gave up trying to figure out this goofy market...

As @Brett Slater said, it should require very little effort to take comprehensive photos and videos these days. If a seller won't put that effort in...hiding something...lazy...can't be bothered...none of that makes me feel too confident.

 

When you combine a lack of responsiveness with bluster and what look like shill bids, and sprinkle in things like a carburetor that’s a restamp, it doesn’t make for comfortable bidding for some.
Patrick

 

Here it is:
https://www.hemmings.com/auction/1972-buick-gran-sport-754135/sold

I'd be happy to say all I paid was $90K for that beauty!

 

To be fair, the description does say, "a modified Rochester four-barrel carburetor".

 

If we are going to get picky, nowhere does the seller state the car starts, idles, runs, AC works, top cycles properly, etc.

Just the kind of stuff a Judge (or my dad if he were still here) would ask me if it were a dud - "...before you bought it didn't you even ask if it...".

 

As they say, caveat emptor.

 

Personally I would never buy a car without seeing it in person.

 

i use to feel the same way. but over the past 10 years i have purchased 3 cars and the sellers were not to helpful with questions or extra pics. i took fairly large gambles and luckily came out on top! but i realized going in that i could be burned and it would of been my own fault!! heck my stg1, 4spd,gsx was a deal on ebay because the seller was cranky and did not want to answer a bunch of dumb questions {his words} and his pictures were crap. this scared away alot of buyers and i got lucky. if anyone is going to drop 40k+ on a car and does not take the time to go see it {fly or drive} and inspect it properly you have no right to cry.
charlie

 

My 1st & only 1972 GS455 Convertible was bought sight unseen!

I caught the auction a few days late after it didn't hit the reserve:
https://autohunter.com/Listing/Details/16909225/1972-Buick-GS-455-Convertible

Then he went to sell it directly and I was about 4 buyers deep with a full price offer and was on a waiting list.
https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1560100/1972-buick-gs-455-for-sale-in-rochester-new-york-14624

A week later, he called and said it was mine for $32,500. Only problem, car was in Rochester, NY in the winter and they were having 5 feet of snow. The owner was the nicest guy, made vids, took extra pics, spent time with me on the phone and answered every question I had.

Figured, you only live once (I added the hood stripe)...

 

Well, atleast he posted the trans numbers. Things like the carb, and possibly the distributor are fixable by comparison. They need to be figured into the price still. Curious to see where this ends.

 

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-buick-gs-convertible-4/

Sold for $68,000

 

68k hammer price. So much for regularly seeing 72 Verts of this caliber in the 40 to 45 range. I think 68k is probably fair with the wrong carb, and no word at all on the distributor.

@ChesapeakeChris, I was conflicted. I was rooting for you, but I'm a 72 Stage Vert owner so I also would rather not see them under 50k. It was an exciting auction to the end. Better luck next time man.

 

So after the 5% buyers fee from BAT the buyer has to pay $71,400. You guys think this is low, high, or just right (the market spoke)?

 

I privately guessed with @breakinbuick11 that it would be 75k, but also didn't realize at was at minimum missing the carb when I said that.

I don't think its wild all. The last time I saw a nice one go to auction that wasn't a zone car, or a 4 speed, I think it's been a couple years and it brought low 80s. In terms of prices, it isn't a few years ago, and this one has some issues that the price reflects.

 

My top was $50K, given the other 1972 GS455 convertible I have. Nowhere to garage it, take care of it, etc.

Told wife I would have paid $90K+ for it because it is a 1 of 1 car, then sell what I have.

(plenty of bidding shills keeping it going too)...

 

You had a pretty good guess Chris. My prediction was that the reserve would not be met regardless of the final bid amount but I was wrong.

 

If I won the auction, the 1st thing I would have done is slap on my brand new Q-Series Carb 850CFM Drag Race Annular Booster and chuck the Rochester...