So the Mecum auction is here in town (Houston). I'm thinking about going no reserve on a Land Rover Defender 110 that I've struggled to sell through craigslist myself.

Does anyone here have experience selling with Mecum? the auction's cut is cut from 10% to 5% if I go in with no reserve. $500 entry fee as well to sell on Friday.

thoughts?? the guy said it would probably be on the block late on Friday if i get it to him tomorrow (friday) morning.

TIA

Link to pics and price?

D0ppleganger said:

---

Link to pics and price?

---

This. Did you post up here with price and pix?

I would like to get $23,000

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45371405@N07/35847665856/in/dateposted-public/" title="DSC_6955"><img src="" width="2048" height="1530" alt="DSC_6955"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45371405@N07/35079275543/in/dateposted-public/" title="DSC_6865"><img src="" width="2048" height="1367" alt="DSC_6865"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45371405@N07/35500592070/in/dateposted-public/" title="DSC_6853"><img src="" width="2048" height="1538" alt="DSC_6853"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45371405@N07/35500589430/in/dateposted-public/" title="DSC_6858"><img src="" width="2048" height="1414" alt="DSC_6858"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45371405@N07/35048894454/in/dateposted-public/" title="DSC_6831"><img src="" width="2048" height="1367" alt="DSC_6831"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45371405@N07/35079274333/in/dateposted-public/" title="DSC_6888"><img src="" width="2048" height="1367" alt="DSC_6888"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/45371405@N07/35847669966/in/dateposted-public/" title="DSC_6900"><img src="" width="2048" height="1564" alt="DSC_6900"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So basically you would be wagering 5% that it will meet your would-be reserve price. How confident are you? Seems risky over $1,150. If you don't have multiple interested bidders you could lose much more. Since you have already had trouble selling it, I would be nervous going no reserve.

**disclaimer- i have no experience with this, but that is how it looks to me. Let me know if I missed something. **

That sums it up. And I agree with you

Purely from watching Richard Rawlings, though, I sense there may be an auction dynamic that I don't know anything about re: selling no reserve. It always seems like when cars roll across with a reserve bidders will turn up their noses to a degree. Cars with no reserve bring an excitement that really encourages bids....it seems.

Can anyone confirm? Or tell me I'm an idiot?

Towns03 said:

---

That sums it up. And I agree with you

Purely from watching Richard Rawlings, though, I sense there may be an auction dynamic that I don't know anything about re: selling no reserve. It always seems like when cars roll across with a reserve bidders will turn up their noses to a degree. Cars with no reserve bring an excitement that really encourages bids....it seems.

Can anyone confirm? Or tell me I'm an idiot?

---

If you have at least 3 seriously interested buyers, I think no reserve can go really well because the 3 buyers know that the vehicle is going to be sold.

If you have 1 seriously interested buyer and several that will throw in an early bid just to see if they can get it cheap, you're going to be very disappointed.

I feel like someone looking for a RHD Defender 110 and will find your vehicle on Craigslist or the Land Rover forum classifieds and that group is who sets the price for your vehicle. By going to auction, I think you're hoping for an uninformed and/or impulse buyer.

Barrett Jackson got busted for blowing through cars they didn't feel were worth the effort/stage time and keeping cars on block longer if they had an interest in them.

Basically, it if was a car they were going to make 10% or more (like it was one of theirs) on a car it would sit for 2 or 3 times longer on the block and get worked a lot more by the auctioneer than one where they would get 5%.

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/01/07/daily45.html

TxAg20 said:

---

I feel like someone looking for a RHD Defender 110 and will find your vehicle on Craigslist or the Land Rover forum classifieds and that group is who sets the price for your vehicle. By going to auction, I think you're hoping for an uninformed and/or impulse buyer.

---

But posting it up here and maybe some hunting forums gets eyes on it that never knew they wanted one. Is there any LR dedicated forum like the Landcruiser ih8mud?

Heck, take it to Cars and Coffee with for sale info posted on it.

I also believe that Craigslist was not hitting your target audience. You need to post on some specific forums.


That being said, I'll give you $5k

What does an Autotrader.com ad cost?

EDIT- Just looked at Autotrader your price would be the second cheapest of the 90 some Defenders listed on there nationwide.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Land+Rover/Defender/Houston+TX-77030?zip=77030&startYear=1981&numRecords=25&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&firstRecord=0&endYear=2019&modelCodeList=DEFEND&makeCodeList=ROV&searchRadius=0

Bring a trailer would be another venue for you. https://bringatrailer.com

I would never go No Reserve unless I was truly in a position to not care what it sold for.

I have limited to no experience with a Mecum crowd but my impression is it will not be full of people looking for old Land Rover Discoveries - more of a car crowd. You need to target the Land Rover crowd nationally, if not internationally if its rare, to get the best money I think.

Well, I went and did it.

Against the better judgement of the AB I just dropped the truck off at NRG. They say it might be the final car auctioned on Saturday eve. No Reserve!

I'll report back with results next week-

longeryak said:

---

What does an Autotrader.com ad cost?

EDIT- Just looked at Autotrader your price would be the second cheapest of the 90 some Defenders listed on there nationwide.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Land+Rover/Defender/Houston+TX-77030?zip=77030&startYear=1981&numRecords=25&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&firstRecord=0&endYear=2019&modelCodeList=DEFEND&makeCodeList=ROV&searchRadius=0

Bring a trailer would be another venue for you. https://bringatrailer.com

---

Getting listed on bat and being picked up by jalopnik would be the ideal way move it.

Did you try eBay? Or Facebook or IG?

I attend auctions weekly. Most new car stores rarely sell their cars without a "low" or reserve. Only cars I see sell without a reserve are repos and junkers.

There is a guy on IG called "adaywithcaliboy" he markets cars very well for not much cash. eBay would be a great start imho.

If anyone is interested, a friend of a friend has this there this weekend:

https://www.mecum.com/lots/HA0418-337048/1969-ford-mustang-boss-429/

/drool

I saw a similar defender in the 'sold' column today. It went for $13,750, but it didn't have any of the nice gear we added: new alloy wheels and firestone tires, new suspension parts, new Defender seats, PVC rag top, and the bed liner. our paint is much better too. https://www.mecum.com/lots/HA0418-324205/1986-land-rover-110/

There were two well-done rovers that were auctioned but didn't hit the reserve prices. The high bids were $50K and $60K. I would call mine about 1/2 the value of these nice ones, but maybe that's just a father talking about his son, haha.

^^ ^
That is good sign for you that there was interest to take them up to that price. Means they can hit your desired price and still have a decent budget for more resto work.

The $23k seems reasonable but the cost to move the steering wheel to the left side kills it for me.

I'm pretty sure you're jerking my chain, but it's actually reasonably easy to move the wheel to the left side. A new dash piece and some new steering brackets. That switch is done all the time.

Good luck. I've drooled over that ride more than once digging through Craigslist. Wish I had the disposable income to pull the trigger on something like it.

RHD WNB

Seriously though nice rig. I dream of owning a four door 110 one day, or better yet a four door stretched lc from icon.

Best of luck.

There's a defender like that in my neighborhood. They pile a bunch of kids in it and go to the beach. Cool rig, but not as nice as OP's.

Just watching and waiting for the results. Good luck!

Good luck with the sale today. I have been to Mecum Houston and watched Defenders go much higher than I expected.

If I have the right one, it is Lot S228

No info yet

Javelina said:

---

Good luck. I've drooled over that ride more than once digging through Craigslist. Wish I had the disposable income to pull the trigger on something like it.

---

Me too. Too bad all my money is going to the new house.

Well?

We're waiting

Ouch. Looks like it went for $14,300.

No reserve... Ouch. I have sold thousands of cars at auction and every one of them had a floor (reserve).

Aston 91 said:

---

Ouch. Looks like it went for $14,300.

---

That is with the 10% buyers premium. So, $13,000

Then he owes another 5% auction fee. $12,350

Plus $500 entry fee....