Solid Sahara E9 on BAT

teahead

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I hate how that front shock tower insulation can ruin the looks of an engine compartment. That crap definitely will not be going back on my car.
 

Michael Kaye

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I hate how that front shock tower insulation can ruin the looks of an engine compartment. That crap definitely will not be going back on my car.

I know what you mean. I hated it and was concerned by what might be lurking underneath. So the first job after getting the car was to have it stripped off and have the whole area cleaned up, rust proofed etc. Then got a set of insulation from Christophe, had it reapplied and then painted. Very happy with it and the way it looks.

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boonies

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I know what you mean about the insulation. My engine compartment is in need of a clean-up and re-spray and the old sound-deadening is definitely coming out when that happens, the question is should new be added to go with the clean look. The car is otherwise so original my thought is to re-apply before paint.
 

Michael Kaye

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I know what you mean about the insulation. My engine compartment is in need of a clean-up and re-spray and the old sound-deadening is definitely coming out when that happens, the question is should new be added to go with the clean look. The car is otherwise so original my thought is to re-apply before paint.

My car is very original too, so I felt reapplying the sound deadening made sense for me.

I got the kits from cs-werks:

 

tightbox

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Closing today, and the bid is still very reasonable. This one could be a deal for those looking to get into a nice driver!
 

Markos

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I get that this is Sahara but BaT defies all logic. There is no rhyme or reason for a given hammer price. Passion and ignorance. You simply can’t use BaT as a litmus test for market value. The best you can do as make your car look as desireable as possible for impulsive buyers, regardless of the underlying bones and quality. I’m still wrapping my head around that $150K florida car...
 

rsporsche

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seems like a decent car, but not an exceptional car. i think the bidding reflects the amount of work that would take to become an exceptional car. no, its not my favorite color combination, but it is an automatic, and it is beige. its a bit tatty in places, and a little work could have changed the visual presentation quite a lot. not sure what the reserve was, but not surprised it didn't get there
 

Dick Steinkamp

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I get that this is Sahara but BaT defies all logic. There is no rhyme or reason for a given hammer price. Passion and ignorance. You simply can’t use BaT as a litmus test for market value.
I think part of the low bid amount is that it is a Canadian car. Many (most?) US buyers are not familiar with the import process and the amount of duty (if any) when buying a Canadian collector car. There is lots of conflicting and sometimes scary info out there. Most don't know if they need a broker and how to find one. Which state you are importing the car to can make a difference in the process. Cross border transport introduces another unknown. And with Covid, you can't just fly there and drive it home.
 

Markos

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seems like a decent car, but not an exceptional car. i think the bidding reflects the amount of work that would take to become an exceptional car. no, its not my favorite color combination, but it is an automatic, and it is beige. its a bit tatty in places, and a little work could have changed the visual presentation quite a lot. not sure what the reserve was, but not surprised it didn't get there


Agreed that basic cleanup would have helped quite a bit. Making a car do well on BaT isn’t rocket science. Presentation is key. My thoughts below...



Case study #1:

The dust has long since settled on the auction below. I love it because Gordon literally took every single piece of advice that I offered and went to work. It helps that his car looked cool, but the auction result speaks to spending a little bit of time and energy to boost the sale. Important to keep in mind that this was a year ago before auction prices went full-stupid.

Auction URL:

Reserve: ~$30K
Hammer: $39K


Edited for brevity/clarity/URL's

Click to expand quote for full recommendation:

@Gdub17

Ok here is my take. Please don’t take my comments personally, they are in good spirit!

Your photos get the job done but for the most part are pretty terrible. Don’t be lazy or cheap on this sale. I want you to put a little time into the car, and a little money. The car is absolutely worth $30K in my opinion. We will see how the red car does but your car looks very dry.

So about spending some money. This car looks cool and will cater to a demographic that can actually afford the car at $30K. They will like the paint and the chrome. They see the Christian Heine car, as illustrated here. (edit: nailed it!)

I want you to spend $500 on a photo shoot for the car. Get lots of lifestyle photos. It is fall and the scenery will do the car well. Research local car photographers. You have an opportunity to seize buyer emotion. I can’t reiterate enough that you are at the price point and demographic where it really matters. I want to see this car from 10’ away at a state park with leaves behind it. I want to see it in an industrial park or an old site with exposed brick. Even a parking garage with some structure to it would do. Pics of the whole car, from different angles. Emphasize the chrome on satin black.

I recommend that you install the old air box. If it doesn’t fit due to adapters let me know. We can pillage my car. Nobody likes the weber boxes. (edit: done) Install a washer reservoir on if it isn’t present. (edit: done) Put the side markers back on, even if they distract from the look. The car looks unfinished with the side marker holes. (edit: welded shut)

I would consider tweaks to the AC. Can you get knobs in there and side plates? We can print a faceplate. Knobs are likely around $50 plus posts. Something should fill the holes on the AC face plate. (edit: installed and clarified in ad) Also - clean/Empty the trunk (edit: cleaned!)

When you take the photos, bring the car to a shop with a lift. Get some full underside shots. Replicate the shots you already took, but with less camera movement. Try to use natural light or diffuse the flash. A photographer will know what’s up. Get more pics of the inner fenders. Take a @craterface style video of the fender box. Get your cold start and driving videos. You may have these already. Better full -trunk pics from 5’ away. Better pics of the tail. Better fuse box firewall pics. Better glovebox pics. Full dash pics from outside the car. (edit: done)

I think that it will go up to $30K and likely go passed it. $35 doesn’t seem out of the question IMO. The extra $500 to $700 could net you thousands.

Nailed It!
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Case Study #2

This is the opposite. I gave similar advice to this Seattle seller about photography. No response back. Potato phone pictures and at least $10K left on the table at hammer. This car would easily sell for $100K in the November 2020 market with professional pictures.

Auction URL:

Reserve: ?
Hammer: $76K


Edited for brevity/URL's

Hi <Seattle seller>,

I will gladly reply privately with a BAT estimate based on what I see. I don’t drive e9’s much but I do obsess over them and monitor every car that sells publicly. Nice cars have also been doing really well privately. I think your car will do very well on BAT based on the condition and color. You being a known quantity with comment support for you and the car helps a lot as well. I’m happy to point out things that things that will come undoubtedly up. The first incorrect comment will be that your bumper horns are on upside down. Someone will also ask you to remove your rockers. I am of the opinion that you should seriously consider a pro or semi-pro photo shoot. The ROI is absolutely there in my opinion. Take a look at the recent 1967 2000CS BAT sale as a working example. Details about the work, the motor, numbers matching etc. is helpful.

Beautiful Turkis! Cell phone pics in the driveway. :(
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craterface

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I think part of the low bid amount is that it is a Canadian car. Many (most?) US buyers are not familiar with the import process and the amount of duty (if any) when buying a Canadian collector car. There is lots of conflicting and sometimes scary info out there. Most don't know if they need a broker and how to find one. Which state you are importing the car to can make a difference in the process. Cross border transport introduces another unknown. And with Covid, you can't just fly there and drive it home.

agree. And you can’t go there and test drive or inspect the car.

my buddy deichenb on BaT bought a Bentley Arnage on BaT from Canada. He had a company do all the customs work, he paid the 2.5 percent duty, picked the car up in Niagara Falls and drove it home to FL. They did a “succes story” on it later.

the yellow CSL in BC didn’t meet reserve either a few months back, so the Canadian location definitely hurt this car. Seller should drive it to Legends this summer and he would probably find a buyer (if Legends happens)
 

Markos

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You both raise a good point. The Turkis above was in BC also. It's sad because buying cars from Canada is a piece of cake and requires no help from an importer. A few forms to fill out and you are done. You can actually call the border office and ask them for help. I've done it myself.

agree. And you can’t go there and test drive or inspect the car.

my buddy deichenb on BaT bought a Bentley Arnage on BaT from Canada. He had a company do all the customs work, he paid the 2.5 percent duty, picked the car up in Niagara Falls and drove it home to FL. They did a “succes story” on it later.

the yellow CSL in BC didn’t meet reserve either a few months back, so the Canadian location definitely hurt this car. Seller should drive it to Legends this summer and he would probably find a buyer (if Legends happens)
 

Dick Steinkamp

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You both raise a good point. The Turkis above was in BC also. It's sad because buying cars from Canada is a piece of cake and requires no help from an importer. A few forms to fill out and you are done. You can actually call the border office and ask them for help. I've done it myself.

X2
 

lip277

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Right -

I did that actually (do my homework on importing a car)...

Markos - you made note of the recent sale of the Turkis car.
That same Turkis car was earlier for sale back in 2004. I went up to Abbotsford (twice actually) to look at it. That was my first time looking at an E9 with a serious mindset of possibly purchasing it. Back then, the $18k George was asking for it was just a bit much for what I thought it should be worth.
On a side note - on my first visit to the car, I went with a friend who lives in Vancouver... a fellow BMW nut. I drove up to his place and we took his car over to see the E9. That was the fun part.
My friend has an E26 M1. If you ever want to look at a car free of the enthusiast BMW owner hovering over you while you are there - THAT is the way to do it. The seller spent 95% of the time visiting with my friend and looking at his M1. Worked out great to let me take my time looking at everything I wanted to on the Coupe. Awesome way to be introduced to the car.

On my second trip to see the car, on my way home I stopped at the CBP office in Blaine and visited with the agents there to go over the procedure to import a car like this into the USA. Everything I had in my notes (gathered from several NHTSA/EPA/WA DOT web sites) was validated. Would not have been a problem.... Just a bit of a hassle... :)

In the end, I did not get the car - but I did learn a TON about the E9 and also about the importation of cars from Canada.
 
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