There can be a real buzz buying at auction – especially when the lots include rare or low mileage classic VWs!
There’s no black art to buying at auction, and there can be a real fun element to it if you go in with your eyes wide open. Moreover, because of their simplicity, buying a VW is much less fraught than other more exotic classics which could be hiding all manner of horrors. As for prices, there’s a real possibility of grabbing a bargain – especially if you get lucky and don’t end up bidding against other Volkswagen fanatics…
This really solid RHD ’58 Bug from Malta, complete with valuable period plate, sold for just £6,000 last year.
The key, obviously, is to do as much probing as possible before the sale gets underway to get a clear picture of what you are bidding on. Vehicles can’t be started in the sales hall, but because auction catalogues are published several weeks beforehand, prospective buyers can usually contact the auctioneers and arrange an in-depth inspection prior to the sale. That will also give you a chance to have a proper butchers at the vehicle’s history and documentation. If there’s any questions, the auction house will usually be willing to pick up the phone and quiz the owner on your behalf so the whole process becomes as transparent as possible.
£7,102 was needed to secure this totally pristine one-owner-from-new ’76 1200 Beetle at South West Vehicles Auctions (www.swva.co.uk) in July.
As well as the chance of bagging a bargain, classic auctions also provide the opportunity of buying rare and unusual examples that rarely come up for sale privately. If someone’s got a historically important car, and they want to retain their privacy, then they tend to sell it at auction. A few years ago, for example, a 1994 2.3 Audi convertible once owned by Diana, Princess of Wales (pictured below), came up for auction at a Coys sale a few years back. Ok, because of the continued interest in its former custodian, it ended up making a lot more than its real value, but nevertheless it had only done 21,000 miles and was a real minter.
When it comes to bidding, while it’s important to keep your head and not get completely carried away , it’s wise not to stick too rigidly to your upper limit. Build in a bit of fluidity, otherwise chances are you’ll regret it later. And remember, there’s a buyer’s premium to add on to the hammer price so find this out beforehand and work it into your spending limit.
This Florida Blue 1979 Cabriolet sold for £11,500 at Coys recently…
Tempted? Well, why not go along and take a look for yourselves – there’s auctions going on all over the place most weekends. Just Google ‘classic car auction’ and you’ll find out who are the main contenders – along with a diary of sales.
To whet your appetite, a 1971 Beetle which had a guide price of £2,000-£3,000 and a 1969 Karmann Ghia (with a guide price of £14,000-£16,00) made just £2,356 and £10,494 respectively at a Morris Leslie sale in Perth last week. And get this, a sought after 1965 21-window bus (pictured below) will be under the hammer at RM Auctions in Battersea on September 8. Ok, the guide price is a not insignificant £60,000-£80,000 but, hey, you never know – you might just get lucky!
Happy bidding, Ian
The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage