[6t5gto]

With much regret and sadness I have come to accept the fact that the dream of restoring 26 1965-1967 GTOs (almost all are convertibles)is never going to happen. Plus paying for storage for the last 29 years has been costly. Its time to end the maddness. All of these cars were purchased in a 2 year span from 1980 to 1982 with hopes of restoring 3 a year. As of today only 1 65 was restored and a 65 and 66 have been on the rotisserie, media blasted, primed and put back on the frame and that was 20 years ago for the 65 and 5 years ago for the 66. I am going to keep a few but the rest need to go. When I purchased my 1965 black/white tripower 4 spd last year my friends and family looked at me like I was nuts, but knowing I would not be able to restore my cars, the best option was to buy one done. My hope is to sell them as one package. Many parts were purchased from a GM guy in Hemmings back in the early eighties. If my memory is correct the parts were about $15,000.00 alone which was a boat load of money considering you could purchase a very nice complete running car for about $3,000.00. Understanding the difficulty of this happening I thought I would start here and see if anyone had any interest or any suggestions on how to approach this. I thought maybe a broker might be the way to go or Mecum as 1 lot? Piecing out the collection and parts could take years to sell and I just do not want to spend the time doing it. As far as the price for everything that is the next thing that is difficult to figure out, but with the cars and all the parts which there are about 10 or more qt panels,and about 20 doors and fenders,hoods and trunks and other misc. parts I'm thinking about $185,000. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

[GTO JOHN]

My first thought would be to make a list of the 26 cars. Number each car 1-26, list condition, what goes with it, engines, PHS, title status, etc. and a price for that car and parts combo alone. Once you compile the list of 26 you should be close to your $185,000. You probably already did this in your head to come up with the starting number.

I'd also get some pics of the cars so potential buyers can see what they are getting. I think you will have your best luck with some good pics, PHS, and honest descriptions.

When I bought 5 Judges from a guy in Texas he had them listed as car 1, car 2, etc. I started out looking at 8 cars. He sent pictures, even 5 rolls of 35mm film I got developed here. He listed everything that came with each car and had titles and PHS for all. He seemed pretty organized with his info.

The problem with selling them all together is mutli-fold. First you need a guy with that much cash. Second he needs to be able to restore them himself, or have more cash to get them restored. Third the shipping on 26 cars has got to be substantial.

Selling them one at a time, or even in groups- maybe 3-4 cars to one guy will be easier to get the ball rolling. Once you sell one, the next one will go easier for you.

Thats my $.02

[goatless]

I agree with John. I understand that you'd like to be rid of them in one shot, but very few guys have the desire to purchase that many cars at once, let alone having enough money or space for all of them.

[b-man]

It's going to take some effort to sell 26 cars.

I would start right now and advertise each car individually, place ads for about 5 cars and start getting some exposure.

If you price them to sell you'll likely move them out fairly quickly.

Finding someone who will buy the entire lot of 26 cars is not going to be easy, and if you did they would expect to get a pretty good package deal to take that many cars off your hands.

[arbys]

I think that the above posts are right on. Sell 5 or 6 at a time and after one lot is sold start to sell the next lot. The word WILL get around and generate more interest. Sell the best lot toward the end. I would space the lot sales about 3-4 months apart. Who knows, maybe after 1 or 2 lot sales someone may step up and buy the rest as a lot.

[Andre]

Supply and demand. That is the key to sales.

That being said, you have a huge supply of unrestored cars, and in my opinion (just my opinion), the demand for project cars is low.

The first question I would ask you, is What are you trying to accomplish?
I beleive that you want to buy more restored cars or convert hard to store sheet metal and cars into "easy to store cash".

Regarding the parts, some of that stuff is easier, some is very very tough. IE if you had 20 tripowers or 10 67 NOS GTO convertible quarters, those aren't hard to sell. 20 doors or fenders is a different story. Convertible back seats are easy, used door panels, not so easy. Used suspension parts- dead weight, likewise a lot of other parts of that variety. They aren't even worth trying to sell.
I've done this for 30 years, and enjoyed the process of turning junk cars and parts into a few nice cars that I enjoy. If you were somewhere near to me, and they were priced reasonably, I know I could sell all that you want in 2 years. 10 years ago, I could have done it in 1 year.
If you wish to discuss further, email me at arayman@aol.com. I can make it happen, or help you make it happen.

[Sidponcho]

I agree that the "lot" sale might be tough. BUT, if thats what you'd really prefer to do, then inventory and list everything as some have suggested, and advertise it as a lot. Have a bottom-line number (in your head) that you won't go below. Maybe you'll get lucky and find the right person that wants the whole deal. JMHO

[The Boss]

One at a time, and be aggressive on price.

185,000 for 26 cars is over 7k/car and if they are all projects that's too much. Figure half price on everything and you will be closer to market.

[ta-69]

I might be interested in 2 or 3 the depending on price and location.thanks Jim

[bigpop]

I agree with the comments about a "one price takes all". In this economy, even the guys (gals) with money didn't get there by being naive or stupid. Let's face it, there has been a
sharp decline in prices, has the bottom been reached? That is a point monied folks would consider about all 26 at one time.
Any dealer will tell you 4 speed cars are the most coveted.And convertibles is a big plus. I would, as the guys above say, list them in a group,but maybe 3 at a time. Just to get some momentum to the project.
It seems our dad put out the money, so, theoretically, any money, less storage and maintenance, is for you, pure profit. I would do as stated above, then sell the rest below market, to attract a potentially quicker sale. The condition and PHS is extremely important. Quality photos is a must. Visuals stimulate the buyer, always have, always will. The copy is important,also. I would take Andre up on his kind offer. He has 30 years experience, and knows his stuff.
I would post the first " batch" here. Serious Pontiac guys (gals) who know other serious Pontiac folks. No telling, a group of three could get the money up, and split up the cars amongst themselves.
Sorry, I didn't read the whole thread, it's early (lol) but, what is the condition of
these? Are they all streetable ,as is? A list of acquired parts, especially NOS, would be a plus.
I feel an auction is out of the question. You would need to transport them to one location, or hope to get pre-auction publicity ,to attract buyers before, to view them where they are. That also, would be very problematical.
The economic forecast isn't bright for a fast recovery of this economy, you may have to wait quite a while to sell them all. Years as far as the economy goes, acoording to forecasts( 2016) for unemployment below 5.5%!! e.g. Good luck, I'd like to know more about the cars myself.....but, all 26 is a little out of range for me!! lol Larry B.

[GT182]

One other thing. Where are you located? That will be a factor too.

Not sure but check on this site and see if you can advertise them there too..... http://ultimategto.com/

[6t5gto]

Thanks for all the suggestions. As far as the condition, these cars were purchased in 1980-82 and most were put in storage at that time. So they have been sitting all that time and some were sitting before we bought them, so that are not able to be driven as is. That being said, most of these are original and should contain most of there original parts and paint but I would need to confirm this. When these were bought originality was not a concern at all. I had planned on getting the PHS on all of them this summer but was not able to find the time. I will do that before I start to advertise them. My purpose of this thread is to get the ball rolling and get some good advice from you guys. The time frame to really be ready for this will probably be 2 months. Between getting all the #s off the blocks,rears, trannys and getting all the PHS and cleaning them so they look presentable will take alot of effort. Most convert tops are white and at least 4 of them have parchment interior which will need some heavy scrubbing. I will post when anything new has happened. PS.... I know the suggestions of selling them in smaller lots or individually is probably what will happen, but I will be optimistic until reality come knocking on my door.

[The Boss]

Where are you located?

[arbys]

Your approx. location was not given and as mentioned before where you are and where these car came from are very important as to the ability to sell and price.

[Ken K]

Pick out the car that you think needs the most work and list it on Ebay. You will get an idea what it's all worth. You will never be able to sell all the cars in one pop unless you give them away. Once someone knows where the cars are at they will be coming out of the woodwork trying to scam them.

[Tim john]

PM sent.

Tim john---

[GTO JOHN]

Pretty sure he is in New York state somewhere.

[arbys]

Originally Posted by GTO JOHN

Pretty sure he is in New York state somewhere.

What leads you to that conclusion?

[geeteeohguy]

It would be nice to post the state the cars are in so we wouldn't have to speculate. I understood that they were in South Dakota.

[arbys]

Originally Posted by 6t5gto

I am in New York so not to far from Thortons. I agree about the stripe. I think it looks cleaner with out one. I was only 1 year old (1965)when my father bought a new 1965 tripower 4speed convert. Nightwatch blue w/blue interior. A year later someone stole the transmission, my sister was born and my father decided it was time to become an adult so he sold the car for a 4 door Chrysler 6 banger. 20 years later he came across an exact match to his original GTO #s matching and bought it. He still has it today and will never part with it until he is dead. (his words) That feeling of owning his original car gave him such a burst of life, that we started collecting 65-67 converts. Presently we own 26 GTOs, all converts except for the one I just bought. I know some people will doubt what I say but will post some pics of the collection when I get a chance. The sad thing is these cars have been sitting for 20 years and it shows. They have always been stored indoors since we purchased them, but still does not protect them as good as we would like. They have all been off the road for at least 20 years.

Our question about where the cars are located may be answered.