Not a comment on the seller. It's a free world (mostly) and a free market (mostly) and the seller can ask what he wants. But, what are opinions on a price like this? Myself, I think, nobody will pay this price.
http://goo.gl/iS7Muo (http://goo.gl/iS7Muo)
Hint: It's a 6 volt GM fan in near perfect condition for $1,125.00. Not sure about the zip tie... thinking that did not come with it.
(https://forums.cadillaclasalle.club/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fceretti.com%2Fgm-fan.jpg&hash=ab983048f1f4adf349f3b75c3fcb59b2268a4abf)
I personally cannot see a fan being worth that kind of money, nor can I see paying $5000.00 dollars for a pair of 1931 headlights or $4000.00 for a 1932 steering wheel. There are those with the deep pockets that wouldn’t think twice about dropping that kind of cash for something unique or in mint condition.
Maybe it's a harbinger of things to come as parts become more and more scarce. A great thing for those who have stashed away these parts but a bad thing for new entrants into the restoration hobby. A terrible thing for old cars needing a restoration... maybe not.
This is why you will never see me on Amelia Island or Pebble Beach. I will get just as many smiles per mile, with a far less than perfect classic, going to local cruise spots and I will have a sign in the window saying, it is OK to touch.
Not to me, but I am the guy who bought a parts car to get a rare foot rest, but I shared the parts with another and came out O K
I was told the old car hobby is a rich man's game 21 years ago when I bought the '57. Was true then and still is.
Odd accessories like this are for the most discriminating buyer. It is a generic GM piece. Imagine if it had a Cadillac emblem instead.
Like my uncle Frank always said: "everybody goes crazy differently."
He also traded in his cadillacs every time the ashtrays were filled.
I said the same thing to my wife, if this had the Cadillac emblem it wouldn't be on eBay for more than a few minutes even at a higher price. As it is, it is only a GM piece. Nice yes, but whatever. I have what I think is a much nicer Trico fan and paid $25 plus about $20 shipping. Although my fan was seized and dirty enough that I didn't realize it was a Trico, I freed it up and cleaned and polished and it gets a lot of nice comments from onlookers.
Some things are for sale because the seller wants to sell it, and other parts are for sale because the seller needs to sell it.
What scenario this part comes under, I am not sure, but looking at his ebay site, her looks like being stuck with lots of parts, but at least, they are being offered for sale. Especially the Rochester Carby he has.
Personally, if something is over priced, the price will eventually come down, or it will go to the scrapper when that person passes away, and the people left with the pile of parts, will want them out of the way to finalise the estate.
I had better advertise my genuine L88 Holley Carby that I have until there are no persons wanting such a part, and then it will just be an old Holley Carby. Until then, I am keeping it for a future project, or should I?
Bruce. >:D
The collectables market around the world survives and prospers on the strength of stories about rare items that someone else places a value on. If they also come with a wacky story (called "provenance") even better! Just look at the success of "Antiques Roadshow" around the world.
The trick as a "collector" (in my case, a bloke who ends up with half a truck load of bits he doesn't need because he was sold them as something they are not, he bought them because he just had to have them, or they came as a "job lot" with bits he did need) is to find some way of ensuring your off-spring don't just send them off to the "car-boot sale" (to use the English term) with a $2 price tag after you've gone. That's good for the next generation of collectors and restorers but not much good for me trying to find eternal peace somewhere!
I have a collection of what are not-rare-but-not-common-either books that I dread my kids packing off to the local school fete book stall one day so I go on Ebay every now and again, find an equivalent that has just sold for a good price, print off the auction/sale page and slip it inside the front cover of the book.
I've told them where to find these and, if they still take them to the school fete, more fools them!
This fan has (from my limited knowledge of these things) probably got some "added value" because it smacks of the "machine age" (1930's and 40's) that has an avid and, at times, voracious following among collectors at the moment so its value may not just be being set by car nuts but by "machine age" collectors.
I personally think its ugly and I wouldn't have it on the dash of any of my cars. Like Joe I have a much nicer Trico that I paid nothing for as it came with a parts car years ago, not that I'm about to drill holes in any of my dashs even for that one.
I agree with John its much more a mechanical thing, for a truck probably. can't really see anyone paying that much though but who knows.
How about a fuse for $59.50?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-GM-COLORED-FUSE-66-71-Assembly-Line-Correct-14A-Black-/371175064705?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item566bc20481&vxp=mtr
I've noticed lately on eBay, that sellers are parting cars out and asking (for me) astronomical prices for items. But the good thing is, it's only $29.99 to ship it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1970-Cadillac-DEVILLE-FLEETWOOD-TAIL-LIGHT-WIRE-WIRE-HARNESS-COMPLETE-UNCUT-/121479901918?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c48c432de&vxp=mtr
Wow, that fuse just about takes the biscuit. :o
It's the same thing with passenger side 1961/62 rear view mirrors. When they poke their heads out of the sand, they're selling for $1200. Same with 61-3 trumpet horns. $500 for a nice one, $350 for a working unrestored one.
I'd never pay that. $200 yes for the horn, but the mirror. . .no way. I'd have to drill my door to install a mirror you can't see anyway.
Supply & demand.
Figuring out the correct price is hard. When dealing with restoration and preservation of cars and trucks, there starts to be an emotional factor that clouds everyone's judgement. The car my Dad and I are restoring has that going on. He had the car when he started dating my mother, they went on their honeymoon in the car, and we as a family have a lot of fond memories cruising around in the car. Now we're restoring it for my wedding next fall. So it's not 'a' Cadillac, it's 'the' Cadillac. Our attitude about prices of parts reflects that. I'm poking around for NOS parts like an oil filter and thinking "$100 for an oil filter? Seems a little high, even for NOS. But it's the Cadillac! She deserves that extra special detail!"
Jay Leno has a delightful site called Jay Lenos Garage. There are short (about 5 minutes each) videos of him telling about specific cars and driving them. In one he sort of whispers "I paid $100,000 for a supercharger for this car, don't tell my wife. That is most of us on a different scale.
It's not just the older Cadillac parts that are subject to "price speculation." My 93 deVille (senior car) needed replacement rear electronic struts. They have been discontinued by GM in the late 90s, and no aftermarket company reproduces the electronic, air strut I wanted for authenticity. Finally after a 2 year search an ebay vendor listed a set for $799 plus 30 shipping. I didn't want them that bad!! but patience paid off. Eventually I bought them for $250 with free shipping!
That's dedication Craig!
I agree with David who wrote: "Asking prices don't set the market value. Selling prices do." There is a somewhat rare radio on ebay that I would like to have except the seller is asking $350 for it, about twice what I'm willing to pay for it. My problem? Maybe so, but it's been on ebay several months which may mean the seller has a problem too. We shall see.
Increasing sale prices is indicative of a robust & thriving hobby rather than of one in decline - as I see it.
I guess it depends upon what the definition of "rich" is and exactly what cars we're talking about.
As with anything else, the choicest cars will always be in high demand, therefore often beyond the means of most. Outside of that however, there are many fine Cadillacs available for nearly every budget if one uses judgment and resources wisely.
In any case, I personally do not subscribe to the theory that the old car hobby in general is a pastime reserved for the wealthy and it certainly is not a prerequisite to becoming the owner of a very nice Cadillac. :)
Yes it's priced too high, but if it sells anyone who has one in any condition will put it on the market and expect the same or close to the same price.
You can see the best example of this. When the auctions came to television everyone with a common Chevelle thought it was worth $70,000 to $80,000.
They came out of the wood work and even the rare ones drop in price. Like the first post said "Free Market"
My 2 cents or since it is rare, old and in perfect condition $20.00 LOL
Necessity has nothing to do with it.
Bowling balls or bananas, all things fall somewhere in a range of value - necessary or not.
You are making a sweeping generalization from a single, isolated transaction.
I'm by no mean a rich man. I work hard and live paycheque to paycheque like most people out there. I don't do drugs, chase loose women, and don't have a boat, ATV, fancy truck, or a huge house. I work hard for my money, and choose to funnel a little spare money into this hobby. I just bought a 53. While a person of better means could do a better job in a shorter amount of time with the car than I could ever do, I work it at my pace that doesn't take food off the table.
There are worse things in life.
Oh, and I'm all of 36, so I'm somewhat in the middle of the generation gap.
If a part is incredibly rare, then it is definitely a seller's market. You have it, someone needs it, you name your price. It's that simple.
It's not just car parts, it's rare collectibles, etc. That's just the way a free market works.
Quote from: 49er on November 08, 2014, 06:35:02 PM
Really Will?. Necessity. Look , you jump out of an airplane your going to need a parachute! Its an absolute necessity. You going to sit down and chomp down on a 1 inch sirloin your going to need teeth. They are necessary.
If a door has a pad lock on it, you dont need a key. Its not necessary, you can use a crow bar, bolt cutters, break a window any numbet of ways. Its such a relative term and can be applied in a multitude of ways. But to say the necessity is necessary is not necessarily true. Now im going to have some ice cream now. I have teeth but they are not necessary.
Regarding the first sentence, I can attest that a parachute is an absolute necessity when jumping out of an aircraft. - Airborne!
As to the fan, it's priced stupidly. but so where those wheel covers. The wheel covers actually have a lot of demand, whereas this fan, most likely not.
Trim parts are going to get pricier as time goes on. That I have found out over the past 10 years.
I'm still trying to figure where is it written the difference between automobiles and houses as it relates to market forces. ???
At any rate, I absolutely reject the argument that the old car hobby is a "rich man's game" - whatever that is, this side of Polo and even that might not qualify under certain circumstances.
A few relatively rare & extreme transactions involving top shelf property representing perhaps 1% of all old car hobby transactions is hardly a basis for such an argument.
The simple fact is there are lots of nice vintage cars to be had that you do not need to be wealthy to be able to afford and enjoy.
That is all I have to say on the subject.
I'd like to say that I had no idea that my original post would have so many responses, but I suppose I did. When I saw the price of that fan I knew it would incense a lot of members. After watching all these responses and thinking about it, and receiving some private messages about this, I realize that the seller is quite astute. He realizes that he has something quite rare, and I doubt anyone can argue that fact. He has something quite rare and he is hopeful, and probably rightly so, that he will find a buyer who doesn't consider money as a barrier. I think this is one of the foundations of the capitalist economy.
One of the biggest factors in the rise in prices of anything to do with anything is the availability of avenues for sale like Auction Houses, and Ebay.
The days of placing an advert in the local paper, or by word of mouth in the local community has almost gone into oblivion, as the Internet has taken over virtually everything.
Go to an Auction, and witness the number of on-line bidders.
Being a reader of Car Magazines since 1962, and member of car clubs since the early '70's, I have witnessed the rise, and fall of different advertising media.
Thankfully, I built all my Hot Rods before people came back with the reply, "the parts fetch more than that on the internet"
Bruce. >:D
The "information age" has brought markets much closer to equilibrium rather than not and it cuts both ways: On one hand, it has become more difficult to get a "steal" yet on the other, a lot of collectibles have dropped in value considerably because so much material has been brought into the open - items suddenly turned out not to be as scarce as originally thought.
A number of antique shop owners have told me this personally.
I feel the basis of the "rich man's hobby" sentiments from so many quarters (not just Will) stems from not being able to buy below market value as easily as it once had been. BOO HOO! Those days are over. There are a hell of a lot less 1950 to 1970 cars today than there were 40 years ago when they were still on the road being used up while demand for them has exploded over the past 20 years. That's the market. It is a fact.
Time to put on our big boy pants and deal with it.
Yup, if you cant afford to restore it then CHOP it >:D do what you can afford, A nice rat rod aint that expensive, even when it is made from a Caddy