CAR HUNT! or BOF & me car shopping!

Hey you guys. I've been to a few auto auctions the past 4-5 days.
I have had 3 buyers (1 being a major dealer) call me last week wanting mini vans.
Even before that happened, everyone I got would sell on the same day I put it up for sale. Not including the windstar we are driving in the salt right now.
Anyway, as soon as this past Aug I started noticing, good used units under $2000 were becomming hard to find mini vans or otherwise.
Well now it used to be about lets say 10-15 mini vans in a 100 unit lot for auction. At least 30% or more of those min vans are mopar. Most of them sellin at or slightly higher than I could sell for. (Retail private seller price)
Keep in mind USUALLY when I put something up for sale the price is usually amoung the lowest for that make and model on CL if not THE lowest. I lower $100 a day till it sells. So usually my idea of selling is being gone with cash in hand 48 hours after putting up for sale.
Now after this weekend...
Lets say 25-30% fewer units up for auction, 1-2 mini vans total half or all being mopar. At each auction I was seeing only 1 min van it being mopar or 2 total at sale with 1 or both being mopar.
It's the beginning of tax season we all know. I'm sure you realize it's a good time of year to sell. Like I said before, in about 2 weeks you could put a chian saw motor on a shopping cart, call it a car, cheap price, IT"S OTTA HEAH!!! SOLD!!! Buyers beware this time of year. The last weeks 150 unit auction had less than 75 units. The ones that were comming through were looking like bottom of the barrel too. They were in all likely hood units that were at dealers lots so long due to the being crap, the dealers dumped them into auction to try to better the quality on their lots. Sell theirs and buy others on the same day! (stock rotation makes the lot look busy) But even the junk recycling through the auction centers was selling like hot cakes at retail price (private party) or higher! WOW!

Here is what has been learned then;
1: More and more people now are keeping and fixing their old cars.
2: Used car prices on units that would sell off a lot for $2000 or less are going up in price from $100-$600 above what they were going for in last AUG and now are being priced around $2500 retail (private party, more if retail dealer lot). They are now selling for $1500 and up at auction, you being able to sell private party at around $2000. These same units are becomming so hard to find actual "name brand" car dealers who know me are calling and asking I find them for the dealer too!
3: Used private party units selling for $1500-2000 are becomming hard to find. The ones I have been researching at that price usually have 1 of the following; engine/tranny/electrical problems and would need to be towed away and repaired!
4: There is a major gap between junk cars and the above units in price. Scrap just went down here. That left more than just a few scratching their heads around here. There isn't any junk cars available anymore to fix up. I went from hauling say 5 a week beginning last summer to 1 in 5 months this past fall!
5: Did I mention that the biggest segment buying that extra car at tax season? Parents buying the kids first car who can't afford new ones. As a seller of cars once in a while I got to say, I wish all sellers would let people know what all is wrong with the car they are selling. Full discloser as far as what you know. If I'm lucky enough to have one for sale that's not heading for the junk yard, I always try to drive them around for at least a month. Check it all out and work some bugs out with minor repairs. That way when I sell it, I can provide a list of good and bad of the car. I always suggest what would be my next repair too and provide either parts or estimates on those repairs for the buyers. I also print out a KBB print out of "Bankers pricing" and usually print out 2 or 3 others that are currently available on CL for them to compair.
It will help you sleep at night knowing you sold something to someone who needed safe transportation. You will also get the rep for being overly honest and that's a good thing.

If buying this time of year, or any time for that matter, I don't try to dicker down pricing on the phone before viewing a purchase in person. It tics the seller off. I will however ask them on the phone what would be their next repair if they were keeping it. Also ask many questions. The more you ask the more you learn. Also if it's a scam sale they will trip up in their lies before the phone call is over. Try to view some pics before going to the unit in person.

Just some nuggets I've noticed. I hope we can somehow use them to help us all here to make better purchase decisions, No matter if you are keeping or flipping. Any make or model.

Mini vans though, especially mopar ones are HOT HOT HOT for resale as long as the rockers aint rusted and they are 2000 and newer. They have to be cleaned and detailed too. Full size pick ups any make and Durangos for some reason are on they way down in price fast! V-8 in them? Even harder to sell, but getting cheap to buy!

I'll keep beatin the bushes and yall keep it between the ditches!
:salut: