Auction Scoots
Apropos of nothing, I went to a big going out of business auction last weekend. It was a pawn shop so they were selling a little bit of everything. The real reason I was there were the scooters and motorcycles for sale. Some of them have been parked out front for weeks and months and I have walked by them a hundred times, wishing, wishing. So I was really hoping they’d go for nothing. I was mistaken. The 2000? Honda ST1100 w/something like 24k miles went for $4k. The 2003 Honda Silver Wing w/about 6k miles? (looked almost brand new) went for $2400, and the beat up old (1995?) Honda Helix w/20k miles went for $900. By my humble researches, those were all about 50% of market value, except for maybe the Helix, which was in bad shape and should not have gone for so much (I thought).
My dad’s a big auction fan and each time I go to one I’m reminded of why people like them. It’s fun to check out the merchandise and wonder about what it will go for, and it’s exciting to get into the bidding for something you want. It’s also this strange sort of honor system culture where anyone can sign up for a number and bid, no questions asked (other than name, address, and phone number). Where else can you stand up and declare you’re going to pay $5k for something w/out anyone asking to see some kind of proof beforehand that you’re actually good for it? I could get into big trouble that way, but still, it’s kind of a neat thing.
I still have that scooter jones, though. If I’d had an extra $900, that Helix would have been mine! My grandpa had what turns out to be a rather rare 1984 Honda Elite 125 (rare because it was a 125 for only one year before they made it a 150, apparently w/o much of a performance gain). It’s been sitting in my dad’s garage for probably close to a decade now, but it apparently has title and ownership issues. Really I keep making this vow to stop wanting things I can’t afford and this would be one of them. Nose to the grindstone, pay those loans, get back to work. Yadda 2x.
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