Zephyrhills swap meet and auction.

USA. Half an hour northeast of Tampa Fl is Zephyrhills with its huge annual swap meet in February. Thousands visits this water hole but this year business was slow. Due to the rough economic climate potential buyers held their check books tight while the sellers refuse to knock down the prices. Market price war. by Lars Krantz. Translation Ellen Kay Krantz.

– Hello, look alive, wake up. The car is totally untouched! The Galaxie from 1974 hasn’t even run 24800 miles! Owner asked for at least 9400 $. Bidding stopped at 6000 $.

What’s Good Guys?
The Good Guys Rod & Custom Association is America’s largest organization for “our” cars. It’s The Good Guys second year as owner to the Zephyrhills swap meet and auction.

Good Guys history.
It’s 1983 in Pleasantown, California. Gary and Marilyn Meadors hosted an event called All American Get-Together. 650 cars joined the show.
 Today Good Guys is the largest car organization in USA and host for over twenty shows where PPG Nationals, Ohio with 6000 rods and customs is the flagship. The founders’ son, Marc Meadors is acting chief today, owns the Carlisle market and buys more and more meetings, his latest acquisition being Zephyrhills.

These club meetings has become an industry were entire events are traded. Most of the ones Worldkustom spoke to are positive to the involvement of the Good Guys.
– The meet get more muscle, it was said.

Click on the pics to make them double XL

Angry salesmen closed shop when speculants wanted lower prices.

The venue was filled with sellers and lots of potential buyers, perusing the market stands for four days but some sellers’ closed shop in anger.
-I’d rather go fishing than getting lowball bids here, some said.

A huge gap between sellers and buyers that is. They couldn’t meet half way during this four day meet.

The gap was consistent even at the auction.

The auctioneers shouted from the top of their lounges but the bids still came in low.

Most of the cars didn’t even reach reserve price and remained unsold.

Apart from that, auctions are really entertaining in the US.

Suddenly he was standing in the far back. The language of auctioneers is taught at special schools.
– Do I have six six six six havesix got five brrwwwl do I have have-have-havesixisix brrwwll . . . The high explosive, rythmic babbling is called a chant. Have to be experienced. In Sweden you announce the bid but here you have already moved on from that bid and is on to the next one; six six brrwwl six gatgatgata´havesix. The 57 Ford rose to 8000 $. The owner wanted 14.000. No deal.

The owner chose to remove the reserve price when the bidding stopped. The screen showed a star. Highest bidder gets to drive home with the three-window Ford coupé from 1934! Things like that have a tendency to get the ball rolling but not today. Bidding stopped at 20.000 $.

Mercury Mont Claire 1964. 18600 mi. The owner initially asked for 2500 $ but lowered the reserve price to 1700 $. It may seem odd but the buyer must pay an addition 15 %  to Good Guys and the seller pays a fee on 6 % to Good Guys. The Florida state tax wants 6 % on the receipt of the buyer at the time of purchase. The seller in addition to all of this also pays an entering fee and in the end it costs as a buyer to place bids on a car. Money, money, money.

Hundreds of cars stood waiting on their turn on the parking lot. Many returned unsold.

The exception was a group of almost ten almost new Harley Davidsons’ that went quickly for 5000 $ each. Bang, bang, bang. Zephyrhills is definitely a swap meet and auction worth to pay a visit. Lasts four days in February and grows from year to year with many cars for sale on the market lot without auction.

Lars Krantz at the scene for Worldkustom’s readers.

Not yet renovated California car with yellow checkered upholstery. Mileage: 49000.

1971 Plymouth Satellite Sebring with 318. The owner had had it for twelve years.

– Was sold immediately.

 

A heck of a bawler vehicle, dunno-the-make-convertible with dual exhaust and wooden flatbed. Would look perfectly in the garage. Imagine keeping it in a truck, covertly rolling it out behind the post office and lay four burn-out tracks on the perfect asphalt and then roll it back in.
– Whatta…. What happened ??

Locar Performance Products showed this adapter. With an immobilizer, Teflon bushing and adapters for GM, Ford and Chrysler. Price: 219 $.

Children doll houses are called dioramas when old men purchase them. 

Lamps with lamp-shades. The old man had a closing sale. Handmade plates with fixed metal cars. Krantz bought the entire line and are being sold and used as prize in Krantz Challange competitions during 2014. The circled once are still in stock. Not S-marked. Switch out the plug and let it shine. 80 bucks a piece.

A pretty nice Mercury two-door hardtop for 12.900 $. Tempting.

Aluminum cooler for Swedish dream prices. 129 $!

Skyliner 1959. All new. Price: 52.000 $.

1969 Dodge Coronet original 440, now with a 318. Handsome vehicle. Price: 14.000 $.

Lots to see on the parking lot.

Newly renovated rust free 1970 Chevrolet pickup with an asking price of 4800 lean, green dollars. Was sold after some haggling for 3500 $. Krantzen bought it and today it rolls in Sweden.

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