Did Comments Affect This 356 Super 90 Price?

At $118,000, this 1963 356B Sunroof Coupe was a good buy in the face of a softening 356 market. The restoration work was done well, as seen from almost 400 photos in the gallery and the stack of receipts. It was a beautiful car in a lovely shade of Silver over Green with the top-of-the-line (non-Carrera) engine option and a sunroof.

What was interesting about this sale was the drama that unfolded in the comments section with 10 minutes left to go in the auction. As the auction neared completion, a self-proclaimed “sunroof expert” stated that something was wrong with the work done around the sunroof. While there is a lot of knowledge in the comments section of BaT, especially regarding 356s (enter joke about retired guys sitting around with their laptops), this commenter has a history of lighting up the comment section.

It reminds me of a dealer I knew back when we used to bid on cars live, in-lane, at Manheim Auto Auction in PA. As a car would roll up to the auction block, he’d take out his paint meter and, regardless of actual paintwork, claim the “whole side” had been painted. Or pop the hood and, seeing a bit of dried coolant, proclaim that she was about to blow, hoping those around would be less inclined to bid.

Looking at this particular commentator's bid history, they’ve never actually bid on a car. Maybe they are trying to save the world, pointing out one minor imperfection at a time. I don’t know. The money paid here was a little soft, but I’m not sure the comment here drove it down; it is more in line with where the market is heading. I’m more interested in your thoughts. Do you think comments like this have any effect on final prices?

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