No I didn't do any restoration - I bought it from Gordon already restored. He valued it at $13,500 after doing the restoration, the interior, the paint, etc. I paid not quite that. I upped it a bit with more detailing and caretaking, fluid changes and whatnot but then sold it when I moved to Montana. I sold it for less than I paid and still sent along the 5 speed, etc.
I get that the market is different and alluded to the fact I sold it in 2013, but I'm still questioning what was done after the wreck. Given the paint and body work that had to be done, ignoring the rust in the doors is inexcusable and, to me personally, speaks to an incomplete job. If that's incomplete what else is missing? There's more rust in the doors than when it was sold, which makes me curious where else it is lurking? If it's been driven around in MD it's in a heavily salted area in winter (not that it's been driven in winter, but I don't know. None of us do).
The current seller says it sold in 2017 (after repairs) for close to $20k. That was clearly an impulse buy by someone with too much money because they quickly sold it due to....no air conditioning in Atlanta? It then sold again to someone in Maryland and then sold again to this current auto broker. You mentioned you think this one is a steal at $16,500 but no others other than that resto-mod have sold anywhere close to it. In fact, having known this car I'd put it more against this one:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1970-bmw-2800-2/ with a couple thousand thrown on top of it.
I understand you're putting a ton of money in yours but as DailyTurismo advises: let someone else spend their money restoring cars...
I understand interest is rising but it's still a sedan, no sedan ever reaches prices of 2 door coupes. It's still a non-power steering, non-AC car that has been in a wreck and at this point has added 4-5 additional owners since 2013.
I love the car. I wanted the car back, but I also don't think the value has increased as much as was being bid and certainly not as much as the reserve. There are no other 2800s in stock form to even compare that ridiculous reserve price to anywhere.
Maybe in 5-10 years?
Then again I sold a 1995 Land Rover Discovery on BAT for $15,000. There's a reason people list things on BAT - many times the purchase price is a premium over anywhere else because there's a lot of rich people impulse buying during auctions. Not all the time...but then again I sold a 1995 Land Rover Discovery for $15,000. About 10,000 more than they sell anywhere else.