Okay, maybe I just misunderstood the title "Short of Paying Joel for confirmation...."
I think we differ only in semantics.
Oh, and no need for apologies, I would like to think that we're all mature adults here, even if we sometimes talk around one another.
My main point: If you were 'mostly sure' or 'pretty sure' as to whether your car was worth not $20,000, but $150,000-up (way up) and the difference lay in whether or not to pay a fee to confirm it once and for all...? This is where I'm coming from.
(If Mr. Rosen reads this forum I'll bet he laughs and laughs. Oh, and he waits for his phone to ring and the subsequent cash to come his way.)
Anyway, this is where the wealthy collector steps in. To the wealthy collector, $1500 to confirm a car's provenance (origin; derivation; source) (also stated: $$$) is a small price to pay in order to confirm the car's true worth. One man's "worthless" rust bucket in a barn is often the wealthy collector's "awesome score," if you will.
(No offense to wealthy collectors. Yes, men of lesser means wish they were wealthy collectors.)
Lastly, no, it's not like "buying a wing-nut for $500" UNLESS there are $50,000 wing-nuts out there. Waste is usually visible only in hindsight and hindsight is usually 20/20.
