05/15/2013
Auto auction gives area residents a local alternative
Brighton - A pastor needed a larger vehicle to transport his growing congregation. A recent widow did not want to invite the unknown onto her property with an online motorcycle ad. They were among the many checking out the Brighton Public Auto Auction on Saturday, May 11, at Conely Auto Sales in Brighton.
Started earlier this year, the Brighton Public Auto Auction offers a clean and friendly environment for selling and buying large ticket items locally.
“People have to drive 60 miles in any direction to find an auction like ours, “explained John Conely, co-founder of the auction and owner of Conely Auto Sales. So far, the monthly auction has featured approximately 100 vehicles, plus large ticket items ranging from pressure washers and candy machines, to furniture, motor homes and more. Doyle Dingman provided professional auctioneer services at the auctions.
After years of talking to customers who had cars to sell, Conely and Jim Watt, sales manager at Conely Auto Sales, saw the need for a local auction. After a year of nailing down the proper brokerage paperwork, licensing and bonding, the first auction was held in April.
“People have been watching our website,” said Watt, who has spent the past 58 years in the auto sales business, including auctions. “They were ready for something like this.” Conely added that word spread about the auction with moderate advertising, resulting in increased sales and interest at the second auction. “The auction is filling a need in the county and that is reflected in the growth of sales we have seen from the first to the second auction,” Conely said.
Conely and Watt emphasize the Brighton Public Auto Auction as a clean and upfront environment with a family-friendly atmosphere. A large, newly constructed building at 7216 Grand River Ave. behind Conely Auto Sales will house future auctions. Concessions will be available on site, as well as a NASCAR truck and racing simulator.
For information concerning buying, selling, or just coming to watch the upcoming 6:30 p.m. June 11 auction, visit BrightonPublicAutoAuction.com.
The public auto auction adds to Conely’s auto business holdings, which include automotive rental, sales, service, oil change, and auto wash. The May auction marked Conely’s 27th year in business, adding to his family’s three-generation legacy of automobile businesses in Livingston County.
