what the hell is happening to the prices of our cars

[JohnA]

...At the end of the day ask yourself how many minutes during a typical year you spend accelerating faster or driving faster than an NA can? (going WOT thru the gears / 150mph+). Hmmm, not many I suspect?

 

Quiiiiiiiiite a few, as it happens.

We're on first-name terms, the UK speed limiter and me.

Too often, when the risk of getting caught is taken into account.

Last set of rear tyres only lasted 8K miles but hey:d

[sooper-supra]

Well i have to agree, with most everyone i want to turbo my supra but when i think £4000 for a turbo what value is that going to add to the car? and well if chavs are affording them then i must have lost alot of money on mine that why i think i might sell and get a 350z which chavs cant afford and tbh i cant really either but i love my supra makes me smile everytime i see it but with them being so common and see ing one doesnt make it so special anymore!

[Guest RichJ]

Doesnt really bother me, I bought mine because I love the way it looks and the way it drives.

[Sheefa]

Good point Rich.

[_Rob_]

There is a huge difference between a good, clean example and a tatty chav Supe. And most of the members cars from here are good clean examples. Not something that DodgyImports.com have brought over for 1k.

When i look at mine, then at the other Supes knocking about locally i think mine stands out much more than the others, as an excellent example! The majority of Supes i see driving around i never see at meets etc.

As mentined before, it is the same with any other Jap cars. For example, impreza's. A friend of mine has an unbelievably clean STi, i think its gorgeous, he parted with around £8k for it. However, i see a £2k 5 door Impreza, not looked after driving around and it would only get a second look so i could laugh even harder at it!

[Underworld]

Ftos look great. I like them theyre mini supes.

[sooper-supra]

have to agree mine does look the best out of the 6 around may not have the performance but looks alot nicer and not tatty!

[Twin Turbo Jim]

Why dont you all set up a price guide on here and agree to stick to it, there for maybe keeping the prices up a little. Organise a point system or something. Then when anyone sells they got something to reference to.

[JamieP]

Why dont you all set up a price guide on here and agree to stick to it, there for maybe keeping the prices up a little. Organise a point system or something. Then when anyone sells they got something to reference to.

 

That will never work:D there old cars that devalue guys... live with it:rolleyes:

[Twin Turbo Jim]

That will never work:D there old cars that devalue guys... live with it:rolleyes:

 

i know that and i recon a good tt manual will still cost you £10,000ish and that isnt exactly cheap

[dangerous brain]

OK so have a looksee on autotrader and you'll see numerous 6 speed manuals in the £7k bracket. Unfortunately when there is enough of them that cheap you will be very lucky to get the £10k you want for your pristine example. Most folks will walk away from yours and buy the cheaper one only to realise later on that they cocked up. That doesn't sell your car for you. Most people that sell a car have a month or so time frame within which to do so. As the end of 2 months comes they have no choice but to lower the price to somewhere close to the rest of the cars where advertised or still get no phone calls.

 

The deciding factor in me selling my TT aerotop in the end was market prices dropping horrendously, I just couldn't justify losing so much money on a car I rarely ever drove. Age is definitely an issue but not the main one. Availability is the biggest driving force. I am considering purchasing a second TT mark 3 aerotop to run about in England when I'm at home for about £4k which is that cars market value. I honestly didn't think I'd see the day a mark 3 was worth more than a mark 4 but it looks like I'll end up selling the NA manual mark 4 I have for a grand less than the asking price on the mark 3 I want to replace it with.

[Suprasteve]

does the location affect the price too ? i.e. would it be more expensive to buy in the southeast compared to say up north ?

 

I bought my 6sp TT from a dealer 3 years ago for £13k, I've done some engine mods (BPU) and a little bit of cosmetic stuff. I'd like to think i could still get £9k+ for it now surely ?

[dangerous brain]

Much cheaper in south south east to oop north

[Suprasteve]

really ?

[sooper-supra]

[dangerous brain]

Yup newcastle area is strongest prices on NA's I'd say. There's less of them up that way so again supply and demand. Clever northerners travel down south to bag a bargain eh TOM and Gruggs

[toyotasuprauk]

I think considering the age of the car, the current price of fuel and the fact the parts are still so expensive and there are just so many Supra’s to choose from, the market price of the car isn’t too bad. Its sad to see them so cheap but even new cars are getting cheaper.

[Guest Newera]

For what it's worth, here's my experience of it - we've been importing high quality sports cars since 1998 and are one of the few importers still going strong.

The market's shrunk, but 85-90% of dealers who were around 2 years ago have dissapeared too...meaning the strongest surviving companies will continue to do well - but that's another subject.

 

The drop in prices of Supras is the same as has already happened with previously very popular models such as Lucidas, Pajeros, MX-5's, FTO's, etc.

 

As 10 year old cars don't require SVA in the UK, Supras have been coming into the UK through trade auctions in Southampton, Liverpool, etc. since mid 2003. N/A's, Turbos, Autos and 6 speed manuals.

 

Typically what's on offer at the auctions is cheap, but the quality is the lowest available - to put it politely.

Cars appearing there are usually rough, needing extensive paintwork, very tired, often clocked - just sold on price.

 

They're then sold by fly by night quick buck dealers including those who trade illegally from home to unsuspecting and inexperienced people, who are swayed by "Oooh Supra" and buy with their hearts, forgetting their minds at home!

 

A few months later, after experiencing all sorts of faults and problems and realising they've bought a lemon, the owners of these poor quality cars put them into the private market again. Sellers will often accept a large loss to get rid of the car, as typically they need to get something else quickly to get to work in - and need to liquidate first.

 

This trend continues and as a result the market value continues to go down until cost of importing the lowest quality in Japan is more than the cost of similar cars in the UK.

 

Note that people will rarely say on a forum their car's rubbish. People are typically not able to admit they made a huge error in the car they bought, plus of course if they say they have a bad quality car, it's less likely they'll be able to pass it onto someone else...

 

Auctions have and will continue to damage the import car market, although they're running out of poor quality cars to supply, due to various reasons. There's currently one auction selling around 400 imports a month, the rest have gone belly up this year (Leaving some investors many £1,000's out of pocket).

 

Some high quality imports will continue to trickle in through those specialists still brave enough to import them, but typically buyers think Supras are worth less, so they'll become less keen to buy at high prices.

 

Newera Imports will continue to survive, as we've a base in Japan, so can closely check and consistently select only the rare & high quality cars from the usual rubbish. However, for reasons explained above, we've decided we won't be stocking any more Supras.

 

We've seen this trend occur with a lot of import models.

 

Eventually auctions for imported cars will dissapear, which can only be a good thing in the long term.

 

The future?

 

Eventually many of the poor quality Supras will get crashed, burnt, stolen, rusted, scrapped.

 

If well preserved and looked after, the high quality ones will continue to survive. Prices will eventually start to improve marginally, when Supras stop being supplied through trade import auction in UK.

 

Just my experience of the market & 2p worth.

 

Miguel

[imi]

Good post Miguel...

 

So other than auctions, where would you find your cars? or do you select the grade 4 and above ones from the auctions?

[Guest Newera]

We buy from auctions, sometimes from private individuals and some select dealers, although rarely. Mostly from select auctions, but typically only purchase around 5% of the cars we physically check thoroughly ourselves, despite these usually having apparently good auction sheets.

 

It's a mistake to think an auction grade is an accurate guide to a car's condition. There are many poor quality grade 4's, some of which can appear in other auctions as much lower grades.

It's not realistic to represent a car's overall condition with a digit. Auction sheets are often conservative with the truth, as auctions favour dealers selling cars as opposed to a market overcrowded by buyers...

 

In other words buying cars through the internet is a game akin to Russian Roulette with your hard earned money, as a lot inexperienced individuals and poorly connected import dealers have found over the last few years to their detriment.

 

Miguel

[Jurgen-Jm-Imports]

i checked 4 grade 4 supras last night two were poor and the other two would of cost too much to bring in to uk and try to sell on as the uk market is cheaper..

 

last week i saw a grade 4 red supra tt 94 model car go for over 8500 just at auction only, at that price u can buy a tt based in uk.

 

we have a cheap tt in blue due in grade 4 and its for sale at 9500 on the road with leather and no takers as yet and its a nice car and we were lucky to get it cheaper than usual due to vast amounts of cars for sale that night at auction.

[Gazboy]

I hate to be a doom-monger but I think most posters are forgetting that Supras have a seriously bad image problem. A friend of mine had the choice of a 1989 993 Carrera, or a 1994 Griffith or a really nice Supra from these forums (I'm not saying whose, but imo it was stunning)- he bought the Porsche as it's 'city boy in braces' image was not as bad as the TFTF "he was driving with that stare" image that came with the Supra. Even Alex's (which is one of my fav members cars btw) was dismissed as too bling and a 996C2 was purchased instead- now if Alex struggled to sell his for a fair price, it doesn't hold up much hope for anyone else imo. Jap cars always had a limited market appeal because of badge snobs not liking japanese cars on principle, but the market appeal is only getting smaller....

[Jurgen-Jm-Imports]

its a tough market importing you just have to supply the right cars and the cars people would want

[imi]

. Even Alex's (which is one of my fav members cars btw) was dismissed as too bling and a 996C2 was purchased instead- now if Alex struggled to sell his for a fair price, it doesn't hold up much hope for anyone else imo. Jap cars always had a limited market appeal because of badge snobs not liking japanese cars on principle, but the market appeal is only getting smaller....

 

I take your comment about badge snobs, but that doesnt hurt the R34 GTR now does it....or a Honda DC5.

 

Regarding Alex's car (whats his screename) - you yourself said that his car is too bling.

 

Modifying a car is normally done to an individuals preference and hence it wont appeal the masses, especially if its cosmetic mods.

 

I have seen my fair share of chavvy looking supras out there, and they tarnish the image of the car. You dont normally see that with the Porkers - perhaps its the low price to purchase the sup in the 1st place that is to blame.

[Guest Newera]

i checked 4 grade 4 supras last night two were poor and the other two would of cost too much to bring in to uk and try to sell on as the uk market is cheaper..

 

last week i saw a grade 4 red supra tt 94 model car go for over 8500 just at auction only, at that price u can buy a tt based in uk.

 

we have a cheap tt in blue due in grade 4 and its for sale at 9500 on the road with leather and no takers as yet and its a nice car and we were lucky to get it cheaper than usual due to vast amounts of cars for sale that night at auction.

 

This will occur for the truly special and low mileage cars, in other words - if you want to buy the very best, you have to pay more to compete with strong domestic buyers in Japan. Typically it's now not possible to buy a decent genuine low mileage well prepared & modified 6 speed Supra in Japan for less than around £7,000 FOB.

 

The problem is then competing on price with the poor quality rubbish typically for sale in UK after importing an older car at that price.

If you know your market and the cars people want & have a strong reputation you have a much better chance than the lesser known suppliers.

 

Miguel.