Anything is only worth what you can get for it, but that depends on how desparate you are to sell it.
The truth is that a Mk2 without MoT is going to have to be pretty special to make more than £300 - 400, and a 2+2 £600 - 700. With MoT and tax, you could say the same cars would be £700 - 800 and £1000 -1500. I've bought three and sold one in the last year. (Don't ask..!) The above are governed, largely, by the alternatives on the wider market. Mx5s, MGFs, MR2s, XR2s, etc. etc. and the number of people with a non-runner kit car in the garage that they have lost interest in. Often that they bought second hand and didn't build. Now, the problem for most of us is that, having spent hours and money on our cars, their open market value is such that we won't get it back if we sell them. Which is why most of the best cars aren't for sale. I guess that's a fact of life. But it leaves the problem that, if your car gets written off, the only way to replace it is to buy a less special one and do lots of work to it to get it to the same standard. Which is why we need agreed value insurance. to cover the work involved. And particularly if it's someone else's fault - when you would be really annoyed to be offered the sort of money above for your immaculate 2+2 turbo 4wd nitrous injection with electric hood, kangaroo leather interior and diamond jewelled instruments, etc. (Don't tell me someone has one..!) The other problem is that, having built the ultimate car, it's not possible to sell it on to finance the next project. Or persuade other stakeholders in the household that you aren't just throwing good money after bad every month. So, ultimately, we all have an interest in improving the profile of these cars in the wider world. When rusty heaps of MGBs with agricultural engines and suspension are £2K+ and Mk1 Escorts start at £4K for a 1.1 4-door, there has to be scope for our chosen vehicles to be worth more, if only the wider market appreciated them. It's not just Quantums - look at early GTMs, Mini Marcos, Ginettas, Novas, etc. They all have the same problem. I don't know the answer, but, as a relative newby to the scene, it seems to me that there is scope for a gentle but effective publicity campaign to bring the attention of the wider enthusiast market to our area. There's both the Classic area, that must be getting bored with the same old cars by now, and seems to be getting more into modifications, which we do lots of, and there's the Top Gear market, that must be getting bored with looking at unaffordable, uninsurable supercars, whilst driving korean superminis on HP, with 4-figure insurance premiums. More interest = more buyers = better values for our cars? There, I've thrown a brick into the pond. What do you think? Dave. On May 13, 1:18 pm, Doug <doughoward...@googlemail.com> wrote: > "...isn't anything only worth what someone else is prepared to pay for > it?" > > Yes, but what governs what someone is prepared to pay for it? Is it > what buyers are prepared to pay, or what sellers are asking for it? I > guess it's more of a buyers market at the moment, but for something > like an Xtreme with a fairly good USP demand will probably not be too > dependent on whether the average asking price for a typical one is £5k > or £7k. If you want one you want one, and you'll pay what the going > rate is SO LONG AS YOU DON'T SEE VALUES FALLING, and owners and buyers > alike value the cars by looking at what prices they are for sale at. > Please argue the point if you think I'm wrong. The trouble is that by > chasing buyers by starting out asking less than everyone else for your > own car, not only does it force all the values down, it may also > (conversely) reduce demand as buyers see resale values are falling, > which in turn reduces values, and so on. It seems a vicious cycle and > we don't want to get into that. > > Falling secondhand values also reduce demand for new builds, since no > one want's to spend a fortune on building a car only to find the > average resale value after a few years of minimal use is half that. > So obviously it's in the interest of Quantum and quantum owners to > keep values up, and hence talk of agreed value schemes which might > support values a bit. > > At the end of the day all kit cars are unique, and if you happen to > have the particular features someone wants then that's more likely to > determine whether it's your car they buy or the other chap's, > providing the buyers can see why your car might be a bit more or less > than someone elses. Undercutting the competition ends up being bad > for all the current owners, but if you need to in order to sell in a > hurry then that's what you have to do. It's when a new one comes on > for sale at what seems an artificially low price that I baulk because > the seller didn't even try to find out if it would sell at a higher > price. I guess in the end values will find a level, I just hope it's > not too low. Mine's on PH now by the way. Decide for yourselves if > I'm asking too much. > > Regards > > Doug -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Quantum Owners Group" group. To post to this group, send email to quantumowners@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to quantumowners-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/quantumowners?hl=en IMPORTANT NOTE: All information presented herewith is provided on an "As Is" basis, without warranty or the implication thereof. 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