Buying Ginetta G4's
Discussion
Hi all,
Kinda new to this forum. This is, in fact, my first post. I currently own a 51 plate VW Bora V5. I love it & I've had it since March. I do have a love though for the style & look of the Ginetta G4. I found Brooke-Kensington & a couple of other websites. A lot seems to be slightly out of date though.
I was kinda wondering how much these cost Brand new? I asked Brooke-Kensington & they haven't sent me any info at all.
I also was wondering if there is a place to go for second hand G4's. I did see the 2 on Paul Stephens website though they look like they've been for sale there a while. Is there a reason for that maybe?
Anyway.. All help in my little research would be good please as these cars are very hard to find..
Kinda new to this forum. This is, in fact, my first post. I currently own a 51 plate VW Bora V5. I love it & I've had it since March. I do have a love though for the style & look of the Ginetta G4. I found Brooke-Kensington & a couple of other websites. A lot seems to be slightly out of date though.
I was kinda wondering how much these cost Brand new? I asked Brooke-Kensington & they haven't sent me any info at all.
I also was wondering if there is a place to go for second hand G4's. I did see the 2 on Paul Stephens website though they look like they've been for sale there a while. Is there a reason for that maybe?
Anyway.. All help in my little research would be good please as these cars are very hard to find..
TooLate said:
Hi all,
Kinda new to this forum. This is, in fact, my first post. I currently own a 51 plate VW Bora V5. I love it & I've had it since March. I do have a love though for the style & look of the Ginetta G4. I found Brooke-Kensington & a couple of other websites. A lot seems to be slightly out of date though.
I was kinda wondering how much these cost Brand new? I asked Brooke-Kensington & they haven't sent me any info at all.
I also was wondering if there is a place to go for second hand G4's. I did see the 2 on Paul Stephens website though they look like they've been for sale there a while. Is there a reason for that maybe?
Anyway.. All help in my little research would be good please as these cars are very hard to find..
Kinda new to this forum. This is, in fact, my first post. I currently own a 51 plate VW Bora V5. I love it & I've had it since March. I do have a love though for the style & look of the Ginetta G4. I found Brooke-Kensington & a couple of other websites. A lot seems to be slightly out of date though.
I was kinda wondering how much these cost Brand new? I asked Brooke-Kensington & they haven't sent me any info at all.
I also was wondering if there is a place to go for second hand G4's. I did see the 2 on Paul Stephens website though they look like they've been for sale there a while. Is there a reason for that maybe?
Anyway.. All help in my little research would be good please as these cars are very hard to find..
I'm not sure what's happened with B-K. They still do work on them, but I'm not sure if their relationship with Dare is still good.
Paul Stephens is now their only dealer, so they may have put B-K's noses out of joint with that one.
Paul advertises on PH (check the classifieds from the main page).
Last time I spoke to him (Earlier this year) for a 1.8 basic G4 roadster (removable hard top and a soft top) you're talking about 21k all in on the road.
For a 2 litre zetec fully loaded (hard & soft top, removable steering wheel, best tyres, high tune engine, etc), you're talking more like 27k all in.
However, if you want a 'clubman' spec car (no carpets) then I think you could spec out a new one for about 17k
ETA - you may want to look into the history of Ginetta to understand why The G4 and G12 are made by Dare and not Ginetta, where the G20/27/33 are (or were, I'm not sure what they are making at the moment) made by Ginetta.
Slightly interesting and a regular source of 'discussions' on this forum
Edited by MTv Dave on Friday 27th October 12:06
TooLate said:
I also was wondering if there is a place to go for second hand G4's. I did see the 2 on Paul Stephens website though they look like they've been for sale there a while. Is there a reason for that maybe?
Didn't see this first time I read it (must be going blind!) I think the market for these cars is pretty small, they are basically either a race car, or track car toy so you need a lot of cash to justify getting one, and if you can do that, you just pay a few grand more and get a new one. went to Paul's earlier in the year, at that time he had a soft-top blue G4 and short wheel base silver coupe G4. Both 1.8 engine. They looked good, but they were a bit scuffed - as though the previous owners didn't look after them too well.
Personally, I think they're priced too high for the state they are in, and compared to a new car. Unless you don't want the delay with ordering a new one, there's not much point paying very slightly less for one of those rather than a brand spanking new one.
As Bob Walklett used to say 'price is everything' and snapper ending up with an Exige proves it.
24-28k you won't sell any current G unless of course it has a 12 in it!
15 - 17k was just about right. Much higher you'll sell but in numbers so small imo you might as well not bother. Now you know why PS's G4s move slow - rough edges won't make people part with that sort of cash if residuals are poor too. 18k for a say a 4-5 year old used 4 has no chance - imo. The one off 2003 G4 Club - the orange met one, dev by PS didn't work (well, it did in that it lapped a circuit quicker than a Caterham R300) because imo it was too expensive at 26K. Seen it at 16K and more recently and currently on Dove dealer site at 18.5k - will it sell? I wouldn't take bets.
There are more out there... the really nice ones... but they ain't selling theirs.
And when you think that Mark's race G4 sold for just 19k I think it was, and the exquisite yellow, if garish to some, but beautifully built and finished DZ with only 600 odd miles on the clock went for just over 15k when list price for a 'normal' DZ was around 22-24k, some have been real buys -imo.
24-28k you won't sell any current G unless of course it has a 12 in it!
15 - 17k was just about right. Much higher you'll sell but in numbers so small imo you might as well not bother. Now you know why PS's G4s move slow - rough edges won't make people part with that sort of cash if residuals are poor too. 18k for a say a 4-5 year old used 4 has no chance - imo. The one off 2003 G4 Club - the orange met one, dev by PS didn't work (well, it did in that it lapped a circuit quicker than a Caterham R300) because imo it was too expensive at 26K. Seen it at 16K and more recently and currently on Dove dealer site at 18.5k - will it sell? I wouldn't take bets.
There are more out there... the really nice ones... but they ain't selling theirs.
And when you think that Mark's race G4 sold for just 19k I think it was, and the exquisite yellow, if garish to some, but beautifully built and finished DZ with only 600 odd miles on the clock went for just over 15k when list price for a 'normal' DZ was around 22-24k, some have been real buys -imo.
Agree about the orange one - it looked good in the photos, but to own a car like that, you have to be really serious about have a high spec and hard to live with G4.
I think the G4's direct competitor is the Elise: I was tempted away to Lotus after realising I couldn't have a G4 at my old house (no garage). I'd also be happy with a second hand Elise, but not a G4 as the differnce in cost for a new to slightly old G4 is too small to justify it. The pricing is also in the same sort of ballpark, though you pay a bit more, but you know you will be able to sell it.
Now I have a garage though, the G4 is back on the cards (and with the girlfirends new 111R I can have use of both) - as soon as I have sorted my house out, I'm saving for a G4
I think the G4's direct competitor is the Elise: I was tempted away to Lotus after realising I couldn't have a G4 at my old house (no garage). I'd also be happy with a second hand Elise, but not a G4 as the differnce in cost for a new to slightly old G4 is too small to justify it. The pricing is also in the same sort of ballpark, though you pay a bit more, but you know you will be able to sell it.
Now I have a garage though, the G4 is back on the cards (and with the girlfirends new 111R I can have use of both
) - as soon as I have sorted my house out, I'm saving for a G4 I ended up with the Exige, not because of the cost of the G4, The Exige was the same money. I would have wanted the G4 and would still like one.
But because of the unknown build time and the fact that I would be parting with money covering stages of build in advance for I think it was about 5 stages.
I couldn't just pay a deposit, sign a contract and put the finance in place ready for the day I collect the car. Because Dare had just recently moved to the farm units, I got the impression that things needed a while to sort themselves out.
Where as I got a very good deal on the Exige and I could take it there and then. I would have waited for the G4 if I knoew how long the build would have been.
The Orange car is fantastic, but as a marketing motor, people still want some comfort. If it had of been the coupe version and had carpets I would have paid £ 20k for it second handed. But It would have cost to much to convert it.
Mind you this one does look nice but I hate red interiors: www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/82118.htm
But because of the unknown build time and the fact that I would be parting with money covering stages of build in advance for I think it was about 5 stages.
I couldn't just pay a deposit, sign a contract and put the finance in place ready for the day I collect the car. Because Dare had just recently moved to the farm units, I got the impression that things needed a while to sort themselves out.
Where as I got a very good deal on the Exige and I could take it there and then. I would have waited for the G4 if I knoew how long the build would have been.
The Orange car is fantastic, but as a marketing motor, people still want some comfort. If it had of been the coupe version and had carpets I would have paid £ 20k for it second handed. But It would have cost to much to convert it.
Mind you this one does look nice but I hate red interiors: www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/82118.htm
Edited by Snapper7 on Wednesday 10th January 16:06
Edited by Snapper7 on Wednesday 10th January 16:25
Snapper7 said:
I ended up with the Exige, not because of the cost of the G4, The Exige was the same money. I would have wanted the G4 and would still like one.
But because of the unknown build time and the fact that I would be parting with money covering stages of build in advance for I think it was about 5 stages.
I couldn't just pay a deposit, sign a contract and put the finance in place ready for the day I collect the car. Because Dare had just recently moved to the farm units, I got the impression that things needed a while to sort themselves out.
Where as I got a very good deal on the Exige and I could take it there and then. I would have waited for the G4 if I knoew how long the build would have been.
The Orange car is fantastic, but as a marketing motor, people still want some comfort. If it had of been the coupe version and had carpets I would have paid £ 20k for it second handed. But It would have cost to much to convert it.
Mind you this one does look nice but I hate red interiors: www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/82118.htm
But because of the unknown build time and the fact that I would be parting with money covering stages of build in advance for I think it was about 5 stages.
I couldn't just pay a deposit, sign a contract and put the finance in place ready for the day I collect the car. Because Dare had just recently moved to the farm units, I got the impression that things needed a while to sort themselves out.
Where as I got a very good deal on the Exige and I could take it there and then. I would have waited for the G4 if I knoew how long the build would have been.
The Orange car is fantastic, but as a marketing motor, people still want some comfort. If it had of been the coupe version and had carpets I would have paid £ 20k for it second handed. But It would have cost to much to convert it.
Mind you this one does look nice but I hate red interiors: www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/82118.htm
Edited by Snapper7 on Wednesday 10th January 16:06
Edited by Snapper7 on Wednesday 10th January 16:25
One thing Paul has been trying to sort out is the way you pay for them. He now either takes full payment any gives you a rough time to delivery, or you pay a deposit and the rest on deilivery (again with a rough turn around time). He can also provide finance. So on this front the purchasing of a G4 has got easier, but the deilivery time is still something of an unknown quantity.
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