Honda DC2 Type-R values - still a crazy bargain?
Discussion
I put my Integra for sale on pistonheads recently, and it is also now on a popular internet auction site.
I have had a couple before and they have always sold fast on pistonheads. My last one (featured on pistonheads in fact here http://www.pistonheads.com/regulars/ph-spottedykyw... was bought by a dealer and then relisted for exactly double what I had sold it for.
My other one has a few more miles and has a very chavvy exhaust, but is in otherwise similar condition, and I'm amazed it hasn't sold yet. It isn't perfect and the advert dismal I'm sure , but I would have thought these are hot property and well overdue to appreciate. We're giving it one last go to sell as we have a baby, business and 2 other cars to contend with, and if it doesn't sell then will hang on to it.
What do you guys think, are DC2s overdue to rocket in value, or will they slowly creep up and always be a performance bargain?
1998, white one a no reserve auction? If so, it does look good but the advert makes it sound a little unloved.
Most people want to buy a sorted car and be convinced of that with an advert that praises it.
I do think they're over valued and sellers have very optimistic pricing. There are so few people who will pay those asking prices. I had a tidy black UKDM one and loved it, but sold it less than 3 years ago for £2.8k. I though that was fair all things considered.
You might see them listed for big money but that does not mean they sell for those prices.
Let your auction run and it will sell for whatever it is worth.
Most people want to buy a sorted car and be convinced of that with an advert that praises it.
I do think they're over valued and sellers have very optimistic pricing. There are so few people who will pay those asking prices. I had a tidy black UKDM one and loved it, but sold it less than 3 years ago for £2.8k. I though that was fair all things considered.
You might see them listed for big money but that does not mean they sell for those prices.
Let your auction run and it will sell for whatever it is worth.
Fair point - I do think the ad is a bit grim.
I prefer to be honest on advertising which is why I probably overstate the problems. I'd rather get a little less money and the seller be overjoyed than the other way around.
I think they're a bargain, but then they do sit in a strange category for classics, as being
- hugely praised by journos and drivers
- not luxury, loud, rare or flashy enough for many people to be interested, but with a serious cult following
- old enough to be cuspy but not yet to be true classic
- ludicrously reliable and cheap to maintain (unlike our old Maserati and E46 M3)
I prefer to be honest on advertising which is why I probably overstate the problems. I'd rather get a little less money and the seller be overjoyed than the other way around.
I think they're a bargain, but then they do sit in a strange category for classics, as being
- hugely praised by journos and drivers
- not luxury, loud, rare or flashy enough for many people to be interested, but with a serious cult following
- old enough to be cuspy but not yet to be true classic
- ludicrously reliable and cheap to maintain (unlike our old Maserati and E46 M3)
p.s. no its the 2000 one starting at £3700... the other one does indeed look a little unloved and has more miles, so it willbe interesting to see what it goes for.
It was interesting to see the values realised at Pebble Beach down for another year. A few more years and the value of the rapidly appreciating Integra and a Ferrari 250 California will have converged and I can do a straight swap, in order to live out my Ferris Beauler fantasy
It was interesting to see the values realised at Pebble Beach down for another year. A few more years and the value of the rapidly appreciating Integra and a Ferrari 250 California will have converged and I can do a straight swap, in order to live out my Ferris Beauler fantasy
Japanese 'classics' are ALL under-valued vs the European competition - but that's always been the case and I can't see it changing, so take it as both a positive (more attainable still) and a negative (no big profits to be made for owners).
DC2 is a difficult one - no competition history, no major following when launched / when new, didn't create/define a genre*, so no USP. That it's arguably the best FWD car ever is something only appreciated by a small number of people, and despite this even the press tend to overlook it (evo overall still champion the 182 Trophy, despite a couple of them acknowledging in print the DC2's sublime nature).
I think the issue with pricing is that a properly sorted one IS worth the money asked, but most sellers are shifting a car which isn't perfect, and that makes private buyers nervous - rust IS an issue with the cars, and the downside of the lack of market appreciation is that they're down in a part of the market where owners aren't necessarily fastidious about maintenance, repairs and originality**.
I'd truly love another, when space permits, but I know I'll need to look very hard for the right one, and be prepared to invest money in it...it almost certainly won't be a profit-making car.
* Ignoring the JDM-only NSX-R, it did launch the "Type R" brand into the UK, but Honda (typically) cocked the marketing up and priced it quite strongly (£4k more than a 306GTi-6 with less kit - IMHO it is/was well worth it, but the sales show what the market thought at the time).
** For me, the key facet of the car isn't the powertrain, it's the handling/feedback, yet how many do you see where the owner has fitted Tein's :spit: or some other mid-range aftermarket suspension?!? And how few have replaced the (old, tired) bushes??? Or even the gear linkage?
DC2 is a difficult one - no competition history, no major following when launched / when new, didn't create/define a genre*, so no USP. That it's arguably the best FWD car ever is something only appreciated by a small number of people, and despite this even the press tend to overlook it (evo overall still champion the 182 Trophy, despite a couple of them acknowledging in print the DC2's sublime nature).
I think the issue with pricing is that a properly sorted one IS worth the money asked, but most sellers are shifting a car which isn't perfect, and that makes private buyers nervous - rust IS an issue with the cars, and the downside of the lack of market appreciation is that they're down in a part of the market where owners aren't necessarily fastidious about maintenance, repairs and originality**.
I'd truly love another, when space permits, but I know I'll need to look very hard for the right one, and be prepared to invest money in it...it almost certainly won't be a profit-making car.
* Ignoring the JDM-only NSX-R, it did launch the "Type R" brand into the UK, but Honda (typically) cocked the marketing up and priced it quite strongly (£4k more than a 306GTi-6 with less kit - IMHO it is/was well worth it, but the sales show what the market thought at the time).
** For me, the key facet of the car isn't the powertrain, it's the handling/feedback, yet how many do you see where the owner has fitted Tein's :spit: or some other mid-range aftermarket suspension?!? And how few have replaced the (old, tired) bushes??? Or even the gear linkage?
Havoc is spot on.
I sold my 2000 CW in April, it had just over 100k on the clock but was very tidy. Previous owner had replaced ALL the suspension with new Honda/oem parts, fsh, standard spec apart from eibach springs.
No interest at £5500, dropped it to £5250, first person to view it bought it.
Personally I think they are superb cars and if I had the space I'd be hunting around the £10k mark for a totally original minter to pamper. It's such a special car but the market is very small.
I sold my 2000 CW in April, it had just over 100k on the clock but was very tidy. Previous owner had replaced ALL the suspension with new Honda/oem parts, fsh, standard spec apart from eibach springs.
No interest at £5500, dropped it to £5250, first person to view it bought it.
Personally I think they are superb cars and if I had the space I'd be hunting around the £10k mark for a totally original minter to pamper. It's such a special car but the market is very small.
Ok, so, round 2.
Having bought an E46 M3 on a whim, with 3 other cars, and on the lookout for a 'family friendly' E39 M5 (I think I may have automotive A.D.D.), I have put the Integra back up for sale on pistonheads.
£3900-4200 if the price range I'm looking for - now to see if anyone is interested.
I did undersell it before a little, omitting the 12 months MOT and only 4 previous owners (why don't people just say 5 owners!)
Heres the ad:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...
Having bought an E46 M3 on a whim, with 3 other cars, and on the lookout for a 'family friendly' E39 M5 (I think I may have automotive A.D.D.), I have put the Integra back up for sale on pistonheads.
£3900-4200 if the price range I'm looking for - now to see if anyone is interested.
I did undersell it before a little, omitting the 12 months MOT and only 4 previous owners (why don't people just say 5 owners!)
Heres the ad:
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...
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