£40k For a Mid 90's Escort - The World Has Gone Mad!

[hman]

Hang on, having an escort cosworth wasnt the thing of essex boys - that was XR3i's.

Anyway as much as I like TVR's they have far more of a reputation as widow makers, falling apart, being fragile, being a bit "niche" than any of the standard mass produced fords et al.


And the thing with cobra replicas? well thats because a cobra is a very stylish car with a massive amount of history via Carroll Shelby and they are known instantly around the world- the real ones are £££££££££££££'s whereas a kit car is £15-£25k - mainly bought by enthusiasts who would happily tinker with them.

As nice as a TVR is, the masses will never be interested in them - The general perception is literally a kit car which unkits itself over time and that will need a new engine every 2nd year.

You and I know different but the masses are harder to convince

[keith2.2]

According to howmanyleft there are only 567 escort RS cosworths that were taxed this year, out of 7k built, versus 3000 chimaeras being taxed out of the roughly 6k built.

So the Cosworths started out life being pretty much as exclusive as the chim, and their numbers have clearly suffed, making them a rare sight these days. I suspect finding an unmolested one is an even more difficult task.

As has been eluded to, the RS badge has a massive cult following and many of those will be people who grew up looking at pictures and having posters of the RS who now find themselves with the means to own one. Yes a car is only worth what someone will pay for it, but prices are, to a greater or lesser extent, based on what similar vehicles have been going for.

Rarity and a cult following will always lead to massively inflated prices - even for what is now not a very quick car with a horrible interior and a massive wing!

[ChimpOnGas]

This...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-Cobra-3-5-V8-DAX-Repl...

Or this for £10k less....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-TVR-CHIMAERA-430-RA...

Even if you reversed the prices there's still no contest!

Its all wrong

[Aphex]

You've got a super hard-on for TVRs huh

[Sardonicus]

ChimpOnGas said:

This...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-Cobra-3-5-V8-DAX-Repl...

Or this for £10k less....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-TVR-CHIMAERA-430-RA...

Even if you reversed the prices there's still no contest!

Its all wrong

Who would want a Cobra with a bloody 3.5 Rover and a 4BBL bucket Holley throwing poorly metered fuel down its restricted neck ? SB or BB Ford/Chevy preferably you know it makes sense seeing as the whole car revolves around that cast iron lump of iron anyways, probably the worse use of a RV8 ever

[ChimpOnGas]

Aphex said:

You've got a super hard-on for TVRs huh

More like a super soft on for Fords

No way on Gods earth they are worth what Muppets are paying for them these days

[ChimpOnGas]

Sardonicus said:

ho would want a Cobra with a bloody 3.5 Rover and a 4BBL bucket Holley throwing poorly metered fuel down its restricted neck ? SB or BB Ford/Chevy preferably you know it makes sense seeing as the whole car revolves around that cast iron lump of iron anyways, probably the worse use of a RV8 ever

On the other hand Simon.....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1965-AC-COBRA-SHELBY-BY-...



The problem with replicas is 98% of them are total rubbish.

A good one on the other hand is a thing wonder that can save you big money over the original.

http://www.proteuscars.eu/

The problem is something decent is still going to cost you £80 - £100k.

If you're into this type of proper old school driver's car but don't have £80 - £100k, a Chimaera makes real sense, and at least with a TVR you're buying the original

What doesn't make sense to me is £40k Ford Escorts

[MarshPhantom]

Podie said:

Compare that to the Racing Puma. Never won anything, didn't have the RS badge and was still a good car. Now worth peanuts.

Puma's cheap at the moment, doesn't mean it always will be.

[ChimpOnGas]

It appears I was wrong!

Had to fight through this lot at lunch time in Smiths, just to get to the November edition of Octane Magazine.



Three dedicated monthly Ford magazines,one full special edition Escort portfolio publication and an Escort on the front of Practical Performance car!!!

If you want to knock one out to photos of old Escorts you're spoilt for choice.

None of it though even comes close to raising a semi for me

[Frio3535]

If someone buys a Cossie for £40k fair enough, with cars this old it's about the ownership experience and imo a fast ford is one petrol heads should try - just like one should try a TVR.

[DamianS3]

MarshPhantom said:

Puma's cheap at the moment, doesn't mean it always will be.

Racing Pumas are not cheep really still 10x the price of a non racing one is puma < £1k racing one >£10k

This is all economics and supply vs demand etc makes little sense is very emotive but is what it is like many things in life you could go crazy trying to understand.

Escort monte though lovely.. And rarer than a chim.. Exp an unmolested one.

Cheers

Damian

[SILICONEKID345HP]

ChimpOnGas said:

That's an even better example of what I'm taking about, start with a Beetle then make a kit car out of it - that's a truly horrible idea. I wouldnt give £6k for it let alone £30k!!!

The price of Cobra replicas is another one that gets me, go to any kit car show and you'll soon see most Cobra replicas are total junk, and even a well built one is a far less complete car than a Chimaera.

So why is a Cobra replica worth £15 - £30k+, yet even the best Chimaera struggles to break the £15k barrier ???

I guarantee you the TVR will be the better car in every respect.

Its all wrong guys

f

There are some space frame Cobras with full independent suspension which are not based on the Jaguar or Sierra .

I like The http://www.gdcars.com/ Proper suspension and chassis with LS lumps .

The factory is only up the road ,all i have to now is win the lottery

Edited by SILICONEKID345HP on Monday 27th October 18:05

[Olivera]

ChimpOnGas said:

How is it a TVR Chimaera which is a 1060kg 300hp hand made traditional British V8 sports car built on a proper tubular space frame chassis with race car derived coil over unequal wishbone suspension be worth £10-£13k when an Escort Cosworth from the same period is worth £40k???

Honestly it's all gone nuts and has nothing to do with engineering excellence, the ignorance of the classic car buying public to what really makes a classic..... is baffling to me!!!

With all due respect you don't know what you are talking about.

Firstly not all Escort Cosworths are valued at 40k, only pristine examples with collectors mileage. Most are probably valued at 15-20k.

Secondly the Escort Cosworth is a genuine bespoke WRC homolgation vehicle based on an adapted Sierra and therefore not actually an Escort. It was the Ford WRC competitor between 93 and 98, winning 8 rallies. The Cosworth YB engine is probably one of the most successful 4 pot motorsport engines of all time, winning hundreds of races in BTCC, WRC, Bathurst etc. The car is still used in many competitive rallies and race series to this day.

[yknot]

Thank you, Dave, for raising this topic. I questioned why our cars aren't more appreciated some weeks ago and suggested it was due to our free exchange on here of 'problems' and 'expensive fixes' that are giving the uninformed public the idea that these cars are a money pit (horrible term that sadly is all too true for many 'metal classics' of a previous era)!!!!

Having just acquired a porker 968 (yes, yes, calm down), I am assessing the relative cost of ownership and will report back in due course.

My thanks to you for banging the drum!!

P

Edited by yknot on Monday 27th October 20:20

[magpies]

try buying a mk2 escort RS in really nice condition - upwards of £20k and compare that to its original purchase price

then look at similar cars from other manufacturers - Avenger Tiger / Chevette HS / TR7 etc. and find how cheap they are in comparison

[Doc Toad]

Interesting debate, but IMHO...

Lots of young guys in the 90s loved fast Fords and saw lots of them around.
Far fewer loved/ever saw a TVR.

25 years on, some are in a position to buy the cars they could never afford back then.

Supply and demand comes into force and the market dictates the price.

I can't imagine selling my TVR but I would love a Mk1 XR2 to keep it company

Edited by Doc Toad on Monday 27th October 21:40

[Legacywr]

Give me a 'Fast Ford' any day! There is just something about them.

Just last week I had a deal fall through for a Mk1 Escort

[brett84]

I love old fords, my last project was a MK1 Escort.
I agree with the silly prices though, in about 3 years mine doubled in value, I'll have another one someday though.
Have you seen RS200 prices - wow

before the ride height was adjusted

Edited by brett84 on Monday 27th October 20:46

[Legacywr]

Rubystone?

[Marc p]

I'm not quite sure why you keep bringing the Chimera to the arguement, I do like them, but they are seen as the runt of the litter car when it comes to that age of TVR and you are comparing it to a serious halo car, surely a better car to compare it to would be the Griffith 500, which still isn't as well known or fabled as the Escort Cosworth, but with prices ranging from £20k-£30k, it's much closer price wise.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TVR-Griffith-/3711483141...