What's The most You Have Lost On A Car?

[71notout]

I know we don't buy motors to make money, and being enthusiasts, probably spend a fair bit on upkeep/mods.

What is the most you have lost between buying and selling a car?

Ever bought a money pit, spent a fair bit fixing and still had to lose a fortune?

I wouldn't like to think how much money I have lost over the years, but then it's all part of the game I suppose!

Cheers,
Steven

[Jasandjules]

12k or so just on buy and sell price. But I had her a few years.

[entwisi]

My worst is probablt small fryu to most on here but it was painful to me as I'm normally really good at keeping costs down for my DD

A8 4.2. QS, bought 3.5K, gearbox went 2.5K, oher repairs £2K, sold 11 months later for 3K.

up to that point worst i lost was 1K pa...

[nottyash]

3 Grand in 6 months on an M3. Wish I kept it now as they have gone up in value

[daemon]

Lost £10K on a 535d in 9 months....

not one of my proudest moments.

[SS2.]

Once, and only once did I lose significant amounts of cash on a motor, and that was when I made the cardinal sin of buying a [run of the mill] Vauxhall Omega at less than 2 years old.

Come the third year, the market was flooded with ex-lease and fleet vehicles and the used prices took a right tumble.

Never again..

[buzzer]

Lancia Montecarlo bought for £2000 in 1980, sold 2005 for £6000 = +£4000

Lancia Thema bought for £4000 in 1996 (120k miles) sold in 2001 for £1000 = -£3000

Westfield SEi bought for £3200, owned 5 years, sold for £6000 = +£2800

Toyota Celica, bought for £4900 owned for 5 years sold for £1200 = -£3700

Peugeot 1.3 309, bought for £600, sold 5 years later (190,000 mile!!!) for £200 = -£400
(150k of those miles were paid for by my employer at £35 pence per mile!)

Caterham HPC, bought for £16000, owned for 5 years, sold for £1500 = -£1000

Lotus elise 111R bought for £14900, owned for 2 years, sold for £16000 = +£1100

BMW 7 series, bought for £2000, owned for 3.5 years, (52k miles) sold for £1400 = -£600

Honda Accord, bought for £2100, owned for 2 years (50k miles)sold for £1850 = -£250



So i guess my biggest loss is £3700 over 5 years on the Celica...

But we still have an Audi TT which we bought 3 years ago for £13200 which is now worth about £8000 so that may end up being our biggest depreciation...

Edited by buzzer on Thursday 23 December 20:42

[Chapppers]

£450

[y282]

800 quid on a renault 5 turbo, about 15 years ago. never lose on cars.

[Phil Dicky]

Range Rover 4.4 Vogue 2002, paid £32k for in 2005..sold in 2007 for £15k ouch

[mrtwisty]

buzzer said:

Lancia Montecarlo bought for £2000 in 1980, sold 2005 for £6000 = +£4000

Edited by buzzer on Thursday 23 December 20:36

[buzzer]

mrtwisty said:

buzzer said:

Lancia Montecarlo bought for £2000 in 1980, sold 2005 for £6000 = +£4000

Edited by buzzer on Thursday 23 December 20:36

yep, 25 years! it was on Top Gear recently when they did the Lancia artical

[mrtwisty]

buzzer said:

Lancia Montecarlo bought for £2000 in 1980, sold 2005 for £6000 = +£4000

Edited by buzzer on Thursday 23 December 20:36

Not too sure about the maths, but can't imagine that 6k in todays money is a lot more than 2k in 1980...
Wantwantwantwant a montecarlo though, very nice.

[Martial Arts Man]

I bought a new M3 for 57K in 2003.

At just under 3 years old I got 23K for it.

So that's 34K in 35 months.

Admittedly, it had over 60K on the clock, but still....


Was the last car I reckon I'll ever buy new; I cannot bear the thought of the total running cost calculation.


Still makes me shudder thinking about it.

Never again.

[suffolk009]

Caterham r500 k series 2002. All the options. cost me £43k - had to sell it with delivery miles on it. Only offer was £25k. Do the maths - I'm still to upset....

[Jonboy_t]

Martial Arts Man said:

I bought a new M3 for 57K in 2003.

At just under 3 years old I got 23K for it.

So that's 34K in 35 months.

Admittedly, it had over 60K on the clock, but still....


Was the last car I reckon I'll ever buy new; I cannot bear the thought of the total running cost calculation.


Still makes me shudder thinking about it.

Never again.

Ouch, I even flinched reading that!! I like to think I have a very nice car, and you could buy 3 of mine at it's current value for what you lost in a little under 3 years!! Ouch indeed!

[Jasandjules]

suffolk009 said:

Caterham r500 k series 2002. All the options. cost me £43k - had to sell it with delivery miles on it. Only offer was £25k. Do the maths - I'm still to upset....

[thinfourth2]

I left the following on a car and lost them.

A mobile phone, various tools and a wine glass.

[br d]

These threads come up often.
24K in 4 months on a new 997 Turbo.
I wanted something else, so bit the bullet. You can't take it with you.

[rt911]

No Make Model Model Date Brought Date Sold Cost Sale Loss

1 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6L 29-May-88 01-May-89 £1,000.00 £500.00 -£500.00
2 Ford Escort 1.6 XR3i 01-May-89 01-Mar-90 £3,000.00 £1,500.00 -£1,500.00
3 Vauxhall Astra 2.0 GTE 01-Mar-90 01-Feb-91 £5,000.00 £3,000.00 -£2,000.00
4 Vauxhall Astra 1.8 SRI 01-Feb-91 01-Jul-91 £5,000.00 £5,250.00 £250.00
5 Peugeot 205 1.9 GTI 01-Jul-91 01-Apr-92 £4,000.00 £3,500.00 -£500.00
6 Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0 CD 01-Apr-92 01-Aug-94 £5,000.00 £1,000.00 -£4,000.00
7 Vauxhall Cavalier V6 01-Aug-94 01-Aug-95 £16,000.00 £10,000.00 -£6,000.00
8 BMW Coupe 328i 01-Aug-95 01-Jun-96 £25,500.00 £24,000.00 -£1,500.00
9 TVR Chimaera 4.0 01-Jun-96 21-Dec-96 £31,000.00 £28,000.00 -£3,000.00
10 BMW Saloon 328i SE 21-Dec-96 01-Sep-01 £28,000.00 £9,000.00 -£19,000.00
11 Mazda MX5 1.6 01-Oct-98 01-Feb-00 £16,656.89 £11,500.00 -£5,156.89
12 Mercedes Saloon C280 01-Mar-99 01-Sep-00 £36,297.29 £18,000.00 -£18,297.29
13 Ford Mondeo 1.8 LX 01-Feb-00 06-Jul-01 £1,000.00 £1,500.00 £500.00
14 BMW Mini 1.6 Cooper 09-Jul-01 26-Mar-03 £14,899.99 £10,500.00 -£4,399.99
15 BMW Coupe 330ci 01-Sep-01 31-Jan-02 £31,717.50 £27,250.00 -£4,467.50
16 Porsche 996 Carrera 4 31-Jan-02 06-Sep-02 £59,250.00 £51,000.00 -£8,250.00
17 Porsche 996 Carrera 4S 29-Oct-02 25-Sep-03 £68,863.68 £62,000.00 -£6,863.68
18 BMW Convertible 330ci 31-Mar-03 24-Mar-05 £30,487.20 £22,000.00 -£8,487.20
19 Toyota LandCruiser LC5 D4DA 21-May-04 23-Mar-06 £35,000.00 £23,500.00 -£11,500.00
20 Porsche 987 Boxster S 24-Mar-05 26-May-06 £47,875.00 £37,329.00 -£10,546.00
21 Porsche 997 Carrera 4 26-May-06 24-Apr-08 £68,829.00 £50,000.00 -£18,829.00
22 Mazda MX5 2.0 13-Oct-06 03-May-08 £16,145.00 £11,000.00 -£5,145.00
23 Ford Fiesta VAN 31-Jan-06 07-Mar-08 £1,351.25 £1,300.00 -£51.25
24 Ford Fiesta 1.25 Zetec 03-Aug-08 25-Feb-09 £5,000.00 £4,200.00 -£800.00
25 VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI Sport 26-Mar-09 27-Feb-10 £23,495.00 £19,000.00 -£4,495.00
26 Porsche 997 Carrera 4S 13-May-08 09-Mar-10 £74,899.00 £50,000.00 -£24,899.00

Total-£169,437.80


And I have enjoyed every penny of the loss...

(is it sad having a spreadsheet?)