Why are Ultimas so hard to sell

[GT03 NOB]

Can you tell me,i have often looked at the Ultima and wanted to own one.However each time i think about it all the cars i look at have been for sale for year or two.I love the cars and think they are excellent value for looks and performance but worry that once im bored that i will still have to own it forever!!!

[gtrclive]

Sorry I was never Bored with my car. All I wanted to do was sell it so I could build another, well I now have a target on what to build next anyway...... 377 .....

[ultimasimon]

GT03 NOB said:

Can you tell me,i have often looked at the Ultima and wanted to own one. However each time i think about it all the cars i look at have been for sale for year or two. I love the cars and think they are excellent value for looks and performance but worry that once im bored that i will still have to own it forever!!!

I don't think they are - quite the opposite. Two friends of mine (including Clive above) had no problems selling theirs and I get people asking me regularly if I want to sell it every month.

Had this one via email today - Strangely enough he drives a noble

edited email message said:

blimey...if only I'd known before I parted cash for a 2.5ltr noble!! I was asking the question earlier in anticipation that you might be selling in a year or so and maybe need to start documenting a list of potential buyers...if that is your sort of time frame then please get in touch and i might fancy an even more roar experience than the noble. Any how ..I am a fan of the marque, and your car in particular...hell, even if it is just 6m from now and you come to sell let me know and I might stand more of a chance of convincing the wife of the need to change! name removed

Infact it would appear they are queing up to buy them

[Builder]

GT03 NOB said:

Can you tell me,i have often looked at the Ultima and wanted to own one.However each time i think about it all the cars i look at have been for sale for year or two.I love the cars and think they are excellent value for looks and performance but worry that once im bored that i will still have to own it forever!!!

Bored? If you get bored with a street car that just set the record for 0-100-0 mph, you beter start preparing your P1/P2 for Le Mans!!!

I think the car's resale value is reduced because of the Spartan interior, windows that don't open, total height, gas consumption, and mechanical aptitude requirements...many of the "features" that make it go fast! Also, the "kit" is usually assembled to the builders preferences, which may not be the same as those for other potential Ultima owners.

I would buy a used GTR, except that I will really enjoy the build process and the little custom features I will add.

[Boosted Ls1]

Do they have a space to stow stuff, like behind the seats or somewhere? That would be useful.

[steve_D]

I have also had emails asking if I want to sell.
One guy has mailed me 3 times, the first when I was still building it.
Steve

[GT03 NOB]

Well Simon thats strange because i viewed Clives car some 6 months after it first went up for sale and it then took at least another 6 months to sell even with a price reduction of some 10 grand or more.We even discussed a deal against my ferrari.Im also sure that i bet it did not make much more than 40k as opposed to the 56k it was originally up for.The same went for the red can am along with the red ultimate ultima can am that i still think is knocking about somewhere.Again i am not knocking as i love the cars but it seems that unless you have a good spec and are prepared to take sub 35k the you might as well try to sell snow to the igloo makers!!!

[ultimasimon]

AND whats wrong with selling snow to the igloo makers??

I have been doing that for years

[GT03 NOB]

Nothing Simon,i like a good salesman they make the world go round,i also appreciate the skills you guys have when building these things.As for me i have trouble building a TUNA!! sandwich so i much prefer letting you guys do all the work so people like me can just buy em and drive em.Do you think that i should swap from a 3R to ultima?

>> Edited by GT03 NOB on Thursday 19th August 23:29

[gtrclive]

In the end I didn't advertise the car anywhere else but Here at PH and in the end had 2 Guys bidding against each other. So you could say I didn't try very hard to sell it. The Can-Am was sold as well, but Andys only add was here as well. We both enjoyed our cars imencely, but both wanted better things, More power and another build, to do things differently etc. So just watch this space.....

PS. I would have lost alot more money in 2 years if I had bought a New Porsche.....

PS I take it you sold the 348 in the end ?

>> Edited by gtrclive on Thursday 19th August 23:49

[GT03 NOB]

Yep that went shortly after i came up to see your car.Then i bottled out and went with the Noble.So should i now go for an ULTIMA?

[steve_D]

GT03 NOB said:

Yep that went shortly after i came up to see your car.Then i bottled out and went with the Noble.So should i now go for an ULTIMA?

Only you know what suits your taste. You know it's record breaking performance so only need to decide if that is what you want.

Steve

[Stig]

Have emails everyday about mine, have done pretty much since I was a few months in to the build.

Of course, a lot are dreamers, but then again - some are VERY serious.

One thing that will delay a sale, is deviation from factory 'spec' and parts. Potential buyers are put off when replacement parts are used - no matter how good they are supposed to be. I know that when I was looking, I wouldn't touch a non-standard car. Now I've built one, I'd definitely steer clear of them. Then again, that's just me

At the end of the day, like any car, you just have to be realistic about the price.

[Cabby]

Stig said:

Have emails everyday about mine, have done pretty much since I was a few months in to the build. Of course, a lot are dreamers, but then again - some are VERY serious. One thing that will delay a sale, is deviation from factory 'spec' and parts. Potential buyers are put off when replacement parts are used - no matter how good they are supposed to be. I know that when I was looking, I wouldn't touch a non-standard car. Now I've built one, I'd definitely steer clear of them. Then again, that's just me At the end of the day, like any car, you just have to be realistic about the price.

Keeping the car as close to factory spec will always make re-sale easier. I know from when selling mine, the car was totaly factory spec except the engine. It was not an A.S. engine. Although the factory do not offer engines, A.S. is seen as THE engine to fit. It can take a little while to convince potential buyers that it is not a bag of nails, especialy when they have no mechanical skills.

I think when judged against normal cars, yes, the Ultima could be viewed as difficult to sell. It is remember, a niche car within a niche market. Ask Jo Numptie if he would throw 20-30-40K at a home made rocket sled or a 'prestige' german or italian alternative and he would give the same answer 999 time out of 1000. Ask someone who has done a little research and has some petrol in the blood and that may drop to 990 out of your 1000. People like the comfort given by familiarity (sp?)
Don't try and judge one against normal cars because they are not. Also, as Clive said, we may have brought our prices down, we may have waited a while to sell? I bet we never lost anywhere near as much as a Porsche or Fezza owner over the same ownership period. In fact, our real depriciation (cost of build against sale) would have been not much more than their servicing costs I'll be building another one day. I doubt I'll ever buy a used one though, that is the way we are I'm affraid.

Paul.

[Stig]

Good to hear from you Paul!

Btw. Bought a Navara too recently for Hels. V.pleased with it

[davefiddes]

Cabby said:

I doubt I'll ever buy a used one though, that is the way we are I'm affraid.

If the cars are hard to sell then this is part of the problem. If you are attracted to something as genuinely exotic and unusual like an Ultima a lot of people would much rather go the whole hog and build one too...