Daftest stuff said on PH which isn't really true

Daftest stuff said on PH which isn't really true

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julian64

Original Poster:

14,317 posts

256 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
This thread is about stuff that gets said regularly on PH as if the poster thinks its an undeniable truth. When in reality when you think about it there is little sense in it

I nominate "something is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it."

Its been said on numerous watch threads when people comment on the price an expensive watch. Its been used a few times on the Ferrari GTO thread that's currently running, and almost always appears on any thread to do with the sale of paintings, and multiple times in past threads. People use the phase as if its an unassailable fact.

But is it? When I think about it the phase seems to be one of the daftest things its possible to say.

Personally I've just bought a bicycle brand new for 2.5K. Its probably worth half that when its delivered to my front door and worth even less the minute I ride it. Nothing has actually changed on the bike throughout that time, its still the same bike it was in the showroom. The truth is that was only worth that price to me at the time I bought it and I wouldn't expect anyone else to buy it off me for the same price even if it was still in its wrapping.

Take any auction. If I was completely bonkers and went into an auction I saw some beaten up mini rusted through being pushed onto the stage with a guide price of £200 and I immediately bid £10K its doesn't make the car worth that because I paid that money for it.

There are probably many other examples where probably only two or three people i the world would regarding something as having a high value when the rest of the world would call them crazy. And the thing I hate most about the saying is it assumes if a few people are being nutters we all have to regard what they are doing as valid and sensible.

randlemarcus

13,537 posts

233 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
julian64 said:
If I was completely bonkers and went into an auction I saw some beaten up mini rusted through being pushed onto the stage with a guide price of £200 and I immediately bid £10K its doesn't make the car worth that because I paid that money for it.
It absolutely does make it worth that to the seller.

akirk

5,421 posts

116 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
julian64 said:
This thread is about stuff that gets said regularly on PH as if the poster thinks its an undeniable truth. When in reality when you think about it there is little sense in it

I nominate "something is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it."

Its been said on numerous watch threads when people comment on the price an expensive watch. Its been used a few times on the Ferrari GTO thread that's currently running, and almost always appears on any thread to do with the sale of paintings, and multiple times in past threads. People use the phase as if its an unassailable fact.

But is it? When I think about it the phase seems to be one of the daftest things its possible to say.

Personally I've just bought a bicycle brand new for 2.5K. Its probably worth half that when its delivered to my front door and worth even less the minute I ride it. Nothing has actually changed on the bike throughout that time, its still the same bike it was in the showroom. The truth is that was only worth that price to me at the time I bought it and I wouldn't expect anyone else to buy it off me for the same price even if it was still in its wrapping.

Take any auction. If I was completely bonkers and went into an auction I saw some beaten up mini rusted through being pushed onto the stage with a guide price of £200 and I immediately bid £10K its doesn't make the car worth that because I paid that money for it.

There are probably many other examples where probably only two or three people i the world would regarding something as having a high value when the rest of the world would call them crazy. And the thing I hate most about the saying is it assumes if a few people are being nutters we all have to regard what they are doing as valid and sensible.
I am not sure that it was the best choice wink as I think you have simply proven the saying...
- You buy a bike brand new for £2.5k - you accept that it is worth that to you at that point
- You see it as being worth less if you were to then sell it - but at that point it's worth is what someone will pay you as a second-hand bike
so in each case of your example the 'something' (bike) is worth what someone will pay for it at that point in time.

I agree that "something is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it" doesn't define intrinsic value, but few things outside perhaps bank currency have an intrinsic value, their value changes continuously based on market forces etc. worth is simply the combination of value and a specific person, so arguably the phrase is always accurate - though the worth / value of the item may change 5 minutes later...


rodericb

6,821 posts

128 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
julian64 said:
Personally I've just bought a bicycle brand new for 2.5K. Its probably worth half that when its delivered to my front door and worth even less the minute I ride it. Nothing has actually changed on the bike throughout that time, its still the same bike it was in the showroom. The truth is that was only worth that price to me at the time I bought it and I wouldn't expect anyone else to buy it off me for the same price even if it was still in its wrapping.
It's worth whatever someone wants to pay for it at the time. The reason you think you wouldn't get what you paid for it is that you're devaluing it for whatever reason - such as that there's no value proposition which would make someone buy it from you rather than a shop. But what if it was the only one available? If someone offered you 3k for it would you take it? 2.5k? 2k?

The whole point of an auction is to take a punt on the market. If it's a sellers market, it'll go for more. If it's a buyers market it'll go for less. What if there were ten 250GTO's at the auction? Would they all pull $80m?

Purosangue

1,004 posts

15 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all


cadence braking

Wills2

23,191 posts

177 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all

My irony meter just exploded, this has to be peak PH, to start a thread about things that Pher's believe are true but aren't with one of the most inalienable facts of life.






BertBert

19,142 posts

213 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
julian64 said:
This thread is about stuff that gets said regularly on PH as if the poster thinks its an undeniable truth. When in reality when you think about it there is little sense in it

I nominate "something is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it."

Its been said on numerous watch threads when people comment on the price an expensive watch. Its been used a few times on the Ferrari GTO thread that's currently running, and almost always appears on any thread to do with the sale of paintings, and multiple times in past threads. People use the phase as if its an unassailable fact.

But is it? When I think about it the phase seems to be one of the daftest things its possible to say.

Personally I've just bought a bicycle brand new for 2.5K. Its probably worth half that when its delivered to my front door and worth even less the minute I ride it. Nothing has actually changed on the bike throughout that time, its still the same bike it was in the showroom. The truth is that was only worth that price to me at the time I bought it and I wouldn't expect anyone else to buy it off me for the same price even if it was still in its wrapping.

Take any auction. If I was completely bonkers and went into an auction I saw some beaten up mini rusted through being pushed onto the stage with a guide price of £200 and I immediately bid £10K its doesn't make the car worth that because I paid that money for it.

There are probably many other examples where probably only two or three people i the world would regarding something as having a high value when the rest of the world would call them crazy. And the thing I hate most about the saying is it assumes if a few people are being nutters we all have to regard what they are doing as valid and sensible.
This must be a recursive thread. Asking for examples of daft things said by saying a really daft thing?

ajap1979

8,014 posts

189 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
"Hydrogen is the future" biglaugh

GetCarter

29,435 posts

281 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
Purosangue said:
cadence braking
Used to do it all the time in my Caterhams. It's real, but only when you know what you're doing in a car that needs it.

Purosangue

1,004 posts

15 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
JohnDokic said:
I found this abandoned TVR in a field....................
biggrin

Getragdogleg

8,823 posts

185 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
GetCarter said:
Purosangue said:
cadence braking
Used to do it all the time in my Caterhams. It's real, but only when you know what you're doing in a car that needs it.
Ahh, but Cadence Clutching on the other hand...

julian64

Original Poster:

14,317 posts

256 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
Wills2 said:
My irony meter just exploded, this has to be peak PH, to start a thread about things that Pher's believe are true but aren't with one of the most inalienable facts of life.





I guess its predictable that when you question one of the inalienable facts posted on piston heads and actually say it in your starting post, you will get someone come back and say its inalienable.

I think the two of us could start a small perpetual motion event here unless one of us wants to post something unpredictable?.

119

6,949 posts

38 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
GetCarter said:
Purosangue said:
cadence braking
Used to do it all the time in my Caterhams. It's real, but only when you know what you're doing in a car that needs it.
Was it that dangerous to drive then?

Wills2

23,191 posts

177 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
julian64 said:
Wills2 said:
My irony meter just exploded, this has to be peak PH, to start a thread about things that Pher's believe are true but aren't with one of the most inalienable facts of life.





I guess its predictable that when you question one of the inalienable facts posted on piston heads and actually say it in your starting post, you will get someone come back and say its inalienable.

I think the two of us could start a small perpetual motion event here unless one of us wants to post something unpredictable?.
Or you could just admit it was a very bad example, now that would be a surprise.

E63eeeeee...

3,998 posts

51 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
Purosangue said:
JohnDokic said:
I found this abandoned TVR in a field....................
biggrin
If it's upside down, that just counts as "parked".

Sigmamark7

346 posts

163 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
E63eeeeee... said:
Purosangue said:
JohnDokic said:
I found this abandoned TVR in a field....................
biggrin
If it's upside down, that just counts as "parked".
Surely that should be in the bad parking thread!

Gigamoons

17,771 posts

202 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
julian64 said:
This thread is about stuff that gets said regularly on PH as if the poster thinks its an undeniable truth. When in reality when you think about it there is little sense in it

I nominate "something is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it."

Its been said on numerous watch threads when people comment on the price an expensive watch. Its been used a few times on the Ferrari GTO thread that's currently running, and almost always appears on any thread to do with the sale of paintings, and multiple times in past threads. People use the phase as if its an unassailable fact.

But is it? When I think about it the phase seems to be one of the daftest things its possible to say.

Personally I've just bought a bicycle brand new for 2.5K. Its probably worth half that when its delivered to my front door and worth even less the minute I ride it. Nothing has actually changed on the bike throughout that time, its still the same bike it was in the showroom. The truth is that was only worth that price to me at the time I bought it and I wouldn't expect anyone else to buy it off me for the same price even if it was still in its wrapping.

Take any auction. If I was completely bonkers and went into an auction I saw some beaten up mini rusted through being pushed onto the stage with a guide price of £200 and I immediately bid £10K its doesn't make the car worth that because I paid that money for it.

There are probably many other examples where probably only two or three people i the world would regarding something as having a high value when the rest of the world would call them crazy. And the thing I hate most about the saying is it assumes if a few people are being nutters we all have to regard what they are doing as valid and sensible.
Yes ^^^ is a classic example of daft stuff said on PH which isn't really true.

Bravo OP beer

julian64

Original Poster:

14,317 posts

256 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
GetCarter said:
Purosangue said:
cadence braking
Used to do it all the time in my Caterhams. It's real, but only when you know what you're doing in a car that needs it.
I think the best one was cadence accelerating once posted on PH.

Purosangue

1,004 posts

15 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
julian64 said:
GetCarter said:
Purosangue said:
cadence braking
Used to do it all the time in my Caterhams. It's real, but only when you know what you're doing in a car that needs it.
I think the best one was cadence accelerating once posted on PH.
that was the one

biggrin

Trevor555

4,466 posts

86 months

Wednesday 15th November 2023
quotequote all
julian64 said:
This thread is about stuff that gets said regularly on PH as if the poster thinks its an undeniable truth. When in reality when you think about it there is little sense in it

I nominate "something is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it."
I used a similar statement when I was buying used cars off the public.

I'd bid them a price to buy.

They'd often come back to me saying, so in so said it was worth this much, garage down the road says this much, bloke in the pub said is was this much.

My simple answer was "did none of them get their cheque book out then?"

Or "your car is only worth what someone will actually pay for it today"