Sod selling, is *anyone* buying???

[Marshy]

No no, hang on a mo.... Those that *have* sold on this site, how much have you had to drop your price to get a sale? 103 Chimearas for sale, very few with a sold sign on.

So mine's a 97 P plate 500, with around 46k on the clock. Engine new from around 31k. Nothing between now and then except for a radiator recore to spoil the fun. Hydratrak, minidisc, decent speakers, alloy bits, good S03s all round, recent service and most of a year to run on the MOT and warranty.

I had it up for around 17,000 but looks like I'll have to drop to 16,400 (hi, Elizabeth ) to make it pretty much the cheapest 500 on here. Best offer from a punter so far is 15,000, for a car he really seems to like and (he says) is in pretty good nick.

Here's the real meat... is 15,000 reasonable these days or taking the wossname. (And if you are indeed the "punter" from last weekend, apologies, but I'm finding 15,000 a very hard figure to adjust to.)

Cheers all - I look forward, as usual, to an assortment of wisdom and abuse in response

[M@H]

I was buying until yesterday.. to answer 17K sounds a little bit keen and 15k sounds too cheap.. of course thats a vague guess based on the fact I haven't seen the car but I also agree there does indeed seem to be a lack of buyers, indicated by the mails I was getting from sellers, and the fact I managed to find a car to buy, just by starting my "Whos selling" thread..

Cheers,
Matt.

[MikeyT]

Marshy,

I started a thread the other day on the fact that there were (then) over 90 Chims for sale in the classis on PHeads. And now it's increased to over the ton!

Those in the know who are looking to buy privately are obviously viewing this site and IMO there's just TOO many to choose from. Yeah, granted there aren't that many 5.0s on there – but I wouldn't say that was many people's choice of a first TVR/Chim to buy. A mistaken view maybe and one that has received considerable airings on this forum.

I'd consider *other* ways of going about selling it not the obvious one. OK, if you have to drag it to the edge of your estate and plant a big FOR SALE sign on it then do it, it ain't gonna attract many punters sitting on the drive.

A few select ads here and there, a few spam unsolicited emails to rich Cambridge IT companies (who you're not working for) might not go amiss. Can't hurt can it?

Start a thread on it – its always a good discussion point (M&H bought his because of it and Dex managed to sel his – so two happy PHers.)

And of course, don't forget to keep adding to the thread to keep it t the top ala Rivergirrl style ...

Anybody got any other ideas for *outside the box* selling their Chim techniques? (How I hate that marketing double-dutch bollox phrase I just used)

[Jason F]

Well, I will be selling mine soon enough. It will have 4 new wheels and tyres, less than 30k on the clock, a 1k stereo and is a 94L. I have no idea where I will advertise though, but I am sorta hoping to use people at the club for my audience.....

I guess if you can afford to keep the car then wait till a more reasonable price comes along..I think 15k sounds a bit cheap for yours though, if it is in good condition.

[FunkyGibbon]

Marshy

See www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=8&t=16495&h=0

Would that have been you?

Great looking car , good luck with the selling.

Dave

[bryanlister]

Sold mine in July for £16K - 4 litre, PAS, 18K service at 17K miles, 18K on the clock at sale. New S02s all round at 12K. Leven bits, badges. All round practically mint condition. This was the pre-facelift model and I was getting worried that this in itself would make it less desirable - but it went very quickly. I included a nice Sony MD/CD system with rear speakers - but it probably made no difference to the sale price of the car (ICE systems really don't make a difference on cars like TVRs - so if you have an expensive system you want to keep, you may as well swap it for a cheaper one).

Given that your car is newer and a 5.0 litre v the higher mileage, I think that something over the £16K mark could be achieved. The hard part is to attract a potential buyer to looking at a car in the first place. Paint/interior trim colours will be another factor but not much you can do about them! Top Marques, Auto Trader, Sprint magazine will be the places to advertise in addition to PHs.

>> Edited by bryanlister on Tuesday 17th September 09:34

[nigelr]

quote:No no, hang on a mo.... Those that *have* sold on this site, how much have you had to drop your price to get a sale? 103 Chimearas for sale, very few with a sold sign on.

So mine's a 97 P plate 500, with around 46k on the clock. Engine new from around 31k. Nothing between now and then except for a radiator recore to spoil the fun. Hydratrak, minidisc, decent speakers, alloy bits, good S03s all round, recent service and most of a year to run on the MOT and warranty.

I had it up for around 17,000 but looks like I'll have to drop to 16,400 (hi, Elizabeth ) to make it pretty much the cheapest 500 on here. Best offer from a punter so far is 15,000, for a car he really seems to like and (he says) is in pretty good nick.

Here's the real meat... is 15,000 reasonable these days or taking the wossname. (And if you are indeed the "punter" from last weekend, apologies, but I'm finding 15,000 a very hard figure to adjust to.)

Cheers all - I look forward, as usual, to an assortment of wisdom and abuse in response

[KenD]

As somebody who is looking to purchase, here is my my take. The prices are dropping - there is no need to rush out and buy as it is the end of season,(is this the normal 15% winter drop?). Lots of choice therefore buyers market. Also there is a lot of uncertainty in the economic arena, so maybe not so many buyers. I am happy to take my time, search out the right spec, colour etc and hopefully from my perspective, prices will continue to drift down.
Ken

[JonRB]

quote:is this the normal 15% winter drop?

I'd heard that TVRs are less susceptible to this than more mainstream convertibles. But I guess I could be mistaken.

[M@H]

quote:

quote:is this the normal 15% winter drop?

I'd heard that TVRs are less susceptible to this than more mainstream convertibles. But I guess I could be mistaken.

Indeed.. TVR's don't tend to be affected by the age drop so much either, afterall a pristine 97 is going to cost much the same as a pristine 96.. I must admit I'm not seeing so much of a drop and 15%, is that realistic..? is a 15K car going to drop to £12750 on a seasonal variation.. ??

[radron]

Hi All

I recently bought my 97P 4.0 Chimp with 30K on the clock, It was being advertised privately for £14250.00 and I got her for £13750.00. I spent alot of time on the PH classifieds almost every day for a month or so, also other sites. I know that mine at a dealers would probably be worth about 17 or so on the forecourt. It was a bit of a gamble but Tower View had serviced from new and looked drove and sounded fine. I dont think I actually contacted anyone on PH in the classifieds and found mine on Exchange and mart. I think I got a bit of a bargain but there are many to be had. I would say that £15000.00 is a bit low for yours and the asking price would have dettered me from jumping at it. Perhaps its worth comparing with autotrader and E&M and looking for a middle ground.

[alt]

I sold my 97/P 4.0l with 41,000 miles for £13,800!
I originally had it up for £15,500 but as my dealer was only offering £12,000 I was happy in the end. And so was the buyer!

There must be people out there that NEED to sell and are prepared to drop prices, like me. But there must also be people that don't NEED to sell and won't budge. You just need to find the former!

Cheers...... Andrew (ex gb61390)

[nigelr]

Yes - Im still buying - but finding it hard to find the right car 1998 (Roso pearl, Cherry Pearl or Starmist Crimson plus full Magnolia hide)with full and up to-date service history and in near mint condition. And yes I do not expect to pay summer prices or buy one thats had a new owner every 4 months from new.
Might have to look @ different colours soon!

[PeterC]

SUPPLY & DEMAND
There is an over supply of Chimera's in the market and a declining demand hence the problems you are all having in realising what you perceive is a fair price. This problem will only get worse as more and more owners trade up to Tuscan's & Tamora's.

I suggest you all get used to the idea that you are going to lose money and adjust your selling price accordingly. YOUR CAR IS ONLY WORTH WHAT SOMEONE IS WILLING TO PAY FOR IT !

Who said TVR's hold there prices well? A dealer trying to close a sale, that's who.

>> Edited by PeterC on Tuesday 17th September 14:01

[Podie]

quote:
SUPPLY & DEMAND
There is an over supply of Chimera's in the market and a declining demand hence the problems you are all having in realising what you perceive is a fair price. This problem will only get worse as more and more owners trade up to Tuscan's & Tamora's.

I suggest you all get used to the idea that you are going to lose money and adjust your selling price accordingly. YOUR CAR IS ONLY WORTH WHAT SOMEONE IS WILLING TP PAY FOR IT !

Who said TVR's hold there prices well? A dealer trying to close a sale, that's who.

Agreed - if I could afford the running costs / insurance I'd be there... hence the reason the S is a better alternative for many people.

[trefor]

Well my '95 Chimaera was 28k new, I paid 28k for it a few years later. It's now worth:

13 to 14k private sale
16k on a main stealers forecourt
£5.50 trade

The car is 7 years old and still worth 45-50% of it's new value. Even if it's only worth 12k that's still 42%. You'd be hard pressed to beat that without going for a Porsche.

T/.

[M@H]

quote:

£5.50 trade

only on a good day..

[Marshy]

quote:
Marshy

See www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=8&t=16495&h=0

Would that have been you?

That would indeed have been me. Completely failed to spot your thread though due to extreme Pistonheads deprivation.

Thanks for the comments everyone, food for thought.