Prices dropping on these cars

[Jords]

Is it just me, or is the price dropping quite rapidly on the zeds (across all variants)? When I bought mine a year or so ago the price was decent, and now it seems that the average price is a few thousand pound cheaper. All car values drop over time I know, but is there something I'm missing? Do people put the prices up when the sun comes out in summer? Haha.

 

People's thoughts...

[coldel]

General consensus is that prices already bottomed out for early Zeds, hard to give a view on your question without knowing what one you have and what you paid for it. If you paid top dollar from a dealer and are now looking at more reasonable priced private ads for instance...

[Zeezeebaba]

The prices I've seen are all over the place but this is down to general condition and I would say they have bottomed out. Early cars can be had for 4k but I would imagine these need work unless the mileage is starship high.

A decent ish 04 should still fetch no less than 5k private and more at a dealer.

[Ekona]

HRs seemed to have dropped to reasonable levels, but earlier cars seem to have hit the £5K wall (excluding the starship mileage dog-eared JDM cars that pop up for £3K once in a blue moon).

[Jords]

Ive got an 04 with 90k and good service history, nismo kit expensive wheels and other nice bits and pieces. I'd rather not say exactly what I paid as it needed quite a few bits doing to it and I got stung. I took it as I was hoping I'd fall in love with modifying again but I just haven't (summer may be a different situation). My zed would stay with me unless I get 6.5k for it, meaning I will be thousands out of pocket but hey that's the way it goes.

 

Im not looking to value mine for sale, it's not going anywhere. When I bought mine the prices where this (as a guess):

 

Average DE - 5000 - 6000

DE with nismo kit etc. 6500 - 7000

 

 

Now it seems that you can knock 1500 -2000 off those prices in just a year. I was wondering if people think it's likely to keep going down and down as rougher and higher mileage examples flood the market as time goes on.

[Jay84]

Dunno, I cant see them going much lower, its one of the reasons I chose one over many other cars similar price. I paid 6.2 for a 06 rev up in good (not perfect) condition, but aside for a radar jammer was completely standard.

[davey_83]

This month on CAP an 05 GT with circa 80k on clock is £7450 retail & £5000 trade as clean, £4600 as average condition.

[Notch]

I'm currently struggling to sell my JDM 04 for 4.5k despite it being in very good condition. Even that is a grand lost over 2 years. I'm selling due to having to travel longer distances now and was looking for something more economical but having to have a long think about whether the money lost will actually just cover the extra petrol.

 

(Not advertised in the for sale area due to insufficient posts)

[Jords]

I'm currently struggling to sell my JDM 04 for 4.5k despite it being in very good condition. Even that is a grand lost over 2 years. I'm selling due to having to travel longer distances now and was looking for something more economical but having to have a long think about whether the money lost will actually just cover the extra petrol.

 

(Not advertised in the for sale area due to insufficient posts)

 

I think the jdm's are generally cheaper as they don't have a lot of the extras the uk gt versions does.

 

The time of year isn't helping as all this horrible weather is off putting for people considering a 2 seat roadster/sports car

Edited March 8, 2017 by Jords

[Aashenfox]

I paid 8 grand for mine in September with starship mileage and almost everything on the car broken, cut springs, perches, 10 ton china alloys, chavved up and abused. Good examples here are going for 14+.

 

You'll be pleased to know that mine will be restored to pristine soon, a rare Greek Z saved! Also, I will make money on the fixing up. It won't cost me 6 grand to make it better than the examples that are going for 14, so it worked out economical, this time...

[davey_83]

Problem is everyone wants stuff for dirt cheap!! Purely as an example, you could have two early DE's being sold one at 5k and the other at 6.5k. The 5k car within the first 12 months will need 2.5k spending on it (and the potential buyer knows this) ie clutch, flywheel, tyres, brakes and exhaust. The car advertised for 6.5k has all these item replaced recently, so on that front nothing to worry about. Folks would still rather buy the 5k car and cheap out on the repairs or allow the items to become MOT failures going forward.

 

BUY THE 6.5k CAR INSTEAD!!!!!! This is whats hurting the values imho, cheap A$$ people using poor man math.

Edited March 8, 2017 by davey_83

[KyleR]

Prices of DE's haven't moved in the 5 years i've been in Zed's. You can still buy similar cars to my first for the same kind of money I paid. RevUps have come down a touch and HR's have dropped a couple of grand, but thats because they are coming to the bottom of their prices now too, taking a bit longer than the DE due to desirability of the fresher face and more power.

 

You can still buy pretty rough examples for dirt cheap, but thats the same for every marque. I'd say you're seeing a big drop because you paid way over the odds in the first place, especially if you are saying you would be "thousands out of pocket" if you sold up for £6.5.

[Jetpilot]

I cant help but think that unless you're in the market place for a zed and actually looking first hand at whats available, its very difficult to judge condition from just photos and or advertised/sold prices.

[Jords]

I cant help but think that unless you're in the market place for a zed and actually looking first hand at whats available, its very difficult to judge condition from just photos and or advertised/sold prices.

 

That's a fair point. I've been considering selling mine off and on over the past year and so have been looking through what's around and especially cars that have the same modifications/extras.

[Richf]

Petrol prices are on the rise , few people want big thirsty engines when fuel is expensive

[Jords]

Prices of DE's haven't moved in the 5 years i've been in Zed's. You can still buy similar cars to my first for the same kind of money I paid. RevUps have come down a touch and HR's have dropped a couple of grand, but thats because they are coming to the bottom of their prices now too, taking a bit longer than the DE due to desirability of the fresher face and more power.

 

You can still buy pretty rough examples for dirt cheap, but thats the same for every marque. I'd say you're seeing a big drop because you paid way over the odds in the first place, especially if you are saying you would be "thousands out of pocket" if you sold up for £6.5.

 

I'd be out of pocket because I got stung by a dishonest seller. The car needed so much work doing to it when I got it. The rear arches were the biggest issue that had been covered up extremely well. Within a month of having the car it was in the bodyshop 1300quid later to have the arches done properly. Wheels had cracks I couldn't see until I took it for new tyres. Stereo stopped working on the first night I took it out for a drive. Engine management light then came on in the first week for sensors that needed changing.

 

Long story short I spent a lot on the car in the first months of owning her. That's why I feel I would be losing out if I sold it. To be truthful it's spending all that cash and knowing the car is the best it can be now that's got me keeping it for the time being.

[Aashenfox]

Nearly a million 350Zs have been manufactured I believe, so it's never going to be a classic, if you are thinking of selling, but not doing so because of the money you lost fixing the car, then waiting is only going to compound that problem. If you're going to sell, do it asap.

[Jords]

Nearly a million 350Zs have been manufactured I believe, so it's never going to be a classic, if you are thinking of selling, but not doing so because of the money you lost fixing the car, then waiting is only going to compound that problem. If you're going to sell, do it asap.

 

Thanks for the advice there. It's not so much the money I will lose, but more along the lines of I've spent that much on it I may aswell enjoy it for a year or 2 more. At least until I've forgotten about what I've spent on it haha.

[docwra]

I think they are holding pretty well for a big engined car thats been superseded for 6-7 years, particularly the HR's.

[Science_GT]

Quite a interesting post. I've not seen many decent UK GT's for less than 5k. Bought mine for 7k 2 years ago with 56k on the clock had an exhaust system and spoiler. Needed new clutch after a few months so think I paid slightly too high. I'd expect to sell mine for 5k ish. 04 with 67k atm.

[Jords]

Quite a interesting post. I've not seen many decent UK GT's for less than 5k. Bought mine for 7k 2 years ago with 56k on the clock had an exhaust system and spoiler. Needed new clutch after a few months so think I paid slightly too high. I'd expect to sell mine for 5k ish. 04 with 67k atm.

 

Thanks I think. I thought it might be a good topic of conversation. It seems that the gap between good examples and rough examples is getting bigger. The rough getting lower and lower dragging the general price down.

 

It happened with ep3 type r's. They held a steady 3-4k for a fair few years (for a face-lift at least), and then out of nowhere lots of high mileage rough examples came up and now the average price is a lot less. Saw one or two go for 2k and the prefacelifts even less.

[Jetpilot]

The problem is once they dip into a certain budget they become "affordable" and almost disposable, people often leap in thinking, its in my budget but they give no thought to how much they can cost to maintain, I.e clutches, tyres and they then often fall into disrepair and are worth more in parts, they start to attract "that" audience, I have seen it a number of times, rx7, scoobies etc

 

I really dont see that with the zed yet though, if Payco managed to get 10k plus for a rev up, no matter how nice an example it was, I think the market is still there and sound.

 

Echoing docs comments to, i think they are standing up pretty well, but they are last of an era, baring the 370 what has come out of Japan since the 350?

Edited March 9, 2017 by Jetpilot

[HEADPHONES]

However fast the price may be dropping, as long as you are looking to keep one for a few years i still reckon they represent good value.

After all, most of the really big losses have been taken by the original purchasers.....LIKE ME .

I reckon if i sold mine I'd lose about £25k!

But an 05 DE with factory Nismo kit and LMGT4s losing £25k over 12 years works out about £2k a year.......Worth every penny in my opinion and still giving plenty smiles per mile

So as long as you worked out it was an affordable purchase at the time and aren't looking at short term ownership it'll always be good value in my opinion

[coldel]

I think unless you are buying a proper classic, like a 240z, then you are never going to make money on these cars in general (occasionally you might) - sounds like OP made a not so good call on purchase price/condition but really I would say forget about it and enjoy the car. I bought mine private and within 5 months had to spend nigh on £800 on flywheel and clutch kit.

[Jords]

I think unless you are buying a proper classic, like a 240z, then you are never going to make money on these cars in general (occasionally you might) - sounds like OP made a not so good call on purchase price/condition but really I would say forget about it and enjoy the car. I bought mine private and within 5 months had to spend nigh on £800 on flywheel and clutch kit.

 

Maybe so to be honest, but most of it was down to a dishonest seller. Personally it wouldn't matter to me about how much I paid because I still got a very healthy motor once I got to work on it.

 

I was very lucky to have sold my civic before the prices literally became pocket change. Now I wouldn't have an ep3 again because they seem to hold the image of and old beaten dog.