ozzy

Yes, I agree with that. All they can give you is a rough estimate based on age and mileage.

Even though, the Dealer that valued my car said it was in great condition, then proceeded to shaft me on the trade-in price

I'm not looking forward to the day where I change mine. I wish you all the luck with yours.

Stefan

TurboKitty

I got advice from the main dealership I use, when it came to pricing mine.

They told me that the trade price would be around £11500, but if I was selling privately I should advertise it for at least £14000, plus a bit more because of the warranty and private plate.

I'm not desperate to shift mine; I've got a few months leeway, in which time circumstances could change enabling me to keep it, so I am in no hurry to rush into anything. I'll advertise the car at the price I want for a couple of weeks before I even think about lowering the price. If I have no interest at all, I might ask the dealership to sell it on my behalf for commission, as I am still likely to get more than trade price that way.

RB5320

TK - I think your price is spot on, bearing in mind the plate must be worth a bit. I sold mine back to SGT yesterday. They gave me a fair price as I had bought 2 cars off them over the years. Am not going to say what price they gave me -it was more than the various trade in figures mentioned above, but obviously a lot less than I would expect to get privately. They also offered me the option of putting it on their forecourt on a sale or return basis. For various reasons I wanted to sell the car quickly and with no hassle from tyre kickers, test pilots etc.
It is a buyers market and there are a lot of cars for sale, but there is always someone out there who is prepared to pay a fair price for a good car. So long as you are prepared to wait I am sure you will get pretty close to the asking price.

Steve

adamq

FYI

I have just sold
MY98 4 door UK Impreza Turbo
Standard with a/c & 64k on the clock for
8425, I paid a lot more for it 12 months ago :-(

banshi

TK you seem happy to make derogatory comment or simply contradict reasoned statements supported by fact. There's even an offer to scan pages of the trade bible to prove the point.
Ozzy's post makes perfect sense to me but feel free to believe your own publicity.

In my experience, and before you question my capacity to differentiate between variants I'm on my 3rd dealer supplied limited edition.

Scoob Dealers will endeavour to build 3/4k into a deal which allows them to cover preparation, warranty, inventory cost, and inflated trade in figures. After all how much do you expect to "negotiate" off screen prices.

I no idea what car you own but unless the eleven five was a trade in rather than a "trade" price the either the dealer is making a killing or your looking for forecourt cost as your private sale.

As with Mods, Private Plates mean little to main dealers, traders will strip and sell on but for a major franchise it's hardly worth the bother.

For example there was very distinctive plate for sale on here. On a car in the showroom it was exactly the same price as the slightly poorer example parked beside it. Would a private plate add value to you as a purchaser maybe if it was RB 5, otherwise it's the car that counts.

So far as valuing a car over the phone. Based upon my description the dealer gave a to the penny qoute, did the deal without a single hitch.

I did have to convince him I kenw what I was talking about of course.

Oh and two years ago the average "Trade In" value for a car similar to the one above was 13k. At that time they actually carried a premium as dealers often had buyers waiting for them.
No longer the case of course.

smellyvag

Problem is that the new sti8 have just lowered their price to £24995. This is driving the price of 2nd hand scoobies down. Im struggling to get £19k for my 02Sti7. I am told that the prices are dropping at a rate of around £500pm at the moment on 2ns hand scoobs

Markus

OK, this is a very emotional subject.

A car is worth... Whatever someone is prepared to pay for it, simple.

My personal view is:
An RB5 (or, Terzo, or Catalunya, or Series McRae) will be worth more than a normal car. Why? well they are special editions, thus they can and do carry premiums over standard models, especially if they have things that normal models do not, for example, RB5 WR has the PPP on it, plus the unique color.

In my view the 'guides' out there are just that, guides. yes, they are used by the trade, but we're talking specialist cars here, not your boggo mondeo.

Yes, prices are soft and have been for a while, especially with the bug-eye and blob-eyes now making the 'classic' look old hat, well we know it's not really and on some levels is a better car.

Anyway, my personal view of the situation.

JKJ2

£13000 - £13500, sounds fine for your T reg RB5, especially with the upgrade to WR spec and the low milage. Alot of people are talking very low prices for our cars, even on this site, but this is a feature of all owners sites I think, where prospective buyers think they know the correct price for the cars, but all they are really after is the lowest and often most ridiculous price for the car, sometimes unknowingly aiding this perceived downturn in prices. OK you may be able to reach for a newer, (fugly), car if you spend another £3000, (and lets face it would you want to compared to a special edition RB5), but the extra finance may not be there for alot of people, who might be stretching to reach your price, and remember, and I know this from other enthusiasts sites, you are only reaching a very, very small % of potential buyers on these sites, alot of potential purchasers do not visit here, and an advert in your local/national press, will often bring forth the very person who has been hankering after your type of car, and at that price I doubt you will stuggle. Good Luck.

Boss Hogg

Don't agree that special edition are worth that much more - once cars get to a certain age you want to buy on price and condition only. Terzo, McCrae, RB5 et al are just old classic shape scoobs, there are enough being sold all time for buyers to have their pick - a lot of people on here delude themselves that there is still a queue of buyers wanting to buy their Scoob for top dollar - it ain't so. In fact some scoobs (esp bugeyes like mine) aren't even achieving the glasses guide price for mileage and condition. All cars are cheap now - even NS Merc C classes, 3 series and A4s can be bought cheaply now.

Diablo

Interesting subject.

I sold my Integra to a dealer last year who put it on the forecourt at £2,999 more than he gave me for it.

By chance I met its new owner a couple of months back. Happy to say he's kept it well

Asked him what he paid for it, as I was curious.

£1,500 less than sticker price (or £1,499 more than I got) for cash. With extended honda warranty (none of this 3rd party nonsense) and 4 new tyres.

I recon the dealer made £500 on the sale, if that.

Forecourt prices are not what people pay, so should not be quoted IMO as "value".

My mate is a dealer principal (not Subaru unfortunately). His view is that the value to him is the same whether the vehicle is "immaculate" or "acceptable" for a given age/mileage.

£100 of valet and machine polishing is all that it takes usually, even then if they can be bothered.

This can be evidenced by walking past any forecourt. An immaculate car may sell slightly faster than one in not quite such good condition, but the difference in value to him as a dealer is a couple of hundered quid at most, despite what the guides say.

Sticker prices will be the same for age/mileage as long as condition is not poor.

And thats coming from a dealer direct.

Because of that, as long as the car is fair for the mileage, with no major flaws or faults he can happily value from a description without even seeing it, as long as that description is accurate.

Undfortunately its a hige misconception that keeping your car immaculate will reap rewards come trade in - it won't.

May help with private sale though.

What we forget is that most of the car buying public (regardless of vehicle) will not see those few chips, that slightly kerbed wheel or the fine scratches here and there. LOL...most dealers won't

And if they do, it will not make the slightest difference, because they know that their customers will not notice.

2nd hand prices are depressed accross the board. Due to inflated new car prices and, as far as the likes of the Scoobs are concerned, who's going to pay top money for a 4yr old turbo, when you can get a new Seat Leon/Civic R etc for not much more.

Oh, and special editions which are cosmetic only (Non WR RB5, Terzo, Catalunya) are effectively sticker specials to a dealer and should although they should command a slightly higher price than equivelant UK turbo, that difference will be a fraction of the premium paid when new - just like any other option like aircon or PPP, for example.

Sorry, but thats a fact of the motor trade.

D

cheeseboy

you guys are all lucky gits with the fact that there are soooo many of these cars in the UK, means someone looking for a car has lots to choose from. Here on the other hand we are paying up to 20k€ for a 99 model with 80k km on the clock!!

If you lot had LHD cars, then you would sell them like hot cakes to the rest of Mainland EU.

Jza

Why is it "old shape" owners think they are immune to the dreaded depreciation - just because they bought there cars when depreciation was non-existant and supply of Impreza's were low.

Face facts guys - we have all been stung in the **** by Subaru - not just us bugeye owners.......

Shame - but thats the way it is. I certainly don't like it. I spend over £27k with my dealer and i'll be lucky to get 50% back after 3 years... which sucks.

I suggest the best thing we can all do is boycott the brand and buy EVO's They aren't losing £5k the minute they drive their cars off the dealers forecourt!!

Jza

camk

its simple cars are not an investment device, even if they were you'd still be getting gutted like the City have us on our pensions/endowments etc. Just write off whatever you spend, anything you get back is a bonus, in most cases I don't understand why folks are selling anyway...often to buy a newer Scoob model with similar performance and looks. If your going to bleat about costs buy and hold, depreciation only counts if you sell your car, otherwise it means nothing.

Car advert prices DO NOT really give an indication of what your car is worth, they give you an idea of where to place it but as everyone knows , no-one pays advertised price, if you price too high, no-one turns up. Just beacuse an RB5 with higher miles is for sale in Autotrader for 2 grand more than you doesn't mean yours or his will sell.

C

This whole statement is so, so true

I give up trying to tell people on here & othr sites, that your is worth nothing like what they think it is.

Maybe one day it will sink in?

Diablo

Glad someone else appreciates the reality of car ownership

And ****, my spelling is ****e

D

ScoobyWon't

Mark -

You'll find that the guides cover all makes including cars worth over £100k such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini etc which are not 'boggo' and are more of a specialist/prestige vehicle than a scooby.

Again back to the trade Bible to back up that quote, depreciation happens on a monthly basis - X plated MY00s were down £300 from July 1st 2003 to August 1st 2003.

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

JZA,
Not immune, just know that "classic" imprezas are three years or older, by which time the depreciation has slowed to acceptable.

You chose to buy the car, subaru didnt make you?

Which is about the going rate...

didnt buy the Scoob to make money, I planned on the depreciation, I bought classic (due to dislike of bugeye) and all in all im dead chuffed, I didnt buy EVO because I fell in love with Scoobs

Keep it real, keep your expectations at a sensible level and maybe we can all rest a bit easier

Peanuts....

sooby

Peanuts...


...appropriate name ;-)

Jza

Peanuts...

Sorry m8 - you may have won the lottery or something?

- but when i was looking at buying my car 2nd hand residuals were high - one year old cars on the forecourt for near new money.. so it looked like i could buy, lose a few £££'s and trade back up after 3 years. The salesman sold me on this idea... I figured i could afford it.

The reality is that that hasn't happened.

Preach about "you didnt have to buy the car"... etc ... all true, but I for one will look to buy my next car from a brand that hasn't been so devalued as Subaru has in the last 2 years.

And sorry - but the old shape car HAS been hit as badly as the bugeye....

But you can obviously afford to throw £££'s down the toilet - lucky you....

Jza

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

JZA,
Sorry, no lottery win here, worse luck, and no money to throw down the drain either.
No offence was meant, but you have to admit theres more than a few *money down the drain, **** prices at resale* threads these days.
Peanuts.....

Peanuts

iTrader: (15)

There is no excuse however for being sold a car as you described, surely there is come-back on that "a la" the endowment mortgage business??
Our local dealers salesmen are the most arrogant ******* on the planet!!!
And contrary to my moany-git style I do feel for people who are suffering bad residuals, I just didnt bank on any myself thats all.

Andy.....

ScoobyWon't

A salesman will tell you what you want to hear in order for him to close the sale. It may not be true now, but as long as it's legal at the time there is nothing wrong with how he sold you the car. As far as he's concerned, you were another ghappy punter and he made his commission.

The only way you are (remotely) likely to make money on a car is to buy it, wrap it in bubble wrap then leave it garaged for 25 years and wheel it back out as a classic car, hypothtically speaking.

Matt Classic

Like was said earlier, you've gotta find the right person at the right time. Most people will buy upto 3 year old from a dealer, that gets them piece of mind coz not many people out there will go and spend £12 - 15k on a private sale.
You then get people who will take a gamble around the 3 - 5 year old cars, I bought mine as it was nearly 3 years old (00my classic for 11K), still had a bit of warranty and FSH and was in standard trim. I dont expect to make money on a car, but I guess its gonna be worth near 8K in 3 years time, costing me £1k a year in depreciation, I reckon thats pretty good, I lost near on 3K in 2 years on my last car, which was a GTi and 3 years old when I bought it.
Most of the cars that seem to sell on here do seem to be 5 years old +, the people who are generally looking for 1-2 year old models don't seem to know that this site even exists, I didnt and had a hell of a job trying to track a car down. Eventually found the one I bought on Auotrader website and travelled a round trip of 250 miles to buy it, after looking at another previously involving a 200 mile round trip.
(incidentally sold my old car on the same website to a guy who travelled 160 miles to see it) For £25 its worth ago, you might get a genuine buyer as opposed to lots of BTTT's.

p.s Ok servicing aint cheap, but you can't expect it to be, these are one hell of a car for what is not a lot of pennies.
If you want to guarantee high residuals, you've got buy new ferrari's and sell em within 6 months !

camk

http://www.autoscout24.de/home/index/detail.asp?ts=3591793&id=19849532&sc=&make=67&mode l=2023&pricefrom=10000&euroto=25000&zip=PLZ

2001 WRX LHD 31KKM 18,500Euro

http://www.autoscout24.de/home/index/detail.asp?ts=3606426&id=18159059&sc=&make=67&mode l=2023&pricefrom=10000&euroto=25000&zip=
2002 WRX LHD 4KKM 21,000Euros...


Must be another Bavarian rip off scheme Alles Besser in Hessen...LOL


[Edited by camk - 8/12/2003 9:04:46 AM]