35 replies to this topic

[barrybethel]

i agree with denzle. i dont think the price of tidy cars will drop much lower. not n/as anyway. in 10 - 15 years we may see them starting to rise significantly. they (and elises like mine) make pretty good financial sense compared to most cars. a bit like caterhams. they really hold on to their values.

[The Batman]

If you want a "lotus" type car that goes up in price buy a s1 exige

[Andrew aka Stuwy]

I've been on the hunt for a little while now for a VX.

I found this car for sale that seems out of normal price ranges http://atsearch.auto...201120387550085

VAUXHALL VX220 2.2 16v , 2 Doors, Manual, Soft-Top, Petrol, 2003 53 Reg , 56,000 miles, Blue. Radio/CD, ABS, Alloy wheels, Lumbar support, Immobiliser, Sports seats, Alarm, Drivers airbag, Front head restraints, Solid Paint, Cloth seat trim, Front fog lights. Insurance Group:17, HPI CLEAR, £6,990

I've got my eye on a few VX's. But am getting more and more worried about resale values dropping over the next few years. Parker's price guide has VX's alot lower than advert prices.

What's everybody's thoughts on this topic?

that vx is crying out for some TLC. if your after a little project then take a look, its been for sale for a VERY long time so make sure its been looked after while on sale, fluid change oils, coolant ect, been run down the road once a week. I looked at that VX while i was buying, things to note, its a none standard exhorst and a rear colour. I think the screen is cracked? the whiper motor is not working..?

Good luck with your search

[Andrew aka Stuwy]

also find out what aftermarket suspention is on it some are really good

[MaDFreeBiRD]

Looks like i should put the price of mine back up again lol. Only thing that lets mine down is the bubbling and in all honesty is it no where near as bad as some i have seen, id say mines relatively low mileage too at just over 40k

[ghand]

Buy a low price one and the Wheels need a re furb,shocks need replacing,suspension needs re furb,seats need a re cover,door cards need recover, paint job in places,sills need sorting,dash plates ,and so on. So add 2k+ and its a bargain.Oh or just buy a good one at the right price.

[james.a]

i used a broker to buy my car for me and he looked at this one for me. He said it had modified suspension, a crack in the screen - which was MOT failable - and the engine management light was on. We toyed with it but he said the paint condition wasn't great and he reckoned it would cost me about £1000 to put it right. We decided to leave it and in the end he sourced an absolute peach for me. Patience is the key I reckon. Good ones are out there.

[jonnyboy]

A Broker to buy a vx? Not heard of that before who did that for you?

[VX Boyd]

I think the gapbetween a good N/A and a good turbo are a but excessive. It seems a good N/A demands £8k where as a decent turbo demands £12k. I don't see where that extra £4k comes from? It makes me think the N/A's have hit their minimum where as the turbos will still come down a little in the next 3 years.

[james.a]

I have used the same chap for the past five cars I have bought. He knows the trade, negotiates to trade prices and gives me decent trade in - he has to I reckon as usually he's sold me the car I'm trading! As he travels the country sourcing cars for various people he can often combine jobs and pop in to garages to look at vehicles for me. We looked at four in the end that came in budget, all over the country before finding one just 12 miles from my house.

[dterry]

I have had mine for sale for a few weeks now and most of the interest has been from abroad. In fact it currently looks like it might be going to live on the other side of the channel at some point in the not so distant future. I had a look at a few french autotrader style sites - not many for sale, and around 15-18,000 euros - mine at £9,450 (11,000euros ish) looks pretty good value if the buyer doesn't mind RHD. In some ways I wish I'd brought a few LHD speedsters when the £ v Euro was in the opposite direction - could make a fortune now! In fact back in 2000 I brought a 6 month old LHD Audi TT for £17k when UK ones were £25-26k - I bet that would make much more ending it back across the channel than it would be worth in the UK now. A UK buyer has been to see mine with a view to buying (when he sells his current car) and he said he had looked a lot of the cheaper ones but mine was so much nicer and worth the extra - Admittedly the previous owner was the one who did most of the hard work - I have just made sure it is well looked after whilst I have owned it and replaced what was required mechanically. There are some cheap ones out there, and in my experience most are a bit rough, although sometimes bargains do appear - maybe these are the well looked after ones, but the owners just look at Parkers / Autotrader and price theirs with the rest. Other come up quite cheap because of the current economy - people sometimes need money quickly and the first thing to go is the toy / flash motor.

[denno]

As said already, you get what you pay for, buy a cheap one and expect bills. Buy a mint well maintained one but pay the premium. I no personally if i was to sell mine it would be for top whack or not at all! Not that i'm looking to sell though so it's all irrelevent.

[theotherjonnymac]

Prices like all cars are falling but depreciation on the VX is better than most cars. The true value of any car is what it sells for not what you think it is worth. This blue one you are looking at is overpriced or it would not have been for sale for about a year!!

[vocky]

As said already, you get what you pay for, buy a cheap one and expect bills. Buy a mint well maintained one but pay the premium. I no personally if i was to sell mine it would be for top whack or not at all! Not that i'm looking to sell though so it's all irrelevent.

[Deadlysub]

At that price I'm suprised no one has taken a punt on it I'm sure the garage would replace the screen and I bet the EML is only a lambda sensor which they should change also? When I bought mine I paid £9k and it had 19k miles on the clock but was in great condition mechanically and the interior was great. I have still paid best part of £300 in the last three months on it. Even if you pay the premium to get a mint car you still have to pay out to keep it mint. The reason there are so many ropey VX's is because people don't pay out to get the small jobs done.

Edited by Deadlysub, 24 May 2011 - 07:01 AM.

[-JK-]

I think the gapbetween a good N/A and a good turbo are a but excessive.

It seems a good N/A demands £8k where as a decent turbo demands £12k.

I don't see where that extra £4k comes from?

It makes me think the N/A's have hit their minimum where as the turbos will still come down a little in the next 3 years.

There's a few obvious reasons why there's a considerable price gap between NAs and turbos. The turbo is newer (only available from 2003) and considerably faster in a straight line but has the same fuel consumption, tax and insurance (just about). The price difference is easily justified because nobody would buy an NA if they could get a turbo for only a bit more.

It's the same story with the S1 and S2 K-series Elises vs. the 111R. Rover engined cars can be had for £10k whereas the cheapest 111R on AutoTrader is up for £14.5k. The 0-60 times of an S1 vs. a 111R are pretty much the same as an NA vs. a turbo. People will pay more for a faster car, obvious really.

Low mileage and the newest turbos are also worth considerably more than £12k.

Edited by -JK-, 25 May 2011 - 07:26 PM.