159 replies to this topic

[The Matt]

My new favourite....

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/331294109062

[The Matt]

I bought a Les Leston wheel (and also a woodrim Mota Lita wheel) in about 1995 for the princely sum of £5. The Mota Lita one included the column because I didn't have a big enough socket to remove it from the car so took the whole lot.

I thought I'd done well selling the Les Leston one for 30 quid and the Mota Lita one for about 80.

This scene gone cray!

[The Matt]

OK, I'm going to add a little caveat to this thread:

 

I'm really not intending to cause any offence to anyone selling stuff, I'm literally just shocked at prices.  I'm happy for people to carry on adding links to items they feel are highly priced as an ongoing discussion too.  I'd like to keep the thread running as it's actually really interesting to see how the market is going.

So, another example# to discuss:

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...sd=141376653775

 

 

1999 Mini 40 LE, 2,290 miles on the clock..... £20k.

[Carlos W]

I sold a pair of rear opening Windows yesterday for a tenner, and a window winder for a further tenner. I was pleased to get particularly the glass out the way, and the buyer was pleased with the prices which I thought were fair.

I've got to start shifting parts so I can get baby stuff under the bed rather than mini stuff.

[Mrpeanut]

My two cents worth.

 

I completely disagree with the op.

 

We own classic cars.  They are collectable. 

 

I get frustrated when I see a comment on a for sale thread from someone suggesting that a price is a bit high.  This thread frustrates me.

 

Why do people want to talk down the value of our cars?  Why criticise the price of a rare part for a collectable classic car?

 

I don't see my cars as investments but for the life of me I can't see why any of us should be surprised that a collectable classic is in creasing in price, as are the parts.

 

In respect of the parts point, I see various comments where people are moaning about reducing quality.  People can't have high quality and low price!

[The Matt]

So you don't think it's fair for me to suggest that some of the prices out there are ridiculous compared to similar sales?

If someone advertised a pair of rear windows for 110 quid, when everyone else is selling them at 20 quid, which ones would you buy?

[1984mini25]

Maybe this is where I'm going wrong. I've got stacks of surplus (apparently now rare) mini stuff, most of witch I can't even give away.

 

Seeing as I have a pile of 'rare' usable door window regulators that I couldn't shift for a tenner each and going on minispares at £70 each for a new one. Maybe I should try selling them at £90? Seeing as they now rare and collectable.

[Nuttoni]

My two cents worth.

 

I completely disagree with the op.

 

We own classic cars.  They are collectable. 

 

I get frustrated when I see a comment on a for sale thread from someone suggesting that a price is a bit high.  This thread frustrates me.

 

Why do people want to talk down the value of our cars?  Why criticise the price of a rare part for a collectable classic car?

 

I don't see my cars as investments but for the life of me I can't see why any of us should be surprised that a collectable classic is in creasing in price, as are the parts.

 

In respect of the parts point, I see various comments where people are moaning about reducing quality.  People can't have high quality and low price!

 

 

As mentioned above it's more just that some people are just asking ridiculous values for things that are readily available or simply just not worth that amount yet.

 

In terms of low quality parts, the problem is that in some cases, the new parts are awful and all the suppliers are selling the same stuff. I don't know what it's like at the moment, but a little while back, all of the heater taps were awful. I got 2 or 3 brand new taps (of different designs and suppliers) and they all just fell apart or started leaking within a matter of months. I ended up finding an old one in the loft and using that instead. It's still going strong.

If there had been a more expensive but reliable option available, I would have gone for that. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one either.

Some of the new rubber seals I've tried have been horrendous too.

[firstforward]

Mrpeanut, on 19 Aug 2014 - 10:18 AM, said:

My two cents worth.

 

I completely disagree with the op.

 

We own classic cars.  They are collectable. 

 

I get frustrated when I see a comment on a for sale thread from someone suggesting that a price is a bit high.  This thread frustrates me.

 

Why do people want to talk down the value of our cars?  Why criticise the price of a rare part for a collectable classic car?

 

I don't see my cars as investments but for the life of me I can't see why any of us should be surprised that a collectable classic is in creasing in price, as are the parts.

 

In respect of the parts point, I see various comments where people are moaning about reducing quality.  People can't have high quality and low price!

 

" People can't have high quality and low price!".................... No but the suppliers could offer both, for me I would always choose the best quality part. It is when you only have one choice, you know it is too cheap and yep it wears out in 6 months but you have to bear the cost of labour all over again.

 

A recent example, I reversed on a curb and broke one of 2 bobbins holding the exhaust in place, I replaced the broken one 6 months ago and it is already cracked and breaking up, the original that is some 9 years is still perfect.

Edited by firstforward, 19 August 2014 - 11:11 AM.

[mab01uk]

Quality of rubber parts has been discussed at length on TMF and the Mk1 forum recently:

RE-PRO RUBBER GAITERS

http://mk1-forum.net....php?f=5&t=9865

 

Quality rubber parts like CV boots are available for Mini's in Japan but in the UK most owners buy on price......the Japanese had made them because the quality of rubber gaiters etc from the UK had got steadily worse since the Rover mass production orders for OEM parts ended and old stock ran out. A few people will be happy to pay a premium for a genuine quality part, but when another firm see that someone is selling a rubber boot for £30 they up the price of their crap imported Chinese rubber boot and sell loads at a premium, the real premium ones then get a bad name & most people go back to buying the cheap bargain Chinese ones that perish in a year.....

The people supplying Minispares will say their stuff is perfect but as it never shows up as a problem until several months later it is obviously harder to sort out problems for disappointed customers with no alternative supply.
Minispares try to source rubber parts that will last, but as with anything with Minis its difficult to justify a product that's going to cost three or fours times more than an identical looking product sold elsewhere and ordered in very low volumes (for the car industry).

[Mrpeanut]

So you don't think it's fair for me to suggest that some of the prices out there are ridiculous compared to similar sales?

If someone advertised a pair of rear windows for 110 quid, when everyone else is selling them at 20 quid, which ones would you buy?

I don't see the point of what you're doing or what you hope to achieve.

If someone is willing to sell something for £20 that they sell for £50 then that's their choice. Conversely, if someone is willing to pay £50 for a part that they could get for £20 then that's their choice.

I've just bought a few electrical parts on here. They were underpriced but people will see what they sold for and think that's the true value. It's not.

On the flip side people see high asking prices on here or eBay or wherever and believe that to be the true value. Its probably not the value but if someone wants the part they'll pay the price. That's supply and demand at work.

The point I make though is that as owners we should all be delighted if the values of our cars are increasing. Shouldn't we? My house has gone up in value too. That's market forces - what is the merit in complaining that prices are increasing and that some sellers are asking more than you think something is worse? The market will determine the value, our individual opinions are irrelevant.

[The Matt]

I'm not trying to achieve anything, if you think that posting something like this on a forum for the sake of a discussion is going to actually achieve something, then I'm sorry but you're mistaken!  I don't really care whether you see the point in it.

I'm just having a whinge. The point of the whinge is that there are some ridiculously priced items out there and that some people are just slapping a ridiculous price on items and that some people are falling for it.

[Gerbil367]

Unfortunately - everything is only ever worth what someone will pay for it!  Whether it truly is actually worth it or not is another question. 

 

I saw a 'Mk1 Cooper S' with a £9500 price tag in the window at a car show this weekend - someone will pay it (maybe), the fact it had a 60s number plate will sway some eyes towards it and miss the fact that it wasnt a Mk1 shell, I didnt bother to fault find, just knew it wasnt a 'genuine' article to me, but I am no expert by any means

[The Matt]

Oh, don't get me wrong.  I do fully accept that it's an appreciating market (just like the housing market).

 

But let's say I bought my house in Matt Terrace 2 years ago.  There are four houses in the terrace.

 

Number 1 Matt Terrace (my house) was £260k 2 years ago

Number 2 Matt Terrace sold last year for £280k

Number 3 Matt Terrace sold 2 months ago for £295k

Number 4 Matt Terrace has just been advertised at £600k.

 

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say I'm allowed to comment on Number 4 Matt Terrace being a little optimistic in price.  The examples I've used for Minis and Mini parts prices are comparable to the examples at Matt Terrace above.  People are seeing there's a price increase (as there has been for a good few years now) and are advertising parts and cars for figures that are totally plucked out of the air, that's the only 'point' I'm making here.

[Mrpeanut]

 

 

Oh, don't get me wrong.  I do fully accept that it's an appreciating market (just like the housing market).

 

But let's say I bought my house in Matt Terrace 2 years ago.  There are four houses in the terrace.

 

Number 1 Matt Terrace (my house) was £260k 2 years ago

Number 2 Matt Terrace sold last year for £280k

Number 3 Matt Terrace sold 2 months ago for £295k

Number 4 Matt Terrace has just been advertised at £600k.

 

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say I'm allowed to comment on Number 4 Matt Terrace being a little optimistic in price.  The examples I've used for Minis and Mini parts prices are comparable to the examples at Matt Terrace above.  People are seeing there's a price increase (as there has been for a good few years now) and are advertising parts and cars for figures that are totally plucked out of the air, that's the only 'point' I'm making here.

 

The analogy is completely irrelevant to the posts you've made. 

 

That analogy suggests that of 4 like products, 1 is being sold for more than twice the price of the others.  If that's the case then only an idiot would show interest in number 4.  It wouldn't need a thread on a forum to point out the obvious difference.

 

Your point is a general complaint about sellers expectations.  As I've said, complaining on a forum won't achieve realistic prices from unrealistic sellers and/or save non savvy buyers from paying too much. 

 

Sorry, but this thread seems rather pointless to me.

 

 

 

Edited by Mrpeanut, 19 August 2014 - 01:15 PM.