Current Prices

Author
Discussion

cts1975

Original Poster:

347 posts

174 months

Thursday 13th May 2021
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I'm looking to purchase my first Caterham.
I was aware that depreciation was very low on Catreham's but prices seem crazy. I spoke to a dealer who basically said he's seen nothing like this in 20 years of being involved in Caterham. 3 year old cars are being sold for more than when new.
Caterham Gatwick appear to be selling cars before they make it on to their website. I've left my details with a few dealers but feel as though I'm on a long list of potential customers. Not having a Caterham to px seems at disadvantage.

What are members thoughts on current prices?

HustleRussell

25,144 posts

166 months

Thursday 13th May 2021
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Many people are cash and time rich because of work from home and lockdown. I have noticed strengthening prices of all popular niche and classic cars and motorbikes. Also hobby items in general... fitness has gone mad. One of my hobbies is keeping aquariums and I have noticed a lot of newcomers and more things out of stock than normal.

People are enjoying precocious mid-life chrises.

Edited by HustleRussell on Thursday 13th May 18:47

Glenn T

29 posts

114 months

Thursday 13th May 2021
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Caterham prices or at least speed they sell always picks up in Spring - they were flat over 2020 autumn / winter (I know cos I sold my old Caterham and bought another in Sept - there were loads that had been on for months), but there are less for sale at the moment than normal and prices do seem to be following suit.
Good luck - best bet to keep an eye on ads and be ready to move quickly.

AndrewGP

2,011 posts

168 months

Thursday 13th May 2021
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Absolutely agree with the reasons given above.

If you then add in the decline in availability of manual cars, the rise of driver aids and the impending electrification rules and you have demand outstripping supply and the prices go up. Same thing happening in the Porsche world, apparently my 987.2 Cayman is worth £5k more than when I bought it last year which is bonkers!

agatebox

93 posts

140 months

Friday 14th May 2021
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The fact I got a call out the blue from the sales manager wanting to know if I wanted to sell my Caterham in the near future whilst it was in for service work speaks volumes!

cts1975

Original Poster:

347 posts

174 months

Friday 14th May 2021
quotequote all
Thanks for the replies. I would absolutely agree with all that's been said.
Oakmere have a 2018 160s for sale for £21650.
Im guessing that's near enough what it cost when new? Crazy.
I'm not convinced by the 160 80bhp I'm sure I'd get bored of its power fairly quickly.
So looking I'm for a 270 or I could possibly stretch to a 310.

CharlesElliott

2,049 posts

288 months

Friday 14th May 2021
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There are currently some very large discrepencies. 2014 150bhp Sigmax race cars with and LSD are about 13K, whereas 2018 150bhp race cars are 22K.

cts1975

Original Poster:

347 posts

174 months

Friday 14th May 2021
quotequote all
CharlesElliott said:
There are currently some very large discrepencies. 2014 150bhp Sigmax race cars with and LSD are about 13K, whereas 2018 150bhp race cars are 22K.
Yes this is exactly what I've found. There seems to be no logic in terms of age and prices. Anything less than 5 years old and £25k seems to sell really quickly.

Bobby Lee

224 posts

61 months

Friday 14th May 2021
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I agree things are very competitive at the moment. It seems to go beyond the expected spring uptick. I managed to buy mine in Feb but missed out on a few others prior to that over several months (despite being quite speedy!). I agree with the reasons given above in combination with low interest rates. All assets are going ballistic at the moment and cars no exception, sadly for those who just want to use them for their intended purpose.

The recipe unfortunately seems to be to call the dealer as soon as the ad goes up and whack a deposit down over the phone (after checking it’s fully refundable for any reason!). I’d never done this before, perhaps partly as I’ve not bought a car at such a high price before point either. I ended up buying mine ‘off spec’ without seeing it, from a reputable dealer. Had a great experience in the end to be fair though.

stunt.monkey

6 posts

41 months

Friday 14th May 2021
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I placed a deposit a couple of weeks back - not expecting delivery until October. Casually asked if there was a discount available, politely advised no there wasn't.

Before I left the showroom he said they would be interested in buying it from me should I want to sell it.

Never had that before.

CharlesElliott

2,049 posts

288 months

Friday 14th May 2021
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cts1975 said:
Yes this is exactly what I've found. There seems to be no logic in terms of age and prices. Anything less than 5 years old and £25k seems to sell really quickly.
The earlier 150 bhp race cars are very, very good value in the current climate. Spec is the same as the later cars save for non-VVT vs VVT (which on track, makes basically no difference over a lap) and Ford vs Mazda gearbox. The former is probably better and cheaper to repair.

BUT the current race series has a higher demand for the later cars which is the only reason I can see the massive difference in price.

cts1975

Original Poster:

347 posts

174 months

Saturday 15th May 2021
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https://www.oakmeremotorgroup.co.uk/used/cars/cate...
How much was this when new in 2018 ??
It surely can't have such low depreciation?


Yesterday I was offered a 2009 Roadsport which appeared to have had a hard life for £19000.
I'll keep looking.

BertBert

19,519 posts

217 months

Monday 17th May 2021
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CharlesElliott said:
There are currently some very large discrepencies. 2014 150bhp Sigmax race cars with and LSD are about 13K, whereas 2018 150bhp race cars are 22K.
The former feels very good value to me!

Murph7355

38,704 posts

262 months

Monday 17th May 2021
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cts1975 said:
CharlesElliott said:
There are currently some very large discrepencies. 2014 150bhp Sigmax race cars with and LSD are about 13K, whereas 2018 150bhp race cars are 22K.
Yes this is exactly what I've found. There seems to be no logic in terms of age and prices. Anything less than 5 years old and £25k seems to sell really quickly.
How many cars have come up less than 5yrs old, less than £25k and with a decent spec?

I suspect the answer for your search is likely to be:
  1. Wait until Autumn
  2. Don't worry so much about age - buy on condition and spec only (there are a number of R300s and R400s for sale at less than £25k). Low depreciation is a pain when buying and a godsend when selling wink
  3. Put wanted ads up on Blatchat and the FB group and see what happens (may lead back to "1")
  4. Buy a new one smile
Caterhams don't sell in massive numbers. They are usually bought by people who've wanted one for a long time. And once you've had a go in one you are quite often smitten. So you're not going to get massive numbers of cars for sale.

ghibbett

1,903 posts

191 months

Tuesday 18th May 2021
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Murph7355 said:
  1. Put wanted ads up on Blatchat and the FB group and see what happens (may lead back to "1")
This is what I did when buying my first Seven. It worked out really well and I got a cracker thumbup

Edited by ghibbett on Tuesday 18th May 09:03

AndrewGP

2,011 posts

168 months

Tuesday 18th May 2021
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Also put your name down with the specialists like Sevens and Classics, GP Sevens, Millwood etc. That’s how I got mine.