2nd Hand Car Prices Question

[Fiddlemesticks]

Having a look through Car Sales and Autotrader on weekend a few questions came to mind:

1. How come so many private cars are pretty much the same price as dealer cars for the same spec/condition/mileage, and in some instances more?

2. How come so many cars 2nd hand seem to be more expensive than you can buy brand new?

It seems as if a lot of sellers really dont research the true value of their cars.

[tim the pool man]

Can't say I've noticed either, got any examples?

[Fiddlemesticks]

Only from memory, but saw an Focus Xr5 (orange) for $37,000. No worries there but it was 2 years old. Private sale.

Found this on Carsales: http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/FORD/FOCUS/pr...

Silver one vs.

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/dealer/FORD/F...Ntk=CarAll&__D=xr5&__Dx=mode+matchany&seot=0&Cr=1&state_id=83&keywords=xr5&State=Western%20Australia&__N=4294966463+4294966417+904+834+285+258+287+1216&distance=25&R=5902701&Ns=pCar_StatusSort_Int32|1||pCar_Price_Decimal|0&Ntt=xr5&trecs=3&__Nne=20&__Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&silo=1000&__sid=1195E6A09EC3&Model=FOCUS&Qpb=true&Make=FORD

Or dealers selling 2007 Astra's for $21,000 when they are that new.

New lancer's seem to be the same.

I did chuckle at the Ford Falcon Cobra Ute for $80k.....

[Colonial]

Saw that with S3's

MY01 with 80,000kms private sale, 32k
MY01 with 80,000kms, dealer, 28-29k

Gee. I wonder which most people go for.

[ariddell]

I've given up on looking for any sense in the price of used cars over here.

Went to look at an old 1989 Range Rover at the weekend for an off road hack that i don't need to worry about damaging.

$4000 for a pile of complete crud that didn't make it beyond the dealership gates before dying on me on the test drive.

Same thing back in the UK would be 50-100 quid for a non-runner, here the dealer got stty with me walking away from it because "what did i expect for only $4000?"....

Functionality lasting at least to the main road would have been nice.

[Jader1973]

I wonder if some of the Euro boxes, especially the nearly new ones, are priced like that because its a case of:

"You can order one today but there are none here, it is factory order, and it'll be six months before it arrives...or you can have this nice low km 2nd hand one, for almost the same price".

The re-order timing for lease cars at work is 6 months if you want an import, apparently because it might take that long to get.

[deviant]

^^^^Yep that is exactly why used euro cars are so expensive. The euro hot hatches have held their value incredibly well, used Golf GTI's are still going for list price and when I asked at a VW dealership they said it would be 9-12 months for a new one if I ordered that day.
I know the wait for all the others is pretty similar apart from the Focus XR5...Ford seem to have got themselves switched on and realised they are on to a good thing so have got a decent pool in the country now.

I dread to think how long you wait for something a bit special out of europe.

[tim the pool man]

I know I've said it before but while you're on carsales check prices in other states... might find the difference makes the hassle worthwhile, especially if you're looking for something a bit unusual.