What have I missed? Second-hand MX-5 pricing.

[Revisitph]

Mazda dealers less than 100 miles apart, both selling "approved" MX-5 3.5 sport tech coupes, both full franchise SH, same year and same 6 month registration, same mileage, identical spec as far as I can see, except one (the more expensive) has "solid" black paint, the other "pearlescent" grey. The cheaper one is 88.5% of the price of the more expensive one - a significant difference. Is this just within the normal range of inter-dealer difference in price? Am I missing something (they both seem to have the same folding hard top - I'd expect that difference if one was soft top, the other hard top)?

Thanks in advance.

[Deerfoot]

Is the more expensive car located in a more affluent area? I expect a London dealer would expect to charge more than a Coventry based dealer for example.

Maybe the cheaper car owes the dealer less so they can price it accordingly. There really are lots of reasons why they could be priced differently.

[Revisitph]

No, the reverse, the cheaper one is in N London, the more expensive one in rural Somerset.. perhaps the London buyers have to spend all their money on mortgages and deposits. As you say, there must be unknowable factors like the amount the trade-in cost the dealer accounting for the variation. One good thing about MX-5s is that there are so many around that there is a wide choice.

[sbird]

That's pretty normal. Colour can have an effect on price, but some dealers seem to price their cars much higher than others.

[Ab Shocks]

I've noticed that Mk1 cars are in short supply and prices are creeping up and Mk2 cars are going down big time.

[Mattlan]

I would concur, looking for my next Mark 1 project car ~ usually £300 ~ £500 depending on condition :- Rust, roof, wheels & tyres and am struggling to find anything sensible at this price point ( even allowing for summer inflation)

What I am seeing is Mark 2's now being pitched at around the £1100 to £1300 mark for decent cars with a bit of T & T, however this could be owners bailing out due to the hidden rust issues creeping in.

Also seeing an awful lot of Mark 1's being broken now, there must be 3 -4 of them every day on the facebook forums.

Edited by Mattlan on Thursday 17th July 13:50