GR86 - why are people selling?
Discussion
I've seen a healthy number of GR86s on sale on Autotrader, and all at around the sticker price (even at least one for 20 grand!). I believe the oldest one is not even 2 years old, and given how desirable they are perceived to be on the internet, very limited availability, as well as being discontinued just after a bit less than 2 years, I didn't expect to see this.
When I learned about the limited availability of these, I thought flippers would be flipping them for twice the MSRP, if you're lucky!
And now, I'm just super confused as to why quite a few of them are being sold - enough for the market forces to set the price at a point where they're getting out of them just maybe breaking even, but not making any money. I can understand people jumping from car to car, but it feels a bit odd where most of them haven't owned them even for as much as 2 years. I can understand people having to sell because they overestimated their financials, but it's an inexpensive car, and so many people overestimated their financials on such an inexpensive car?
And on the flipside, the reason so many are still for sale is few people are willing to buy them. Why not?
So what's that all about? I'm genuinely curious, not trying to make a point.
When I learned about the limited availability of these, I thought flippers would be flipping them for twice the MSRP, if you're lucky!
And now, I'm just super confused as to why quite a few of them are being sold - enough for the market forces to set the price at a point where they're getting out of them just maybe breaking even, but not making any money. I can understand people jumping from car to car, but it feels a bit odd where most of them haven't owned them even for as much as 2 years. I can understand people having to sell because they overestimated their financials, but it's an inexpensive car, and so many people overestimated their financials on such an inexpensive car?
And on the flipside, the reason so many are still for sale is few people are willing to buy them. Why not?
So what's that all about? I'm genuinely curious, not trying to make a point.
MattsCar said:
Doubt you have seen one for £20k unless a CAT write off.
I haven't seen one for less than £27k and anything in a desirable colour, especially the blue, commands more.
My guess is that a lot of people have bought them and enjoyed the experience for a few years, for very little cost in terms of depreciation, moving on to the next new craze.
You're right, I didn't check the listing carefully. It was a write-off (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404259063609)I haven't seen one for less than £27k and anything in a desirable colour, especially the blue, commands more.
My guess is that a lot of people have bought them and enjoyed the experience for a few years, for very little cost in terms of depreciation, moving on to the next new craze.
OPC100 said:
There is 31 cars currently for sale on Autotrader including a £20k cat s. That's 2% of the 1500 or so in the UK, so I'm guessing that's about normal for such a car. Most for sale are trade and some of them are likely ex-demos too.
Is it really more like 1500? I did some reading a few months ago and the figure I saw was 400-500.DeejRC said:
Is this a joke?
Since when was the GR86 perceived to be desirable for flipping??
It’s a not particularly rare, not particular exclusive, not particularly fast, not particularly good looking humdrum normal coupe. Who in their right mind would pay overs for it???!
Not particularly rare or exclusive? I'm talking about the UK here, not the US. It was only sold only in 2022-2024 here (and Europe). You had to get on a waiting list to get one, and the waiting lists, last time I checked (1-2 months ago), were longer than the number of cars Toyota UK was willing to sell. That alone must be proof in the pudding that it was desirable.Since when was the GR86 perceived to be desirable for flipping??
It’s a not particularly rare, not particular exclusive, not particularly fast, not particularly good looking humdrum normal coupe. Who in their right mind would pay overs for it???!
As for rarity, so if the final number is about 1500 cars... From a quick search, it looks like they sold over 1000 Miatas PER YEAR in the UK in the last couple years, and the model's been out for, what, 8-9 years. I understand there's a difference between the two, the whole convertible thing add points, but at least according to reviews, it looks like GR86, though not as "good" as Miata, is the second best thing for someone looking for a lightweight sports car. And for a person who can only afford one car, Miata is a pretty tough proposition, while GR86 seems to be a good compromise/alternative as a "do it all" car.
Reviews on Youtube were extremely positive - and I'm talking about British reviews I've seen (including Chris Harris).
Americans were paying over sticker just because the production was SLOW - just because they couldn't keep it in their pants for 6 months!
swisstoni said:
The values of niche cars move in mysterious ways compared to mainstream stuff.
It doesn’t take much to move the needle. Could be just seasonal. Could be that ‘investors’ aren’t seeing the megavalues thay had hoped for and ‘getting out of them’. Could be more attractive stuff coming available. Could be just the economy. Could be just normal churn.
I was kinda wondering whether the car turned out to have been overhyped, not what people expected.It doesn’t take much to move the needle. Could be just seasonal. Could be that ‘investors’ aren’t seeing the megavalues thay had hoped for and ‘getting out of them’. Could be more attractive stuff coming available. Could be just the economy. Could be just normal churn.
Because Chris Harris can rave about how great it is on the track all day long, with his disdain for the question "how is it on the public roads?", but the reality is that most people don't have a racetrack to play on whenever they feel like (and one that they get to use exclusively without other drivers), so they want a car that's fun on the public roads.
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