No-one wants to buy Tuscans any more?!
Discussion
Why is the market completely dead for our Tuscans?
It’s been a half-decent summer, but the same cars remain for sale month after month (mine included)….and that’s with a 30 percent reduction from initial asking price and two years in the trying.
Completely understand that the general sports car market is much slower due to wider economic circumstances out there, and we all appreciate the niche market we sit in as Tuscan owners.
But, it feels like I am being forced to part-ex the car (if the dealer wants to take on a challenge) as the only way out of a much cherished example.
Would be interested to hear any other similar frustrations out there, or am I way off the mark?
It’s been a half-decent summer, but the same cars remain for sale month after month (mine included)….and that’s with a 30 percent reduction from initial asking price and two years in the trying.
Completely understand that the general sports car market is much slower due to wider economic circumstances out there, and we all appreciate the niche market we sit in as Tuscan owners.
But, it feels like I am being forced to part-ex the car (if the dealer wants to take on a challenge) as the only way out of a much cherished example.
Would be interested to hear any other similar frustrations out there, or am I way off the mark?
I think it's similar for many classic cars, sports or otherwise. I've had my Griff over 2 years and was toying with the idea of selling it but the same ones have been in the classifieds on here, Autotrader and eBay for months without selling. 
So, I'll have to keep it a while longer......
Classic car auctions, despite blowing their own trumpets about levels of sales, are not seeing the sales levels or prices they did 2 years ago when almost everybody was willing to bid online for stuff willy-nilly.
Everything has its price but you'd have to be willing to sell it cheap, or use an auction with no reserve.
ETA: I notice Amore auto have no Tuscans in stock, he takes cars on SOR if you can agree a minimum price.
So, I'll have to keep it a while longer......Classic car auctions, despite blowing their own trumpets about levels of sales, are not seeing the sales levels or prices they did 2 years ago when almost everybody was willing to bid online for stuff willy-nilly.
Everything has its price but you'd have to be willing to sell it cheap, or use an auction with no reserve.
ETA: I notice Amore auto have no Tuscans in stock, he takes cars on SOR if you can agree a minimum price.
Edited by sixor8 on Saturday 2nd September 18:31
List it for £100 and it will be gone this evening. Like anything, you just need to price it right. Given that most people are tightening their belts right now, perhaps a single-figure MPG, tyre-shredding, self-dismantling eccentric British sports car isn't that high up on many people's shopping lists? Added to that anyone needing to finance the purchase will be paying a lot more than they would have even 18 months ago.
Hi, I have to agree that you can sell anything at a price, just not the price you want in this case.
I was buying a Griff 2 years ago, I can still see cars for sale now that were advertised then. As a contrast, James Agger sold a Griff for £42k recently. Maybe the very best are saleable at good money, careful buyers…
I just switched my Griff for a 3000S. 22 years older, half the horsepower. But at £19k cheap, cheap to own and run (no tax, mot, cheap insurance). Plus it seems really popular with onlookers, old style fun.
Nic
I was buying a Griff 2 years ago, I can still see cars for sale now that were advertised then. As a contrast, James Agger sold a Griff for £42k recently. Maybe the very best are saleable at good money, careful buyers…
I just switched my Griff for a 3000S. 22 years older, half the horsepower. But at £19k cheap, cheap to own and run (no tax, mot, cheap insurance). Plus it seems really popular with onlookers, old style fun.
Nic
Thanks all for your comments, some good thoughts and ideas shared - much appreciated.
Looks like I’m destined however to do the rounds at various dealers to try and get a half-decent offer as p/ex on something else. Already tried a TVR specialist, who attempted their best to sell it for a significant period, all to no avail.
Looks like I’m destined however to do the rounds at various dealers to try and get a half-decent offer as p/ex on something else. Already tried a TVR specialist, who attempted their best to sell it for a significant period, all to no avail.
i´m trying to sell my Cerbera since months....not even 1 potential buyer....even no time-wasters contacted me.
observing the classic-car and niche-car market i must say: it more or less came to complete stop!!! besides some brands like Porsche or Mercedes
people dont have money anymore and the outlook in the future looks not promising.
the politicians world-wide are following an anti-human and anti-freedom agenda.
you should not travel, you should not spent money in cars, combustion engines have been given the dogma of evil...and people unfortunately let themselves be carried away by this fear and scaremongering....those who sleep in democracy wake up in dictatorship
observing the classic-car and niche-car market i must say: it more or less came to complete stop!!! besides some brands like Porsche or Mercedes
people dont have money anymore and the outlook in the future looks not promising.
the politicians world-wide are following an anti-human and anti-freedom agenda.
you should not travel, you should not spent money in cars, combustion engines have been given the dogma of evil...and people unfortunately let themselves be carried away by this fear and scaremongering....those who sleep in democracy wake up in dictatorship
Took me a year to sell my Chim, eventually got it gone for full asking this time last year but only after putting a new clutch in it (rear main seal was gone). I'm after a Cerb and the Chim was always a stepping stone so the selling decision was easy, but having had the wind in my hair I'd also consider a Tuscan. The things that put me off / make me wary are
1) Twitchy handling reputation - as an owner I know this is down to proper suspension, proper set up by a reputable specialist, decent tyres and most importantly driving style. But not many will look past the pub talk I guess.
2) Engines. The S6 is much maligned and although the AJP8 is no saint either and I read the posts by AM and others on the various forums it is a big worry with a potential £12k bill around the corner. I dare say there's a lot of smoke and bluster about the topic and to be honest I haven't even started trying to blow through it myself.
3) Long term values - many years out hopefully but we can all see a possible future where petrol is a scarce and expensive resource and cars like this are just not desirable to own or practical to use - except as collectors items, which might explain why the very best examples still move for strong money and the rest of the market is struggling. It won't stop me, as I've wanted a Cerb since I was a teenager but how many people are that committed? They can probably accept paying £30k for a car and selling it for £30k in 5-10 years (writing off the maintenance costs and accepting the man-maths figure of £10k in missed opportunity costs if the money sat in the bank earning 5% interest instead). But spending £30k on an asset and seeing the value destroyed by green issues in 2030+, not such a good look.
On top of that, there is the general economic outlook (I timed my sale right and cynically hope to take advantage of a weaker buying market if I can - who wouldn't?) and the big elephant in the room, the increasing legislative creep against older cars in general and ULEZ type zones appearing in all major cities which will put a lot of people off. Why spend £30k on an asset that will attract those kind of levies when if you want a big noisy V8 there are any number of F-types, Mustangs, AMG etc that will hit that spot without it? Wheeler-era TVRs sit in that awkward spot between exempted historics and compliant moderns, so to accept it you have to be a TVR person from the start or live well away from big towns and have no business taking the car into one.
TLDR / sketchy reputation based on pub talk + niche and diminishing buying pool + sailing into the wind on the economy and green issues.
ETA a lot of the above applies equally to Cerbs but there again there are consistently 20-25 cars for sale across the main platforms and by and large they're all the same cars, sitting there with ads refreshed every month. Prices are as low as £21k which I haven't seen for years. I haven't bought yet because I have nowhere to keep it - need to move house which is a long running saga of its own.
1) Twitchy handling reputation - as an owner I know this is down to proper suspension, proper set up by a reputable specialist, decent tyres and most importantly driving style. But not many will look past the pub talk I guess.
2) Engines. The S6 is much maligned and although the AJP8 is no saint either and I read the posts by AM and others on the various forums it is a big worry with a potential £12k bill around the corner. I dare say there's a lot of smoke and bluster about the topic and to be honest I haven't even started trying to blow through it myself.
3) Long term values - many years out hopefully but we can all see a possible future where petrol is a scarce and expensive resource and cars like this are just not desirable to own or practical to use - except as collectors items, which might explain why the very best examples still move for strong money and the rest of the market is struggling. It won't stop me, as I've wanted a Cerb since I was a teenager but how many people are that committed? They can probably accept paying £30k for a car and selling it for £30k in 5-10 years (writing off the maintenance costs and accepting the man-maths figure of £10k in missed opportunity costs if the money sat in the bank earning 5% interest instead). But spending £30k on an asset and seeing the value destroyed by green issues in 2030+, not such a good look.
On top of that, there is the general economic outlook (I timed my sale right and cynically hope to take advantage of a weaker buying market if I can - who wouldn't?) and the big elephant in the room, the increasing legislative creep against older cars in general and ULEZ type zones appearing in all major cities which will put a lot of people off. Why spend £30k on an asset that will attract those kind of levies when if you want a big noisy V8 there are any number of F-types, Mustangs, AMG etc that will hit that spot without it? Wheeler-era TVRs sit in that awkward spot between exempted historics and compliant moderns, so to accept it you have to be a TVR person from the start or live well away from big towns and have no business taking the car into one.
TLDR / sketchy reputation based on pub talk + niche and diminishing buying pool + sailing into the wind on the economy and green issues.
ETA a lot of the above applies equally to Cerbs but there again there are consistently 20-25 cars for sale across the main platforms and by and large they're all the same cars, sitting there with ads refreshed every month. Prices are as low as £21k which I haven't seen for years. I haven't bought yet because I have nowhere to keep it - need to move house which is a long running saga of its own.
Edited by 2gins on Sunday 3rd September 12:10
Yep.
I had my Tuscan up for 2 months earlier in the year and didn’t even get a time wasting e-mail, let alone a tyre kicker.
It wasn’t priced rock bottom but it was fair value, as far as I could see.
Didn’t contact any dealers - unsure what they’d offer? I can only imagine low 20’s?? Unless on SOR of course.
I had my Tuscan up for 2 months earlier in the year and didn’t even get a time wasting e-mail, let alone a tyre kicker.
It wasn’t priced rock bottom but it was fair value, as far as I could see.
Didn’t contact any dealers - unsure what they’d offer? I can only imagine low 20’s?? Unless on SOR of course.
IanJ74 said:
Add is on PH. Without breaching PH rules on this type of discussion, it is very keenly priced imo.
Last two times I sold a TVR (admittedly a couple of year ago) PH didn't work for me but https://www.carandclassic.com/ did and within 10 days.swisstoni said:
Something else to consider is that it really isn’t the time of year for selling sports cars.
Spring or early summer would be the when most buyers would be looking, I would have thought.
I'm not sure this is a thing so much at this end of the market. Discretionary purchases of French CCs and MX5s etc, Yes, but TVRs are a niche purchase and there's so much supply in the summer holding prices down that it's really not a good time to sell, imoSpring or early summer would be the when most buyers would be looking, I would have thought.
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