Might be selling the GS...

[halbe01]

Evening all,

I have a chance to buy a new car I've always wanted, but I have to make space, so would need to sell my GranSport to do it. I'm in two minds, but would value opinions on the value and saleability of the GS. I'm aware they're not quick to sell at the moment, not rising in value, and of course the whole market is depressed by circumstances too - so all in all not the best time to sell - but anyway!

Now I need to try to remember the important points about it...

2007 GranSport - silver with beige leather (sorry I never learned the Italian colours!)
FD DBW fitted
Forum X-pipe fitted
I had all the interior carpets replaced with OEM (they were beige and tired so I changed to black and brand new) when I first got it, which was the best part of £1300!
Serviced by Autofficina since 2013, with the last major service just 4 months ago.
I've owned it for about 5 years and have done the sum total of 2,000 miles in that time, bringing it up to just 24,600

It is in superb condition - basically spotless - it's been kept in a garage under cover when not used, and is about as close to new-looking as I think you'd get - other than a couple of the dash buttons starting to get sticky and some very slight wear to the drivers bolster.

I'm not in a desperate hurry to sell it, so can leave it with a dealer for a few months waiting for the right buyer.

So - any thoughts on pricing and time to sell given the above? And of course, anyone know anyone in the market? I'd be happy to take a deposit and wait until lockdown ends before completing and handing over, on the assumption (hope!) that it's not going to be more than a month or two before we're allowed to do a little more than we are today.

Cheers,
Ben.

 

[Wattie]

That looks lovely.

 

[rivarama]

Superb car !
What are you buying to fill that space then?

 

[GeoffCapes]

The GS looks so good in silver!

 

[halbe01]

Thanks guys - I’m looking at an Alpina B10 V8S (that’s an E39 shape). That’s a car I might drive more than 400 miles a year!

 

[safrane]

Good luck with the sale.

As others will say, now is not a good time to sell. Additionaly the work you have done and the extras fitted will not add to its value unless that buyer wants them.

Ball park I think you are looking at c £26k, but it could be a long wait.

 

[Ewan]

Thanks guys - I’m looking at an Alpina B10 V8S (that’s an E39 shape). That’s a car I might drive more than 400 miles a year!

I see there is an Alpina B5 for sale on Pistonheads with 195,000 miles. Bodes well for the strength of the Alpina V8 engine.

 

[hashluck]

I expect any prospective buyer would want to hear more about the service and MOT history prior to your ownership and the clutch wear (despite the low mileage). I am not normally a fan of SOR but sounds like that might work best for you in your circumstances and you are in the right place on this forum. Looks a lovely car and would be on my viewing list if I were in the market for another GS.

Alpina - without wishing a thread drift, now you are talking. I have two, love the Alpina ethos though one of mine is slightly left field. (We probably should have a separate thread on Alpinas, sorry).

B3 GT3



E46 B3S mine after lockdown

 

[lozcb]

Good luck with the sale.

As others will say, now is not a good time to sell. Additionaly the work you have done and the extras fitted will not add to its value unless that buyer wants them.

Ball park I think you are looking at c £26k, but it could be a long wait.

Obviously its a subjective topic valuations present conditions accepted and all that, and i know im not doing myself any favours here as a GS owner , but i would say realistically say if its to have any chance of selling within the next couple of months one would be looking to take £10K off that price , more in the realms of £16 -£18K would be more the ball park in this market thats ahead of us , there's going to be an awful lot of competition out there with loads exiting finance packages etc and downsizing

 

[Navcorr]

Would Dicky be interested in such a fine example?
GLWS.

 

[lozcb]

Would Dicky be interested in such a fine example?
GLWS.

Probaly a good bet and one of the first avenues to try .............in my view

 

[nigw]

Obviously its a subjective topic valuations present conditions accepted and all that, and i know im not doing myself any favours here as a GS owner , but i would say realistically say if its to have any chance of selling within the next couple of months one would be looking to take £10K off that price , more in the realms of £16 -£18K would be more the ball park in this market thats ahead of us , there's going to be an awful lot of competition out there with loads exiting finance packages etc and downsizing

I don't mean to talk down prices, but I agree with Loz. I'm keeping an eye out for a GS in a similar range to Loz's guide. Prices of these sort of cars were already sliding pre-CV19, and they’re only going to head faster down that slide over the next few months. I’ve just sold my Vantage - I benefited from several years of virtually no depreciation, but this has been balanced by a big kick in the nuts over the last year!

 

[halbe01]

I was planning on sending it to Autofficina simply because they're local, they sold it to me, and they're happy to come and pick it up! My slight hope is that in a couple of months it's not sold and somehow I can find some space and money not to sell it after all (but I think that unlikely). Given the Alpina is £17.5k, worst case I think I'm breaking even on the swap.

Of course what'll happen next is that GS prices will rocket over the next few years. When that happens, you can all thank me because it'll be my fault for selling!

PS Hashkuk - I love that red B3S especially!

 

[safrane]

I have been contemplating moving to a >2015 GT for a number of years and have the cash (and then some) sat in the banks doing nothing.

However if my GS is only 'worth' teens now... and the GTs still sat where they were last year (except dogs) I will just keep in and maybe get a QP or 4.2 GT.

I had earmarked c£15k to change but as their price (GTs) and most others are (sports cars) remain static according to the above.

More generally I think there is a softening of the market but no where near the 40%... unless you are desperate to sell.

 

[JonW]

@halbe01 - did your GS have the FD DBW fitted when you bought it from Autofficina? Or did you fit it during your ownership?

As an owner of a GS with a similar spec, I really hope yours is worth more like £26k than £16k, but I suspect in current times it would need to be close to £20k for someone to feel they were getting a bargain, and at that price it is a **** of a lot of car for the money.

 

[hashluck]

I would want to hear what Autofficina and Dicky have to say as they will be closer to the market and have potential buyers waiting for the right car. There are not that many really good GS for sale at any one time and even the poor ones have sticker prices in excess of the numbers mentioned here. They are not selling but that can be for reasons other than price. I just paid top price for a car as it is the only one of that type and in that condition currently available and the only really good one that has come to market for some time. It is not always about chasing a bargain that you will pay for over and over again. Hopefully some really good cars will come to market at very affordable prices in the coming months but sorting them from the junk owners can no longer afford (couldn't really afford in the first place perhaps) will have to be part of the process Owners who paid for the best and have maintained it as such are less likely to be sellers unless chasing their next car (as is the case here) and then prices and the market will all be relative.

 

[MarkMas]

Looks like a lovely car, but I'm a bit shocked at how few miles you are doing. How can you stand not to drive it a lot more? I'm doing 10,000 per year in my QP.

 

[halbe01]

JonW - I bought the FD DBW upgrade and got Autofficina to fit it for me. I had the same on my previous 4200 and it's really worthwhile (though also quite expensive in my view).

Mark - I used to run my old 4200 as a daily driver a few years ago and loved that. This one just seems a little too much like hard work to drive it when I'm only doing a few miles and mostly in traffic, so it never lasts long as the daily and gets put back in the garage to make space. And much as I keep planning to "go out for a drive" when it's parked up in a garage a mile from my house, all clean and tucked away with it's battery conditioner and cover over it, it's quite an effort to just do it. So much as I love it, and love driving it, it's the obvious one to let go.

 

[mjheathcote]

If you haven't got easy accessibility any car is unlikely to be used on impulse. It's bad enough if a car is parked behind another, but parked off site makes it more so.

 

[Motorsport3]

I went to see a silver (or was it light grey) GS at Autoficina a few years back (their old shop) and loved it. But couldn't agree a reasonable px at the time against my F456GT. Subsequently sold my 456 privately and bought my QPV which is lovely and practical. But I think the GS is probably my favorite GT type of car south of £50k.