TOPIC:

I was talking to a friend yesterday who told me something which has made me think hard. His brother has an original Lotus Elan, which caught fire due to broken insulation on the main power lead from the starter solenoid to the starter. The damage was restricted to the need for new wiring harnessess, but still came to over £3000. When the insurance man came to assess the damage, he asked my mate's brother why he had grossly underestimated the value of the car. He replied that he had valued the car several years ago, and hadn't ever bothered to change that valuation figure. Apparently the Lotus is worth lots more than it was seven years ago. The insurance guy said he could be accused of trying to defraud the insurance company by undervaluing the car and so getting cheaper insurance. I think that is obviously rubbish, because who want to get less than the true worth of the car back if you need to claim?
So my question is, what is my car worth? I haven't changed the valuation for about 10 or more years, currently at £2500. I know that it is a 'piece of string' question, but given the car's low milage (approx.44,000) and its new MoT, the fact that it is never used in winter, so no salt damage inderneath, and that it's in reasonably good condition, how do you value it? There are cars on Ebay from peanuts to £14995, so where do you go?
I'd be interested to hear peoples take on this.

My feeling is they are worth less than many owners think. In a recent thread it was noted how many are up for sale and simply not selling...even the basket cases. Sound cars with a ‘provenance’ should command a higher value but they are only worth what somebody is willing to pay. For insurance purposes though it is probably best to value your car slightly higher than you think. If yours is sound and maintained I’d say 2.5k is a touch low, are there any comparable cars for sale at the moment?

You're probably correct about the car being only worth what someone wants to pay (£850.000 bottle of whisky anyone), but it's a difficult problem. Perhaps I should contact the insurance company, but the last time I had it valued, they asked me what it was worth! And you are also right that some people would seem to overvalue their cars. I want my car to have a major renovation, as it is worth a lot to me, but I can't put a price on it. I'll get some quotes for the work and perhaps go from there. In the meantime I'll contact my insurer and try and get a sensible valuation from them. More than £2500 anyway!

Here you go, the ‘best’.

Ha !

Yes , how much is my x19 worth.

Well, I guess I'm about to find out

Gutted to be selling her as she's been great fun. My own Italian classic sports car.

I do a face to face sales job and with more people telling that "they'll do it on line" means I'm down 40-60% on my wages and she's got to go.

She's owes me about £4500, I can't see me getting that back at this time of year, sad times

That's sad to hear Jason. I hope someone buys her who appreciates the qualities of an Exxy! As to what she's worth, well only what someone is willing to pay. I have just had a quote for some serious bodywork repairs to mine, and it is now a toss up as to what the cost is going to be in relation to what the car is worth. And the answer is, I love the car too much to let it go, so in the new year he (Nobby!) will be in for some fettling. The cost of the repairs will probably far exceed the market value of the car (whatever that is) but after 16 years of ownership I can't let it go.
Hope you get a good price from someone prepared to love your car!

I note there are a few very nice cars for sale at the moment, are the prices achievable though? One is up at 22k, time will tell if that is realistic

X1/9 Price inflation ? ? ? A car that was offered on here at an asking price of £8,000 a month ago is now for sale @£11,500 on Carandclassic but not on here - strange that!. When I replied
to 'someone' looking for a really good car he seemed stunned when I said that I had 'invested' circa £10,000 in my car. I have since sold it to a GENUINE enthusiast.
BTW I owned the car from new - 1987 car first registered in 1997, it had only done 9,400 miles.
It had factory-fitted electronic ignition, catalytic convertor, stainless steel exhaust, fuel injection and air conditioning making it a very useable/modern-feeling drive. Perhaps I should buy it back and look for £22,000 plus!

Have just noticed that it is now for sale on 'Fiat X1/9 Sales and Wanted Worldwide' @£11,995 - hurry or you'll lose it!

It’s on car and classics as well

www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1256673

Two different approaches would be to think about the cost of repairs or replacement.
The latter is easier - find a car recently for sale, preferably one actually sold and use that as a guide.
Might be interesting to use a page on here try to keep track of the price and sale dates of cars sold on Ebay, car &classic and the various auctions

Repairs are harder but if you add up a new windscreen, 2 new wheels and tyres, a targa top, a bonnet, a door, a wing, some labour and a respray you pretty quickly get towards £5k to £6k which would seem to be a pretty good minimum for a running Exxy with an MOT that doesn't need a respray.

The Mathewson’s x1/9 didn’t meet reserve at 6k and is ‘under offer’. It looks very good from the photos and walk around video.

High bid was £4,200 - if unsold it will be in October's auction