Under-valued & Under-appreciated: The Official Mark-Up Thread
10-30-14, 10:19 AM
#91
Turbo,
No issue at all. I know right now that I will probably keep my car for a long time. If someone were to offer me a "reasonable" price I might except it. My problem is car is being sent off to have a minimum of 5K in engine work done and that is like throwing money in the trash as far as resale value goes. As far as I'm concerned I'll pass the car along to my son one day and he can appreciate it for it's sentimental value. If not, wife can bury me in it.
What most people don't see in the Supra versus SC cost factor is 8/10 high dollar supras out there for sale are pretty immaculate. Like Turbo says, an engine swap alone with wheels isn't going to make most people open there wallets for an SC especially if the rest of the car is ****. To be honest there are probably five cars on this site that I think would bring a higher number if they were for sale, but they would never get what the owner would want.
I wanted my particular car the moment SW posted the original build thread on it on this forum. I hoped that someday I could buy it and I did. Just like I think I bought it for a steal, SW took a pretty good hit on what he had in it. Nature of the game.
Shane
No issue at all. I know right now that I will probably keep my car for a long time. If someone were to offer me a "reasonable" price I might except it. My problem is car is being sent off to have a minimum of 5K in engine work done and that is like throwing money in the trash as far as resale value goes. As far as I'm concerned I'll pass the car along to my son one day and he can appreciate it for it's sentimental value. If not, wife can bury me in it.
What most people don't see in the Supra versus SC cost factor is 8/10 high dollar supras out there for sale are pretty immaculate. Like Turbo says, an engine swap alone with wheels isn't going to make most people open there wallets for an SC especially if the rest of the car is ****. To be honest there are probably five cars on this site that I think would bring a higher number if they were for sale, but they would never get what the owner would want.
I wanted my particular car the moment SW posted the original build thread on it on this forum. I hoped that someday I could buy it and I did. Just like I think I bought it for a steal, SW took a pretty good hit on what he had in it. Nature of the game.
Shane
10-30-14, 11:32 AM
#92
IMO the only way these cars will fetch the money is if a Supra owner or SC owner buys them.....best case scenario as they understand the value of the car
At car shows people ask me how much I would sell it for.....Personally I would not take less than 15k for it.....and they laugh....You cant even get a NA 5spd Supra for that price.....
But I never plan on selling it
At car shows people ask me how much I would sell it for.....Personally I would not take less than 15k for it.....and they laugh....You cant even get a NA 5spd Supra for that price.....
But I never plan on selling it
Last edited by CatManD3W; 10-30-14 at 11:40 AM.
10-30-14, 12:09 PM
#93
One thing that I dont get is when people especially SC owners get a good deal on a SC and there is no complaining about the value, but when it's time for them to sell and move on, cry and moan about how they cant resell for double or triple of what they paid just because they added some bolt ons and wheels. 
We have confidence in our build quality, which is something only we know of. The buyer doesn't know how much time or patience you put into it; all they know is that "it has such & such installed".
So they can't always apply the same value to the vehicle.
A friend of mine who buys sells and collects vintage porsches told me "You should love the machine for what it is, not what its worth, and in doing so it will be truly valuable".
In my half primer'd fluids leaking car, with green tape still on the window i received a thubs up from a 240z the other day, that alone states to me, "I see you, and i respect the machine" thats the only price tag I needed
In my half primer'd fluids leaking car, with green tape still on the window i received a thubs up from a 240z the other day, that alone states to me, "I see you, and i respect the machine" thats the only price tag I needed
10-30-14, 03:31 PM
#96
I also plan to keep mine and just find something newer that I like to make the next daily driver. I enjoy driving it daily though. Replacement value with an appraisal through my insurance company is the main thing that concerns me more than resale value even with all my records. I may switch to another insurance company like Grundy next year if I am not assured of this with my current one. That would still be a loss value if one were to total up all permanent work done to the car (which can never be expected back again) but it would allow replacement with a similar class and spec of vehicle in the event of an accident.
Tall order in either case.
Tall order in either case.
10-30-14, 07:56 PM
#97
This is all I care about as well. No intentions to sell it, would just get another daily if anything. Insurance for my last car was good but I doubt it'd be the same for this one. And I got this car for a steal IMO so the resale value has done nothing but helped me so far.
11-01-14, 02:28 AM
#99
^^ Only that solution would effectively make the SC chassis un-restorable in very short time since there would be no supply of salvage parts versus a dwindling supply of OEM parts from Toyota. And just so we don't feel singled out, the Supra MKIV is getting the same treatment from the mother company in regards to parts availability.
As for the SC in an F&F movie, I don't recall which installment the above pictures are from but the SC (or Soarer) was not a heavily showcased vehicle. The MKIV in very first film WAS and that created all the original impact. The second installment had some lesser influence too but after that... not so much.
Even though the Buick GN and a Cosworth Cortina were showcased in one of the recent ones it wasn't the big phenomenon the original was (forget, for a moment that the F&F movies are just average fare thug-heist movies more than car movies). And both of those cars, like the MKIV, were popular in their own time before they ceased production.
A car gaining in popularity just because it's in a movie requires that car to have a LOT of presence in the story and style all its own. Beyond that, just like a movie's financial success and word of mouth popularity, it's all unpredictable.
"Christine" did this a tiny bit with the Plymouth Fury, "Ghostbusters" (and maybe "Harold and Maude"), kind of sort of did this for the 1958-60 Cadillac Hearse Superiors, but "BTTF" sure did it for the Delorean DMC-12... except it was already a well known and notorious automobile. All the most successful examples were known as notorious vehicles before they were used in a movie. Another: the Porsche 928 in "Risky Business"-- already known as a desirable sports GT before shooting began.
It can happen to a small degree but it would have to be a pretty unique showcase to have any impact... and then the question becomes: "Impact onto what demographic?"
As for the SC in an F&F movie, I don't recall which installment the above pictures are from but the SC (or Soarer) was not a heavily showcased vehicle. The MKIV in very first film WAS and that created all the original impact. The second installment had some lesser influence too but after that... not so much.
Even though the Buick GN and a Cosworth Cortina were showcased in one of the recent ones it wasn't the big phenomenon the original was (forget, for a moment that the F&F movies are just average fare thug-heist movies more than car movies). And both of those cars, like the MKIV, were popular in their own time before they ceased production.
A car gaining in popularity just because it's in a movie requires that car to have a LOT of presence in the story and style all its own. Beyond that, just like a movie's financial success and word of mouth popularity, it's all unpredictable.
"Christine" did this a tiny bit with the Plymouth Fury, "Ghostbusters" (and maybe "Harold and Maude"), kind of sort of did this for the 1958-60 Cadillac Hearse Superiors, but "BTTF" sure did it for the Delorean DMC-12... except it was already a well known and notorious automobile. All the most successful examples were known as notorious vehicles before they were used in a movie. Another: the Porsche 928 in "Risky Business"-- already known as a desirable sports GT before shooting began.
It can happen to a small degree but it would have to be a pretty unique showcase to have any impact... and then the question becomes: "Impact onto what demographic?"
Last edited by KahnBB6; 11-01-14 at 02:37 AM.
11-01-14, 09:45 PM
#100
This is the funniest thing I've seen in awhile. You buy a car because it's a good value, and then complain that they're not more expensive? What kind of quasi logic is that? Be grateful there are still under-appreciated cars that don't have the ricer and dorifto tax on them. The SC and the Celica are great values because not everyone and their aunt owns one because some bozos in a cheesy movie drove them. $5,000 for a burnt out 240SX, what a great buy... 
11-02-14, 07:42 AM
#101
For the buyer it is a good thing, but for the seller, not so good, I would like to sell mine and move up to a 99, but the resale value is holding me back. I feel that when the right person comes along they will buy at a fair price, but it takes time.
11-02-14, 09:43 AM
#102
If we were one of the "Hero Cars" in the Fast & Furious franchise, our value would skyrocket!
How can we accomplish something like that?
This is a Tuner Forum, and we ain't no Honda Civic's; somebody has to know somebody else, somewhere ... Can we get an SC in a movie or sumtin' ?
How can we accomplish something like that?
This is a Tuner Forum, and we ain't no Honda Civic's; somebody has to know somebody else, somewhere ... Can we get an SC in a movie or sumtin' ?
The SC has a very well integrated look throughout, so when you start modding things (wheels, head/tail lights, interior color, etc.) you sort of have to go the distance or it looks weird. And for whatever reason, those mods invariably go the same direction: slammed stance, LED/smoked lights, black interior swap. And tinted windows, of course.
So, to answer CityKnight's question from the first post, I think the SC is valued like a Honda Civic because it's modded like a Honda Civic! More tastefully, perhaps, but the same basic look. And to make matters worse, it gets half (or less) the mpg, making it less desirable for many who want a certain look for cheap.
Don't get me wrong, I like the general direction that many take their SCs. I'm just not sure I like it any better than the original look and it seems more Honda-like than luxury cruiser. That can't be helping the general perception, which in turn drives the prices.
Having said all that, I imagine you'd find similar depreciation among German sport coupes regardless of how they're modded as they age.
11-02-14, 03:55 PM
#103
Being an original buyer of a '92 and being a fan of this forum for all the mods and ideas documented here has been great fun. It was clearly apparent that anyone buying one of these cars on the used market would get a good value and then could invest as little or as much as they wanted but would likely never recoup their investment. The appreciation in the market place is just not there and I doubt it ever will be.
Enjoy your car for what it is or what you make of it. That was the fun part for me was to take the stock vehicle and renovate it to a level that was of my choosing. Anyone can plunk down cash (if they have it, of course) for a contemporary sports coupe (Caymen, G37, Z350, BWM, AMG, etc) or muscle car (Camaro, Mustang, Challenger) but we get to select the look and performance mods that fit your budget and goal.
I had to invest a lot more in the maintenance and mechanical issues than I had hoped before getting to the "fun part" of paint, wheels, interior upgrades but knew that going in.... Another poster did list my biggest fear which is insurance replacement in case some one hits the car.... Will never get what I have in it if that ever happens and not a thing can be done about it.
Have fun and enjoy the ride....
Enjoy your car for what it is or what you make of it. That was the fun part for me was to take the stock vehicle and renovate it to a level that was of my choosing. Anyone can plunk down cash (if they have it, of course) for a contemporary sports coupe (Caymen, G37, Z350, BWM, AMG, etc) or muscle car (Camaro, Mustang, Challenger) but we get to select the look and performance mods that fit your budget and goal.
I had to invest a lot more in the maintenance and mechanical issues than I had hoped before getting to the "fun part" of paint, wheels, interior upgrades but knew that going in.... Another poster did list my biggest fear which is insurance replacement in case some one hits the car.... Will never get what I have in it if that ever happens and not a thing can be done about it.
Have fun and enjoy the ride....
11-02-14, 10:08 PM
#104
A friend of mine who buys sells and collects vintage porsches told me "You should love the machine for what it is, not what its worth, and in doing so it will be truly valuable".
In my half primer'd fluids leaking car, with green tape still on the window i received a thubs up from a 240z the other day, that alone states to me, "I see you, and i respect the machine" thats the only price tag I needed
In my half primer'd fluids leaking car, with green tape still on the window i received a thubs up from a 240z the other day, that alone states to me, "I see you, and i respect the machine" thats the only price tag I needed
11-03-14, 07:13 AM
#105
If you feel that strongly about it I'm about to list my SC400, I'll sell it to you for $12,000!
In reality, though, it's a retired, high-end luxury car and like old Mercedes, Audis, and BMWs once the newness is worn off they become cast-offs as maintenance becomes an expensive proposition. Yes, oil changes and routine maintenance is as cheap as any Toyota, but when you start replacing control arms at $400 each and timing belt replacements for $1200 at the dealer it gets to be a little bit much. I've been stupid enough to drop $2000 in parts rebuilding the entire front end and brakes of my 1996, a $3500 car on a good day! That may be smart if I keep it a few years but now I've got to replace the P/S lines, what's next?
I'm building a Pro-Touring Firebird for my fun car so the Lexus expenses are starting to be an irritant. I'd rather have a $250/mo lease payment and a warranty than a $3000 parts tab annually, then I get to put the parts on, eating up the Firebird's garage time. I'm about done with the Lexus...
In reality, though, it's a retired, high-end luxury car and like old Mercedes, Audis, and BMWs once the newness is worn off they become cast-offs as maintenance becomes an expensive proposition. Yes, oil changes and routine maintenance is as cheap as any Toyota, but when you start replacing control arms at $400 each and timing belt replacements for $1200 at the dealer it gets to be a little bit much. I've been stupid enough to drop $2000 in parts rebuilding the entire front end and brakes of my 1996, a $3500 car on a good day! That may be smart if I keep it a few years but now I've got to replace the P/S lines, what's next?
I'm building a Pro-Touring Firebird for my fun car so the Lexus expenses are starting to be an irritant. I'd rather have a $250/mo lease payment and a warranty than a $3000 parts tab annually, then I get to put the parts on, eating up the Firebird's garage time. I'm about done with the Lexus...