Best Time To Sell Car (KM)?

[JohnBu]

hmmm

just thinking about what to do with my car.

2003 astra turbo.. love it. reliable, quick, good on fuel, cheap to insure, look good too.

But has hit 81,000km :(

and has got me thinking, should i sell it before it hits 100,000km, say for $20k

or should I drive the thing for another 4-5 years, by then it should be around 200,000km and valued at say $8-10k.

I dont really need a new car as the turbo is still quite a nice & practical car.. but was thinking of selling it before it reaches 100,000km, as the value of the car drops significantly after 100k.

if i kept it for another 4-5 years, I won't really lose much each year in depreciation compared to getting a new car, but it may come with higher repair costs as it gets older.

hmmm decisions decisions..

while i can afford to upgrade, i dont need to upgrade if you get what i mean... but a 350z or M3 would be nice.

hmmmm heart vs head. head usually wins, the cons of being a financial adviser.

your thoughts?

[EL BURITO]

Well my family has had 8 cars between the 6 of us since i started to take intrest and the cost of repairs do seem to go up and given the nature of the repair work on european cars i wouldnt want to own one for 2 long after the warranty has gone. given y i want to upgrade in 6 to 12 mths. How many K' do u get befor the Turbo needs doing? Is the SRI belt or Chain? given the attached service cost of the belt get rid of befor it needs changed again.

[JohnBu]

timing belt is every 60,000km..

the service cost isnt really an issue, as newer cars will be more $$$ to service than the astra.

the repair, rather than service cost is im more concerned about.

my car has been 100% reliable since i had it.. the only thing that needed repair was the waterpump, which most turbos suffer from, fortunately the replaced waterpump is revised.

you can budget for service cost, but repair cost can and most likely come at the worst time. but at the same time is cheaper than the depreciation of a new car.

no one really knows when the turbo needs replacing/reconditioning, as there aren't that many high km turbos around.. but judging from reports overseas, getting 200,000km out of them, if not longer is normal.

[Alix]

if i kept it for another 4-5 years, I won't really lose much each year in depreciation compared to getting a new car, but it may come with higher repair costs as it gets older.



The repair costs won't be as great as the depreciation on a new car.

However, there might be other considerations that make a new car purchase more palatable to the pocket book, for example running clients around, or simply needing to project a "professional" image. There's always an element of personal desire in play when deciding to buy a new car.

In my case, I bought new because my wife and I are midway through starting a family (one here, one to come), and that's going to knock a hole in our family income for a while, as when #2 arrives the missus wants to stay home from work until they start school. We need to have something that's going to be as safe and reliable as possible for that period, as well as paid off before #2 arrives.

Actually, with the kays you're doing, I would have thought you'd be considering leasing.

[EL BURITO]

Actually, with the kays you're doing, I would have thought you'd be considering leasing.
disadvantage is u cant play with it

[Apex]

while i can afford to upgrade, i dont need to upgrade if you get what i mean... but a 350z or M3 would be nice.


Easy answer, if you can afford a e46 M3, get one.

[Wraith]

hmmm

just thinking about what to do with my car.

2003 astra turbo.. love it. reliable, quick, good on fuel, cheap to insure, look good too.

But has hit 81,000km :(

and has got me thinking, should i sell it before it hits 100,000km, say for $20k

or should I drive the thing for another 4-5 years, by then it should be around 200,000km and valued at say $8-10k.

I dont really need a new car as the turbo is still quite a nice & practical car.. but was thinking of selling it before it reaches 100,000km, as the value of the car drops significantly after 100k.

if i kept it for another 4-5 years, I won't really lose much each year in depreciation compared to getting a new car, but it may come with higher repair costs as it gets older.

hmmm decisions decisions..

while i can afford to upgrade, i dont need to upgrade if you get what i mean... but a 350z or M3 would be nice.

hmmmm heart vs head. head usually wins, the cons of being a financial adviser.

your thoughts?

The value of the car will drop significantly with age and or kilometers not just the mileage side of it.

I have a '99 registered Calibra - build date '95 - it only has 68,000km on the odometer, but this dosn't mean I'll get much more for it than another example of similar age with twice the km's.

So if you were to keep your Astra for another 4-5 years and clock up only another 10,000km it would still drop in value by a similar amount anyway.

It's hard to find 'car specific' enthusiasts that'll pay more for a s/h prestine example these days.

As for the rest above, it's all really up to you, do whatever makes you happy and get whatever you can afford without going into too much debt.

If you can afford 350Z (I'm assuming new) or M3 (I'm assuming s/h), why not go for something familiar and cheaper like a VXR maybe.....

BTW repair or running costs of your current car will always be cheaper than the cost of purchasing either one of those cars listed above ;)

[auzvectra]

just keep it :), in the end the motor is a very old design and has many interchangeable bit's n peices, as is the gbox, so really if u know a lil, u can save a lot. the only different bit rally is the gaskets.
pistons i can get for just over $300, and they are stronger then the stock 1's.
the motor's do last for ages, as for the turbo, i wouldnt expect to get more then 150K to be honest, but a vxr turbo is an easy n cheap upgrade.

[JohnBu]

thanks for the suggestions..

maybe i'd keep it for another couple of years until i get bored of it.. which really is alot cheaper than upgrading...

auzvectra.. any reports of dead turbos overseas?

[blueraven]

thanks for the suggestions..

auzvectra.. any reports of dead turbos overseas?


heaps...but dont worry, seems in the uk the the average Turbo on a z20let lasts about 130-150k (just the turbo, never heard of the engine/gearbox failing even on high power astra's, but waterpumps seem to be an issue sometimes)

[MatsHolden]

Yeh, once you hit the 100000km mark, the car's basically not worth a crumpet. Bit rediculous, as it's not really that many km's but just the way it is.

[jsantos]

Also remember that P Platers can now no longer buy your car, so you may find the values drop even faster the lower they get with the demand for that car in that price range dropping, Thats pure speculation though.

[pred8r]

You have another 9000kms before you should make your decision.

From what I've been told is, car value is a decline based on a km vs age with the higher one whats taken from, 20k/yr eg 80k kms /4 years = 20k km/yr = 'normal', your Kms are average.

(Unlike my van. 4 months old 25k kms, new price was $42k DA, offered a trade in last week of $25k.
Reason told was its got the kms of a 1.25 yr old vehicle and apparently it doesnt matter if its a hi-spec model (an extra $4k IIRC), when it comes to a commercial vehicle.)

[platypus]

on a 4 cyl should sell before 100,000 probably best to go at say 80,000 as this will make it easier to dispose of for a good price!

but all in all , cars are a **** investment and nothing but money eaters... never expect to come out ahead!!

[luvpsi]

heaps...but dont worry, seems in the uk the the average Turbo on a z20let lasts about 130-150k (just the turbo, never heard of the engine/gearbox failing even on high power astra's, but waterpumps seem to be an issue sometimes)

my waterpump went too:( at under 50 000 kms. Luckily it was replaced under warranty with a new timing belt and all other bits also:D

[JohnBu]

yeah waterpump on mine was replaced.. hopefully the revised one i got will last more than 45,000km.

as for upgrading to a VXR, nice as it is, the upgrade in terms of performance over the SRiT isn't that appealing..

oh, my new car would most likely be a low km 2nd hand model with factory warranty. Apart from the M3 which will be 5yo/60,000km, as they are $$$$ new.

decisions decisions.. oh well, got a couple of months to think about it.

[Tfer]

Good luck with the decision JohnBu..... :)

My 2 cents..... most cars purchased are exactly what Platypus said, a depreciating asset (there are exceptions as everyone knows).... and whilst mine is used for business (interest, costs to run and maintain, depreciation, fuel, etc are all tax deductions), if mine was just a personal use vehicle, I still wouldn't be worried how many kms I put on ;)

My veccy has done 134,000km for an '03 model, but doesn't faze me.... I know I will love the next drive in her :D so there is definitely an enjoyment factor.... something I am sure you have in your ride :cool:

[sasrit]

FYI John Bu, I was offered $15,500 as trade for my 03 SRiT on the weekend, when looking at purchasing a new $38,000 car. My car has under 37,000km, full history, no mods, in excellent condition. Redbook says $16,400 to $18,800 with 60,000 to 100,000km on clock. The dealer said you should look at the redbook valuation and take the middle ground. I told the dealer that therefore either his valuation was incorrect or redbook was inaccurate, to which he replied "redbook is quite accurate". He then started to mention other reasons why he was offering such a low figure. He didn't even look at the car himself. I then realised that he didn't need my business, and I didn't need his.

[blueraven]

FYI John Bu, I was offered $15,500 as trade for my 03 SRiT on the weekend, when looking at purchasing a new $38,000 car. My car has under 37,000km, full history, no mods, in excellent condition. Redbook says $16,400 to $18,800 with 60,000 to 100,000km on clock. The dealer said you should look at the redbook valuation and take the middle ground. I told the dealer that therefore either his valuation was incorrect or redbook was inaccurate, to which he replied "redbook is quite accurate". He then started to mention other reasons why he was offering such a low figure. He didn't even look at the car himself. I then realised that he didn't need my business, and I didn't need his.


Glad to hear it. If there were more people like yourself that can afford to hang onto their car until they get a reasonable price, then the s/h value of our cars would be higher :) i paid 24k for mine about 18 months ago and that was a bargain (for WA anyway), i was offered 18k trade in about 6 months ago on the vxr. Didnt take it obviously, but i know i could more than that privately if i wait.

[sasrit]

Glad to hear it. If there were more people like yourself that can afford to hang onto their car until they get a reasonable price, then the s/h value of our cars would be higher :) i paid 24k for mine about 18 months ago and that was a bargain (for WA anyway), i was offered 18k trade in about 6 months ago on the vxr. Didnt take it obviously, but i know i could more than that privately if i wait.

Yeah, thanks blueraven, I'm in no hurry and I'm not going to give it away, the market for these cars is small and if someone wants one they will come and have a look, do their research and realise what the car is worth. I don't think I want top dollar, but I shouldn't give it away either. There is movement possible on price of course, but that dealer (sales manager) said that any upward movement on trade in price 'wasn't going to happen'......yet dealers will bump the price high when a car has low km for age.....not very consistent.......and you're right, $24 k was a good price 18 months ago, mine was $31k in Aug 2004.

[bornwild]

Easy answer, if you can afford a e46 M3, get one.

Amen! :angel:

[damienhelen]

With the price fo fuel these days and the new P plate rules in QLD, V8 engine cars are a thing of the past for younger drivers.
4 cyl cars i think have very good resale (if you have flogged your car, just get your Grandma or Grandad to sell it lol), but as posted below a car is a depreciating asset and nothin but money pits, unless of course you use it for business.

[xplosv57]

SASRIT- $15500 trade for a SRi-T with 37k on the clock, thats pretty bad, i don't understand how dealers work out trade ins!!!! I was offered $14500 trade on a '01 CD with 125k on the clock, so $15500 for a low k Turbo is beyond laughable!!!

John i reckon keep the car, its given you no trouble, still looks and runs well, and is awesome on fuel!!! If you do want an M3, wait till the new one is released, then the E46 will drop in price and you'll be able to get one for alot less than now!!!!

Good luck with whatever choice you make!!!

[JohnBu]

wow, old thread..

anyway, i still have the car, 92,000km now :D and still going strong. I know the history of the car and while i rev it when warmed up, i dont abuse the car/drivetrain.

still no closer to making a decision to sell it or keep it.

i want to buy a house also, but yet, need a larger deposit or start looking at cheaper areas (damn inflated property prices!!).. and i dont want to be one of those guys who buys an $60k car only to sell it 6 months down the track to use as a deposit and then drive a $10k car. haha

yeah Steve, thats true once the E92 M3s come out, existing E46 owners will flog it off cheap.. but by then, new japanese cars will come out that will outperform the E46 for the same price, i.e. Evo X.

decisions decisions.. but for now looks like i'm keeping it.

oh, the car is for business use, but it doesn't have much value left tax deduction wise as its depreciated tax value is low.

[Wraith]

Very true John, Evo 10 will outperform an E46 M3 and they'll be cheaper brand new as well......

Even the earliest models E46 M3's are still fetching around 90-100k...

My 2 cents, keep the TS turbo, yours is still a very good example and buy yourself a house 1st. :)

In a few years time, when you've got some decent equity to play with, then upgrade your ride, you'll be ahead financially and they'll be better new cars to choose from, the upcoming 4 cylinder bridgade are getting better and better, instead of a 5-10 year old S/H M3, you might be able to buy yourself something hi po and brand new :)