Is it hard to sell your Esprit?

[SimonN]

I have been in the market for a year 2000+ Esprit V8 for a few months now and have yet to find any that are appropiately priced and in one of my desired colours.

I am looking to pay around

Edited February 2, 2007 by SimonN

[esprit350]

you seemed to have answred your own question, buy the more desirable ( in your eyes) F355 whatever that is

[jfitz981]

You have to go with the one you personally like...simple as that. Don't buy a car as an investment. The 355's have been loosing value at a quick pace...a 328 is almost the same price..maybe 10K difference...that ain't much. The Esprit will not sell overnight unless it is dirt cheap. People who buy them are very particular...i.e. they want a specific model/year/color. It took me 2 years just to find what I liked when I bought my esprit. Bottom line, you are buying an expensive sports car ...neither the 355 or the Esprit will sell quick.

Jason

[mwmackenzie]

I thought about a ferrari when I bought my V8...... Deciding factors... Ferrari servicing cost 3-4x esprit..Ferrari would need to be a lot older for a RHD and LHD I'd not entertain in this country as you can't see whats coming when you want to overtake.. ..

Just my 2p worth

Mark

[v8ant]

Personally I'd buy the esprit and use the extra 10K for something else! I've just bought my v8 esprit, and I could of had a 355 or 360 for that matter, but then I wouldn't of been able to have my range rover sport as well, if moneys no object then buy what ever makes you tingle the most!!! but if if it is the esprit just made more sense to me.

Oh, and it is a truly fabulas car!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kato]

The market it generally slow in the winter months. People don't tend to buy/drive/sell Esprits while the weather is bad. The market should start picking up Mar/Apr/May.

Some Esprits will sell very quickly, other take a lot longer. Depends on who's in the market and what they are after. Many in distant locations tend to take longer too as people don't want to travel the lenght of the country to look at a car.

I would guess the longer it takes you find it, the quicker it will sell (as long as you're not after something too different). A 1999 Sport 350 would be a good buy, as these are in your price range and sell very quickly. It is also the top V8 with a lighten shell and a few extra's over a late V8. This one's on LEW at the moment.

1999 Esprit Sport 350 no.23

In Silver/Blue. Very Good Condition, 46,000 miles, P U K performance upgrade to 500 BHP, Full Service History, Magnesium Alloys. Garaged, Tracker Monitor, V8 Carpets, Alpine CD Changer, Reprogrammed ECU, K&N Fiters, Blueflame Twin Exhaust And P U K Race Supachip.

[Paul C]

...owning a F355 would be more desirable.

If there is something on your list more desirable than the Esprit

then i think, as others have said, that you have answered your

own question (for my part i's go for the 348 ).

A quick glance at the used Esprit pages will show you cars that have

been up there for ages/years even. Check out the date stamps on some

ads and see they have been for sale though two summers and two winters,

so the right or wrong time of year thing is not always that relevent. As Kato

says, price and location play a part too.

It would be nice to think my SE is worth

[MPx]

Agree with all above. Key point is your statement that a 355 (even in LHD) is "more desirable". That's a hugely subjective statement, and if its what you think then an Esprit is always going to be second best for your money. For many of us, the various models of Esprit are our first choice at whatever our budgets are.

I also run an American truck which is LHD and after the first few weeks getting used to the size, I haven't found it any more dangerous to drive than any other big vehicle....but I guess I have the advantage of height which you wont have in a Rrari. But IMO, LHD in itself shouldn't put you off, tho I would expect it to seriously affect ease of resale in the UK as comments above suggest many wouldn't buy LHD - so if resale is your key Esprit worry, buying any LHD is not a smart way out.

One other thought. If you want an Esprit, you'll be choosing one from a production run in 10s or maybe 100s depending how fussy you are about colour/year/spec. If you want a 355 - especially Rosso/Crema - then you'll get a choice from a production run of 1000s. No doubt you've already nosed through a copy or two of Top Marques. You'll have seen that for the half dozen Esprits you'll find in each one, there'll be pages and pages of red Ferraris. You'll also notice that many of those sit in the same ads for many issues too.......

Good luck with the search....Mike

[Mad Zero]

That's interesting because I'm at the other end of the buying scale - I'm finding lots of lovely cars for sale but the prices are all over the place so it's very hard to make a judgement!

[matk]

Was at Matty's today and they've got a yellow S4S for

[SimonN]

A 1999 Sport 350 would be a good buy, as these are in your price range and sell very quickly. It is also the top V8 with a lighten shell and a few extra's over a late V8. This one's on LEW at the moment.

1999 Esprit Sport 350 no.23

In Silver/Blue. Very Good Condition, 46,000 miles, P U K performance upgrade to 500 BHP, Full Service History, Magnesium Alloys. Garaged, Tracker Monitor, V8 Carpets, Alpine CD Changer, Reprogrammed ECU, K&N Fiters, Blueflame Twin Exhaust And P U K Race Supachip.

Edited February 3, 2007 by SimonN

[hottdog]

I quite fancied the S4S on LEW and did speak to the seller - I was just not sure regarding the mileage of the replacement engine nor the need for a new manifold.

I reckoned the car was attractive - I saw it a Stonleigh yet those two issues reduced its value substantially -

[Kato]

You really need to get out and start looking at cars. Yellow or not! You'll then see the differences. You can get V8's out there that haven't been looked after and fall into poor condition very quickly. More often than not you are paying for what your getting.

As for the Sport 350, mods doesn't mean track time. We know of plenty of well modded Esprits that have never been on the track. Our SE is highly modded and has only ever done a few laps of the lotus track at below 3,000 rpm.

You really do need to get out there and start educating yourself on the market and the various conditions Esprit come in.

[Paul C]

I quite fancied the S4S on LEW and did speak to the seller - I was just not sure regarding the mileage of the replacement engine nor the need for a new manifold.

4 cyl manifold. leave enough in your budget to get one fixed always.

Despite professional inspection prior to the purchase of my second

esprit, i considered the cracked manifold found later to be merely a

service item as it's so common. i think you could throw

[matk]

Michael

I've got to say a price of

[hottdog]

Fair point... hence I did not persue the purchase as I realised my valuation was below the sellers and

[Tentenths]

Not sure where the best place is to sell the HW though. The LEW pictures are too small and do not do a really good car justice.

But don't lose sight of the fact that it'll probably be the first port of call for the majority of 'serious' Esprit buyers... particularly if they've done their research thoroughly and/or asked on here

[Paul C]

But don't lose sight of the fact that it'll probably be the first port of call for the majority of 'serious' Esprit buyers... particularly if they've done their research thoroughly and/or asked on here

Thats a good point, you are more likely to get someone that really wants an Esprit and

nothing else. Can save you the "I'll have a think, i need to look at a 944 in banbury first"

kind of buyer.

The plus of selling elsewhere is i guess that it's not on the same pages as loads of lower

priced cars, and you might get someone 'out of the loop' pay top money for it.

[hottdog]

Some of the cars out there are not good, infact to be honest they are junk.

Sadly they are often what brings the marque down - owners who either cannot afford or will not spend to fix up their Esprit's.

They do however dictate the selling prices of vastly better cars by private sellers.

I would like my car to be the one veiwed after a potential purchaser has seen the handful of HW's being sold by the trade at

[neal]

Left hand drive car?

Don't do it!

Doesn't matter what it is - you automatically lose all credibility since everyone will realise you were trying to be flash but couldn't afford the real thing - like sticking an M badge on some crapped out beemer.

Plus, unless you have a passenger you make a tit of yourself at car park barriers and toll booths since you have to jump out, run round, grab the ticket, run back then drive off (made even worse if it's pissing with rain)!

[andecorp]

knowing that when I come to sell the F355 it will be a lot easier to sell. both cars will in the end approx cost the same for an owner.

I've owned both cars, and I can tell you straight away that you are seriously misguided if you think what you said is true!

This is the reality - if you have a low mileage MINT Esprit that is well known as being MINT, you will sell it straight away for a premium. There are not many minters out there as most Esprit owners should have never bought one as they are out of their financial capabilities.

I sold my black S4s for 25% ABOVE asking price, as I had so many people wanting it, it started a bidding war. And this was before the ads appeared in the magazines!

As a matter of fact, the phone was ringing non stop with potential buyers even when I was doing the paperwork with the guy that bought it.

My current S4s which I am its first owner, has been featured in many magazines and it has won many concourses, so I get offers on it way above market value all the time. But I'll never sell this one.

Point is expect to pay top $ for a top car, but it will certainly be worth it when it will come to enjoying the ownership experience, and if you maintain the car so it stays in the same top condition, you will also sell it straight away for a premium. And this applies not just to Esprits, but to dancing donkeys, lambos, etc.