Time for my 1st 480!!

[dcwalker]

I think it all boils down to what you are looking for, and what you are prepared to pay. The seller asks a price and a buyer is either willing to pay it or not.

Certainly when I bought my GT 10 months ago I paid a lot of money for it, a sum that many on here would consider well over the odds in principle (but not as much as is being asked here). But the car was (is) an almost immaculate example, well-cared for, low mileage 480, such that don't come up very often, so on that basis I could justify it to myself and, more importantly perhaps, the wife!

More important for me was that the car not only ticked the practical boxes of condition etc but I fell in love with it - rare model, lovely colour, drove as well as I would expect a low-mileage 480 to drive and handle. In other words, I decided I wanted it, and on that basis when some lively negotiation got it to within the margin I could afford to spend, I bought it. If I hadn't done someone else would have come along and bought it and I would have missed out forever.

Yes, I have done a few things to bring it up to scratch even further - however good the car it is old and so this is to be expected - but I have never regretted buying it for a moment.

If I were to sell it (which I have no intention of doing!) I admit I'd start at an asking price something like the one in question here, and see what the reaction was.

So picking up on my earlier thread, my view on this particular car would be that a buyer needs to look at it very carefully. If it is as good as it seems, then it just depends on what that particular buyer can afford to spend and how badly they want that particular car, rather than any objective ideas about whether it is "over-priced" or not.

David

[Alan 480]

I know these cars are really undervalued in the UK, but seriously, where would you find a 480 in this condition, without too much electrical trouble (29/04/1992 so it is a Phase 2 with updated electrics and CEM III) with such a low mileage, full service documentation and recent cambelt these days? And Paris Blue is one of the prettiest colours. Granted, the 102 bhp 1.7 isn't the fastest and the smoothest unit available, and it seems to be a bog standard 480 ES, but I think you have to search very long to find a Volvo 480 in a condition like this one.

second that opinion . . . . .

make them a low bid and see if they bite? they can only say 'no' (or hopefully 'yes' ) They might have taken it in as a part ex so only paid £500 or £300

all depends on what lurks under rear arches and as it is metallic? it should be easy to spot filler/re-spray AND just how much you want one.

there are always cheaper ones out there needing some work BUT the cost of a repair will quickly exceed what a 'project' car will cost finished

[aidanmorris]

Shame you can't see from the photos whether that Paris Blue ES has got a traditional clock or a digital one - we all know that that can swing the value by at least £500!

And if it's a traditional one, well, I've a spare digital clock which I was keeping for my pension but if the price is right now......

[zapcity]

I think it all boils down to what you are looking for, and what you are prepared to pay. The seller asks a price and a buyer is either willing to pay it or not.

Certainly when I bought my GT 10 months ago I paid a lot of money for it, a sum that many on here would consider well over the odds in principle (but not as much as is being asked here). But the car was (is) an almost immaculate example, well-cared for, low mileage 480, such that don't come up very often, so on that basis I could justify it to myself and, more importantly perhaps, the wife!

More important for me was that the car not only ticked the practical boxes of condition etc but I fell in love with it - rare model, lovely colour, drove as well as I would expect a low-mileage 480 to drive and handle. In other words, I decided I wanted it, and on that basis when some lively negotiation got it to within the margin I could afford to spend, I bought it. If I hadn't done someone else would have come along and bought it and I would have missed out forever.

Yes, I have done a few things to bring it up to scratch even further - however good the car it is old and so this is to be expected - but I have never regretted buying it for a moment.

If I were to sell it (which I have no intention of doing!) I admit I'd start at an asking price something like the one in question here, and see what the reaction was.

So picking up on my earlier thread, my view on this particular car would be that a buyer needs to look at it very carefully. If it is as good as it seems, then it just depends on what that particular buyer can afford to spend and how badly they want that particular car, rather than any objective ideas about whether it is "over-priced" or not.

David

Ultimately, as David says, the market decides what the price should be.

Currently I'm the buyer, with an irrational desire for a Volvo 480 and there are not that many of me! So this is how I look at it (and I fully understand everyone's motivation or circumstances are different).

I want the best 480 I can get, something special I can put time and effort into keeping in top condition, and enjoy driving (and polishing!) for many years. And however good the Ebay car @£2995 is, and I'm sure it is a fantastic car in superb condition, I don't want it. Maybe I'm being greedy, but I want fillet steak not a really good burger (terrible analogy for a vegetarian!!).

I guess the same applies to most models. A mint MK1 Escort RS Turbo sells in minutes for £20000, but if its an Escort 1.3GL, no matter how good its condition, it's a much harder sell. It's just not 'special'.

If GT's and Celebrations were selling for £10K, then the £3k ES would be a bargain and I might buy it tomorrow.

But 480's are at a price where you can, thankfully for me at the moment, buy the best for reasonable prices (dependant on availability).

That's why if David put his GT on here today for £2995, it would sell within the hour because its not just in great condition but its desirable (I'd buy it for one). The blue 480 is nice but not desirable. If I bought it, I'd always look at other cars with envy.

Maybe they get lucky and someone like me runs out of patience waiting for a GT/Celebration etc. and pays the £2995 price, or they take a low offer to clear it (worth a punt I guess). There are 750 million people in Europe, so their chances of finding the one to buy it are quite good I guess.

[zapcity]

Shame you can't see from the photos whether that Paris Blue ES has got a traditional clock or a digital one - we all know that that can swing the value by at least £500!

And if it's a traditional one, well, I've a spare digital clock which I was keeping for my pension but if the price is right now......

It's also on Autotrader with many more pictures: -
http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... 3re&page=1

[dcwalker]

Zapcity, I think we are somewhat like-minded!

Sorry I am not selling but good luck with your search!

David

[zapcity]

Zapcity, I think we are somewhat like-minded!

Sorry I am not selling but good luck with your search!

David

With all due respect, you would be nuts to sell!

I will get there but it may take a while!!

Thanks to all for educating a novice. What's the score regarding the digital clock? Is it rare? I think the wife's was analogue but hell, I couldn't even remember the colour!

As an aside, the company selling the Paris Blue ES also has a super cool yellow Mitsubishi Colt Starion Turbo http://stonecoldclassics.com/coming-soo ... ion-turbo/. Why do I love quirky cars? If only I had a double garage!!

[Jay-Kay-Em]

No "PMSL" here. A fine example is remembered long after the purchase price is forgotten.

What I have just paid for new old stock rear lights, new old stock front lights/indicators plus alloy wheel refurbishment is one/third of three grand anyway.

Chuck in another £750 for rusty rear arches repaired properly.... I could continue...

If a car has these items in tip-top condition you have offset the cost already.

£2995 in the classic scene today is peanuts. When a gutless, unreliable, poor handling, silly looking, rusty, cramped, frog-eye Sprite is 8,000 of your hard earned pounds it doesn't seem so bad!

[aidanmorris]

What's the score regarding the digital clock? Is it rare?

Re the digital clock thing, they're not all that rare but there seemed to be a time when people were asking silly money for them on eBay. Think the market has cooled somewhat lately - maybe its a post Brexit slump!

[Ade]

No "PMSL" here. A fine example is remembered long after the purchase price is forgotten.

What I have just paid for new old stock rear lights, new old stock front lights/indicators plus alloy wheel refurbishment is one/third of three grand anyway.

Chuck in another £750 for rusty rear arches repaired properly.... I could continue...

If a car has these items in tip-top condition you have offset the cost already.

£2995 in the classic scene today is peanuts. When a gutless, unreliable, poor handling, silly looking, rusty, cramped, frog-eye Sprite is 8,000 of your hard earned pounds it doesn't seem so bad!

good point well made, if the clusters are mint and the car is genuinely not rusty and otherwise in good order (you need to get real up close and personal with it around the rear end, inside the arches, boot floor, inside of the rear bumper, suspension mounts, seat belt anchorages, etc etc etc. ) then it's worth the money, I have noticed that prices are finally on the up. Take it from someone who's repaired all these things and more in the name of keeping the turbo alive, you don't want to miss a chance of one that could be preserved rather than have to be cut to bits and painstakingly rebuilt if it is to stay 'alive'. Unless you do it yourself, PROPER rust repair is big money and you need to have it done by someone you trust will do it well otherwise it will rot from the inside out in years to come. Can't stress enough to check the car as well as you can for rust before making an offer, if you do find areas for repair that aren't too bad, it gives you some bargaining leverage on the price if you do still like the car for its other merits.

[aidanmorris]

As an aside, the company selling the Paris Blue ES also has a super cool yellow Mitsubishi Colt Starion Turbo http://stonecoldclassics.com/coming-soo ... ion-turbo/. Why do I love quirky cars? If only I had a double garage!!

That Starion Turbo certainly looks a beauty! Never wanted one before, or even had one cross my mind, but now you've pointed it out...........must be a pop up headlight thing!

[dcwalker]

No "PMSL" here. A fine example is remembered long after the purchase price is forgotten.

What I have just paid for new old stock rear lights, new old stock front lights/indicators plus alloy wheel refurbishment is one/third of three grand anyway.

Chuck in another £750 for rusty rear arches repaired properly.... I could continue...

If a car has these items in tip-top condition you have offset the cost already.

£2995 in the classic scene today is peanuts. When a gutless, unreliable, poor handling, silly looking, rusty, cramped, frog-eye Sprite is 8,000 of your hard earned pounds it doesn't seem so bad!

good point well made, if the clusters are mint and the car is genuinely not rusty and otherwise in good order (you need to get real up close and personal with it around the rear end, inside the arches, boot floor, inside of the rear bumper, suspension mounts, seat belt anchorages, etc etc etc. ) then it's worth the money, I have noticed that prices are finally on the up. Take it from someone who's repaired all these things and more in the name of keeping the turbo alive, you don't want to miss a chance of one that could be preserved rather than have to be cut to bits and painstakingly rebuilt if it is to stay 'alive'. Unless you do it yourself, PROPER rust repair is big money and you need to have it done by someone you trust will do it well otherwise it will rot from the inside out in years to come. Can't stress enough to check the car as well as you can for rust before making an offer, if you do find areas for repair that aren't too bad, it gives you some bargaining leverage on the price if you do still like the car for its other merits.

Indeed - I parted with my Celebration when the rust started to really take hold, although with hindsight I should have just got it dealt with. But the lack of need to deal with any serious rust was a very appealing factor when getting the current GT.

It all depends what you want from the car - but if we are finally reaching the stage where values for genuinely good ones are going up then great! It's of no benefit unless you are looking to sell such an example, but at least you feel spending a serious sum of money might have been a good investment rather than just a rash extravagance!!

Personally - and it is just personally - I'd be prepared to pay that sort of money but I would want something special for it, not just an ES; that's probably irrational and psychological as 480s in all forms are getting rare, but I am with Zapcity on that.

David

[zapcity]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132039377579

Hi guys,

Just saw this 480 on Ebay. Interested as I like this model/colour combination.

If Martin mc's 480 is up for £1400 and seems a very reasonable price given how sorted it is, then £1100 is too much for this given the inevitable bodywork I will need to do.

As it's 4 hours from me, thought I would ask for opinions before I maybe take a look.

Thanks for any comments.

[jamescarruthers]

The two-tone looks fabulous and is very rare now: great colouration combo and interior. From the pictures, I can see that the rear arches aren't too far gone so could maybe just be sanded, treated and filled if you're lucky. Rear lights aren't too bad either.

At that mileage and price I'd snap it up if I was in the market.

Looked at the MOT history here https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history and it doesn't look too bad. Maybe tyres, CV boots and check previous welding (2011 had an MOT fail for corrosion) to look at.

Good luck. Keep us posted on it if you do take a look. There's plenty of support available here for when/if you do buy it.

Where abouts are you based?

[zapcity]

Hi James, I'm in Ipswich.

Do love the 2 tone so might take a look.

[balto8]

Would also kill for a Starion. I guess we are all into the retrofuture quirky stuff.

There's one for sale close to my place. But if finding spares for the 480s in becoming increasingly harder I cannot imagine myself digging the japanese classifieds for parts and paying for shipping from Japan.

http://www.milanuncios.com/mitsubishi-d ... 228547.htm

One other car that is now at rock bottom prices and that will, in my opinion, rise in the future is the, God forgive me for using the forbidden car brand name in this forum, Renault Fuego.

http://www.milanuncios.com/renault-de-s ... 935090.htm

Me too: if I only had an empty industrial unit and 10.000 eur to spend !