wtf is wrong with car prices now?

[xtriple]

It seems to me that car prices have gone up rather than down in this COVID time. About 8-10 years ago we sold our VolvoV70,it was a 52 or 53 reg, just coming up to 100,000 miles and a high spec thing with lots of goodies. The best we could get for it then was just over two grand. Now it seems that would be a MASSIVE bargain if you could find one!

Cars that were sub £1000 are long gone and all just about sub £2000 for the same shonky old heaps.

I don't understand it...

yet, Autotrader still advise that cars are worth the same or less than they were a year ago but they are advertised as £1000 - £1500 more.

[Smokyjoe]

We are looking for a newer motor and popped into an arnold Clark dealers for a look at the stock as we where passing anyway, it's the first time I've seen the plot so empty with less than half the normal stock with quite a few scratched and not really ready for sale yet.
Spoke to the sales chap and he said we have 100s stored awaiting prep but due to covid (yes that old excuse again) they have a serious backlog and people are buying the cars they have quicker than they can put them out, he reckoned that's why prices are pretty firm at the moment.

[Bazfr69]

I’d say that might be accurate re Covid. I went to see about new rear tyres for our Smart yesterday and they had two fitters on and the chap from the front desk was running in and out to help them, they normally have seven. Five off isolating atm.
People might also be hanging on to their motors a little longer with the job uncertainty. I’m sure I read something recently about the second hand market being healthier than new.

[mercrocker]

Been looking for a winter smoker - the Gumtree was full of sub £500 stuff in previous Novembers. There is a 95 Passat on a lot near me that has sat there since being MOTd in July - they still want 2 grand for it. Place I bought Mrs Rocker's Focus last year has nothing under 3K and for that price you just get dogshit. Only thing that seems cheaper than when I looked last year are S Type Jags funny enough - two or three round the area for £1200.

I think there is some truth in folk putting some of their cash into a reasonable used car rather than jacking out on lease payments with the working from home and general uncertainty at the mo.

[Scruffy Bodger]

I've noticed the exact same thing with this V50 which is why I'm in a bit of quandary what to do with the twatting thing. The price people are asking for them doesn't seem to have dropped from what it was 18 months ago?

[cros]

My mate who delivers cars reckons the big auction people are holding back cars and controlling the market. I've no idea if this is so, but it sounds plausible.

[Eddie Honda]

Due to The Covid, the supply of all these locally* produced products have gone to pot. The just-in-time way of doing things falls on its arse quite quickly.

Take car factories, shut down or short working. Even if they want to run the lines, their suppliers might be in the same boat and so on and so forth down the chain. Used cars, well they need fixing, servicing or prepping. Same shit.

People WFH and converting to be cyclecunts. It's about a 9 month wait for a British bike and I'm sure that Halfords aren't finding it a walk in the park to import a load of tut from Vietnam (or wherever the latest cheap place to get bicycles made is).

Anyway, I don't know what my point is. I've got more than enough cars to last several lifetimes and couldn't give a shit what they cost to buy now.

[Eddie Honda]

I've noticed the exact same thing with this V50 which is why I'm in a bit of quandary what to do with the twatting thing. The price people are asking for them doesn't seem to have dropped from what it was 18 months ago?

Sell while you are ahead of the game? You must secretly love it otherwise.

[PhilA]

Makes me worry that prices go the way they do here, or in Germany, Sweden etc.

There's no such thing as a "sub-grand smoker" here. Anything under 1000 won't run and will have floors like Fred Flintstone's car.

Phil

[bub2006]

This is something I've noticed and whynive persevered with the Peugeot. my friend is a mobile mechanic and his van is on its last legs. Really struggling to find anything suitable for under a grand to see him through Christmas. Hes resorted to using his x trail and less tools on board. Hes considering buying an horse box trailer as well though now.