Nice early 240Z (LHD) at NEC Auction

Stop thinking as a post-Brexit victim - this is a LHD car and the rest of Europ isn't in a recession. :) S30s will only continue to rise in value as demand continues ; I was visited today by a guy, 29yrs old, looking to begin a Z project.

The whole of Europe is in recession. Most the whole world is. The UK is behind the average euro figure. I'm not sure what rock you're under.

Liechtenstein33.3Oct/22%
Switzerland33.3Oct/22%
France6.25.6Oct/22%
Luxembourg6.96.9Oct/22%
Spain7.38.9Oct/22%
Malta7.47Sep/22%
Norway7.56.9Oct/22%
Finland8.17.6Sep/22%
Albania8.38.1Oct/22%
Cyprus8.88.7Oct/22%
Faroe Islands8.87.3Sep/22%
Greece9.112Oct/22%
Ireland9.28.2Oct/22%
Iceland9.49.3Oct/22%
Slovenia9.910Oct/22%
Denmark10.110Oct/22%
Portugal10.19.3Oct/22%
United Kingdom10.19.9Sep/22%
Germany10.410Oct/22%
Euro Area10.79.9Oct/22%
Sweden10.89.8Sep/22%
European Union10.910.1Sep/22%
Austria1110.5Oct/22%
Italy11.98.9Oct/22%
Belgium12.2711.27Oct/22%
Russia12.613.7Oct/22%
Kosovo12.712.7Oct/22%
Croatia12.812.3Sep/22%
Serbia1413.2Sep/22%
Slovakia14.214Sep/22%
Netherlands14.314.5Oct/22%
Czech Republic15.118Oct/22%
Belarus15.217.4Oct/22%
Romania15.3215.88Oct/22%
Montenegro1615Sep/22%
Bosnia and Herzegovina17.316.8Sep/22%
Poland17.917.2Oct/22%
Bulgaria18.717.7Sep/22%
Macedonia19.818.7Oct/22%
Hungary21.120.1Oct/22%
Latvia21.822.2Oct/22%
Estonia22.523.7Oct/22%
Lithuania23.624.1Oct/22%
Ukraine26.624.6Oct/22%
Moldova34.6233.97Oct/22%
Turkey85.5183.45Oct/22%
 
My crystal ball says that this car will loose less in two years than a new car, and provide more enjoyment driving every day.

My balls are hairy. they agree with you.

I think its a good time to buy while prices are squished a little, likely to go further downwards, there's a saying about catching a falling knife. I want my falling knife to have a big lusty v12 in it.
 

chrisvega

Well-Known Forum User
My balls are hairy. they agree with you.

I think its a good time to buy while prices are squished a little, likely to go further downwards, there's a saying about catching a falling knife. I want my falling knife to have a big lusty v12 in it.

Ooooo.......Go on then, what is it?
Or let's guess.
Italian, British or German?
From which decade?
 

status

Well-Known Forum User
If yer want a car that puts a smile on yer face and is only going up in value Rob get yerself an impreza sti jdm car,I expect to get slagged off but unless you’ve had one then you won’t know,I’m lucky enough to have two of em one being a hawk wagon plus my Z with the Rebello,I sold my Z 4 M coupe over the Impreza as good as it is
That 240 has probably maxed out in value for a few years hence cars like skylines ,Evos and imprezas are shooting up in value,think we call them modern day classics
 

Mr Ex Jnr

Club Member
Stop thinking as a post-Brexit victim - this is a LHD car and the rest of Europ isn't in a recession. :) S30s will only continue to rise in value as demand continues ; I was visited today by a guy, 29yrs old, looking to begin a Z project.
The younger generation love these cars and I love them till death :)

Z are only going up in value
 

TimFZ

Club Member
I was at the auction, expecting a £50k+ price and lots of activity. However, practically no interest from the floor and the telephone bid took it. I was so tempted to bid myself....
 

atomman

Club Member
I'm surprised it only went for 31k , but did think when I watched Harry Metcalf's YouTube pre auction video Friday there were a lot of cars in the auction with people trying to get 'out' of them,

How was the bidding on the other cars ? did they sell for less than expected to ?

shame there was no shinny RHD car to compare with in the same auction
 
I'm surprised it only went for 31k , but did think when I watched Harry Metcalf's YouTube pre auction video Friday there were a lot of cars in the auction with people trying to get 'out' of them,

How was the bidding on the other cars ? did they sell for less than expected to ?

shame there was no shinny RHD car to compare with in the same auction

I think they're all 'down' mate. however they're also all inflated so I'm not sure how it balances out.

Also, lots of cars are coming out for sale at the min.
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
Lessons learnt: keep our eyes and ears open for good buys and if selling set a reserve.

So apart from the economic downturn why was there so little interest in the car?

I'm going to guess that LHD was an issue. I like original unconverted cars but the price in the UK will be lower.

Secondly these cars are considered sporty but don't look at their best with narrow wheels and a high stance. Again I like originality but younger buyers may not.

We need to realise that buyers are a lot younger than the cars these days.
 
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Lessons learnt: keep our eyes and ears open for good buys and if selling set a reserve.

So apart from the economic downturn why was there so little interest in the car?

I'm going to guess that LHD was an issue. I like original unconverted cars but the price in the UK will be lower.

Secondly these cars are considered sporty but don't look at their best with narrow wheels and a high stance. Again I like originality but younger buyers may not.

We need to realise that buyers are a lot younger than the cars these days.

I don't think LHD was the issue, just the wrong place to sell and wrong time.

If its off to Switzerland, the reason it sold was because it was LHD. I think its about 7.5% vat in imports there also.

Its a lesson in buying as much as selling.
 

Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
I don't think LHD was the issue, just the wrong place to sell and wrong time.

If its off to Switzerland, the reason it sold was because it was LHD. I think its about 7.5% vat in imports there also.

Its a lesson in buying as much as selling.
People with LHD cars will have a different opinion I understand that. It sold to Switzerland because it was LHD - of course it did. Would the buyer have bought it if it was RHD?

Was it 4 speed?

It is a wonderful car and I'm sure if it was RHD it would have sold here or at least got more interest.

IF you were in the market for a 370Z and there were two cars in a Nissan Showroom both £30k and one was RHD and one LHD which would you be attracted to? If the LHD car was reduced to £25k would you then be steered to that - probably not even then. If the cars were in France which would they prefer? Thinking about it do the Japanese Z fans like LHD cars?

I need to look at the full results to gauge the current market.
 
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status

Well-Known Forum User
There use to be a market in Japan for lhd cars as it was thought prestigious to have one,that’s wot we were told as we use to pick lhd cars up destined for Japan,maybe Alan can put some light on that one
 
People with LHD cars will have a different opinion I understand that. It sold to Switzerland because it was LHD - of course it did. Would the buyer have bought it if it was RHD?

Was it 4 speed?

It is a wonderful car and I'm sure if it was RHD it would have sold here or at least got more interest.

IF you were in the market for a 370Z and there were two cars in a Nissan Showroom both £30k and one was RHD and one LHD which would you be attracted to? If the LHD car was reduced to £25k would you then be steered to that - probably not even then. If the cars were in France which would they prefer? Thinking about it do the Japanese Z fans like LHD cars?

I need to look at the full results to gauge the current market.


It makes no difference thst I’ve got a lhd car.

You’ve only got to look back just before the rate rise and see how little rhd cars were selling for at auction. It’s a global market.

Fact is, people are thinking about what they’re spending due to inflation, along with a return to ‘normal’ interest rates. So borrowing just costs more. Given the influx of cars that are now being listed, people with money seem to changing where and what they do with it.
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
The whole of Europe is in recession. Most the whole world is. The UK is behind the average euro figure. I'm not sure what rock you're under.

Loyal flag-waving, however I don't see Z-purchases including parts slowing down or dropping in value world-wide. I think the UK ought to stop looking at 'their tummy-buttons as the centre of the world'. You chaps are in a very-limited and specific market now. And passion over rationality plays a big part in a classic-car purchase - we're not talking house-purchases and all the lending complexities !
 

Albrecht

Well-Known Forum User
There use to be a market in Japan for lhd cars as it was thought prestigious to have one,that’s wot we were told as we use to pick lhd cars up destined for Japan,maybe Alan can put some light on that one

That has long been true for European and American imports to Japan. But, when it comes to Japanese cars, in fact the opposite is (more) true.

The Japanese market saw a lot of parallel-import new LHD European cars in the 70s boom and 80s/90s 'Bubble Economy' years as the official importers got undercut. These were seen to have some snob value and prestige (sometimes they were better specced than the official imports of the same models) despite their impracticalities, and the official importers even started to allow Japanese customers to order LHD specced cars. They became so common that infrastructure (LHD toll booths, drive-thrus etc) started to be built for them.

But that doesn't hold true for Japanese classics. There's a much smaller market for LHD Japanese re-imports in comparison to their RHD variants and they were mainly prized for their body condition over their spec. I know of many that were imported simply to be picked apart to repair Japanese market variants, and also a fair few that have been bought as cheap entry to the classic car world.

Japanese economy has been stagnant for a while and there's plenty of Zs washing around as people economise and their ownership demographic gets older (forcing them to give up driving). Much less interest for imports these days. In fact, those 80s/90s imports (Porsche/MB/ALFA/BMW etc) are finding their way back to the UK and Europe.
There are exceptions of course. A good friend in Japan owns two early '70 US-market 240Zs, but also a '72 240ZG, a 1970 432 and several other Japanese classics. The most recent '70 US-market 240Z was bought on ebay USA for a knockdown price earlier this year (I was amazed how little it went for) and he considers it a lucky find.
 
Loyal flag-waving, however I don't see Z-purchases including parts slowing down or dropping in value world-wide. I think the UK ought to stop looking at 'their tummy-buttons as the centre of the world'. You chaps are in a very-limited and specific market now. And passion over rationality plays a big part in a classic-car purchase - we're not talking house-purchases and all the lending complexities !

No flag waving. just straight economics. Lending/borrowing is all the same, costs are about double. Same in Europe. Except on where you live obviously.
 
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