What really happens to soft top values in winter?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Mon 20 Jul 2009 23:54
What really happens to soft top values in winter? - Blue {P}
Hi all,

Just a quick semi-hypothetical question, but what sort of knock would you say that a convertible really takes in the winter, for example, a BMW 320Cd Convertible that sells for £12K or £13K now in July would sell for roughly how much in December a week away from xmas?

It's the one thing that I never came across during my time in the trade and I am sort of curious as the more I look at the E46 convertible the more I start to covet one. :-)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 21 Jul 2009 12:32
What really happens to soft top values in winter? - Andrew-T
I haven't dabbled in soft-tops for several years now, but I would guess that just before Xmas is a good time to buy any car (it certainly was last year). I might also guess that sellers of soft-tops know that, and will wait till April if they can.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 21 Jul 2009 14:37
What really happens to soft top values in winter? - barney100
I would like to know what conclusion you come to about seasonal soft top prices, it would make sense if they were cheaper in winter so you will need to start prices monitoring asap.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 21 Jul 2009 20:55
What really happens to soft top values in winter? - Blue {P}
I've already started, got a spreadsheet with the Glass's guide price on a specific model which I will monitor every other month.

Interestingly I did this in March with my dad's cars and both of them have risen in value signifigantly, his CLK (coupe not convertible) has risen by £600 and the Z4 by even more.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 21 Jul 2009 22:20
What really happens to soft top values in winter? - Andrew-T
It's OK monitoring Glass's, but IMHO Glass's leads the market rather than following it. You need to know what cars actually sell for, which may be hard to judge at a slack time when not many soft-tops are changing hands. As I said above, owners of decent examples hang on till spring - perhaps the other cars aren't representative, maybe because their owners have to sell for some reason.

I suppose if you are talking new, dealers may bite your hand off at Xmas if they have one sitting around.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 21 Jul 2009 22:37
What really happens to soft top values in winter? - Blue {P}
I suppose if I did look at buying one the trick would be to find a seller that is desperate, possibly one with a baby, or a well timed divorce or emigration. :-)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link