Subaru powered speedster on Ebay

Not mine. Item # 330184825139

I assume that this is the SAS car that went to Alabama a couple of months ago. If so, this is a first of my type car to hit the resale market, so it should be interesting to see what it goes for. More pictures are available on the SAS website, but this is a pretty comprehensive set.
Hoss

I wonder why someone would wait that long and then turn it around?
Too many tickets, maybe?
:

I think there's more pictures of it on the SAS website under Randy's Red Cabriolet.

The reserve is NOT 20k. The starting bid is 20k...I gave a bid of 20100, just to prove it....LOL

My guess is that he started the bidding at 20k, and the reserve is 40k.

I have actually seen this car in person as it was being finished.

One observation in this hobby has to do with the term "invested". I keep seeing statements like "I have $40k invested in this car" Unfortunately, we keep confusing ourselves if we think of these cars as investments. More properly put is "I have $40k SPENT on this car". Seldom is a car ever an investment.....

"In finance, the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use money in the hope of making more money."

Very few of us will ever make a profit on any car unless that is our full time business and we buy cheap and sell high....

I have been following pricing and the buying and selling of kit cars and factory built replicas and owner finished cars for more than 20 years. I have bought and sold a few. If my time is worth anything I can't say I made a profit on any of them. I may have broken even if my time was only worth minimum wage (:>)

Usually, moving from "new" to being resold results in about a 25% reduction in price unless you are very very lucky.... and I evidently am not....as are a lot of other people. And Allan may be the exception on this list.....

Jim - Agree! "Invested" = "Sunk into" and sunk means lost at sea! Not many car ventures do you get $ rewards for R&D and custom builds.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&viewitem=&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D330184825139%2B%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1&item=330184825139

front overriders are on the wrong side of the mounting bracket on that Subbie.

I wonder how loud it is in it with the engine so close

SAS cars run the gamut from Midas quiet to pretty loud in terms of exhaust note. The actual noise eminating from the engine compartment is pretty minimal. After a 4350 mile from home to California and back in the Spring of 2005, I can say this with authority.
Hoss
ps. no I'm not deaf

It will be interesting to see, in this post-sub-prime world how much a custom build SAW/SAS cab can fetch. Part of the appeal that makes it worth $40K to start with is customizing your interior and paint. Since that isn't an option here, I have a feeling the aforementioned 25% discount is likely.

Of course that being said its darn tempting at $30K.

-Jeff

I would like to think that buyers of Suby tubs see more than just paint and interior. I can get paint and interior at JPS and IM and others. For me, I am intrigued with many of the mechanical aspects, the horsepower, the lack of noise in the cockpit, the neutral steering, the Cabriolet and weatherworthy configuration, a real heater, and the general uniqueness. Notwithstanding all of this, it may very well not do well on eBay because of its rarity and unfamiliarity by the bidders. I think the write up could be better but the pictures are quite good.
Many potential buyers probably have a deposit with Specialty Auto and are in the queue. I believe it would be a good buy at $40K. My guess is that the reserve is somewhere in the high 30s.

My mistake, Steve-O. He wants some of that $40K back.
Oops.

Hi Folks;

I`ve not been around for awhile cause I`ve continued dabbling in "Appreciating" British Cars (Jag E-Type Rdstrs. specifically):

I`m quite certain the opening bid was $20K: The Reseve is ???

I`m surprised that no one here had mentioned that she is an "Automatic"! Now, Who in the world would pay $40K for an automatic, open two seat sports car of anykind?

I`ve seen "Real" & Decent Cabrolets selling for the $40K figure:

Why would someone pay $40K for a repro? I don`t understand that?

Just my $.02;

Regards, Russ

Russ,
You might be surprized that some folks prefer automatics over standard transmission, even in open two seat sports cars. Consider the number of Vettes that are outfitted and sold that way. I agree with you that it seems like heresy, but there's plenty of examples out there.

As far as finding a "decent" original Cabriolet for 40K, I suspect that the ones that you have seen or read about are not really very great examples. If you peel a layer or two back, you will find plenty of flaws in the cars in that price range. The really nice ones that I saw at Watkins Glen in 2006, and there were lots, would command more like 60K, some more than that. Some buyers at B-J were shelling out more than 80K for them plus the commissions, but that's another story.

As far as original go, I try to keep in mind that these are fifty year old cars. Every nut, bolt and wire not replaced is half a century old if not refreshed and the process of making all things like new is very expensive as I'm sure you know. Since all 356 series Porsche cars are collectable, there are people who will pay big bucks to buy restored examples or have the work done.

I didn't pay anything close to 40K for my Cabrio but just had it appraised yesterday for a C-note short of that figure. And no, mine is a manual just the way I like it.

my 2 krona
Hoss

Not to mention just how smooth and powerful these cars are. I drove Hoss' car on the Cherahola Skyway and it's really REALLY nice. Fast, smooth, and precise, like a modern car should be, but with classic looks.

$20,400 bucks currently.
I just noticed the rakish angles of the door mirrors.
Hoss, are yours like that?

Cory, mine are tilted very slightly forward. The ones on the ebay car are also tilted, but much more to an extreme. Funny, I didn't even catch that and I thought I had identifed all the differences.

Unfortunately, we won't get to see the real nature of the bidding until the reserve is met. He may be close to $40K and doesn't know it because of the way eBay handles bids. I am not sure the poster can see any more than we can.

$20,900 & 27min to go!!

I`d wager $22K at best!

We`ll see soon enough:

Russ

No, we did not see anything because the reserve was not met. Because the reserve was set high, we do not know what the high bidder was actually willing to pay.

Perhaps the seller will receive a flurry of after auction e-mails from interested parties and none of us will know what the end result will be. Also, since these cars are so rare, maybe it shouldn't be surprising that the general public reacted with indifference, you know, "just another kit car." HUMPH!

So, if the car is seriously for sale, what are the possibilities going forward? I don't know, but these are my guesses:

1. keeping the car....my guess not likely
2. post auction private sale, as suggested above
3. relisting on ebay or other public sales venue
4. consigning the car with a specialty car sales company
5. placing the car on a typical used car lot....ugh!
6. "arranging" an accident, fire or theft
7. driving the car off of a cliff

Geeze Louise, maybe I should look in my piggy bank.

I would like to see another round on eBay. I wonder if he considered going back through SAS. SAS and Steve Lawing are the ones that get the calls and indications of interest. These are indeed rare cars and it is doubtful if their unique characteristics are appreciated by many potential bidders. Somehow it needs to get wider visibility. If it is not registered, can it be insured? The cliff may not be a viable idea.

You cannot get a much bigger sales arena than Ebay.

It's ALL about SUPPLY and DEMAND.

There's simply NO demand.

Good Luck Have Fun.

Steve-O might be able to broker a deal, huh?

I think SL would be the best contact. He's the one who gets the calls.