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5 speed on e bay

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Jim_Gruber

Jim_Gruber

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Glad I got mine. 5 speed on evay now at $1,500 BIN price.hard to believe.
 
Just like the guy trying to get 3 k for a BE bonnet.
 
How much would you pay? I'd go $400+/- on a unit that passed cursory inspection.
 
I got one from ebay about 3 years ago when there was a real buying frenzy for $425. About that same time there were several that went for $6-800 and I even saw one sold at $1600. Now if I could just get the Sprite put together to make use of the box.:blue:
 
The problem is guys won't stick together. There is no reason those should bring that much other than folks flip out and go nuts. I paid $40 for mine a few years ago ....and that's not a typo.
 
IIRC I paid $175 for the first one I bought because that was the junk yard price for all manual transmissions and it was nonnegotiable.
 
Of course I tried every junkyard within 50 miles as well as several internet places and most just laughed at the idea of them keeping or having a 30 year old car or its gearbox. I do agree those prices are ridiculous but what can you do?
 
"Sometimes you just gotta say what the ..." Oops, can't say that in polite company.
 
AN5Sprite said:
No soup for YOU! :jester:
Click to expand...

I have been biting my tongue as long as possible, but I have to chime in here...

First of all, like anything else, supply and demand dictate where pricing will go on these gearboxes. In the US market, these were only used for a few years, and while a lot were probably made, it's still somewhat of a narrow selection i.e., years and model. Add to that, these are quite reliable cars, and the quality of material and build quality, especially in the engine have kept a lot on the road. As previously mentioned, most scrap yards, and even some Nissan dealerships no longer keep parts or even records for the parts. When I call my local Nissan dealership, there is only one guy who will look up parts of this vintage, and for that matter, he is the only one to have access to that database. I have heard from many people that their local dealer either does not have access to those records or will just be told there is nothing available for that old of a car. I'm lucky because my contact is only known to me because I have a friend that restores (exclusively) Datsun Roadsters. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have run into the same brick wall many of you have.

As previously mentioned, scrap yards don't have much interest in keeping these older vintage cars around, no doubt because they have very slow turnover for parts. In addition, I also know for a fact that there are people out there who either have friends in or make deals with a salvage employee, who will "make a phone call" when one of these Datsun gearboxes come in. Why do you think it's usually the same guys on ebay who always have one or two to sell?? Most times, if you find a 210 in a yard, even if it just arrived, the gearbox will be gone but little else is missing. You can blame them for the high cost of the gearboxes too.

Add to that that Spridget people aren't the only ones looking for these. There are plenty of guys (maybe even more-so) who restore vintage Datsuns (i.e. 1200), that this gearbox is also sought for an upgrade. Imagine the reverse, that there was some precious component on our cars that was highly sought after by some other camp. If you needed that correct part for your car, you'd not be happy about someone else drying up supply or driving the price up. As an example, there is this sort of animosity between MG 1100/Austin America and Mini collectors because the Mini guys will scavenge the transverse 1275 and full synchro gearboxes for the Mini, and scrap the rest of a good car.

When I first started doing these conversions back in 1999, you could get a gearbox from a yard for $75. Even then, there were "hoarders" that would supply Rivergate or would be referred by Rivergate as "suppliers". Even then, people were doubling or tripling their money on them. I bought several back then for $150, but it was never worth my time to drive all over **** and back to find one and then pull it myself. I was happy to pay the price and get on with it. In the last few years, I too have paid market prices for the gearbox. It's still not worth my time to drive all over the valley for one.

Since then, prices have gradually increased, but it still depended on demand. There are times when an ebay $500 box would not sell, but a month later, you see them sell @ "Buy it Now" for $600 to $800... or more.

The reality is, there are people who actually value their time and are happy to pay market price. Let's face it, how many years are you willing to wait to have what you want, and how many years do you have left to enjoy your ride? Is it really worth it to give up the pleasure of having what you want for a few hundred $$? Do you really think they are going to get cheaper in the future? The only time these will get cheaper is when neither I nor Rivergate make the adapter kits, and nobody wants them anymore. The more you "refuse to play", the sooner that's going to happen. I have many times been asked to consider coming up with an alternative kit for a different, more available gearbox, but there is just not enough demand or support to make this a viable, cost effective alternative. You have no idea what it costs to make and inventory everything that's needed, especially at the quality level I have.

Lastly, those of you who who say I wouldn't pay more than... _$____ for one, I would ask "and how much would you sell the one you paid a couple hundred for?" I know for certain that in most cases, the answer is "as much as possible", as in what ebay prices are.
 
Hey Gerard,
Just for the sake of clarity:
I think you might have misunderstood my tongue in cheek comment.
No money, no goods. That's all I was saying.
 
My statement about how much I'd pay for one is based on my need. I don't need another, but I'd like to have a spare. Since I'm more of a hot rod type guy .. I'd rather do an engine swap than pay $1200 for a transmission + cost of adapter kit. Different strokes for different folks and all that. If I were to sell one of my datsun transmissions, I'd probably entertain offers from other spridget owners I know and sell it to one of them. Doubt it would be for $1200.
 
AN5Sprite said:
Hey Gerard,
Just for the sake of clarity:
I think you might have misunderstood my tongue in cheek comment.
No money, no goods. That's all I was saying.
Click to expand...

Hi Steve,

Nope, I didn't miss it at all. Being a huge Seinfeld fan, it actually gave me a big laugh, because I thought it was "right on the money" (no pun intended). It's something I say all the time myself too. [that's why I jumped into this off your post] Sorry if you thought it was anything else...:blush:

My comments were not directed at anybody specifically, just some observations and my opinions about the reality of the situation. I've observed (on a number of forums), that some of the same people who complain about stuff being expensive (like the 5 speed) be just as opportunistic when the shoe is on the other foot. I deliberately made it non-all-inclusive, because clearly there are also many who will do a lot in many ways to help another member out, sometimes at their own expense and without any gain.

I jumped into making the kits only after we lost Paul, and because I had many private requests to "carry on". I did it as an enthusiast, and I always strive to come up with the best quality possible. I realize this is not always the foremost consideration with those who are interested in Spridgets (and this is not a well kept secret.. :highly_amused:smile: However, compared to almost anything else, these cars are already so inexpensive to restore and maintain, it's tiresome to hear this repetitive topic of how expensive the gearboxes are. Yes, some are kind of ridiculous (relatively) and often they are sold by someone who know very little about them and just in it for the money, but what else is new. Take a look at what a T9 kit cost for a T-series/MGA/MGB. You'll be in it $5,000 - $6,000 for it by the time it's at your door, and that doesn't include installation.

Anyway, there are still deals out there, though they are few and far between. You might be waiting a very long time if you expectations are back 10 or 15 years ago. Personally, most of the gearboxes I have acquired over the last few years have been in the $500 to $700 range, and I even have one for which I ended up paying $900. ... the highest price I ever paid for one, which was from another forum member (different group).
 
Gerard said:
The reality is, there are people who actually value their time

The only time these will get cheaper is when neither I nor Rivergate make the adapter kits, and nobody wants them anymore. The more you "refuse to play", the sooner that's going to happen. I have many times been asked to consider coming up with an alternative kit for a different, more available gearbox, but there is just not enough demand or support to make this a viable, cost effective alternative. You have no idea what it costs to make and inventory everything that's needed, especially at the quality level I have.

Lastly, those of you who who say I wouldn't pay more than... _$____ for one, I would ask "and how much would you sell the one you paid a couple hundred for?" I know for certain that in most cases, the answer is "as much as possible", as in what ebay prices are.
Click to expand...


I understand what you're saying, but you have more than one dog in this fight.


If demand is enough to drive up prices, it's enough to warrant another replacement model. I'm glad you mentioned the guys who keep coming up with them. Those are the people being allowed to control the market price because folks are willing to pay stupid money for them. I here ya on people restoring these cars (few and far between) but how many CL ads have you seen with a 210 that had another drivetrain put in it? There should be enough of these boxes to go around, the problem is us. The LBC crowd is a different group of folks usually willing to pay more.

My biggest problem is guys stripping yards of parts they don't need (thus not giving those that do a chance at it) and wanting 1600% more than what they have in it.

I values my time AND my money, I'm not willing to pay someone $1500 for something I can do myself in two hours (A $65 transmission is still a $65 transmission). Your customers paying top dollar for a trans supply that's drying up isn't a good business model. Guess what, sooner or later no one will want a kit because the transmission cost too much because of low or non existent supply.

Why is that going to happen? Because folks don't want to spend the time and money to develop a kit for another model. I guess they prefer to go out of business the old fashioned way, extinction.... :whistle:


What else is there to wait for, transmissions to go to $2000 before something is done? The time is NOW, the market has already proven it! The longer "you" wait, the more replacement models will be lost to the crusher (I like the BMW one). Make a 5 speed kit for a $65 transmission and the Spridget world will beat a path to your door.


Gerard said:
When I first started doing these conversions back in 1999, you could get a gearbox from a yard for $75. .
Click to expand...


*Gasp* , imagine that! Yeah, you're right, no demand for a cheap 5 speed kit....


If it were me, I'd get a jump on the competition. :wink:


Yes, you are 100% correct I would want top dollar-market price for mine. Why, because I value my time and my money. It took me YEARS to find ONE that was reasonably priced. Why, because other folks allowed the market to be controlled. I expect to be PAID for that time, just like you. :wink: Ya see... if folks weren't paying stupid money for them, or if "someone else" had come up with another kit I would have been able to locate this one with ease. :yesnod:


P.S No need to ever bite your tongue, we're all friends here. No reason folks can't have an honest discussion. We all know I don't bite myself ....I may you... but not me.:jester:
 
Gerard said:
Hi Steve,

Nope, I didn't miss it at all. Being a huge Seinfeld fan, it actually gave me a big laugh, because I thought it was "right on the money" (no pun intended). It's something I say all the time myself too. [that's why I jumped into this off your post] Sorry if you thought it was anything else...:blush:

).
Click to expand...


As the resident soup Nazi, I take offense to someone else using this line. :jester:
 
kellysguy said:
Why is that going to happen? Because folks don't want to spend the time and money to develop a kit for another model. I guess they prefer to go out of business the old fashioned way, extinction.... :whistle:


What else is there to wait for, transmissions to go to $2000 before something is done? The time is NOW, the market has already proven it! The longer "you" wait, the more replacement models will be lost to the crusher (I like the BMW one). Make a 5 speed kit for a $65 transmission and the Spridget world will beat a path to your door.

:jester:
Click to expand...

1) I don't do this as a business. As I said earlier, I did this from the prospective of an enthusiast, in support of the hobby/community.
2) I don't believe one single person who encouraged me to continue the legacy has ever stepped up to the plate to buy one, even though they said they'd be first in line. For the most part, people are still buying the other kit, because the perception is it's cheaper. In reality, it's apples and oranges, and when all is said and done, that's not the case. I suppose I could do the same thing (make my entry price lower) and do the "add-ons" you need to make it complete, but I don't feel comfortable with that approach.
3) I'm not going to invest the time and money for development, only to have an imitator come along and make a copy of it cheaper.


Bottom line is, I'm not taking that bait again.
 
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