TR5/TR250 Ebay TR5 deja vu all over again

[Fairview]

Hi All,
So what should a TR5 bring on the market? This one is making its third pass through ebay and the seller sounds like his feelings are hurt.
ebay TR5
Fairview

 

[Twosheds]

I don't think he helped his cause with that part in all caps.

 

[Geo Hahn]

So what should a TR5 bring on the market?...

Hard to say when they seldom come up for sale in the LHD version. And that is part of the problem -- little in the way of 'comps' and perhaps also the fact that few of us have actually driven one to appreciate what difference PI makes.

Sounds like he's fed up with virtual tire-kickers but that just comes with the eBay experience.

I hope he gets his price. I hope someone I know buys it. I hope they let me drive it. I hope my wife decides it would be a perfect anniversary gift for me.

So much for being a grown-up.

 

[vagt6]

I don't have my most recent "Cars That Matter" value book (they come out quarterly), but a TR-5 in number 3 out of 4 condition (3 = "excellent"; 4 = concours) is valued at something like $37,000.

I'll check the book on Monday and let you know the current book values on TR-5s in all 4 categories.

With rare models like a TR-5, you're selling to a very narrow market. And, who in heck wants to pay $35,000-plus for a TR-5 when you can get a perfect TR-250 or TR-6 for ten grand less (and without the Lucas fuel injection headaches)???

It takes a <span style="text-decoration: underline">serious</span> TR collector, or someone with more money than sense, IMHO, to pay that kinda money for a TR-5.

But boy, it is a beautiful, head-turning car. Drive that thing to any LBC show in the U.S and you're automatically one of the star attractions, guaranteed.

 

[TheSearcherMan]

I'd be glad to exchange my ZS carb. problems for his Lucas PI problems, anyday, if I get the cyl. head also. Also, I think that's getting into E type money, and no Triumph is an E type.

 

[vagt6]

Lookee here, he's relisted it for the third consecutive week: https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Triumph-T...tem160226668190

"Buy it Now" price is $41,500. He sounds somewhat jaded by the eBay experience, here's a direct quote from his eBay sales description:

TR250 IS A NICE CAR, I HAVE OWNED THEM MYSELF-- AND IT IS NOTHING MORE OR LESS THAN A CASTRATED TR5. SO LOOK AT THE WORLD AROUND YOU. TRS ARE SELLING FOR GROWN UP MONEY, AND I WILL NOT TAKE LESS THAN GROWN UP MONEY FOR MY CAR. YOU TR3, TR4, AND TR250 OWNERS-- HOW MUCH IS YOUR CAR WORTH? ISN'T A TR5 WORTH MORE DUE TO RARITY, POWER, AND THE FACT THAT IT IS PRESENTED AS THE DESIGNERS INTENDED, WITHOUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DICTATING HOW CHOKED THE ENGINE SHOULD BE? ALL YOU WANNA BE AND DREAMERS WHO HAVE THE MONEY BUT CAN'T QUITE MAKE UP YOUR MIND-- GET OFF THE POT AND MAKE A REALISITIC BID. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW A DECENT TR5 FOR SALE-- AND WHEN WILL YOU SEE ONE AGAIN? SO LET'S GET THIS CAR SOLD ALREADY. THANKS- JAM

A TR-250 is a "castrated TR-5"!!! I've never really thought of it that way, but maybe he has a point???

 

[Guest]

I guess in his mind he's already come way down from the 50k he had it originally listed at, so seeing it stall in the 30s must be heartrending...

For sale - TR5 LHD

Don't get me wrong, it's an unusual car - but it just isn't worth 50k to me, here.
The 5's in the UK do appear to be fetching that sort of dough, but then again you won't find anyone paying $1M for a 60's Mopar over there...

 

[MGA Steve]

If he is getting so much interest from Europeans, why doesn't he just sell it to one of them? After all, the Euro is higher against the dollar than it has ever been, so it is worth only 2/3 that amount to them!

 

[Andrew Mace]

...A TR-250 is a "castrated TR-5"!!! I've never really thought of it that way, but maybe he has a point???

Is the glass half empty, or is it half full? Arguably most Triumph folk might consider the TR250 "almost as good" for a lot less money and hassle (well, nowadays, maybe not so much LESS money)....

 

[Guest]

If he is getting so much interest from Europeans, why doesn't he just sell it to one of them? After all, the Euro is higher against the dollar than it has ever been, so it is worth only 2/3 that amount to them!

I can't help it. It's like a train wreck - you have to watch.

In my best Monty Python voice:

"Allo my nayme eez 'Ercule. Ah'm from ze continent. Ah unnerstan' you 'ave a Triumph for sale and eet's verry nice. Zat's verry interesin'. Ah don' wan' eet, we 'ave plenty 'ere, but eet's verry interesin'.

 

[Brosky]

I don't know what school of selling and charm he attended, but this rant is not out of Marketing 101.

 

[Fairview]

I don't know what school of selling and charm he attended, but this rant is not out of Marketing 101.

I couldn't agree more. He is cooking his own goose. I wish him well with the sale, but he is doing everything in his power to make it a failure. Maybe he will read this thread and get some pointers on how to actually sell a car on ebay. I'll just point out a few things I noticed:

1) When this car first was on auction, a zero rated bidder was the high bidder for most of the sale. That is the kiss of death. Cancel the negative rated and zero rated bidders immediately. Everybody who is watching thinks those bids are bogus and it just scares away good people;

2) Get a decent amount of positive feedback before expecting top dollar for a valuable car. This seller's rating is only 6;

3) Only use the best photos and make them informative. In this ad, the quality of the photos is quite poor. The photo of the commission number plate is too far away to read. The undercarriage photos only show that the car is far from clean, nothing to soothe the buyers' nerves about rust or repairs;

4) Be friendly. Don't alienate your buyers, especially the ones who are enthusiasts, by saying everybody else's car is not worth as much. It isn't much help to imply that they are all idiots because they ask questions, and don't bid high enough to suit the seller;

5) Don't keep relisting the same car over and over. It gets shop worn. Try a new approach, do some new photos, work on your listing, reconsider what the car is really worth;

6) At least vacuum the carpet for photos- this is claimed to be a $40,000 car for pete's sake. If an owner can't even vacuum the carpet, how much care is taken in things that don't show?;

These comments are not meant to critisize, but to explain why he can't get this car sold and to offer some friendly advice. I am just an amateur in this, but others here can provide even better guidance. If an ebay ad is done correctly, it is a powerful tool. It is so much better than the 3 line ads we used to read in the Sunday newspaper classifieds, isnt' it?

Fairview
previous owner of a lowly 1964 TR4 (recently sold through ebay at a very high price)

 

[vagt6]

That ad is a virtual primer on how <span style="text-decoration: underline">not</span> to sell a car (or anything else) on eBay.

Take note, my friends, and don't repeat these mistakes when you sell your LBC.

Sad, really. Reflects rather poorly on all LBC enthusiasts.

 

[toysrrus]

Hi Folks,

I was just driving thru and had to express my opinion!

This guy has a lot of "Etique" to learn! He obviously did`nt have "ANY" sales training in his day! He states:

"Questions from very nice Triumph owners who have absolutely no interest in buying the car":

"Selling for "Grown-Up" money & will not take less than "Grown-Up" money":

"All you "Wanna-Be" and "Dreamers" get off the pot & make a realistic bid":

No way to make friends and influence potential buyers!!

Some interesting points:

Wrong Steering Wheel (Orig, I don`t think so):
Radio (Can`t see it but I don`t believe it looks Orig):
Roll Bar (Not in my book for $45K):
Should clean the car at least:
All pics are taken way too far away (Hiding something)?
Seats (Look shaby to me):
Top (Does`nt fit well at all):
etc etc etc etc:

NOTE: This guy lives in "Annapolis, MD". This is High rent district so I guess he feels he "Deserves" a high rent price regardless of what anyone thinks!

Its too bad this guy is a "Jerk" and has "No Clue" what the heck he is doing!

What I feel is perhaps he "Inherited" this car or something like that & simply wants to make a killing on it after watching that "TR3" sell for $30K+!

There`s a thought! He should contact the gent who wrote up the article on the TR3 & "Pay him some Grown-Up Money" for a well written description & class on how to sell a car!! :computer:

Summary: Even if I had the "Grown-Up" money to buy this car; "I WOULD`NT"!! He has "NO PRIDE" in what he`s selling!!

Russ

 

[Guest]

Sad, really. Reflects rather poorly on all LBC enthusiasts.

No, it really doesn't reflect poorly on anyone but him. It is actually very unusual. That's why it is such a topic of interest to many of us. It is just the opposite of most LBC enthusiasts.

It reflects more on people that don't own or know how to use a vacuum cleaner. :crazy:
.

 

[TRDejaVu]

What I feel is perhaps he "Inherited" this car or something like that & simply wants to make a killing on it after watching that "TR3" sell for $30K+!

While he obviously has no smarts in sales technique, I don't see how your comment above stands up if his statements in the eBay ad are true.

"Owner since 1996."

"The owner of this car (me) is Vehicle Consultant and Board Member for the organization Vintage Triumph Register www.vtr.org ... I have owned six TR250s and 2 TR5 PIs. I have been involved in the importation and have consulted on the sales process for six TR5 PI transactions."

 

[Brosky]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]"The owner of this car (me) is Vehicle Consultant and Board Member for the organization Vintage Triumph Register www.vtr.org ... I have owned six TR250s and 2 TR5 PIs. I have been involved in the importation and have consulted on the sales process for six TR5 PI transactions."[/QUOTE]

If he (the mystery man) is all that, why in the world is he selling such a valuable collectors item on eBay? With his credentials, he should be dealing with high rolling collectors all over the world, who would know the worth and values of such an automobile and who would gladly pay his asking price.

Most fine art is never traded or sold on the open market, but in closed deals, not subject to public scrutiny. And that's exactly the way that the buyers and sellers of really high end items want it.

It's kind of like the old expression, "If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it." In this case, if you have to keep telling everyone what it's worth, maybe it really isn't.

 

[MGA Steve]

<span style="font-style: italic">"The owner of this car (me) is Vehicle Consultant and Board Member for the organization Vintage Triumph Register www.vtr.org."</span>

Then why didn't "the owner . . (me)" list it in the VTR (https://www.vintagetriumphregister.org/classifiedPages/index.shtml) classifieds before he put it on eBay? Maybe he did, I don't know. Did any BCF member see it there?

Seems to me that only if he couldn't get what he wanted for it from knowledgeable members of VTR would he spend three weeks trying to sell it to "the masses" on eBay who don't have a clue what it is. Perhaps I'm too cynical but, if he couldn't sell it on VTR, that may say more than anything else about his TR5's true condition.

 

[toysrrus]

Hi Paul,



My sentiments exactly!

Russ