Spider values

[kuhndg]

Okay....we all know how much time and money we put into our cars. Most of us enjoy trying to tackle the unique challenges that come with these cars, and for a lot of us it is a hobby. For me, I have no intention in ever selling mine, in fact my kids are already fighting over who gets them when I kick the bucket.

I personally would love to see our values go up on the nicer cars, I know what I put into mine, and that was with me doing a lot of my own work, and bartering the balance. I am doing this car for my wife, and she says she's going to be afraid to drive it. It just kind of amazes me that we kind of cringe when a Spider starts getting close to $10,000. Yes, I agree its a lot of money...but on the flip side if it is clean is it not worth it? Again, I know what I have into both of mine.

IMHO I have seen different threads here where we kind of beat our values down when it should be the other way.

Would love hear different opinions!

Bob

[tonyfromjersey]

I paid 1200 for mine on craigslist, and I think I put at least another 100 bucks into it. At least that's what I tell my wife when she asks.

I would like to know what it's worth though.

[FatherG]

I think that you are right on the money…I totally agree with you. Some of us on this site tend to under value our cars and we are taken aback sometimes when we see cars listed for sale over $10,000. I’ve seen Spiders in Toronto, Vancouver, Germany, and Italy that would leave you breathless. The owners of these vehicles, as many of us on this site, are very dedicated to their care and conservation. I also know Spider enthusiasts who are willing to pay top dollar for quality cars.

That having been said… I can’t stand those sellers who want thousands for what is really a piece of scrap. I think that this is where our collective frustration arises from ...imho.

Eugenio

[spiderrey]

i dont really understand why people worry about resale or value. You build a car for yourself, to your standards. What ever happens after that is irrelivant. If the values on these cars go up in the future thats great. If not , oh well. My car isnt near being done and Im sure Im into it for 7,000.00. It has a long way to go. Its not nearly as nice as most I see at fiat shows. Sometimes Im not sure I want to show it.
I think if your seriously thinking about building a car valued at over ten grand, you had better not cut any corners. I think you need a solid car as a good foundation.

[kmac33]

I would love to see the values go up too. Primarily because that would more than likely increase the interest in the Spider and hopefully lead to more of these great cars being returned to and/or kept on the road. I will never sell mine, so I'm not worried about the value. My dad passed it on to me and I plan to pass it on to my son in another 25 years or so.
I shudder to think about the total I'll have in mine when I finish her restoration, but since she was my dad's, it will be worth it to me. My dad spent around $50K having my Grandfather's 68 Mercedes restored when it was passed on to him - worth about $20K post restoration, but again he didn't do it to make money, so I guess it runs in the family .
In my opinion, it's a good thing that 99% of us Spider owners spend the time, effort and money to keep these great cars alive because we love the quirky beasts and not because we hope they appreciate in value and we can make a buck!

[tonyfromjersey]

I don't really care how much it's worth other than for the pure folly of it. I love the car and have no plans to sell it, plus I think both my kids have designs on it when they get older.

[maytag]

i can't understand why you'd WANT the values to increase?

If you're looking for an investment, cars are NOT the way to go. You never get out what you've got in.

If you're looking for the "exotic appeal" of a higher-priced car; well, there are plenty of them out there. (my wife won;t drive the Jaguar, 'cuz she says it's a "rich-guys' car".)

If you;re looking for a fun driver: let's keep the prices low, so parts are cheaper!

[htchevyii]

I agree that Spiders are under valued, if you look around there are some good deals. It's good for me, since I don't really sell cars if I can help it, 'cause I can have more of them Of course, it's bad if you have to sell, since you most likely won't get your money back out of it. I am somewhat anal with my cars, so if I had to sell, I'd probabily loose my butt. I think you are money ahead to actually just poney up the cash and buy a really nice car to begin with, of course I learned that by doing the opposite, (not once, but twice). It's easy to underestimate what you will have to spend on a project and spend more than a nice one would have been, (of course if you spend all of the money at once, it will be much harder to hide from your signifigant other). At least higher values would lead to less cars junked and parted out.

[2ndwind]

Quite frankly, I'm glad the values haven't gone through the roof. When I was single I had 7 running vehicles. I loved choosing my vehicle for the day. It has been too long since I had something other than a sedan, minivan or pickup. I decided to go for it before I'm too old, blind, or crazy to be on the road. My high school sophomore was shocked when I brought it home. He thought I was just all talk. Remember, all he has experienced for 15 yrs are sedans, minivans, and pickups! The spider is fun and affordable. I am not interested in a show car, just a decent fun one.

[spiderrey]

My boys wil get my fiats and my grand sons will divy up my 5,000 hot wheels.

[So Cal Mark]

of course we'd all like to be able to buy low and sell high. The fact that entry level cars are inexpensive has brought many new owners into the fold. But many times that low entry price limits how much an owner will invest. And that leads to lots of cars getting crushed, parted-out or otherwise disposed of once the car suffers one expensive failure. Too often an owner bases his repair decision on how much the car can be sold for.
It gets to the point that even a complete brake repair or suspension rebuild causes an owner to bail on the car. We even see it on this forum quite often with new owners. A new member buys a cheap car, can't figure out how to fix it, disposes of the car and disappears from fs.com. Almost every time I read an introduction from someone that writes "I'm new to Fiats" I try to guess how many posts they'll write before they're gone.
I would like to see prices of restored or really nice cars go up. Then more owners may be willing to make their cars nice

[azygoustoyou]

Ever since I got my Fiat. It's been nothing but Fiats in my house. My wife would say. I don't know how much money I have in mine. I'll try to figure it out one day. I do know I had to save and come up with ways to make money. Parts aren't that cheap. I can't wait to get it on the road. I don't think I'll ever sell mine. It would feel like I was selling an arm or a leg. I know I don't have what some of you have into your cars. I do know one thing though. When it's done, it will be one of the cleanest Fiats out there. With some customization done to it. When I get another, I would like to make it stock. IF possible. I try to get my kids into it but I guess they're still young. They put up with my obsession. They'll come around when they get to ride in it. It's definitely not funny to hear someones car being totaled. I think it is when they end up selling everything on the car because you can get more for the parts and start over with another car. I guess if I was to sell my car. My add would have to say- Fiat parts for sale.

[MikeR]

Here is a UK perspective to add to the discussion from:

Practical Classics (Respected UK Magazine, popular with self-restorers) February 2010

MARKET WATCH: WHAT'S IN A BADGE? - Why MGBs are worth more than Fiat Spiders. The Fiat's a better car - but tell that to buyers.

Almost every comparison test that ever pitched the MGB against he Fiat 124 Spider (often dubbed Italy's MGB) has given the verdict to the Italian car. So it must be the better car and therefore should be worth more.

Except that it isn't, and roughly speaking you'll pay two-thirds of the price of an MGB for a Spider in the same condition. 'But surely', you cleverly point out, 'it's because the 124 Spider never officially sold here (UK) and they're all left-hand drive?' It's hard to argue with simple logic like that until you consider this: the main market for both MGB and 124 Spider was America, where droves of them were sold, all in native left-hand drive.

Guide prices in the the US show the MGB to be worth almost twice the price of a Spider, which rather blows that idea out of the water. What it does suggest is what little effect the words of motoring journalists have on your buying habits.

The real answer to this conundrum is almost certainly octagon-shaped. Put simply, MG is all about sports cars and the fact that the badge has been hijacked for other purposes over the years hasn't diluted this. Fiat mostly doesn't build sports cars, but brightens up the range with one occasionally. The badge simply doesn't carry the weight of an MG's.



Personally, I think the writer has missed another vital difference in that the Fiat Spider ran for longer in North America and there is a broader spread of examples with more recent models available. Supply and demand will dictate a correspondingly broader range of prices in NA.

[ga.spyder]

Lets face it,many of us bought the Fiats as a affordable entry into the classic sports car world.The fact that they are great little cars is something we discovered after.In my own case,I was looking for another MG and stumbled onto the Spider.I had never paid a lot of attention to them in the past.If the car had been priced as high as similar marques,I would probably have bought something else and never realized what I was missing.The cars may never escape the 'Fix It Again Tony' stigma,which holds the prices down.I bought a well sorted,very nice Spider for money that would have gotten me a fair MG or Spitfire.The fact that the Fiat is better engineered and will blow both of them to the wayside....is our little secret!!
My original plan was to keep the Fiat,until I could 'move up'' to a 944 and eventually the 911 I have always lusted for.After driving a few 944's,although nice car,it lacks the personality and outright fun factor of my Spider.And the cost of ownership is substancially higher!The 911....maybe someday.
So if the values increase,so be it. I will still keep my 82.Now the 77.....I could be persuaded to sell(dont tell my wife)
Craig

[mdrburchette]

I really am not interested in how much my cars are worth on the open market. I bought most of mine knowing they needed restoration. I have put tons of money into them and I enjoy them every chance I get. I didn't buy the cars to resell them. I do want people to respect them for what they are though.