I wonder if most of those buyers who are looking for roadsters are Datsun
enthusiasts. In other words, they have (or had) a Z or 510. They got
involved in Datsun shows and memorabilia, and started longing for a
roadster. What with the larger numbers of Z's and 510's produced, that
ought to keep enough interest going in roadsters for quite a while. Some of
those guys have pumped thousands into their Z's/510's with smaller returns
than what we get. I can't see them shelling out big bucks for roadsters,
because they want the fun of fixing them up, themselves.
What was educational for me, was our BADROC club displaying our roadsters
at local old car shows. No matter what people had on display, they had a
passion for their cars and generally had paid a lot to fix them up, far
beyond what they could ever hope to recoup. Even though we were among
Hudsons, Volvos, Vettes, you name it, we could see the sense of pride
everyone had in displaying their efforts. Our cars are easy sells compared
to some, like the vintage fire trucks we saw - our cars are probably more
"invigorating" on twisty canyon roads!
Fred
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: re-visiting the pricing issue
Author: "datsunmike" <datsunmike@nyc.rr.com>
Date: 3/23/2001 7:21 PM
True, while we find these cars invigorating and a joy to own they do have a
limited audience in the "real" world, hence the lower prices than say for an
MG or Triumph in comparable condition.
Yesterday someone replied to my email re: a 280Z saying that "everybody"
wanted a Roadster. If that were true the prices would be far higher. People
think that because they have an old car it's worth a lot, unfortunately for
them that is not true. The hardest kind of car to sell is a decent one that
needs some work. The rats will sell cheap because people want to use it as a
basis for a restoration, but what do you do when you want to sell a car that
needs "some" work for 4000. It doesn't pay if you intend to restore the car
and at the 4000 level you would be wise to spend some more and get a really
nice car for a few thousand more which will be cheaper in the long run.
Let's face it, Datsuns before the Z get very little respect from the
sportscar world, like it or not. That however did not dissuade me or the
rest of you from purchasing one.
Enjoy the drive,
Mike
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