tr4 rally rep

[gaz2trs]

hi all im a tr5 owner and also have a tr4 which was brought to turn into a works rep do you think that the value of a well done rally rep will hold its value if it ever had to be sold or would i be entering a market where some people would rather have a good original car and not a stripped out car and would you sell a tr5 to fund the build .the build would hopefully come in around 35k

[North London Mike]

hi all im a tr5 owner and also have a tr4 which was brought to turn into a works rep do you think that the value of a well done rally rep will hold its value if it ever had to be sold or would i be entering a market where some people would rather have a good original car and not a stripped out car and would you sell a tr5 to fund the build .the build would hopefully come in around 35k

 

Hi Gaz

 

Tough call. Good spec car from Revington is 45/50K and from Manvers 35/40K (more if you customise) so if you have a man that wants the car you have you have good value in it as he can't get it done for less (properly).

 

However, the general market value wouldn't support it so you would have to wait for your buyer. Bottom line, if YOU want one do it, but if you're building for a profit forget it

 

Not sure I'd sell the 5 though, those things just seem to be going up all the time...........

[Tr4Tony]

Hi

 

I have an agreed value on BST82B well above the money youre talking and moreover have now turned down a third offer of over £30k for the car. It would cost in excess of £60k to build a similar car from scratch and I personally know of at least 4 cars out there that have had at least £60k spent on them in build, then plus development costs. One car I KNOW has a sheaf of bills of over £100k.

 

I dont think youll get £35k for a TR4 rally replica car unless its has absolutely the best of everything and is proven to be quick and reliable, looks the part and has what the buyer wants. A 'proper' rally replica using all the bits available today should (in my opinion) catch the money ....... but youll easily spend that creating it. The market is also far smaller and is limited to utter rally men.

 

If your looking to build a car to sell, or to maximise its value and selling potential after youve run around in it for a while a completely standard TR4 with some sensible mods will probably be 'best value / best chance of profit' ...... and if you want profit .... build a very very good TR5.

 

In 15 years of TR ownership ive never made a penny.

 

Regards

 

Tony

[gaz2trs]

not looking to make money dont want to sell 5 but like the look of the works rep this is my hobby would have one of each if had the funds

[Mark Rodbert]

Gaz,

 

Tony and Mike are right. If you have an absolutely spot-on mint rally replica with all the go faster bits you can think of then you might possibly recoup what you spent on it. But possibly not. There's a tiny market for these things and most people who are prepared to spend that kind of money will have it built to order or buy a car they know well. Tony's BSTy is an exceptional car and although modesty probably forbid's him from saying it, his results in it have added to both its desirability and its fame.

 

Much more likely is that you spend £30k on a car (as Jon and I have over the last 5 years) and end up with something worth £6k if you're lucky. Because even though we've improved and maintained everything its just not a fast car - that would take another £30k. If you ask him nicely Tony might send you his list of engine mods that a std car needs to be competitive. Its daunting.

 

What you see much more of is people spending £10k-£20k prepping a rally car and selling it for £3k. We've just bought a Dolomite Sprint (don't ask - one of Jon's fantasies) that's been rally prepped by an MSA scrutineer and never rallied, for a shade over 3. Now I know the roll cage and seats cost 2 just on their own. But we were the only bidders on ebay and in the end we picked up something that looks like a bargain. We just couldn't have done it any cheaper ourselves.

 

So my advise is restore a car to standard trim if you want to stand a better chance of getting your money back - the market is just much bigger. But if you want a rally car get a standard 4, stick a sumpguard, a roll cage and a tripmeter on it, and do some rallies. Or (my favourite option), sell the 4, type in "rally car" to ebay and pick up a cheap car (I think an austin A40 went for 2k last week) and try some rallies. Much more fun than restoring.

 

Cheers,

Mark