Ready To Purchase

[sheldon2369]

His prices actually look really really really high in my opinion. But I guess he is a dealer. Seems like huge profit margins if he's importing himself.

[NORBY]

yeah thats the place i was talking about also.

I thought the quality of the few cars i looked at weren't great for the price but that was 4 months ago so i would imagine its new stock now so take it as a grain of salt.

[SMOKEYV35]

oh thanks Keith, i didn't even see your post earlier - i went google fishing to come up with that site, silly me.

Righto - i'll have a sniff around there on the weekend, thanks for the tips.

Lot of people are saying to me that import is the way to go. Keith, can you PM me some costs from iRev that you faced if you don't mind?

Edited October 23, 2012 by SMOKEYC34

[NORBY]

I sent you a PM with my issues, but regarding costs i paid

$1000 importer fee

~$2,600 freight

~$2.200 compliance

rego, etc etc

[sheldon2369]

To be 100% honest, right now I'd say imports are the place not to go. The import market is dying tragically in Australia. It seems cheaper to buy a car here than import it now. V35's used to sell for 25 - 30k stock easily, now you see some selling for 15k. (although not the best condition, but still lowering the market).

The problem with the V35 is that it's not a searched for car, at the moment there are 163 V35's on carsales, all undercutting one another with next to no one buying them. The car market in general right now is getting stomped, and V35's and imports seem to be feeling the brute of that.

[darksky34]

the r34 gtts are not feeling any stomping haha, they are all around the 17-20k mark on carsales! (sorry for post being unrelated to topic, but it is relevant to your last post sheldon)

[thinktea]

To be 100% honest, right now I'd say imports are the place not to go. The import market is dying tragically in Australia. It seems cheaper to buy a car here than import it now. V35's used to sell for 25 - 30k stock easily, now you see some selling for 15k. (although not the best condition, but still lowering the market).

The problem with the V35 is that it's not a searched for car, at the moment there are 163 V35's on carsales, all undercutting one another with next to no one buying them. The car market in general right now is getting stomped, and V35's and imports seem to be feeling the brute of that.

That's a very valid point. There is a downward shift in the local market because of all the undercutting and lack for demand for V35s in general and in such an environment, you should be able to find a good buy. But you have to also be careful if sifting thru a lot of the dodgy stuff that out there from dealers (i.e. clocked back KMs).

Also, the shift in the market from import to local is also being felt by the importers, who may be inclined to give you a better deal during the import process.

For me, I prefer the control that the import process give you but I do acknowldge that there is always a possibility of getting a good deal locally. Heck of a lot quicker as well and less hassle.

Edited October 23, 2012 by thinktea

[t5iv]

Amrit (username AsM) has one for sale me thinks...

[SMOKEYV35]

To be 100% honest, right now I'd say imports are the place not to go. The import market is dying tragically in Australia. It seems cheaper to buy a car here than import it now. V35's used to sell for 25 - 30k stock easily, now you see some selling for 15k. (although not the best condition, but still lowering the market).

The problem with the V35 is that it's not a searched for car, at the moment there are 163 V35's on carsales, all undercutting one another with next to no one buying them. The car market in general right now is getting stomped, and V35's and imports seem to be feeling the brute of that.

After sussing out some auction sites I tend to agree with you on this.....

[SMOKEYV35]

Went to look at luxury & performance today - cars were ok but nothing special.

They weren't detailed or anything, pretty much f.o.b. condition. I would suggest they were grade 3.5 auction cars as an average, most wearing a few scars etc. The guy was nice enough to deal with but I think I'll keep searching, although it does make me even more adamant to only buy what I can see, hear and drive.

[whtbox]

sent you PM

[SMOKEYV35]

Just throwing a question out there for those who have made the decision either way before - do I buy something super clean, late model but stock as a rock - or buy something for a similar price that is a bit older, with mods that I would enviably do down the track ......

[The Max]

Starting clean and stock assures me that nothing dodgy has been done to the car that would render it useless and more expensive to fix later on. Imagine you bought a modified vehicle only to find that it was so poorly modified you pretty much have to start from scratch with it? That's a bit extreme, I know but unless you know the quality of the workmanship (and/or the abuse) that went into it, you can't be sure the vehicle will be reliable. Performance modifications tip the balance of reliability vs power so you want to be sure the modifications were done right.

[t5iv]

Personally, I don't like buying cars with any mods. If they've done suspension, stereo and maybe intake, I'll consider it. It would also have to the parts that I wanted to put on. So, if someone was selling their V with teins and a fujitsubo exhaust, I'd consider it as those are the parts I want. I'm also a fan of built not bought.

[Deep Dish V35]

its funny going thru the car classifieds and seeing cars being advertised for $3000 more because people think a few mods make a car worth more. if anything, it decreases the value.

having said that, i'm guilty of doing the same, advertising my previous BMW for an extra $3500 due to the shiny but cheap fitted parts... and even with an excessive amount of KM, a guy was still happy to pay the price without even test driving it. That was a car i wish i never sold.

[SMOKEYV35]

Yeh - it's always a risk - modifications point directly at an owner who is trying to get 'more' out of the stock package. Some do it because they love to thrash in which case you could just be buying someone elses problems But then some do it just for the love of the car and seeing the improvements that their hard work and research rewards them with in which case the car is often looked after better than a stock car because it gets whatever it needs. I guess speaking to the owner and getting a feel for which side of the fence they fall upon is the best insurance.

I''m also a fan of 'built not bought' and i've only bought two cars that weren't stock as a rock - the rest I have done all the parts and the spanner work on myself. The only time my cars have ever been to a mechanic is for RWC.

But i'm getting older, I have less time and energy for this stuff, and I live in a body corporate which prohibits working on cars - so buying something with the parts i want and the work already done has extra value to me.

That being said, I won't overlook the condition of the car. It has to be mint. Normall i would agree that buying the cleanest stock car as a base will always yield the best overall results - but for my reasons above, i'm trying to skip a step....!

Let me know if you spot any nice autos!

[MadMike]

If your budget is a little higher my v36 is now up for grabs as I'm moving to the US.

Concur with buying the car stock though.

[SMOKEYV35]

Nice car mike, but you're right - too exxy - and black!

Edited November 9, 2012 by SMOKEYC34

[Seano350GT]

Nice car mike, but you're right - too exxy - and black!

Man don't get me started on black! So difficult trying to sell a black car, scratches come up so bad and needs constant cleaning. It does look sexy as hell clean but too much maintenance for the average driver i think.

[=CPV35=]

there's a nice auto one but its silver located in VIC, very low kms pretty stock, on carsales