THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

[NEW_BYRD]

Good news! Our cars ARE going up in value somewhat. I don't know if I can speak for all of you but my 2004 ice blue with 59K miles has been going up in value since March of this year. I have been tracking my car's value (Suggested Retail, Trade-in, and Private Party) on Kelley Blue Book's website since a few months after I bought the car in July 2007. Of course there was a drastic drop in Retail Value of about $5K since I bought the car but it is slowly going back up. I have attached a print screen of the Excel spreadsheet that I use.

Now, I've heard that Kelley Blue Book is not all that accurate but I figure it's better to track it SOMEWHERE so that I know rather than nowhere. If there is a better site out there that any of you know of, let me know.

[Hannah3]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

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[Hannah3]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

I really doubt that they are going up in value. If you look at actual sales figures they dramatically dropped last summer/fall. Maybe they have recovered a bit since the onset of spring but actual sales prices are way off.

[LBPatt]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

Agree with Jim. Even if the dealer uses KBB, they will then "adjust" the price downward.

[Leroy]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

The average Buy-It-Now price on Ebay for an 04 is about $20,500.00, But you don't see them selling for that much. Most auctions end without anyone meeting the reserve. NADA rates a clean 04 Bird with the hard top and under 50K miles at $18,350.00 trade-in value and $21,325.00 retail. One of our local Chevy dealers has had a 04 Tbird trade-in listed in his newspaper ad for $19,995.00 and just recently reduced it to $17,900.00. I haven't looked at it and don't know anything about it. A car is only worth what you can sell it for. Leroy

[bronzebird]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

Shanna:

I wouldn't get too excited about book values.

When it comes down to parting with the money, buyers are scarce and if they have any car savvy at all, they don't pay much attention to KBB.

I think my '05 is worth about $23-24,000 today but I still have to find someone to buy it. That is a totally different task than it was three years ago!

Don't worry about appreciation.... or the depreciation. Just enjoy!

Bronzebird

[007Cruiser]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

It only matters if you're planning to sell, which I never plan on doing.

[texasbird]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

I watched asking prices for about 18 months before buying in 2006. Prices always seemed to rise by as much as $5000. in the early spring, then drop in the fall. It was as if convertibles dropped in value seasonally as winter approached.

James

[RustyFrye]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

I just returned from Battleship Thunder. Based on that experience as with most events, I'd have to say the value of mine has definitely increased.

[eboose7]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

It seems that prices differ by region. I recently looked up 02-05 Thunderbirds on the CarMax website and found two nearly identical cars priced $1,149 apart. The first is an 02 premium edition with 32K miles in Virginia listed for $21,147. The second car is an 02 premium edition with 14K miles in Florida listed for $19,998. Both cars are nearly the same with similar equipment. Each is black and comes with the hard top and an all black interior. As to condition, each is rated 4.5 stars out of a possible five.

[Hannah3]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

It seems that prices differ by region. I recently looked up 02-05 Thunderbirds on the CarMax website and found two nearly identical cars priced $1,149 apart. The first is an 02 premium edition with 32K miles in Virginia listed for $21,147. The second car is an 02 premium edition with 14K miles in Florida listed for $19,998. Both cars are nearly the same with similar equipment. Each is black and comes with the hard top and an all black interior. As to condition, each is rated 4.5 stars out of a possible five.

All due respect, individual asking prices are utterly and totally meaningless. The only thing they might be useful for is to take the average listing prices in order to get a feel for a general range of what they might be selling for. E.G., if very similar cars (and sometimes very hard to tell if cars are really similar until you see them) are listed for $25k on average they might be selling for $22k on average but even that anaylsis can't be relied upon with limited edition vehicles.

[islandtime]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

We just got our 2009 personal property tax bill today for our vehicles, and I can definitly say neither Goldi nor Moondoggie have decreased (ouch $$$). The Shelby's bill is obscene ($$$$). All worth it to me.

[DKest3963]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

Islandtime

Better move to Texas. No PP tax on cars , no state income tax.
But we do pay for real property. Have 2 Birds and 2 Mark LT trucks not one penny for tax.

Dennis

[steelblue5505]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

Ditto for Washington St. But the weather sure isn't the same.

[Borla Babe]

Re: THESE CARS ARE GOING UP IN VALUE SOMEWHAT!

Doubt these cars are going up in value, they are more likely to sell at a higher rate in the spring and summer months just because the buyer wants a convertible and is willing to spend a little more to obtain one.