LittleRedSpirit Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 Hello. While prowling around car sites and ebay etc Ive noticed some sharp upwards trends amongst Jpanese car owners. What really strikes me is that a few key models either have appreciated sharply in the last 3 years or the people that own them are well and truly dreaming. Here are my examples and rationale for my line of thought... We all know the Ra28 is a classic Toyota Celica with a broader appeal than just to specific Toyota tragics. Obviously since its styling is copied curve for curve from the mustang fastback that came out 10 years earlier its going to catch a broader market than most. However, if being like a Mustang is a great value adder, can the prices ever eclipse those of the very Mustangs they are copied after. If its a poor mans' Mustang, how come I'm starting to see people selling them for just about as much as a Mustang in immaculate condition can go for? Examples: RA28 for sale @ 30K AU Mustang for Sale @ 38.5K AU Another cheap Stang So if the mustang is one of the more common shapes thats not really expensive, then why do people go nuts for the Toyota rip off version? Why doesnt the trend extend to the mark two corona that looks like the other style of Mustang? Mustang Sportroof for sale Mark two corona for sale (not a coupe but none around atm, still the most expensive one Ive seen for sale) Its a bit odd don't you think, or are the owners of RA28s a particular breed of wierdo? The guy trying to sell his ra25 for 30k lists a spare part as one litre of paint and says it needs a few rare parts sourced to be complete, yet he is still after 30 k! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benhachi Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 Datsun 240K's are a prime example of this. usually starting at 30K and there's one on gumtree now for $90K skyrocketed in the last 2-3 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ke70dave Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 Wonder if people are buying them at these prices though. They might be for sale forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleRedSpirit Posted April 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 The mustangs are selling... I think in general the classic muscle cars are more correctly maintained and have fewer imperfections. The people selling the toyotas need to step up their game on quality to achieve the kind of prices they ask, or close to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz_Rx Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 Wonder if people are buying them at these prices though. They might be for sale forever. Exactly....something is only worth what someone is willing to pay. If would be more interesting to see a comparison of sold prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altezzaclub Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 If would be more interesting to see a comparison of sold prices. Absolutely! The ask price is a dream... I am astounded at some Rolla prices on here too, and you only get an idea of reality from the way the price drops over the weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killar_of_giants Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 The last 2 posts hit the nail on the head. That Corona has been for sale for some time. Price dropped heaps and its still for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oh what a nissan feeling! Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 That corona looks great in the pics, i would pay that if its as good in person. As for the 30k celicas, they are a special breed i guess, the example shown even in the pics does not present that well. Dreamers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJM85 Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 The classic jap vehicles are harder to restore. Quality replacement parts are almost impossible to source. We've all seen the ebay crud from Honk Kong. So it means parts must be restored by hand or customised to get the quality finish. This is expensive. For muscle cars, the market is huge and there are heaps of suppliers of quality replacement parts at home and abroad. That competitive market means parts are are reasonably affordable and easy to acquire. It is definitely harder to restore a Japanese classic to a high quality. The problem is they're not as fast or eye catching as a big American muscle car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattress Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 I've noticed that Celica before and scoffed at the price. In my opinion they are by far the ugliest of that Celica era and I'll never understand how they fetch/command decent money. I spotted the Corona recently as well. It looks decent in the pictures and being that they are rare I think its worth $6500 all day. I've seen a couple in the last 12 months that were "barn finds" or decent survivors but nothing special and they were advertised at over $7000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldeskewltoy Posted April 19, 2015 Report Share Posted April 19, 2015 It is definitely harder to restore a Japanese classic to a high quality. The problem is they're not as fast or eye catching as a big American muscle car. I've restored a 1970 Mustang Mach1 428SCJ, and I've restored old Toyotas... the aftermarket parts availability is a problem... and an opportunity.... for someone/company to begin supplying restoration parts for old J-Tin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiro Protagonist Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 (edited) We all know the Ra28 is a classic Toyota Celica with a broader appeal than just to specific Toyota tragics. Obviously since its styling is copied curve for curve from the mustang fastback that came out 10 years earlier its going to catch a broader market than most. However, if being like a Mustang is a great value adder, can the prices ever eclipse those of the very Mustangs they are copied after. If its a poor mans' Mustang, how come I'm starting to see people selling them for just about as much as a Mustang in immaculate condition can go for? Examples: RA28 for sale @ 30K AU That's an RA25 (and a GT at that), not an RA28. Biiiiiiiiig difference. Likening it back to the Mustang, the normal RA28 LT sold here is the 3.3L Thriftpower straight 6 base model, the RA25 GT is a Boss 302 or GT350 (and relative values to suit) Also, it'll struggle to find a buyer at that price. The guy trying to sell his ra25 for 30k lists a spare part as one litre of paint and says it needs a few rare parts sourced to be complete, yet he is still after 30 k! Genuine RA25s are extremely rare in Australia (much more so than RA28s, you can probably count the number on two hands). RA25 GTs are even rarer, I know for certain of only 2 in the country (the white one, which was a personal import, and River's samurai red/bronze one which was the car Toyota brought in for evaluation to see if they would sell the GT in Aus - they didn't, and the rest is history). Edited April 20, 2015 by Hiro Protagonist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleRedSpirit Posted April 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 You think all these finer points matter to the people who buy them because they look like Mustangs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiro Protagonist Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 (edited) You think all these finer points matter to the people who buy them because they look like Mustangs? You won't find a normal RA28 for sale for $30k though (not even a genuine GT), and you can't use the price of a genuine RA25 GT (in any condition) as an indicator for A2x Celicas in general. Yes A2x Celicas are getting more expensive for neat rust-free examples, but they're still in the $10k range. Same goes for the TA22 and RA23 which don't attract the Mustang name (if anything they more resemble a Camaro) $30k for that RA25 is way less of a stretch than someone wanting $10k for a rusty AE86, and you see those all the time now... Edited April 20, 2015 by Hiro Protagonist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzhoel Posted April 20, 2015 Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Its only worth what someone is willing to pay I'm not paying out the ass for a 1.6 litre RA28, because i think the TA22's looked cooler anyway. However ive seen an RA28 recently come up for 1200 bucks with only 2 bidders and hours left on the listing (unfortunately for me it was interstate) My dad told me one thing to remember about buying a classic, he said you will never loose money if its either a coupe or a V8 or both. I hate my KE30 because its a poor example of a Corolla but i got it at the right price that justifies the car, ive seen people successfully SELL KE35's for upwards of 5 grand because its missing a set of doors, but at heart its got a 1.2 or 1.3 litre dinky donk that struggles pass100 km/h. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.