[Mini-Chris-GP]

Hi,

Just changed job and am going to be travelling quite a bit (not by car). I've barely been using my GP since i bought it in December last year and have been thinking about selling it. I know....crazy!!

Am potentially interested in a 2nd hand Fiesta ST which i can pick up for around £8500. If i sell my GP for around £17-18K i could use the money to pay one loan i have, buy a new car and then stick the rest in the bank.

What do you guys think? I'm just worried it's a lot of money to have in a car that i will probably do 5000 miles a year in. I'd rather sell it and let someone else enjoy it.

Don't get me wrong...the GP is a great car. I just thought the ST might be a bit of fun and would save me money. Any advice would be a big help.

[minicabrio]

Don't do it - you'll miss the MINI too much Believe me

If you have to, sell the MINI, and get a late model 1st gen Cooper S for £12-£13k

You still get your loan paid off, and still have the thrill of a MINI when you need it

[gpmick]

The best bit of advice i can give you

Is NOT to sell it till AFTER the Group GP Display

Then you will have second thoughts about selling the GP

[Mini-Chris-GP]

.....know what you guys mean...it is a really fun car. I just tend to drive it once a week...sometimes once every two weeks.

£12-13K is still too much really but did look into an older cooper s. Owned one in the past.

£9K buys me Fiesta ST still under warranty and has some nice options. It was a first thought.

[MARK TAYLOR]

hi chris,
im looking for a gp.ive just put my cooper s works on the classified site under hartops for sale.its the blue r53 cooper s works.have a look.i do have cash at home right now if your interested in a part ex.give me a call mate.cheers mark 0191 5840361

[Mini-Chris-GP]

Great car...Mark.

Probably too much and i kind of want to buy a 2nd hand car under warranty...if that makes sense...thus for my price range i'm looking at fiestas.

[MARK TAYLOR]

ok chris,
thats a pity i have £5500 burning a hole in my pocket ill just keep on looking.cheers bud.mark

[Mini-Chris-GP]

Car is up for sale now in the classifieds section. Will offer it to someone on the forum first and then advertise on Autotrader.

[Ant FR]

buy a used Cooper D, Will hold value, still nippy, will leave you roughly 3k, low tax, excellent residuals and cheap se4rvicing.

The fiesta ST is juicey, no torque, slow, and will lose cash like a chocolate piggy bank in dubai.

[coded2112]

Stop this crazy talk of sale and enjoy!! It is a sublime car.....

[MINI-Morgan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ant FR (original)

buy a used Cooper D, Will hold value, still nippy, will leave you roughly 3k, low tax, excellent residuals and cheap se4rvicing.

The fiesta ST is juicey, no torque, slow, and will lose cash like a chocolate piggy bank in dubai.

What Ant said.... if you blink the ST halves its value!

I think there is something seriously wrong here though..... most people I know with a GP its hard to get them out of it instead.

[wiggis]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mini-Chris-GP (original)

Hi,

Just changed job and am going to be travelling quite a bit (not by car). I've barely been using my GP since i bought it in December last year and have been thinking about selling it. I know....crazy!!

Am potentially interested in a 2nd hand Fiesta ST which i can pick up for around £8500. If i sell my GP for around £17-18K i could use the money to pay one loan i have, buy a new car and then stick the rest in the bank.

What do you guys think? I'm just worried it's a lot of money to have in a car that i will probably do 5000 miles a year in. I'd rather sell it and let someone else enjoy it.

Don't get me wrong...the GP is a great car. I just thought the ST might be a bit of fun and would save me money. Any advice would be a big help.

I'm with you on this. Sell it. While it's still worth decent money. Pay off your loan, etc. We have not seen the worst of the credit crunch / impending recession yet, and it won't be a good time to try to off load an expensive specialist car in six months time ........ I sold my GP as soon as the new factory MINI JCW was announced, as I think that will also hit used values.

But, I wouldn't buy a Fiesta ST - only 150 horses and no torque - you'd be disappointed. I would think seriously about the previous generation Honda Civic Type-R though, on perhaps on an 04 plate. You can get those for the sort of money you are talking about, and they're good fun and have done most of their depreciating, and they are rock solid reliable. Buy a warranty from the likes of warranty works if you really want the extra security, but Honda reliability is legendary so you are unlikely to need it.

Sell Sell Sell !!!

[coded2112]

Talk about listening to media clap trap... No wonder we are approaching a recession if everyone battens down the hatches winds up their draw bridges etc... Flipping 'eck spend and enjoy, you are a long time dead!

[Tunster]

Quote: Originally Posted by wiggis (original)

I sold my GP as soon as the new factory MINI JCW was announced, as I think that will also hit used values.

I don't think the GP will drop in value as much as people think. The JCW R56 won't be a limited run, so in theory won't be a classic as the GP is. Maybe when the R56 replacement pops around and they decide to another "limited run" before the new model, every GP owner will be safe in terms of keeping a very exclusive MINI . Unfortunately my age/circumstances had to pass the idea of owning a GP by .

[Mini-Chris-GP]

I think the Honda Civic Type R is a great car. Was looking at one and although it would be out of warranty...as you said...they're are very reliable.

Thanks for all the advice. Sorry to start a topic on selling a car....i know this forum is all about owning and enjoying the things.

I think it's helpful to hear from people who may have done a similar thing and what used cars are a great compromise. Some people have said VW TDi due to the torque factor but I hate diesels if i'm honest.

I like the Fiesta ST as it's sort of cheap and cheerful. You guys still think buying one at £8k would be a bad buy?? It's taken quite a hit from the £13.5K list price. I appreciate ford's are not the best but the ST is always a little bit different.

I also thought of the Clio 197 but they're still about £11k plus. Defeating the objective if i keep uppping the budget!!

[GP1004]

I have a VW Passat 130 1.9 TDI as my daily driver, I think it is better than the BMW 320d I had previously. It is 6 speed and does 58mpg!!!

You could get a VW Golf, Audi A3 or Skoda Octavia with the same engine.

[wiggis]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mini-Chris-GP (original)

I think the Honda Civic Type R is a great car. Was looking at one and although it would be out of warranty...as you said...they're are very reliable.

Thanks for all the advice. Sorry to start a topic on selling a car....i know this forum is all about owning and enjoying the things.

I think it's helpful to hear from people who may have done a similar thing and what used cars are a great compromise. Some people have said VW TDi due to the torque factor but I hate diesels if i'm honest.

I like the Fiesta ST as it's sort of cheap and cheerful. You guys still think buying one at £8k would be a bad buy?? It's taken quite a hit from the £13.5K list price. I appreciate ford's are not the best but the ST is always a little bit different.

I also thought of the Clio 197 but they're still about £11k plus. Defeating the objective if i keep uppping the budget!!

Oddly enough, I now have a VW Golf GT Sport TDI 170. And it is very quick in real world motoring - really surprisingly so - most comics reckon it makes nearer 185 horses rather than the advertised 170, and it really feels like it too. And it makes 350 nm of torque which really spins it through the gears. It's plenty quick enough for my driving needs if I'm totally honest - I don't regret making the change.



I certainly don't have anything against fast Fiesta's - I've owned 2 Fiesta XR2's (1.6 8v) and 1 Fiesta XR2i (1.8 16v) back in the day, and they were all great cars. It's just that things have moved on since the 1990's, and the Fiesta really hasn't progressed as far as the likes of the Civic Type-R.

[Mini-Chris-GP]

Guys....been offered £17K by a dealer for my GP as they have a buyer for it. Do you think that's a decent price?

Looking to maybe sort out a p/x for a 3 year old cooper S to try and further work the deal.

Any thoughts would be useful.

Cheers.

[femstar]

PM'd

[Goonery]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mini-Chris-GP (original)

Guys....been offered £17K by a dealer for my GP as they have a buyer for it. Do you think that's a decent price?

Looking to maybe sort out a p/x for a 3 year old cooper S to try and further work the deal.

Any thoughts would be useful.

Cheers.

I was offered £18k for mine earlier in the year, they had a customer waiting and it was 14000 miles at time . I decided not to as I could not imagine ever getting anything as good for anything like the price.

I still can't So will continue saving for the Bristol Beaufighter which might just be right unless someone gives me a 1961 Dino