Seriously?

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Thanks Alan, she is a lovely girl and as you say, Rottweilers are lovely dogs in general.

As for the ebay algorithm, it does work sometimes. I was watching something that started at £149 and it eventually dropped to £99, still more than i wanted to pay for it but at both these points and another random point in between when "the seller offered me a special price of £114.95" i was notified by ebay. Eventually the seller dropped the price to £50 but i didn't get the notification or i would have bitten at that point - someone else obviously my my email!

I'm hoping that a similar item comes up closer to home at a better price now!

As for things at a ridiculous price, i happened to be trawling ebay in general last night but mainly in the classics section and spotted this :

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OPEL-MANTA-GTE/193757739685

A few years ago only a really superb car would command that sort of price, now a basket case in need of restoration is attracting bids of this amount and more!

Linked to it more as confirmation that the world is going mad on prices than the car itself but it makes me wonder, if so many people (allegedly) want EVs, why are the prices of petrol powered classics going up so much?

The price vs. the value of things - it is always a hard one to work out - like that item you were looking at dropping from £149 to £50. I can't help thinking those Virgo wheels will be much the same: start at £250 (or maybe they were £300, I can't remember) and end up at £60 in January.

eBay prices vary so much: Dan (my son) wanted a new computer monitor (a gaming one, 27", 144 Hz, 1 mS...), we looked online at the weekend and the one he liked was £250, I checked again on Monday and it was £149.97 (so I bought it of course, it came by overnight DPD and was delivered yesterday), I notice that today the same screen from the same supplier is £226.97. I suspect the seller (a mainstream IT supplier) is using an algorithm based on demand to price the goods, just like airlines do with their seats.

On the other hand, sometimes it is hard to even give away things that are still useful. I use a site called freecycle.org to dispose of lots of stuff (I do so dislike wasting things, but I hardly ever get involved in selling them). So many times people have responded saying they want items, but then never show up to collect. Last night I offered a Panasonic 36" LCD TV (might have cost £1000 10 years ago, but we just have a surplus of TVs in the house now) and have insisted it is collected today. Hopefully the lady that says she wants it shows up at 10:30 to collect so I don't waste another morn waiting in.

That Opel Manta seems bizarre (to me) for the price. It is a basket case that is not even old enough to be registered as an historic vehicle and still people think it is worth well over two grand. Surely that is going to cost at least a couple of thousand to get into a running and riding condition, and maybe £10,000 to make it nice. I suppose 1980s Capri V6s are already well over that price, so maybe some people see it being the next Capri?

Just my idle thoughts to pass the time until the lady comes to collect the TV.

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

The price vs. the value of things - it is always a hard one to work out - like that item you were looking at dropping from £149 to £50. I can't help thinking those Virgo wheels will be much the same: start at £250 (or maybe they were £300, I can't remember) and end up at £60 in January.

eBay prices vary so much: Dan (my son) wanted a new computer monitor (a gaming one, 27", 144 Hz, 1 mS...), we looked online at the weekend and the one he liked was £250, I checked again on Monday and it was £149.97 (so I bought it of course, it came by overnight DPD and was delivered yesterday), I notice that today the same screen from the same supplier is £226.97. I suspect the seller (a mainstream IT supplier) is using an algorithm based on demand to price the goods, just like airlines do with their seats.

On the other hand, sometimes it is hard to even give away things that are still useful. I use a site called freecycle.org to dispose of lots of stuff (I do so dislike wasting things, but I hardly ever get involved in selling them). So many times people have responded saying they want items, but then never show up to collect. Last night I offered a Panasonic 36" LCD TV (might have cost £1000 10 years ago, but we just have a surplus of TVs in the house now) and have insisted it is collected today. Hopefully the lady that says she wants it shows up at 10:30 to collect so I don't waste another morn waiting in.

That Opel Manta seems bizarre (to me) for the price. It is a basket case that is not even old enough to be registered as an historic vehicle and still people think it is worth well over two grand. Surely that is going to cost at least a couple of thousand to get into a running and riding condition, and maybe £10,000 to make it nice. I suppose 1980s Capri V6s are already well over that price, so maybe some people see it being the next Capri?

Just my idle thoughts to pass the time until the lady comes to collect the TV.

Alan

With all the Black Friday deals flying around at the moment Alan it's hard to be sure about what sellers are doing to determine prices/discounts.

Is Freecycle still going? The one i used was a Yahoo Group based thing that changed into Freegle and with the demise of Yahoo groups seems to have now died a death.

The Manta was always a competitor for the Capri but lacked that Blue Oval on the front of it so was never as popular. However now people are rediscovering them, the values are going up. When new, the Manta B in 2.0 SR form would outperform the equivalent Capri and outhandle it as well, the 2.0 GT/E with the extra power from the L-Jetronic injection giving it an extra edge over the Capri 2.0 so people now see it as a viable alternative to buying a Capri and paying the "Blue Oval Tax" just to own a Ford.

Hopefully Mrs Woman turns up on time and collects the TV for you!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

With all the Black Friday deals flying around at the moment Alan it's hard to be sure about what sellers are doing to determine prices/discounts.

Is Freecycle still going? The one i used was a Yahoo Group based thing that changed into Freegle and with the demise of Yahoo groups seems to have now died a death.

The Manta was always a competitor for the Capri but lacked that Blue Oval on the front of it so was never as popular. However now people are rediscovering them, the values are going up. When new, the Manta B in 2.0 SR form would outperform the equivalent Capri and outhandle it as well, the 2.0 GT/E with the extra power from the L-Jetronic injection giving it an extra edge over the Capri 2.0 so people now see it as a viable alternative to buying a Capri and paying the "Blue Oval Tax" just to own a Ford.

Hopefully Mrs Woman turns up on time and collects the TV for you!

Yes indeed Dave, freecycle.org is still going. It is clearly a very low budget thing (but I like it for that) and re-use is by far the best way of recycling stuff (we buy far too much stuff - Dan and I are as guilty as anyone, but stuff is so cheap...).

Capris have been making good money for years, a mate of mine bought a V6 (about 1983 I think) in nice running order (but not a show car) for about £11k a year or so ago, I should think he might get nearer £15k for it today and has done nothing to it (apart from me fitting a DAB radio for him and giving it a bit of a service).

Ho hum.

[Laird Scooby]

Thanks Alan, i'll try and get onto Freecycle later but currently it doesn't even recognise where i live!

Anything Ford has always made good money as soon as it has become rare through age, Capris and Escorts seem to have the stronghold and best prices though. I remember some time back, an incomplete bodyshell from a very rare AVO Escort Mk1 sold on ebay for £66k - when i say incomplete parts had been cut out of the basic monocoque and that wasn't even complete before those parts were cut out!

It had the all-important VIN plate with the chassis code needed to make it valuable (BB code i think) and a genuine AVO bodyshell. That was its real USP as it wasn't just another Mk1 Escort shell.

I can't see the "classic car bubble" bursting anytime soon, despite the "current" trend towards EVs. Apparently there's a company in Swindon making a bolt in conversion for the classic Mini, with the batteries, controller and so on i don't think you'd have much change from £30k though :

https://webshop.swindonpowertrain.co...tegory&path=95

Toys for the rich boys!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Thanks Alan, i'll try and get onto Freecycle later but currently it doesn't even recognise where i live!

Anything Ford has always made good money as soon as it has become rare through age, Capris and Escorts seem to have the stronghold and best prices though. I remember some time back, an incomplete bodyshell from a very rare AVO Escort Mk1 sold on ebay for £66k - when i say incomplete parts had been cut out of the basic monocoque and that wasn't even complete before those parts were cut out!

It had the all-important VIN plate with the chassis code needed to make it valuable (BB code i think) and a genuine AVO bodyshell. That was its real USP as it wasn't just another Mk1 Escort shell.

I can't see the "classic car bubble" bursting anytime soon, despite the "current" trend towards EVs. Apparently there's a company in Swindon making a bolt in conversion for the classic Mini, with the batteries, controller and so on i don't think you'd have much change from £30k though :

https://webshop.swindonpowertrain.co...tegory&path=95

Toys for the rich boys!

I think you are right about the classic car bubble being here to stay - maybe the RB is worth £10,000 one day (now there I am joking).

Converting older cars to BEV does seem to have established itself as a niche business. Do you remember some discussion in the RB thread a few months ago about an idea I had about converting it to electric. I'd seen a TV programme (on something like Quest) called Vintage Volts (or something similar) about a company in Wales converting old cars - for about £40,000 a time! I did a search and found someone selling electric motors (about 60kW - 90 HP) that would have fitted in the space occupied by the BW55 gearbox now and thought that would be the way to do it. I wasn't at all serious, but it started an interesting discussion for a few days, the downside would be one would still need about 500kg of batteries and the range would only be about 120 miles.

Like you, I'm far from convinced about BEV and have ducked out of that discussions (that started with hydrogen) on the 700 section because one chap was just becoming too dogmatic (to the point of being rude I thought) about EV being fantastic and everything else being rubbish.

Ho hum.

Alan

PS. The lady showed up to collect the TV :-)

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I think you are right about the classic car bubble being here to stay - maybe the RB is worth £10,000 one day (now there I am joking).

Converting older cars to BEV does seem to have established itself as a niche business. Do you remember some discussion in the RB thread a few months ago about an idea I had about converting it to electric. I'd seen a TV programme (on something like Quest) called Vintage Volts (or something similar) about a company in Wales converting old cars - for about £40,000 a time! I did a search and found someone selling electric motors (about 60kW - 90 HP) that would have fitted in the space occupied by the BW55 gearbox now and thought that would be the way to do it. I wasn't at all serious, but it started an interesting discussion for a few days, the downside would be one would still need about 500kg of batteries and the range would only be about 120 miles.

Like you, I'm far from convinced about BEV and have ducked out of that discussions (that started with hydrogen) on the 700 section because one chap was just becoming too dogmatic (to the point of being rude I thought) about EV being fantastic and everything else being rubbish.

Ho hum.

Alan

PS. The lady showed up to collect the TV :-)

I think the RB being worth £10k in the foreseeable future as a possibility Alan, go back 20 years and even the best Rover 800s were only fetching £2-300, now they're creeping up and i know of one sold for £9995 and another with an Agreed Value of £10k on insurance.
Look at the prices currently of the 140 series Volvos, you'll get an idea of what the 240 will be in a few years time. Then have a look at the 120 series to get an idea of another few years.

There are quite a few companies out there offering classic EV conversions, one has even built a new MGB with a new Heritage bodyshell (have a look on YouTube for electric MGB) and a "69" plate registration, another has converted a VW Beetle but as far as i know, the Swindon firm is the only one that offers a bolt-in kit for the owner to do the spannering etc.

Maybe prices and availability will improve with time and it will become a more viable option, that said until such time as batteries and EVs are being completely recycled at low cost and the cost of charging them drops, range increases i doubt they will be viable for the majority of the population.

I know exactly who you mean on the other thread, when he's being like that there's no reasoning with him. I find it annoying as he's quite intelligent but he often misunderstands the concept of things yet decides that how he's interpreted something has to be right. Nothing is open to negotiation and also there can't be more than one way of doing things or more than one possible result from any given action with several possible outcomes.

Glad Mrs Woman turned up for the TV - a bit more space for you!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

I think the RB being worth £10k in the foreseeable future as a possibility Alan, go back 20 years and even the best Rover 800s were only fetching £2-300, now they're creeping up and i know of one sold for £9995 and another with an Agreed Value of £10k on insurance.
Look at the prices currently of the 140 series Volvos, you'll get an idea of what the 240 will be in a few years time. Then have a look at the 120 series to get an idea of another few years.

There are quite a few companies out there offering classic EV conversions, one has even built a new MGB with a new Heritage bodyshell (have a look on YouTube for electric MGB) and a "69" plate registration, another has converted a VW Beetle but as far as i know, the Swindon firm is the only one that offers a bolt-in kit for the owner to do the spannering etc.

Maybe prices and availability will improve with time and it will become a more viable option, that said until such time as batteries and EVs are being completely recycled at low cost and the cost of charging them drops, range increases i doubt they will be viable for the majority of the population.

I know exactly who you mean on the other thread, when he's being like that there's no reasoning with him. I find it annoying as he's quite intelligent but he often misunderstands the concept of things yet decides that how he's interpreted something has to be right. Nothing is open to negotiation and also there can't be more than one way of doing things or more than one possible result from any given action with several possible outcomes.

Glad Mrs Woman turned up for the TV - a bit more space for you!

I suppose prices for 24X cars are a bit irrelevant to me in that I can't really see myself parting with it until either it becomes illegal as a petrol car, or I become too infirm to drive. I suppose if prices did go up a bit I'd be smug in that I bought in when they were still relatively cheap. I quite like it that 24X cars (rough ones) can still be had for £600 - that means the supply of cars and spares is not too tight.

Talking of 14X car prices, I just saw this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1973-Volv...UAAOSw2lxfjtvV

£4,000 sounds a lot to me for a complete rot box (just look at those sills), unregistered LHD import, but I suppose if someone spent £15,000 on it then it would be a really interesting car - worth £20,000 though? I don't know.

I'm really struggling to see the value in converting older cars to EVs - the cost is £40,000ish, and for that one gets a really non-original car with a 120 mile range and all sorts of spares problems (old chassis and running parts, rare interface parts and electric motors and batteries with an 8 year shelf life). Maybe it is just me, but I can't square that circle.

No names, no pack drill about the chap in the 700 section. He sounded like an educated man but was being too dogmatic, which irritated me so I left what had been an interesting discussion. At the end of the day this is a Volvo car forum, we come here to give and take advice and inspiration regarding our 30-40 year old cars, not to get into puerile arguments. Ho hum.

The good news is the tyres are on my Pholus wheels. I'll go and collect them this afternoon and if this drizzly rain stops I may put them on the RB (I'll do it myself and take the opportunity to inspect everything with the wheels off... so probably a photo to follow later on.

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I suppose prices for 24X cars are a bit irrelevant to me in that I can't really see myself parting with it until either it becomes illegal as a petrol car, or I become too infirm to drive. I suppose if prices did go up a bit I'd be smug in that I bought in when they were still relatively cheap. I quite like it that 24X cars (rough ones) can still be had for £600 - that means the supply of cars and spares is not too tight.

Talking of 14X car prices, I just saw this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1973-Volv...UAAOSw2lxfjtvV

£4,000 sounds a lot to me for a complete rot box (just look at those sills), unregistered LHD import, but I suppose if someone spent £15,000 on it then it would be a really interesting car - worth £20,000 though? I don't know.

I'm really struggling to see the value in converting older cars to EVs - the cost is £40,000ish, and for that one gets a really non-original car with a 120 mile range and all sorts of spares problems (old chassis and running parts, rare interface parts and electric motors and batteries with an 8 year shelf life). Maybe it is just me, but I can't square that circle.

No names, no pack drill about the chap in the 700 section. He sounded like an educated man but was being too dogmatic, which irritated me so I left what had been an interesting discussion. At the end of the day this is a Volvo car forum, we come here to give and take advice and inspiration regarding our 30-40 year old cars, not to get into puerile arguments. Ho hum.

The good news is the tyres are on my Pholus wheels. I'll go and collect them this afternoon and if this drizzly rain stops I may put them on the RB (I'll do it myself and take the opportunity to inspect everything with the wheels off... so probably a photo to follow later on.

Alan

That's the one bit that bothers me Alan, the possibility that owning a car with an ICE becomes illegal. I'm hoping that by converting to LPG, i'll be on an exempted list although i suspect they'll want me to fully register them on an LPG database, presumably so they can shaft me tax-wise.

As for he who shall remain anonymous, that pretty much sums him up. I've also bowed out of the thread too. Likewise a non-Volvo section discussion and i passed a comment about the 760 (and by extension the 940) not being that much bigger than a BMW 1 series although that isn't a proper estate - the implication being i probably wasn't comparing like with like and if there was a 1 series estate, it would probably be about the same size.
Someone then started throwing various other new Volvo model numbers at me saying they were all bigger than the 1 series too and they weren't estate cars either. The actual point i was making was that modern small cars are now almost as big as what were once considered the biggest cars in the range but the guy seemed very passive-aggressive so i just didn't respond.

That is good news on the Pholus wheels and tyres, will look forward to seeing how they look!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

That's the one bit that bothers me Alan, the possibility that owning a car with an ICE becomes illegal. I'm hoping that by converting to LPG, i'll be on an exempted list although i suspect they'll want me to fully register them on an LPG database, presumably so they can shaft me tax-wise.

As for he who shall remain anonymous, that pretty much sums him up. I've also bowed out of the thread too. Likewise a non-Volvo section discussion and i passed a comment about the 760 (and by extension the 940) not being that much bigger than a BMW 1 series although that isn't a proper estate - the implication being i probably wasn't comparing like with like and if there was a 1 series estate, it would probably be about the same size.
Someone then started throwing various other new Volvo model numbers at me saying they were all bigger than the 1 series too and they weren't estate cars either. The actual point i was making was that modern small cars are now almost as big as what were once considered the biggest cars in the range but the guy seemed very passive-aggressive so i just didn't respond.

That is good news on the Pholus wheels and tyres, will look forward to seeing how they look!

Perhaps I will end up doing that EV conversion (myself of course) in 15 years time if the RB's ICE becomes illegal? By then EV bits should be much cheaper (particularly the batteries) so it would not be beyond the bounds of possibility.

I've added a post on the Pholus wheels in the RB thread - they turned out perfectly (I think) and I'm really happy with them let me know what you think when you have a mo.

:-)

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Perhaps I will end up doing that EV conversion (myself of course) in 15 years time if the RB's ICE becomes illegal? By then EV bits should be much cheaper (particularly the batteries) so it would not be beyond the bounds of possibility.

I've added a post on the Pholus wheels in the RB thread - they turned out perfectly (I think) and I'm really happy with them let me know what you think when you have a mo.

:-)

Something similar has crossed my mind on the EV self-conversion, maybe by then a few Teslas will have been written off giving me the option of a beefy motor for my beasts.

I've already responded to your post on the Pholuses (Pholii?), i think they look better than i imagined!

I may consider doing something similar to you with the winter wheels/tyres in the fullness of time, depending of course whether i can find the right summer wheels that i'd be looking for.