coldel

Have a good one all and look forwards to the SE meet in a couple of weeks - looks like it will be a good 'un!

Saw this for the first time a few months back, brilliant

Poundland has been our saviour since little Alfie came along!

Haha yes they are an oversight committee - but like OFCOM or whatever like a croupier at a black jack table though they have to stick at 17 or over, they are not making decisions based on personal judgement but set rules. Royal Mail...the great thing about economics is that there are great theories which work 99% of the time but there will be exceptions! But mostly, it works!

Outside influences such as increases in the cost of ownership and fuel has begun to push people into cheaper and more reliable cars. So, demand for these cars increases, there is also the effect that people that own the cars are less likely to sell so less supply, over demand is a market force which results in a higher price therefore it may well be possible for the situation of the civics or micras you mention can result in increased prices. However, this is market forces and supply and demand in play and not price fixing. Price fixing is something that is very rare and incredibly difficult to achieve for the reasons that have been highlighted in the thread so far. It is also counter productive to a successful market place (ie what if you sold your Zed at an artificial fixed high price and the car you wanted next was also fixed above the market rate?) and is why there exists monopolies commissions to ensure that no single organisation controls the majority of demand in a consumer market because that is one of the requirements for price fixing to exist.

Red Dwarf, despite a new series just being aired I am sure it started about 20 odd years ago! Not sure how many people bothered to stay up till 11pm with channel 4 on in the late eighties but Chelmsford 123 was cracking value with a young Rory McGrath starting up. Not so classic as its only about twelve years old but Early Doors is very funny with a great storyline in series two, have watched the two series over about ten times and still not bored.

Just bear in mind that there is a hidden economy around buying and selling cars years on due to inflation, you could buy a car for 10k then sell it for £12k in ten years time but you would have made a loss. Also any associated costs such as storage you otherwise wouldn't have had will have to build in. But what is being described above, lets be clear, is also not price fixing. It is rarity and desirability which translate as rarity = small supply and desirability = high demand which will push up prices in line with market forces but not above their natural level ie a level below the proposed price fix. If it went above that demand would fall as there are alternatives and supply would be left with unsold cars which in turn would mean supply dropping prices ie equilibrium. See, isn't economics so lovely

Hmmmm, seems a lot of money for a high miler with some niggles. The grinding would be a problem for me personally. Is it that its just around the corner a big thing for you? Most people who buy Zeds quite happily travel a couple hundred miles for the right one. If you ask nicely, some members will look at a Zed for you if its local to them...

Jags are notorious for depreciating, makes them a fab used car purchase though! The engine and amount of kit you get for the money is way above the cost. I think the Zed has a look about it which makes it potentially a future classic, it has aged very well in the 9 years its been around, much better than say a Boxster or TT. However, there are plenty out there and whether they have the desirability of say an older Jag or Lotus remains to be seen, after all its still a mass produced Nissan.

Just out of interest Taras how do you ensure the wrap doesnt melt off the bar due to engine heat? Or does it just stick ok?

Forum cars are better looked after than non forum cars? Possibly true, but not in a number of cases. A lot of enthusiastic owners are older people who car not a jot for online forums and have never used them. Plenty of people who sign up to forums as well with the only intention to use the For Sale section. As for the examples above... Petrol - for your car you need to put in high octane petrol - there are just a small number of suppliers - the product is pretty much standardised across brands - there are few if no alternatives, and this is key as it allows an element of price fixing - for cars however there are always alternatives and this is a massive difference. You need petrol for you car to go, you do not need a Zed to own a car. This is not a good example and in fact argues against your point. iPads, first to market as a mass produced tablet (there had been some attempts by lesser brands previously but none of note). They charged a premium as they were the first mass produced tablet, look at the price of new iPads now, much lower than when they were first launched as they are in a competitive market, just like a Zed. When there are alternatives that are just as good or better, you cannot charge a premium price and again you cannot fix a high price as you simply will not sell. Its all been done to death, Keynesian theory is a nice place to start, teaches the basics of equilibrium and the rules around supply and demand and the possibility of price fixing - for instance price fixing requires 100% information, high demand, no alternatives and total collaboration of sellers. An example to encompass all this is such: -All the sellers know how many buyers there are, where they are, and what their price elasticity is -There are no alternatives to the Zed -All the sellers behave as one organisation In this car market, there are too many alternatives and more importantly you cannot guarantee that the sellers will not at any point drop the price of their cars to sell if it doesnt sell at the price agreed across the forum consortium. Whereas something like Petrol, it does fulfill some of these rules more thoroughly and to some extent price fixing can happen. What you are talking about is rarity which also has desirability. This will push up prices but not because of price fixing but because of the rules around rarity and desirability which is something no single group of sellers can really dictate. If you try and push the price up beyond the price dictated by our old friend supply and demand the price will reduce the number of buyers and selling will become difficult, in which case sellers will reduce prices and your price fixing fails. I think I have said my piece now...it is a bizarre thread, you are talking about breaking all the natural rules of trading that have been in place for thousands of years. Despite all my ranting above the key problem you have is that there will always be alternatives, in a few cases, better alternatives to the Zed. You will get some buyers who want a Zed and nothing else, but not enough to sustain the artificially high price.

...cant imagine they would sell many cars at other times of year though - I kid you not this is a snapshot of the list online right now

What a bizarre thread (seconded Sarnie) and utterly ridiculous, sorry to be blunt but it is. Buyers will always have an element of power in any purchase decision, as ultimately they can say NO. Yes in 20 years time a 350z might be worth more than £10k as there will be only a handful left, but that is not price fixing, that is a function of reduced supply and an assumed level of high demand from buyers. Unfortunately something you have to wait for rather than thinking you can dictate it via a forum.

Have read somewhere the Clio V6s are a bit of a joke, you would for under 10k be better off going the 2L jobbies. Elise is a good shout, you need to bear in mind the Head Gasket problems with the K-Series, there are companies like Hanger111 though who provide improved thermostats to help prevent failures of this type. A mate of mine bought a westfield, loves it to bits but its nothing other than a track car. Have been out in a VX220T with a stage 2 conversion, 04 car so not classic just yet but bloody hell it shifts. Can't say I was a fan of the body shape in silver though. Would swerve the Porsches personally, just look so incredibly dated and so many of them around, but thats personal opinion. Megane F1Team cars seem pretty fast although never been in one. How about something completely mental but practical...http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/vauxhall/monaro/vauxhall-monaro-v8-vxr-2005/943823

I would really swerve the TVR idea as well...shocking reliability from owners I know. Which is a shame because they look and sound stunning.

Toughy this. The Zed will always turn heads and looks a lot faster than it actually is. The M3 would absolutely monster most cars of the same value on the road, incredible performance levels, like others have said though shame there are such subtle differences in bodywork between the M3 and say a 320D. Personally I prefer the car to look the part as well as drive the part. I have similar views on the Focus for instance, yes you can get great performing STs and RS cars, but at the end of the day you still climb into a car that generally looks both inside and out like any other Focus.

Sold my 18s with tyres for £100...

I think you are being a little harsh. If the couriers want to keep there employee's they need to keep them happy. Overloading them with parcels at christmas time is not the way to do this.... I just think a little incentive goes a long way.... The employer is not overloading them, its just the nature of the business, its busy at christmas. Fine if they want to reward them thats their prerogative but some sort of thinking that you HAVE to bonus people just to work when their job gets busy, well thats farcical. Not as if its a rare skill and there are no people around that can 'drive a van and knock on someones door to deliver a parcel' although as we have seen even that is beyond some people. Lucky not everyone has the same mentality 'oh its busy - I need money to work a bit harder' otherwise this country would be in an even worse state than it is now.

As for the bonus issue for 'working harder in busy periods' am I missing a joke here or something? I work in market research, christmas for us is also one of our busiest periods, thats life, sometimes your job is busy, sometimes it is quiet it all evens out. Am a little confused as to why people demand money to work a bit harder because its busy? Or maybe I am being a bit too harsh...

Its around this time of year the whole postage system goes up the spout. After some very bizarre incidents I would rather go to 'a shop' and buy stuff at a higher price than rely on companies getting stuff to me in time. The worst incident I had, which tragically was also the funniest, was waiting for a parcel I paid next day delivery for with UPS about two weeks before christmas, a week later nothing. So I chased and chased it, they promised delivery, I worked at home, nothing. Then I went to work got home and missed parcel, so I contacted them and said I would come and collect it so arranged to shift my work around so I could go get it. Rocked up at the sorting office and it was rammed, they couldn't find anyones stuff. About 40 people waiting in there. 2 1/2 hours later they announced that everything was out on delivery whether you said you would collect or not and that we should 'rush home' to intercept it. I got home, nothing. Next day I was off work and it arrived! Next day delivery took eleven days plus endless messing around with work. So, I had a chat with the delivery guy: Col: I paid next day on this, even arranged to collect and I waited eleven days now! Delivery dude: Sorry about that mate, wouldn't use UPS at all if I were you. Col: Really, why? Delivery dude: Bunch of jokers down at that sorting office. Last night they didn't even unload my undelivered's, just left all the post in the backs of all the vans overnight out in the car park because they wanted to get down the pub early and have a lie in this morning. Col: WHAT! Delivery dude: Yep been like that the last few days, not bothering to unload the vans at night because its busy. I got a load of extra stuff to deliver today that should have been picked up so I got an extra long day. Col: Isn't that annoying? You seem quite calm about it? Delivery dude: Not really, my last day. Merry Christmas! And he drove off into the sunset. That, is a true story.

At the very least get on go compare or the like and put your mods in and get a range of quotes. I used Admiral for my Zed, I added the Milltek, induction kit, HFCs, wheels and the increase was around £25 for the year. Then again I have decades of driving and age on my side... ...then they quoted us £600 for a bog standard Ford Focus, so we switched to Sheilas wheels for £290.

TGM has really good reviews, lots of people on here vouch for them. I think the guys name is Tom you need to speak to - knows Zeds very well.

I like the wheels, I think! Could do with some powder coating to make them less overpowering on the car, maybe a darker shade? The best mod I have seen on the silver Zeds are the black wrapped roof's - really sets the car off for little cost.

Nice thought, but I have a Miltek fitted, it is the Berk HFC that I am contemplating...! David Do it, you wont be disappointed. Nice sound when cruising, drop a gear and thump the revs and it sounds STUNNING.

Milltek + Berks sounds fantastic, loud enough to get the whole of Richmond high street taking a look if I revved it a bit! An absolute bargain to be had here if you intend to upgrade.