A customer contacted me to ask for help selling his 2002 Rover 75 saloon with only 206 miles on the clock! He was the only keeper.
It was a desirable spec. 2 litre V6 Connoisseur SE in Wedgewood Blue and grey leather with cream piping. Only the 2.5 V6 engine would have made it even more desirable.
Valuing the car was the first challenge. A 2002 75 in mint condition with, say, 50,000 miles, which would still be very low mileage for the year, would be worth, at best, £2,000.
But this car was genuinely ‘as new’. Unmarked. No corrosion of any kind. It had been kept up under a car cover in a warehouse ever since it was bought.
I spoke with motoring museums, Haynes and Gaydon, and with the auction experts at Historics of Brooklands. Some thought over £10,000, most between £4,000 and 6,000.
Others on a Rover enthusiasts’ forum baulked at possible reconditioning costs and stated £2,500 was the best I might achieve…….
Then who to market it to? As soon as it was driven, it would lose value. A car collector perhaps? But was it interesting enough? Gaydon already had both the first Rover 75 off the production line and the last one ever produced in their museum. Most people did agree that if it was bought by a collector and not driven, it would appreciate in value. But by how much and over how long was difficult to guess.
Or perhaps a Rover 75 owner and enthusiast whose car had finally given up the ghost and who would have liked to buy another new one, but couldn’t, as they are not made any more!
I advised the seller that I thought £6,000 was the rough value. I did think this was optimistic, but worth a shot nevertheless….you only need one buyer after all.
He wanted more for it though, and wasn’t in a rush to sell. So, after much discussion, we marketed the car at £10,000 and waited.
And waited……..
Offers were received in the £4,000 – 5,000 range, but nothing like £10,000. I suggested we drop the price, but the owner was happy to hold out.
Very sadly, he then passed away. He was an elderly chap. I thought that that would be the end of my involvement with the car, as his affairs would no doubt be quickly wrapped up and any unwanted assets sold off quickly.
I then received a call from his partner, the executor of his will. She asked me to help her sell the car. We discussed the price and, in short, agreed to try again at £6,000.
Offers flooded in. Two car collectors offered £5,000, but it was the second type of buyer, the Rover 75 enthusiast who wanted to replace his car, that won the day.
The buyer viewed the car on Saturday and offered the asking price within 15 minutes. He was just what we had hoped for. His much loved Rover 75 had finally expired and he wanted a new version of the same.
The seller had a local mechanic on hand and basic reconditioning – cambelt and tensioners, oil and filters (full service) and MOT – has been arranged.
The seller is ecstatic. A very happy ending!