Advise needed - valuation and bereavement sale

[knoxvillain]

Hi there,

I am new to the forums but my Dad restored a 1975 TR6. Unfortunately he passed away in April unexpectedly and I am now trying to deal with his cars on behalf of my mum. Sadly my mum doesn't drive and I lost my driving license 18 months ago on medical grounds (eye sight) otherwise I would have loved to have kept it in the family.

The TR6 was made in the UK and was originally left hand drive and spent most of its life in California I believe. The previous owner imported it from the US back to the UK around 97 or 98 and started to restore it but for various reasons never completed it. My Dad acquired the vehicle around 2001/2002 and complete restored it, part of this included converting it to Right Hand Drive for the UK. There's a bunch of photos and a ton of receipts and I even remember helping him with the engine on an engine crane when I was younger.

In amongst all the paperwork I found an agreed insurance valuation from 2015 which states £12k. I'm wondering if anyone can advise how I can reasonably figure out the current value of it would be today and what the best way of selling it would be. Ideally we'd love it to go to an enthusiast who would appreciate it as much as my Dad did. 

Thanks,

Ian

[TR NIALL]

Unfortunately prices seem to be in decline I’d say between 16/18000 if it’s good condition.

[Jonny TR6]

Might be worth contacting places like TRBitz and TRGB, depending on where you are based. 

[knoxvillain]

The car is located on the West Coast of Scotland. I will check them out, thank you.

 

 

Edited August 28, 2024 by knoxvillain

[RogerH]

Hi Ian,

 it may be worth contacting the Scottish Area Co-ordinator Stephen Hall.  https://www.tr-register.co.uk/contact

He may be able to direct you to a more local valuation source.

There are a number of members down in Glasgow that may help.

 

Roger

[cp25616]

Well I don't want to be the bearer of bad tidings but Niall I just cannot see this making anywhere close to £16-18000. Its a late US import so running twin carbs, converted to RHD and the market is flooded with left to right hand drive conversions which sell for between £10K and £13K. Hell its hard enough trying to sell a home market PI car at present.

I have just looked at the next Mathewsons classic car sale and there are 4 TR6's for sale and they all stemmed from the US. I am being realistic here when I say, now is not a good time to be selling any TR, well any classic really.

Alan G

[TR NIALL]

37 minutes ago, cp25616 said:

Well I don't want to be the bearer of bad tidings but Niall I just cannot see this making anywhere close to £16-18000. Its a late US import so running twin carbs, converted to RHD and the market is flooded with left to right hand drive conversions which sell for between £10K and £13K. Hell its hard enough trying to sell a home market PI car at present.

I have just looked at the next Mathewsons classic car sale and there are 4 TR6's for sale and they all stemmed from the US. I am being realistic here when I say, now is not a good time to be selling any TR, well any classic really.

Alan G

Yes Alan I hear you and the Location don’t help.

[matt george]

Ian,

I'm in a similar position, as health reasons mean my dad is sadly no longer able to drive his TR6, so I've spent the past few months trying to find a new owner for it. Being ex-US and LHD, that in particular seems to put a lot of people off, while the TR6 market is saturated with cars for sale at the moment and prices are nowhere near where they were a few years ago. I've got dad's car up for £13k and have only had maybe seven or eight people even express an interest so far, with no actual viewings as yet. It's got to the point where we might well have to hang onto it until the start of next summer, in the hope that the market picks up again by then.

See advert below for ref.

All the best with the sale,

Matt

https://www.tr-register.co.uk/classified/7206/1972-Triumph-TR6

Edited August 28, 2024 by matt george

[trchris]

Hi Ian 

As Matt has rightly said it’s a buyers market at the moment with so many 6s for sale even 5s are relatively cheaper than before if you can hold on next spring it might be your best time to sell as with everything else it goes up and down at the moment there’s a downturn in prices hope all goes well 

Chris

[ntc]

Sorry I disagree see my post in social I spoke to a few dealers that I know and after the weekend results they agree that it is a one way slide and that is down not only Triumph cars 

[trchris]

Hi Neil 

l agree auction prices are lower but that shows what is often said “it’s only worth what someone is willing to pay “ next year someone might want to pay a little bit more who knows?

Chris

[knoxvillain]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate your time and expertise.

By way of an update, I spoke to Craig at TRbitz and he initially said he thought it was worth £14-15k. He did mentioned US cars and RHD conversions not being as valuable as UK market vehicles. I sent him over some photos and he mentioned he thought the paint was showing signs of cracking on the rear deck (there the fuel cap is). I'm not sure it is but unfortunately I'm 90 miles away from the car so it'll take me a week or two to go back and look at it closer and get better photos. If it is the case about the paint he was saying it would put it closer to £12k.

One of his colleagues is going to come and look at the vehicle in person next month. My mum, who is the executor of my Dad's estate, would be happy to £14-15k as she says my Dad had mentioned that being his estimate of its worth previously (albeit the market may be down turning a bit since then by the sounds of it). £12k would obviously be less ideal but if it is indeed showing signs of the paint cracking there then I guess it'll come down to a bit of negotiating.

Thanks again for your help and I will keep you posted on progress just in case it is ever of use to some other forum member either now or in the future.

Cheers,

Ian

[John McCormack]

Interest in classics is falling in Australia too.

This is not a seasonal or transitory issue. It is structural.

We are generally all getting older and younger people aren't much interested (yes there are exceptions, but they are exceptions) in them, nor maintaining them.

A further problem we have here that you might not yet have is mechanics with experience in older cars are rapidly retiring. Australian mechanics under 45 years of age wouldn't understand a carburetor let alone a Lucas injection system. When was a mass produced car last made with a carburetor?

Falling prices should be helpful to the classic car movement and to clubs like ours in that younger people who are interested will be able to afford the cars so keeping them on the road.

[AJAS]

Trgb do commission sales. One of my mate's tr6 was sold this way

[Steve 286]

I bought my TR6 from TRGB which was a commission sale back in 2020 well happy with the car but at the time prices were high compared to now I see currently they have 10 advertised for sale when I was looking they may have had one or two at a time and they was going out the door straight away

[Mike C]

4 hours ago, John McCormack said:

Interest in classics is falling in Australia too.

This is not a seasonal or transitory issue. It is structural.

We are generally all getting older and younger people aren't much interested (yes there are exceptions, but they are exceptions) in them, nor maintaining them.

A further problem we have here that you might not yet have is mechanics with experience in older cars are rapidly retiring. Australian mechanics under 45 years of age wouldn't understand a carburetor let alone a Lucas injection system. When was a mass produced car last made with a carburetor?

Falling prices should be helpful to the classic car movement and to clubs like ours in that younger people who are interested will be able to afford the cars so keeping them on the road.

I agree.  In the six decades or so  I've watched car prices each generation as they reached peak disposable income, lately  around their 60th or so birthdays,  has paid high prices for the cars they wanted when they were teenagers. The TR6 cohort are moving on from that phase now and the supply of cashed up older buyers is dwindling.

And , whenever I go to a car or aircraft show these days grey hair seems to be mandatory- younger people just aren't interested.

Still, I hope the OP finds a cashed up buyer interested in the estate's car.