#262 for sale on Collecting Cars

[Ashtons99]

This one was last for sale in 2017 at £10750 on 40k

lots of scenic distant shots with the usual ramblings on the unique qualities of the Trophy we’ve read a thousand times.

Looks a decent car, shite mats, messy engine bay....plenty more to pick at. As we know with these boys, folk get giddy then pay an additional £600 for the pleasure

 

[JJ55]

Best place to sell it after the high price the other one achieved a few weeks back.

 

[Shrimpvende]

Auction ended last night, £11,350 hammer price. Including the 6% commission, that's over £12k for the car.

I wonder if the fairly strong money I paid for mine (the first one on collecting cars, £7k) had an effect on the price paid for this one. As an outsider, I always knew what a trophy was, had heard the myth of the magical dampers that need a 'yearly rebuild' and that there were only ever a few hundred of them so they're now very expensive. You don't see them come up really on autotrader or ebay, in fact it's only after signing up to this forum after buying mine on CC that I saw that prices are generally lower than I thought they were. I guess the layman petrolhead is similar to me, browsing collecting cars and with hardly any other examples for sale in the usual places prices are hard to gauge. I guess if the cars I've seen advertised here were all on ebay/autotrader the bidding wouldn't have got so high for either my car or this one, as it would be easier to gauge the market.

Either way I bet the seller was happy!

 

[ocsltd]

The buyer is also very happy! The car is fantastic, pictures didn’t do it justice!

I can confirm there was no “giddiness” here!!

Just a genuine enthusiast, willing to pay good money, for a good car....

 

[Ashtons99]

I do wonder how the buyers on this auction site get pulled into paying the prices, buying a car unseen and based on a catalogue of well filtered photos, guessing it’s just auction giddiness.

 

[hoolio]

I guess we should all be pretty happy that our cars are selling for good money but personally for that money I would have wanted to see a cleaner car, engine bay bit of a mess and I would have wanted to see underneath (I would want to see it in person before parting with that amount full stop) but short of a bit of a tidy it will be a nice low miles example.

 

[JJ55]

I think it’s a combination of summer, auction fever, post lockdown fever. Sports cars have been selling well In general I’m guessing due to pent up demand/ boredom. Plus the trophy has had a lot of good press this last year & people also know how the values of 5 gt turbos & Clio Williams have climbed.

The collecting cars results have been interesting as similar cars have sold for less. Many taking a long time to sell.

 

[MC1]

I would say they’ve done a good job in marketing, and fill a gap in the market nicely at the moment. Best clean my engine bay as tempted to try mine on there [emoji6]

 

[ocsltd]

So as the new owner of No.262, I thought I would chip in.

As a long term Renaultsport fan, owning my 172 Cup for quite a few years, and also a 'Full Fat' Clio 200, and a couple of 182's over the years, I've always 'flirted' with getting a 182 Trophy. I've gone from obsessing over them, repeatedly watching the infamous Harry Metcalfe video, to deciding they're not worth the premium over a good 182 (something which is perhaps still debatable.) However, there is something pretty special about them.....

So, I've kept an eye on the market over a number of years, I've seen prices rise (quite sharply at times) and then fall, with demand seemingly reflecting this, so like to think I've got a handle on the prices / market.

Having sold many 205 GTi's in the past and wishing I'd kept at least one, I was fully aware getting a good 'T' would become increasingly harder as the years roll by.....

I've seen a few T's pop up for sale, some have looked pretty good, but either they've had a few too many owners, the condition is questionable or the history is unknown (in terms of ownership, not just servicing.)

Which brings me on to No. 262. I've been keeping an eye on the Collecting Cars website, as I'm sure most of you have, as it's always interesting to see what pops up, not always the sort of thing that readily hits the 'open market'.

Then I spotted No. 262.

Naturally I began to do my homework, first port of call was the register. Looking through the history of 262 it confirmed that this T had been really well looked after, both mechanically and cosmetically and had never fallen into the 'wrong hands' something that was important to me!

I then clocked the last MOT and it had been carried out in Stamford, which is just down the road from me! This never happens and I usually end up travelling for hours to get the right car, fate perhaps?

This one, for me at least, seemed to tick all the boxes, low mileage, good history and looked original / standard. Now I will agree, I don't think it was presented particularly well, despite the 'arty scenic' shots. However, I can see past that, and I could see a really good car. Yes the engine bay looked unloved, but that can quickly and easily be rectified with a bit of time and effort, and a few new screws / clips. What was more important to me was the correct colour coolant, no silly aftermarket induction kits and a good quality Bosch battery. The ECU cover wasn't corroded like some I've seen, it just needs a good clean, and perhaps the metal parts vapour blasted! The aftermarket rubber mats are truly shocking, but in fairness have done a good job protecting the genuine Renault mats underneath, but they will be heading for the nearest bin..... The lovely 'Snappy' re-trimmed steering wheel with the T's number more than made up for this. Regarding the interior, it still has that 'new car' smell, not something that can be replicated, the seats are unmarked and the plastics are in great condition. (It's just had a brand new AC control panel fitted due to the common 'cracking' to give you an idea how good the interior is. But it does need a hoover!

It has the correct rear SACHS dampers fitted as well as the fronts, the underside has been undersealed so remains in great shape.

Other factors that influenced me were, the Sachs dampers have just been replaced, with brand new units, a massive plus. Also the front tyres has been recently replaced with brand new Michelin's, another good sign that this T hadn't been maintained on the 'cheap'. The AC is ICE COLD!

Another massive thing for me, it still had the original supplying dealers' number plates fitted front and rear, perhaps a small thing, but just another indication that this was a good, genuine car. That for me is the crucial word, GENUINE. I can spend some time and effort bringing it up to my exacting standards, but for me that's part of the fun! The last owner was a genuine Petrol head, and the T had been in some very nice company!

Regarding the price, that's obviously well documented! It goes without saying, I would have liked to have paid less, but, I paid what i was willing to pay, for what I consider to be a VERY good example of arguably one of the best hot hatches of the modern era. The CC buyers fee does sting a little, but it's just something you have to factor in with the price, and I see it as a small price to pay, to have the opportunity to be able to buy a car like this.

Despite claims of "auction fever" and "giddiness", there was none of that, I can assure you. It was the right car (for me), at the right time (for me.)

So I'm not some rich collector, but a genuine enthusiast, who loves these special little cars, and will cherish this particular one....

I would love to attend a Welsh Weekender in the future, I hope I get a slightly warmer reception there......

 

[Greva]

 

[Greva]

Congratulations on the purchase. Looked a great car. Enjoy

 

[ocsltd]

Thank you.

 

[Titan]

Congrats and well done on your purchase.

From reading your post you definitely went in with your eyes wide open and you've obviously done your homework on the Trophy in general and your new car in particular.

Wish I was as well setup before I had bought some of my previous cars!! I
???

It sounds like it's going to a great home and more importantly it will be well looked after and even more importantly...enjoyed.
It's even better that it was beside you as well.

As you say it looks like a lot of the more expensive items have been tended to, like the Sachs.

Just curious,were you able to ask many questions from the owner about the car before you bid?
I know you can ask questions once you have a registered account with Collecting Cars.

 

[ocsltd]

Congrats and well done on your purchase.

From reading your post you definitely went in with your eyes wide open and you've obviously done your homework on the Trophy in general and your new car in particular.

Wish I was as well setup before I had bought some of my previous cars!! I
???

It sounds like it's going to a great home and more importantly it will be well looked after and even more importantly...enjoyed.
It's even better that it was beside you as well.

As you say it looks like a lot of the more expensive items have been tended to, like the Sachs.

Just curious,were you able to ask many questions from the owner about the car before you bid?
I know you can ask questions once you have a registered account with Collecting Cars.

Thank you, appreciate the comments.

You can only ask questions if you’ve got a registered account. The listing was quite comprehensive, and the other questions that had already been asked, clarified a few things.

 

[bearne1]

Congratulations on the purchase, surprised by the price tag but sub 50,000 mile Trophys are becoming hard to come by.

One thing that strikes me as odd is the late replacement of aux belt and cam belt, seems to have skipped any belt services in the first 11 years?

 

[ocsltd]

Congratulations on the purchase, surprised by the price tag but sub 50,000 mile Trophys are becoming hard to come by.

One thing that strikes me as odd is the late replacement of aux belt and cam belt, seems to have skipped any belt services in the first 11 years?

Thank you. I think it was all the money, but exactly what I’d expect to pay for a really good, genuine example with that mileage.

The cambelt was changed in 2011 and 2016, so due again next year, which I’ll get a good specialist to do.

 

[sj2112]

I was keeping my eye on what it went for.. Mines on 47k so gives good idea.

All the best with the new car ?

 

[ocsltd]

I was keeping my eye on what it went for.. Mines on 47k so gives good idea.

All the best with the new car ?

Thanks, I’m sure you weren’t alone...

 

[SharkyUK]

I would love to attend a Welsh Weekender in the future, I hope I get a slightly warmer reception there......

You'd be more than welcome and I can guarantee a warm reception! Thankfully the Weekender seems to attract decent folks who are genuine enthusiasts and who are more interested in enjoying their cars rather than what someone paid for theirs. Admittedly this year's Weekender is somewhat up in the air due to the pandemic but I'm sure normal service will resume next year (and maybe a Trophy-only event or two in the interim?)

 

[ocsltd]

You'd be more than welcome and I can guarantee a warm reception! Thankfully the Weekender seems to attract decent folks who are genuine enthusiasts and who are more interested in enjoying their cars rather than what someone paid for theirs. Admittedly this year's Weekender is somewhat up in the air due to the pandemic but I'm sure normal service will resume next year (and maybe a Trophy-only event or two in the interim?)

Thank you, that sounds ideal! Would love to meet other, genuine, enthusiasts. It's a real pity about this year's event, but completely understandable given the circumstances....
If there any Trophy only events, I'd certainly be interested!
Cheers