2009 Nissan GT-R: How do you Price a Supercar?

Some of your guesses were right on the money. We were shocked by how little Carmax offered. In the past they have often exceeded our expectation. But this time we were disappointed.

Why were you disappointed?If a potential buyer were to look at the repair log for this vehicle, they'd most certainly have alarms and red flags going off. And since the other GT-Rs aren't meeting their reserves, it's safe to say selling this GT-R will be like trying to get people into one of those pyramid/ponzi schemes.

So you're starting at 82-90% of your original purchase price ($73k). I know that the base price is up to (I think) $90k these days, but I don't see you getting only 10% depreciation from original.

You guys have accumulated 2 years of mileage (at least) on the car, and while I know you are dilligent about maintenance, this car has been used hard. I know that's what it was made for, but the reality is that very few really will be, and most buyers won't be interested in the car at what might be a typical price.

Supercars with names other than Ferrari are generally notorious for fast initial depreciation and I don't expect that the GT-R will be any different. I suspect Carmax's bid will be pretty close.

It will be interesting to see.

Bodyblue then fiddles with the keys to his Toyota Corolla...

the whole idea of bringing a "supercar" to carmax seems ridiculous to me.

if it really is a "super" car (and based on your posts, that's extremely questionable), you should have no trouble selling it at a reasonable price.

You'll find a buyer. If I won the lotto tomorrow I'd go buy a GTR. Its a supercar and its wicked fast and I also wouldn't feel nearly as bad if my GTR got a ding in it as I would if I owned an F430. You guys did exactly right with this supercar and I think that is why Nissan designed it. Its a supercar that is made to be driven hard not a garage queen. Ferraris are too pretty to beat on, this car isn't.

Mikeloan: FUNNY!

While I think the GTR is a phenomenal car, based on the number of issues you guys have had and the time this car has spent in the shop, I would think it'd be eligible to be lemoned (if you'd decided to go that route). I can't imagine buying a car with the history this thing has for the price you're asking.

It's also interesting to me (and seems somewhat disingenous) that no mention is made of the fact that you had the transmission completely replaced, the fuel tank, etc.

Here are a smattering of the issues (as far as I could dig up in 5 minutes):
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2008/08/2009-nissan-gt-r-one-sick-machine.html#more
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2008/08/2009-nissan-gt-r-back-to-the-dealer.html
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2008/08/2009-nissan-gtr-back-from-the-dealer.html
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2008/09/2009-nissan-gt-r-back-to-the-dealer-again.html
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2008/09/2009-nissan-gt-r-mia.html
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2008/09/2009-nissan-gt-r-gutless.html
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2008/09/2009-nissan-gt-r-fixed-againagain.html
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2009/07/2009-nissan-gt-r-stranded-x-2.html

I suppose it says something about how much one should read into Carfax, in almost none of these are mentioned in the service records for the car:
http://www.carfax.com/cfm/FSBO.cfm?report=3D977E52A45588B9BA38403E517AE6E6#DetailSection

Add to that posts such as these:
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2008/11/2009-nissan-gt-r-screw-the-warranty-launch-it.html
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2009/05/2009-nissan-gt-r-video-0-170-mph-in-33-seconds.html
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2009/06/2009-nissan-gt-r-benchracing-in-extremis.html

With choice quotes like:
"Screw the warranty. I set the launch control and blew his mind."

And there ain't no way in hell I'd buy this thing...even at 50k. I feel sorry for the sucker who does.

Why don't you just put it no-reserve on EBAY and let er rip? Seeing how it would trade in this economy would be the most interesting aspect to this LT test by far. No offense.

I'm confident you'll do better than $60k. Everyone seems to think that simply because this is an Edmund's LT Test Car it should trade at a discount to a car with comparable mileage. You never took it for a hard track track (in fact your tires corded recently from a lack of "spirited" driving ), it has 100% documented history and has been treated well. I don't get it........................?

There's always someone that's willing to overpay for a vehicle. Ya might get lucky.

MN, I think most sports car buyers want a car that CAN be driven hard not one that has.

You mention comparable mileage as if there are any. If there are more than 2 or 3 other GT-R's in the US within 5,000 miles of this car I'd be shocked.

Nissan may have intended to build a 'supercar' that could be a daily driver, but the fact is that most aren't. They are toys brought out on sunny days to the show and shine at the drive in. Some are taken to track days and/or regularly exercised through twisty canyons I'm sure. But I would bet what little money I have that the percentage is small.

So add the relatively high mileage with the painfully (for the seller) well documented history of problems and you get a car that has likely seen a significant percentage of its initial value go away.

At least the buyer will get a new set of expensive tires.

Bankerdanny, I think you're just wrong about that. In my experience, and I do own a GTR, the demographic isn't that of your typical garage-queen car owners. They are young (unlike me) they track their cars (like me). I'd bet what little $ I have vs. what little money you have, that: the % of GTR owners that take their car to the track is very high, and I'm absolutely certain that there are very many cars with similar mileage being driven around.

This is a clean ca and a no-reserve auction is the way to go. It has consequences but I still think it will sell the quickest and for the highest price. It'd also be very Edmund's final and constructive contribution to the LT test.

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but I would not want to buy any car that any car mag or blog has had in their long-term fleet. They may have been meticulously maintained, but the fact is that the people who drive them do not own them.
If you are the owner of a vehicle and have to spend your own money on it, you'll drive a lot more careful than when it's just another ride in the lot of your office. Similarly, I would avoid ex-rentals or company lease cars.

Never have owned a Toyota and probably never will. My point was as a supercar this thing is a turd. If I was going to buy one (and I never will) it would be a Ford GT.....THAT is a supercar that can be driven every day. The GT-R is a hanger queen. Its ugly, unreliable and expensive to buy and maintain.....what a deal!

to bodyblue,

so in your opinion, Ford GT is not ugly, reliable and inexpensive to buy and maintain?

Wow..my guess is you never watched Top Gear in your whole toyota life.

"Wow..my guess is you never watched Top Gear in your whole toyota life."

Because Top Gear is a source for objective information? Enjoy it if you like, but it's far from credible.

MN, I will bow to your personal experience as a member of the owner group.

Like I said, it's goint to interesting to see what they ultimately get.

UMMMM Take some time and read the entire long term blog for the Ford GT.....then tell me what you think. If you cant read that I have never owned a Toyota the I doubt you have read the GT Blog. And if I had owned a Toyota then I probably would have been very satisfied.......unlike GT-R owners. I will stick with the 2005 Performance White Mustang in my garage.....Wife has a Prius....I have a Stratus that is my commuter car and the Mustang....(my second and my families 8th) WIfe had the Prius when we met and we are getting rid of it in the spring.

GT Beautiful

GTR Fugly and junky.............I wrote that slow so you could read it better.

I don't take the show for credibility, but I take the owners.
Jeremy Clarkson owns 2 ford GTs, not only because of his love of the vehicle, but the lack of reliability. The first one, which he waited 2 years for, was so frequently shopped that he had to return it and get a second one.

One of the editors on this site owns the one they had for a year. Take the time and read the blog then talk about how unreliable it is.....on second thought, nevermind...........I am sure this is a pointless argument. I surrender. The GTR is the best supercar ever.....they will get $100,000 for it....I wish I could buy it.

bodyblue: "GTR Fugly and junky.............I wrote that slow so you could read it better."

I guess it really is true that Ford owners are uneducated.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/06/car-personality-wealth-lifestyle-vehicles-gender-income_slide_5.html

The thing that drives prices here, IMHO, is that anyone who can afford a GTR at all can afford a new one. So there's little or no market for a one-year-old, hard-driven version unless it's FAR cheaper than new.

bodyblue, you're really comparing a GT-R with a $140k Ford GT??? I'm going to use your thought process and tell the world that a Phantom is more luxurious than a 7-series. :/

Once this is sold I highly recommend getting a Panamera for a LT test. I'd prefer to see a turbo but I think any of the trims would be interesting.

"Once this is sold I highly recommend getting a Panamera for a LT test."

I'll second that. I was in Zuffenhausen 2 weeks ago and saw the 4S and a Turbo. The exterior still looks weird to me but the interior is *wow*.