Evening all. Sorry that I've been a bit quiet lately. Allow me to test your patience and make up for that...
With the greatest respect to
@byebyeMX5 - to whom I intend no discourtesy - the comment above has jolted me out of my silence.
The latest thinking from Toyota is that deliveries
might begin in November for cars which arrived in July. The poor lads and lasses on the telephones have no further information, just the script given to them about 'conditions in the European market' (and certainly nothing on the rumoured sealant problems). Given the lack of transparency and decision-making on 'early bird' orders or subsequent delays to cars held in Derby, I have little confidence that I will receive my car in 2022. It might happen, but I have lost faith in the higher-ups at Toyota who have shown little regard to those of us who have enthusiastically embraced the GR86 concept and committed our deposits sight-unseen to a car which we trust Toyota will get right.
However - as
@Enigma76 and others have already said - the cars we might eventually receive are only part of the story. Whether as a cash purchase or on finance, any car is a major financial commitment, and - especially in the case of unnecessary sports cars - the chase can be as important as the catch.
We can understand supply chain disruption, and even retro-fitting parts to rectify acknowledged manufacturing issues. It is harder to accept the way in which Toyota is treating us as GR86 customers - offering no information, and then inaccurate information, and then forum members having to share news since there has been literally no official communication from Toyota themselves. I take no satisfaction in saying this has been disgraceful customer service.
It is perfectly understandable that some forum members are considering cancelling their orders. However, the comment by
@byebyeMX5 made me wince a little. I really hope that nobody will cling on to an unwanted order in the hope of making a few quid.
The GR86 is a niche car. That is why we love it, but also why very few manufacturers are making cars like the GR86 (and not many people are buying them).
If and when we eventually receive our cars, we are likely heading in to a rather difficult winter, with potentially a hard year ahead. Even if we never hear the words "COVID-23", inflation will be driving up the prices of everyday essentials and leaving less in our kitties for discretionary purchases. Every indication suggests that the BoE's latest half-point rise in interest rates will not be their last, hitting mortgages and lending rates. Oil prices may have settled, but gas prices may remain high... you don't need me to repeat the prophecies of impending economic doom you hear every time you turn on the telly.
The GR86 is a £30k sports car. A £30k sports car which can officially manage 32mpg, running on Super Unleaded (which can still be over £1.80/litre around my way). A £30k sports car with only two proper seats and a small boot, and less power than any mid-size hot hatch.
I expect that many of the customers who could constitute the secondary market for this car could find themselves struggling to justify the indulgence in the near future, or choosing to indulge it elsewhere. And I'm not entirely persuaded that the GR86 is quite the 'future classic' that some of the more excitable media would have us believe. A great car, fun to drive and an eventual victim of the modding scene... no doubt. But I'm not sure that a little Japanese four-pot coupe is going to trouble the stages at Sotheby's in the years ahead.
There are currently three GT86s nationwide on Auto Trader with fewer than 5k miles, all registered in 2020 and priced for sale at £27,545, £27,990 and £28,000. Taking into account dealer profit, marginal VAT and the costs of preparing the car and its paperwork for sale, I doubt any of those previous owners got much more than £25k for their cars.
I could have bought a 10-mile, pre-registered GT86 in the depths of winter in early 2021. Travel restrictions ultimately prevented me, but it was priced to sell at £23k, which was a fairly stonking deal at the time. Had I bought it, taxed and insured it and run it for a year, it would have cost me at least £25k.
Perhaps I am too cautious, but I do not think that it makes sense to buy the GR86 to sell it for profit - the margin just isn't there. With paint included, you're risking £31k for the chance to make... £2k? To me, that isn't worth the gamble. I would rather forsake my car in the hope some poor soul languishing on the waiting list receives a car at list price, that they will cherish and enjoy as I never could.
Like many of you, I am deeply frustrated that a possible summer of enjoyable motoring in my new GR86 has been denied for reasons that have never been communicated. I think of the other cars that I could have bought and received by now (yes, even in this market), and the journeys that weren't made.
Ultimately, I'm asking myself whether I am prepared to pay Toyota £31k to be treated like this. The car seems less important with each passing week without news. If I proceed with the purchase, I am telling Toyota that this is acceptable. And I fully understand that for some of you, none of this sentimental hogwash matters a damn.
But I am getting closer and closer to thinking that, to me, it matters quite a lot.
, should be good weather for cruising around, got to start working on that 1200 mile break in!
