convertible prices

[kusanku]

Conventional wisdom says that the price of convertibles goes down this time of year. I have been wathching CLK and SLK prices on Autotrader for around six months now, and they do not seem to be any less than they were in the summer. In fact, there are some seriously over-priced CLK convertibles out there at the moment, and the prices do not seem to be coming down. Is there really much seasonal variation in convertible prices, or is it a bit of a myth?

 

[MOCAŠ]

I suspect it was true back in the days when convertibles tended to be intolerable for all but the hardiest of enthusiasts during the winter months. However, as I recall, it was more a matter of prices firming up in late spring, when the prospect of buying such a a car seemed more appealing.

Cars like the CLK and, especially, the SLK, make sense all-year-round, so I can't see that the prices would be particularly sensitive to the prevailing season.

 

[tpwuk]

I watched CLK convertibles for quite a while and although prices can fluctuate a lot depending on condition, mileage etc, in general I found the better condition ones seem to hold their prices pretty well. I don't think the cars value drop just because it's winter, I think certain sellers, who can't wait until summer to sell, just lower the prices to attract the very few amount of people in the market for a convertible during the winter months.

Mine is for sale but I won't advertise it now until summer.

 

[MrT]

Only a guess here but I would think that they are slow to sell so dealers might be more inclined to negotiate on price rather than have the car sitting on the lot until next spring/summer.

Just been to look at a CLK280 convertible on Sunday.

 

[st13phil]

I agree with MOCAŠ that the more mainstream convertibles - especially those with a metal folding roof like the SLK - make sense all-year-round so are unlikely to be affected by seasonal buying factors any more than a saloon car. Where demand does suffer in the winter months is for more specialist and/or track oriented cars like the Elise, as the whole point of them is driving enjoyment and it's difficult/impossible to use the full performance on cold, wet, greasy roads.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

The short of it is that convertibles command a premium in the spring/summer for obvious reasons.
During autumn/winter there are less of them on the market because people don't think they will get as strong of a price, thus those that are keep their value...

 

[Palfrem]

Her Ladyship has been after a CLK cab for months

Nothing has caught her exacting eye.

Not black
No "depressing" black interiors
Small engine (200)
Lowish miles
Year not too important
Parktronic
Nice stereo

No more than about £17K

Have been checking prices and they seem to have held rock solid all year