Classic cars are rare and they fetch a premium. As a general rule, competition puts pressure on price since buyers are limited. Therefore, in the case of a classic car for sale, is it competing with other classics models when listed together? This is the question that came to mind when there was another classic car model, a Giulietta, which is also of the same make, Alfa Romeo, that was listed for sale with this site's Alfasud.
Classic Car Competition
Shown in the image below, another car sale advertisement was placed in carlist.com.my where this site's Alfasud was listed for sale as well. Other than Alfasud and Guilietta, one cannot help to notice how similar these two listings are. Same Alfa Romeo. Same year, 1984. Almost similar price, RM 8,000 and RM 9,000. Both cars mentioned "Classic Car Collectors" as potential buyers in the list description. And, both classic cars are for sale by the owner.
The Guilietta listing was added later. But the Guilietta had listed half the mileage compared to the Alfasud (the Alfasud's actual mileage is unknown) and Guilietta's title had the word "Classic" giving the impression that one is a classic car while the other is not.
The Guilietta listing was added later. But the Guilietta had listed half the mileage compared to the Alfasud (the Alfasud's actual mileage is unknown) and Guilietta's title had the word "Classic" giving the impression that one is a classic car while the other is not.
Immediate Thoughts
My immediate thoughts were - this is a direct competition. The owner of the Guilietta had structured the listing based on the Alfasud's earlier listing to make it a more attractive. Perhaps the Guilietta owner had even priced the car based on the Alfasud's listed price.
In a serious competition, you try to outdo your competitors. Among subsequent thoughts that came to mind are reducing the price of the Alfasud and sweeten the advertisement by updating the listing with 'marketing' words. I was thinking of wrestling buyer's eyes from the Guilietta to the Alfasud.
In a serious competition, you try to outdo your competitors. Among subsequent thoughts that came to mind are reducing the price of the Alfasud and sweeten the advertisement by updating the listing with 'marketing' words. I was thinking of wrestling buyer's eyes from the Guilietta to the Alfasud.
Conclusion: Is there a Competition?
After letting my thoughts run wild for awhile, I took a step back and try to think rationally.
Name:
The name, Alfasud where 'Sud' means South, is related to where the cars were built in Italy. The name, Guilietta (Juliet) is coined after the Shakespearean story, 'Romeo and Juliet'. Where is Juliet for Alfa 'Romeo'?
History:
Both cars had very different histories. History is important for a classic car as it brings up the value and nostalgia for the owners.
The Guilietta has 50 years of history and the name is already synonymous with Alfa Romeo. There is a Guilietta from the year 1954 to the current year 2013.
http://www.alfaromeo.com/com/#/models/giulietta
The Alfasud has a unique history of its own. So good that it has its own series of races, Alfasud Trofeo Series. So criticized for the rust problems.
Looks:
Clearly different designers:
Franco Scaglione for Guilietta (Hope I got this right)
Giorgetto Giugiaro for Alfasud
Engines:
Inline-four for the Guilietta
Flat-four Boxer for the Alfasud
In reality, there isn't any competition. These are two cars that are uniquely their own. The sound, the looks, the history are all different. A classic car buyer will probably already have an idea of which model that he/she would like to purchase in the beginning before searching.
Conversations that I had with other Alfa owners / mechanics / suppliers / friends about the Alfasud show that when you have an attachment to a certain classic car model, you will continue to gravitate to that model - regardless of how another classic car looks when placed side by side.
Both cars are rare. It will be great if both cars found buyers that can maintain them for another 10 years and beyond.
Name:
The name, Alfasud where 'Sud' means South, is related to where the cars were built in Italy. The name, Guilietta (Juliet) is coined after the Shakespearean story, 'Romeo and Juliet'. Where is Juliet for Alfa 'Romeo'?
History:
Both cars had very different histories. History is important for a classic car as it brings up the value and nostalgia for the owners.
The Guilietta has 50 years of history and the name is already synonymous with Alfa Romeo. There is a Guilietta from the year 1954 to the current year 2013.
http://www.alfaromeo.com/com/#/models/giulietta
The Alfasud has a unique history of its own. So good that it has its own series of races, Alfasud Trofeo Series. So criticized for the rust problems.
Looks:
Clearly different designers:
Franco Scaglione for Guilietta (Hope I got this right)
Giorgetto Giugiaro for Alfasud
Engines:
Inline-four for the Guilietta
Flat-four Boxer for the Alfasud
In reality, there isn't any competition. These are two cars that are uniquely their own. The sound, the looks, the history are all different. A classic car buyer will probably already have an idea of which model that he/she would like to purchase in the beginning before searching.
Conversations that I had with other Alfa owners / mechanics / suppliers / friends about the Alfasud show that when you have an attachment to a certain classic car model, you will continue to gravitate to that model - regardless of how another classic car looks when placed side by side.
Both cars are rare. It will be great if both cars found buyers that can maintain them for another 10 years and beyond.