[Timmilne]

Of course, a car is worth an individual is willing to pay based on their preferences. But, to try and be helpful here, that two yellow T-5Rs have gone up for sale with ambitious pricing, suggests that the market is moving. Of course, the dealers won't get these prices, but we know that the Autotrader one was bought somewhere near £15K since it was advertised for that a few months back.

The problem is, unlike other cars, if you really want a yellow T-5R, there aren't loads to choose from, so if you want to pay significantly less than £25K and don't fancy your bargaining skills with optimistic dealers, you'll need to patient.

If your preferences for condition, number of owners, choice of gearbox, service history etc are quite specific, and you don't want to pay ambitious prices, patience might not deliver your requirements.

Many years ago, I decided I wanted a ratty Porsche 964 to leave on the street and use every day. At that time, values were between £10 - 20K, but climbing. I spent 6 months looking at various cars, and found myself having to adjust my requirements — but not quick enough — to match the changing market. Partly out of impatience on my part, I settled on a low-mileage, pristine example for £17.5K, which was the total opposite of what I set out to buy. Frightened that the mileage I was probably going to put on it (I did more miles in the first week of ownership than the previous owner had added in two years) was going to torpedo its value, I sold it for what I paid for it. Such was the market at that time, the phone never stopped ringing. That car would be worth £55- 60K now.

The question is (as discussed elsewhere) whether yellow Volvos have the capacity to rise to stratospheric prices, like old Porsches — who knows?

There were (and are) many more 964s than yellow T-5Rs, but patience didn't deliver. I'm not a fan of patience.