Among the e-mails I receive about the C5, by far the most common are those from people wanting to either buy or sell a C5. Below I have put together a few guidelines for people wanting to do this. Please bear in mind, however, that the guidance below is based on my own personal views. At the end of the day, a C5 is worth as much as people want to pay for it.

Value for Insurance Purposes

If you're not looking to sell your C5, but simply want to insure the vehicle against theft or damage, I would suggest a nominal replacement value of £1,000. I did hear recently that brand new boxed C5s are available for about that sort of figure.

Selling Your C5

The price range is enormous. I have known C5s that have been sold for as little as £70, or for as much as £900! Why is there this huge difference in selling price? The main reason is due to the quality and completeness of the vehicle, and the number of accessories that are fitted to it. These have a huge influence on its value. This is because many of the accessories on no longer available.

Most of the C5s that I have seen for sale could be put into one of the following three categories:

Bargain-basement

This would include vehicles that are incomplete or damaged, or where the condition of the vehicle is very poor. The price range I have seen here is between around £70 to £150.

Average Vehicles

These would be C5s that have had average or below average use. The C5 should be very clean, and apart from the battery and charger, should be in full working order. A typical price range for these would be between £150 and £750.

Collector's Items

These are the bee's knees in C5s! This would be an absolutely mint vehicle (perhaps still boxed) fitted with at least some accessories, little or no road use, and would come complete with all the paperwork that was supplied with a brand-new vehicle. I would also expect a working battery and charger. Price range for this would be £750+. The highest price I have personally seen was £1275 for a boxed C5 on eBay in 2003.

How do I sell it?

There is still quite a high level of interest in the C5 among enthusiasts, so as long as the price is right, you should have little difficulty in selling a C5. Because of the difficulties in transporting such a huge purchase, you may first want to consider local advertising. This might include your local newspaper, free Ad Mags, and any other local services that are available. If you wish to open yourself up to a wider audience I suggest you try a one or more of the internet auction sites (www.ebay.co.uk etc.) and you can also post details to the C5 e-mail group on Yahoo (details on my links page).

Buying a C5  -  Search for C5 on eBay 

All the information above is equally relevant to buyers and sellers. Set yourself a maximum price and stick to it. Check the places I have suggested for sellers, and be sure to see the condition of the C5 before you agree to purchase it.