I've been looking as I think I would really like to do up an original 916/996 but they all seem like silly money now! Is the time for getting a good priced 916/996 that will appreciate gone? Are the prices at the higher end? They seem it! 7-10k for them and I just don't see them being worth much more. I'm not ready to buy something now but I guess I'll keep looking out for a crash repairable because anything road worthy is silly money! Am I just looking in the wrong places? Are the sellers just trying their luck at the mo??
I think you have just chosen the wrong week to look. I've been keeping an eye on prices after buying a 996 MY2001 in Nov 2014 and they have gone up a bit, but not a lot. I expect you could get one like mine for £4k to £5K if you keep an eye out.
I turned down a 94 Strada 916 a month ago (the one to have for future value) for £5300 - keep thinking I should have it, it had later stamped bodywork from about 96 which put me off but good history and about 16K miles. Would have needed a bit of tidying and don't really need another project but they are out there for reasonable money if you are patient.
Dreamers, chancers and bandwagon springs to mind. Asking prices are silly but not sure that they are getting them. Still some reasonably priced bikes out there. Have to say I'd probably be more likely to spend the money on an 848 Corse Evo than a 996 for that sort of money. Andy
I've given up trying to find a nice early 916. They are far too much now for the ones that would be worth anything in years to come. I considered a 748 for a while but they are never gonna be worth proper money. I'm now keeping an eye on 749/999 bikes. Ideally a "R" but I think the ship has sailed on them now too.
This is pretty much my thinking, I agree with other comments about it being a lean time for them, same with the 2 strokes, there are only a few and they are silly money, makes everyone think they are 'worth' that. My mate paid £6250 for his 748r but it's pretty immaculate and is an Ohlins model, even then we both agreed it was top money and for that he got a full belt service in with the deal. I'll keep my eyes peeled I think ;-)
You could consider a 998, iconic shape but with a more modern and potentially less troublesome engine. If I was in the market for (yet!!) another Ducati then I would go for a Full Ohlins 748R or a 998R. Different and more pricier as far as the 998R is concerned but much more likely to hold their value if not increase. I have a genuine UK 748SPS 1 of only 20 imported in the last year of sale here and that I expect to rise in value as the years go by. New parts for older bikes are rising slowly it seems as they are selling a lot less of certain items, this alone can make an older bike less of a temptation to restore. I have a Suzuki RGV250 track bike and the parts for that are totally ridiculous for what it is, yet on the flip side having just undertaken a full restoration on a Yamaha RD250LC the comparison is way different, the same parts to restore are half the price mostly.
I bought my bike in October, was looking for anything Ducati. Looking on eBay etc. now a few of the silly money bikes are still there. I'm not so sure these bikes ever sell at those prices.
I've just had a quick scan. There's a lot of "limited editions" which are nothing more than sticker kits, or Chinese fairings, out there for daft money!
Were 5 spoke black Marchesinis standard on a '99 916sps and come to think about it, were the carbon front mudguard and heel plates standard as well ? Andy
So what is the collective opinion about the value of a 998R ? I still hanker after a 1098R but cannot find one with the history at the price point I am prepared to pay so I am looking at the 998 in Norfolk at £16,000. Is it odd that it is 996R money ? Andy
Don't think the 5 spokes where black standard on any 916-996. The only one was maybe the Foggy replica with black 5-spokes. Even think it should have the 3-spokes original. Carbon heel guards not standard. Carbon front mudguards,well that was just what they had laying at the moment in the factory. There has been 916 SP with carbon or whitout carbon mudguards been deliverd. For that money my '94 916 can go as well,i even throw in my 888. Bargain anybody? Henk!!!
Tbh I think the 998 is the 'one' to have but prices reflect that, and 998r's are seriously big money, they are already as much as they were new! The 996r had the same engine did it not? Or very similar testestretta so an option but I was really thinking restoration project, not absolute minter
Having done quite a few Ducati restorations particularly of the rarer 748's. Unless you really fancy the idea of a project or it is a financial situation where you want to rebuild it over a long\er period then it can be better to just buy a bike that mostly requires more minor attention. I did build a track bike a couple of years ago where I bought a full rolling chassis from another track bike (which had had a 996 engine fitted) and then bought a 748R engine. I had spares on the shelf, headlamp etc. so I made it into a road bike as it had a V5 and even came with the matching crankcases to make it into a matching numbers bike If I had really wanted to. All told it cost about £3,500 to get it sorted and up and running, but I did add more parts on as the months went by. I even got some money back by selling bits like the race brace, 3 spoke wheels and power commander etc. Well worth the effort, but I did have all the spares I needed to complete it already and that made it a very cheap and nice bike to build.
