It’s a thought that must have occurred to everyone who has spent a fair amount of time immersed in the classic world: ‘I reckon I could make a few quid by “dabbling” in old cars.’ Sure you could. I reckon I could as well. Or at least I did. After all, I have done fairly well over the years with my own cars, usually selling for a small-to-middling profit a few years down the line (if you forget the cash spent in keeping the car on the road and gently improving it). In fact, I’ve only ever made one substantial loss on a classic (a 1967 Mercury, in case you were wondering – sadly, I think I’d do rather better from it now). I’m practical enough, I can do the odd bit of mechanical and body work, and I’ve a decent grasp of the classic market. So I’d make a half reasonable classic dealer, right?
Er, wrong. And that point has just been proved in the most graphic way. Purely in the interests of research, of course, a few of C&SC’s budding dealers (myself included) spent knocking on £1500 of the magazine’s cash on an ageing left-hooker Mercedes, in the hope of selling it for a tasty profit in continental Europe. I hasten to add that we had our eyes wide open: we could see that it was far from perfect, but could also see the potential in this unpolished Stuttgart gem. A little bit of bodywork, a little bit of mechanical fettling and it would surely have the buyers knocking down our door...
