Mike Brewer's column

Ever thought about buying a second car? Something for the weekend? A toy in the garage that you can stare at when you need? Or perhaps you've just had a child and your partner has commandeered the family motor, leaving you needing something to get around in. Like me, you would probably run out and buy a reliable Euro-box that'll do the job or, if you can afford it, you may start to think about getting your hands on some more exotic wheels.

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By Mike Brewer

16th May 2006

Well, yet again my eyes have been opened and my jaw is still scraping the floor over what is actually available. Right now, if you put your mind to it. I'm currently filming Wheeler Dealers for Discovery Real Time, and on this, the fourth series, our budget has been raised to four grand, which covers purchasing the motor and then any spares or repairs, too.

Now, I try to make a point of buying only legendary cars of my generation - models that stirred my soul when they were launched - and this time, as I had a bit more money, I knew the task would be simpler. But even I was left speechless by some of the deals we managed to pull off!

I started by buying a 1975 Alfa Spider square back, with chrome bumpers, a little dent in the front and a hole in the passenger floor. However, this car has all the hallmarks of a classic, red, Italian convertible with pots of character and a raspy engine. And the price? You won't believe it: £2,200! With my mechanic Edd China's repair and a full front end respray, it ended up at £3,100. Wow! In my opinion, that looks a lot better on my driveway than a mundane everyday machine.

Car two was even better - a 1985 BMW 635 CSIA in red, with a cloth interior and nasty wheels, but mint on the bodywork and mechanically sound. It was mine for £2,000, and after a clever purchase of another model with leather and a mint set of BBS rims - later sold as a non-runner on an Internet auction site for only £300 - we made a great car out of the two. With a few minor tweaks here and there, it ended up costing only £2,500! That's an Eighties masterpiece in stunning condition for the price of a used Peugeot 406! It really makes good sense, doesn't it?

Then there are the others: a 1984 Jeep CJ7 for £1,100 and a 1984 Corvette C4 for only £2,100 - but I couldn't resist blowing the budget on a 1976 Porsche 911S Targa. Are you ready for this? £5,000! For that we got a sound running car with all its bits in place. Only after we bought it did a crunch develop between second and third, forcing us to get an upgraded box for £1,500.

Still, once the speedster has been finished by Edd, it should owe no more than £7,000. I know I haemorrhaged money on this one, but now I'm driving around in something even my car-wise neighbour thinks I mortgaged the house for, and I'm in no doubt I'm going to sell it for a tidy profit.

All this dealing has once again fired my enthusiasm - and my wife Michelle was so fed-up with me going on about starting a collection of cars, she beat me to it and bought me a 1972 Volvo P1800E. With 26,000 miles on the clock and a full history, this one-owner example is in mint condition - and it cost... well, I'm not telling, just in case the dealer in me wants to flog it on!