Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady

The Old Car Lady
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Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady,  the UK's classic car podcast for people who love the stories behind the cars.Sam Grange-Bailey isn't a presenter. She's a classic car dealer and a car dealer's daughter who grew up in the Manchester motor trade. She lived through the golden era of the British car business — the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and early '90s — when deals were done on a handshake, the cars had genuine personality, and the dealers who sold them were larger-than-life characters.This podcast preserves those stories before they're lost.Each episode brings honest, unfiltered conversations with the people who lived it: dealers, auctioneers, journalists, mechanics, and collectors. Expect tales of dodgy deals, auction house drama, barn finds, family businesses, cars that got away, and the ones that probably should have.If you've ever wondered what it was really like inside a British car dealership before the internet changed everything or you just love hearing proper stories about proper cars ➙ this is the podcast for you.Featured guests include Bond car specialists, Rolls-Royce dealers, senior motoring journalists, auction house insiders, and the characters who built the Manchester and UK classic car scene.Topics: classic cars, motor trade history, buying and selling at auction, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, MG, Porsche, barn finds, modern classics, showroom stories, car dealer life, classic car values, and the unwritten rules of the trade.New episodes every week.🌐 theoldcarlady.com📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady🎬 YouTube, TikTok & Facebook: The Old Car Lady📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com

  1. Max | E Types, Silver Shadows & the Queen of the hard shoulders with The Tyre Kickers (Part 2)

    1D AGO

    Max | E Types, Silver Shadows & the Queen of the hard shoulders with The Tyre Kickers (Part 2)

    The Old Car Lady is back with Max from The Tyre Kickers for Part 2. This time it’s about the cars they love now: E types, XJS, Silver Shadows and a Porsche 928 that kept catching the eye. They go through the quick fire round, get deep on E types and XJS’s, debate original paint versus respray, and end with Sam’s dad’s 1984 stock book, with the day to day trade deals like a Merc 280 SE bought for £2,375 and sold for £2,800. Two Porsche 928s in the corner. And a spin in the Mercedes SL R107 to finish. Featured StoriesHow The Tyre Kickers Was Born: Max and Matt have known each other 30 years from Radio One Newsbeat. During Covid they were on Autotrader six hours a day. Matt said why not make a podcast. Episode 53 was recorded the week of this conversation. The Silver Shadow Research Period: A year and a half of research, club membership and chassis number study. He very nearly bought one the week before recording. Sam is entirely encouraging this. The Quick Fire Round: Cash or banking? Auction or private sale? Original paint or respray? Manual or auto? Barn find or concours? Short answers, strong opinions. Dad’s Stock Book: January 1984. A 280 SE bought for £2,375, sold for £2,800. Cars that would be collectible today changing hands at prices that seem impossible now. Every registration number still traceable and Sam I’d planning a YouTube series around it. Antiques on Wheels: Online banks wouldn’t take car traders so Sam opened one as an antique dealer. Technically accurate. Old stuff, easy to move. She stands by it. What You’ll LearnWhy the series two E type 4.2 manual is the one to drive. Why a fresh respray on a classic is always a risk. How the CAP and Glasses Guides worked against each other but well together. Why building a history file from scratch can sometimes be as satisfying as inheriting one. And why the RREC build sheet is worth every penny. Key QuestionsIs original paint always worth more than a respray? Max and Sam both say yes, partly for the story and partly because a fresh respray hides as much as it reveals. You never quite know what it will look like in six months and it’s only original once!Should you buy from a dealer or a private seller? Both come down firmly on the side of dealers and auction houses. The biggest crooks Max has bought from were private sellers. At least with a dealer there is a process and proper mediation if something goes wrong.Is a car that’s been raced or modified still worth having? Max wants factory spec. Sam allows for safety upgrades where the case is clear. Both agree the story of the car is what you are really buying.A Nod ToThe Tyre Kickers podcast with Max and Matt on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all platforms. Find them at @thetyrekickersuk. The RREC, whose original build sheets are available for a small fee and are absolutely worth it. And Sam’s dad’s stock book and book collection which is going to be a YouTube series. Vintage and Classic Car Competitions: use code SAM15 for 15% off. Dodo Juice: use code SAM10 for 10% off. 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com 💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554 📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady 🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady 👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook 🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube channel @Theoldcarlady This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

    45 min
  2. Max | SD1s, E Types & Growing Up on the Forecourt with The Tyre Kickers (Part 1)

    MAY 1

    Max | SD1s, E Types & Growing Up on the Forecourt with The Tyre Kickers (Part 1)

    The Old Car Lady is joined by Max, co-host of The Tyre Kickers, for the first of two conversations built around a shared childhood. Both grew up as car dealers’ kids: SD1s borrowed off the forecourt for family holidays, E types coming through by the hundred, and dads who were never really off duty. This is Part 1. They cover the golden era of the trade: part exchanges valued at nine years old, the Sunday phone rota, the mortgage run to Glasgow and back, and every trick that kept a 70s and 80s forecourt moving. Max brought photographs, pinned on Sam’s Instagram and Facebook. Featured StoriesTwo Dealers’ Kids on the Same Forecourt: Max’s dad spent 25 years at an Austin main dealer before going it alone from home, supplying smaller dealers trade to trade with cars that had to move fast before the book knocked money off them. Sam’s world was the same. A conversation that starts with instant recognition and never runs dry. Valuing Part Exchanges at Nine Years Old: Max would be sent round the back of the porter cabin to crawl over the stock while his dad smoked and chatted. No book, just brochure knowledge, rust points and instinct. He’d come back with a number and his dad would say 500 quid. It was 500 quid. SD1s, E Types and Rubber Bumper MGBs: SD1s borrowed off the lot with 50 miles, returned two weeks later with 2,500 and sand in the boot. His dad had hundreds of E types coming through at the time. They were cheap. Nobody knew then. The Sunday Phone Rota: Friday adverts, one home phone number and a family rota to cover the weekend in their best telephone voice. Teenagers blocking the line. Customers trying to get through. Considerable Sunday tension. The Mortgage Run to Glasgow: One week the mortgage was due on Friday and the money wasn’t there. Max’s dad drove to Glasgow with a car, did a deal and came back. His mum went south to Frank Dale, did another deal there. They got back to the house just in time to go to the bank the next morning. What You’ll LearnWhy trade to trade was a cleaner business than dealing with the public. How a nine-year-old learned to value a car by spec and rust points alone. What the glasses guide was for and how dealers played it against each other. Why an SD1 with 50 miles was the perfect family holiday car. Why there were always queues for SD1s in the 70s even when people said British cars weren’t selling. And what the Zabar sticker, the National Trust sticker and the Right Reverend log book entry all had in common. A Nod ToThe Tyre Kickers podcast with Max and Matt, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all platforms. 55,000 downloads, Independent Podcast Awards finalist. Find them at @thetyrekickersuk. Part 2 next week. Vintage and Classic Car Competitions: use code SAM15 for 15% off.  Dodo Juice: use code SAM10 for 10% off. 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com 💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554 📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady 🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady 👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook 🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube channel @Theoldcarlady This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

    47 min
  3. Becca Treston | Daily Drivers, Accidental Owners & Why the Future of Classic Cars Needs All of Us

    APR 24

    Becca Treston | Daily Drivers, Accidental Owners & Why the Future of Classic Cars Needs All of Us

    The Old Car Lady is joined by Becca Treston, host of the Passenger Seat Podcast, young members coordinator for the Morris Minor Owners Club and a key figure in the Women Driver Social Club. Becca daily drives Peggy, her 1968 Morris Minor, and has covered 45,000 miles in six years. This episode looks at the future of classic cars through the people coming into the scene today. From accidental owners who inherit a car and don’t know where to start, to young drivers facing rising insurance costs, this conversation explores the real barriers to entry and what needs to change to keep the hobby alive. Featured Stories Meet Peggy: a 1968 Morris Minor, fully restored and driven daily, with 45,000 miles in six years. The Accidental Owner: inheriting a car and not knowing where to begin, and how community changes that. The Insurance Wall: why under 25s face some of the biggest barriers to classic car ownership. What You’ll Learn Why daily driving a classic car can keep it in better condition. Why 45,000 miles on a well-maintained Morris Minor can be less risky than low mileage neglect. How young members groups support new drivers and why the 25–35 age group is key to the future of the scene. Why rising insurance costs are a major barrier for younger owners. What the Women Driver Social Club actually does and why it matters beyond the people in it. A Nod To Passenger Seat Podcast, Morris Minor Owners Club Young Members (MMOCYM), Women Driver Social Club, Evoke Classics For 15% off all competitons at Vintage & Classic Competitions use SAM15 https://competitions.vintageandclassiccarhire.com/ —————————————————————- For 10% off Dodo Juice car care products use SAM10 www.dodojuice.net 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com  📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady  🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady  👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook  🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube channel @Theoldcarlady This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

    59 min
  4. Tim Grigsby | Veteran Cars, Classic Raffles & a Life Lived at Full Throttle

    APR 17

    Tim Grigsby | Veteran Cars, Classic Raffles & a Life Lived at Full Throttle

    Use code SAM15 for 15% off your chance to win a classic car with Vintage and Classic Car Competitions: https://competitions.vintageandclassiccarhire.com/ Sam Grange-Bailey (The Old Car Lady) sits down with Tim Grigsby of Vintage and Classic Car Competitions for a conversation that goes well beyond the prize draw business. Tim grew up surrounded by veteran cars and larger-than-life characters, raced everything from karts to single seaters, and has built one of the longest-running classic car raffle businesses in the UK. They get into the real story behind classic car prize draws, why five years in has been the hardest thing Tim has ever done, and why integrity is the only thing that keeps it working. There is also a 1904 Cadillac, a brake rod welded in a French barn, a Ferrari 308 with 26,000 miles he cannot bring himself to drive, and a mum who swapped a Morris Eight for a Rolls Royce 20hp and has never looked back. Featured StoriesBorn Into It: Tim’s dad wrote the technical bible on pre-war Rolls Royce engines. His mum was a BBC makeup girl who may or may not have written off Jim Clark’s car near Tower Bridge. Tim never really stood a chance. The Brighton Run and the Cars That Should Be Driven: Tim has been doing the London to Brighton since 1971, when he was six, in his dad’s 1904 Cadillac. He still does it today in Annabel, the same car. His view on veteran cars sitting in bank vaults is not a diplomatic one. The Raffle Business: What It Actually Takes: Tim was one of the first to run classic car prize draws and is honest it has been the hardest business he has ever built. Facebook spend alone ran to £750,000 this year. The margins are not what people with calculators think they are. The Roadside Repair That Lasted 10 Years: On a rally in France, Tim fixed a broken brake rod in a stranger’s barn using a welder and some thread. A decade later he spotted the same car on the Brighton run. The repair was still there. A Fleet Worth Talking About: A 1904 Cadillac. A 1914 Sunbeam. A 1923 Rolls Royce 20hp called Daphne. A 69 Morgan Four Four that one lady drove as her only car for 50 years. A Ferrari 308 GTS with 26,000 miles. And a 1977 Lola that takes Copse flat out. What You’ll LearnWhy running a classic car prize draw is nothing like it looks from the outside. How the British sports car market differs from the supercar lottery crowd. Why paying proper money always gets you the repeat call. What it costs to race a gearbox kart when you are built like a rugby player. And why smart motorways are, in Tim’s words, extremely stupid. Key QuestionsIs the classic car prize draw model as easy as it looks? Tim is emphatic that it is not. Five years in, three world-class businesses behind him, and this has been the hardest. The people getting rich are mostly Mark Zuckerberg.Who actually wins these cars? Tim’s database is built on proper enthusiasts, not lottery hopefuls. A woman with a blown-up VW Polo bought one ticket and won an MGB. Those are the stories that keep him going.Should classic cars be used or preserved? Tim’s answer is unambiguous. He has driven his 1914 Sunbeam all over Europe and thinks cars sitting in bank vaults are a waste of what they are.A Nod ToVintage and Classic Car Competitions, Tim’s prize draw business. Search online and on social media. Use code SAM15 for 15% off your chance to win a classic car. Links in the show notes or follow this link: https://competitions.vintageandclassiccarhire.com/ Tim is racing his 1977 Lola at the Oulton Park Gold Cup this year and Sam will be there for a pit lane visit and Part 2. Watch this space. 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com 💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554 📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady 🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady 👍 The

    1 hr
  5. Tim Ashworth | Minis, Metros & the Lost Art of Loving Your Car

    APR 10

    Tim Ashworth | Minis, Metros & the Lost Art of Loving Your Car

    Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) sits down with Tim Ashworth of Stockley Classics for a proper trip down memory lane and an honest look at where the classic car market stands today. Tim is a Mini and Metro specialist with decades in the trade, and he doesn’t hold back. They cover growing up with cars in the 70s, building a top five iconic cars of the decade, why colour and trim levels defined you socially in ways that just don’t exist anymore, and why the generation that leases their car on a monthly payment may never fall in love with it the way we did. Plus Tim gives his straight-talking take on the state of the classic car market and what he’s got on the forecourt right now. Featured StoriesMinis, Metros and the Family Car Route: Tim’s mum ran Minis through the 60s and 70s. His dad did a full engine change on the driveway the night before Monday morning work. A conversation about the cars families actually drove and what keeping them going really looked like. The Lost Art of Loving Your Car: When you saved up for your first car to the penny you looked after it, washed it and made it yours. Sam and Tim on why leasing and monthly payments have quietly killed that attachment. Top Five Cars of the 70s: The VW Golf. The Rover SD1. The Citroen CX. The BMW E21. The Range Rover. Sam and Tim build their list, defend every entry and argue about the ones that didn’t make it. Colour, Trim and the Peacocking Rep: Pageant Blue. Citron Yellow. Russet Brown. Your trim level told people exactly where you stood. Tim and Sam on why 70s colour and spec still matter enormously when you’re buying and selling. The Market Right Now: Too many cars, too few buyers, and some prices that still need to come down. Tim is straight about the challenges but genuinely optimistic, especially about the sub-£20k end of the market and the club scene that underpins it. What You’ll LearnWhy Mini restorations now cost £20-25k and why that maths rarely works as a business. How to know when to stop spending on a project car and why ‘used and improved’ often sells better than a full restoration. Why 70s cars are far more colour and trim sensitive than their modern counterparts. What makes the classic car club scene the market’s biggest long-term asset. Why the Ford Street Ka is worth putting on your radar right now. And why the generation that financed their cars on monthly payments may never develop the same emotional relationship with them that we did. Key QuestionsIs the classic car restoration business a viable one? Tim’s view is clear. If you’re spending £20k to get £20k back, you’ve wasted your time. The maths only works if you’re doing it for love or if you know exactly when to stop.Has the next generation lost its connection to cars? Both Tim and Sam think so and worry about what that means for the classic car market in 20 years. The buyers who’ll hanker after a 90s hot hatch when they’re 50 may be fewer than the trade hopes.What does the classic car market actually need right now? Tim’s answer is realistic pricing, credible ethical trading, and a recognition that the accessible end of the market, fuelled by the club scene, is where the real resilience lives.A Nod ToStockley Classics. Tim’s dealership specialising in Minis, Metros, and accessible British classics. Find him at stockleyclassics.com. If this conversation has got you thinking, go have a look at what he’s got. 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com 💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554 📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady 🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady 👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook 🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube channel @Theoldcarlady This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

    58 min
  6. James Harding (Chops Garage) | The VAT Raffle Loophole, The Cars That Made Us & More (Pt 2)

    APR 3

    James Harding (Chops Garage) | The VAT Raffle Loophole, The Cars That Made Us & More (Pt 2)

    Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 2 of her conversation with James Harding from Chop's Garage. If Part 1 was about how James got into the trade, this one is about what it's actually like to live in it. James explains why he puts his full margin on show, what he paid, what he spent on prep, what's left in his pocket, and why that transparency has made him more trusted, not less. They get into consumer law, warranty claims on cars with 30,000 post-sale miles on them, and why the next generation of classic car buyers might be the trade's biggest headache yet. He also lifts the lid on car raffles: no VAT, no Consumer Rights Act liability, and the potential to make four times the retail margin. He's raised over £30k for charity doing it. He thinks the window is closing. Plus a proper nostalgia detour via Talbot Samba’s, bump starts, and the lost art of caring about your key ring. Featured Stories The Transparent Dealer: James tells customers exactly what he paid, what prep cost and what he's pocketed. Some dealers hate it. His subscribers love it. Consumer Law and the Classic Car Problem: A six-month implied warranty on a 40-year-old car is a recipe for misery. Sam and James ask whether the next generation of buyers will ever get why the rules need to be different. The Raffle Loophole: No VAT, no Consumer Rights Act, four times the retail margin. James has raised over £30k for charity doing it and he's pretty sure it won't last. First Cars and the Bump Start: A Talbot Samba’s with a brick for a handbrake. A Midget nursed along with a plank and a mallet. Two people who learned to drive in cars that genuinely hurt when they went wrong. Mileage, Markets and the E-Type Question: James would put his money in a V10 BMW M5. Sam wonders who's queuing up for a £500k Cosworth when the people who wanted them are done with them. What You'll Learn Why showing your margins online can make customers trust you more, not less. How VAT on the gross works and why it still shocks people. Why a six-month consumer rights claim on a classic car is a completely different beast to the same claim on a nearly new hatchback. How car raffles work, why they're currently tax and liability free, and why that's probably on borrowed time. Why a motorway-mile 120,000-miler might be in better shape than a Devon-lanes 60,000-miler. And why the classic car market's generational problem is more urgent than most people in the trade want to admit. Key Questions Does showing your margins actually help you sell cars? James says yes, unequivocally. Subscribers who've watched him buy, prep and price a car come back and buy it precisely because they trust him.Should a classic car buyer expect the same rights as someone buying a new TV? Legally they have them. In practice both Sam and James think applying modern consumer expectations to a 40-year-old car is a disaster for everyone.Is the car raffle model sustainable? James doubts it. Right now it's VAT-free and exempt from the Consumer Rights Act because it's legally a gift. He thinks that won't last, but for now the numbers are compelling.A Nod To Chop's Garage on YouTube, where James documents the full reality of life as a car dealer. CG Car Sales, James's retail forecourt in Devon. Next week Tim Ashworth from Stockley Classics joins Sam to talk Metros and the state of the classic trade. 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com  💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554  📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady  🎬 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady  👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook 🔔 Subscribe to our YouTube channel @Theoldcarlady  This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

    36 min
  7. NEC Classic Car & Restoration Show | Predictions, Jensen Healeys & the SD1 That Stops Traffic

    MAR 27

    NEC Classic Car & Restoration Show | Predictions, Jensen Healeys & the SD1 That Stops Traffic

    Sam heads to the NEC in Birmingham for the Classic Car & Restoration Show, joining forces with Richy Barnett — Market Editor at Classic Car Weekly — to walk the Iconic Auctioneers sale floor and put their money where their mouths are on six cars that caught their eye. From a rare lilac Morris Minor Million to a first-gen Firebird and a gorgeously sinister Daimler Sovereign, they predict the hammer prices — then go back to find out how close they got. Along the way, Sam catches up with Frank from Pegasus Classics, who's fitting a Rover V8 into a Jensen Healey live on the show stand, and bumps into returning podcast guest Anthony Kersley for a passionate case in favour of the criminally underrated Rover SD1. FEATURED  The Morris Minor 1 Million — One of only around 100 made to mark the millionth Morris Minor — lilac, white leather, and deeply specialist. Sam wins her bet when it sells for £12,600.The '69 Pontiac Firebird — A first-generation Pontiac with a full photographic restoration file on a known shunt. Big V8 energy, but it narrowly misses its guide at £19,125.The Daimler Sovereign 4.2 — A Juniper Green Series II coupé dripping in atmosphere — but a tough market means it comes in under estimate at £17,437.Frank's Jensen Healey Restomod — Frank from Pegasus Classics built his Jensen Healey from two wrecks and found a Rover V8 on a sheep farm for £350. He's fitting the cylinder head live at the show — but wisely trailering it home.Anthony Kersley on the Rover SD1 — Returning guest and Channel 4 Handcuffed star Anthony Kersley makes the passionate case that the Rover SD1 is a world-beater undone by industrial politics — and still extraordinary value today. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN Why the Morris Minor 1 Million is a deeply specialist buy — and who's actually likely to be biddingHow declared saleroom notices work and why auction house transparency protects everyoneWhy the Rover SD1 is one of Britain's most underrated classics — and exactly what to look for when buying oneHow to build a Jensen Healey restomod on a genuine shoestring (£350 Rover V8 optional but recommended)Why the classic car demographic shift is quietly changing which cars are considered cool againThere is no such thing as a cheap Rolls-Royce — but an SZ Series Spirit at £10–15k might be the last great bargain in prestige classics KEY QUESTIONS Can you predict auction hammer prices with any real accuracy? Sometimes — Sam and Richie get a few right and call a few badly wrong. The market for specialist cars like the Morris Minor 1 Million is particularly hard to read because buyer pools are small, emotionally driven, and often invisible until the gavel falls. Should a saleroom notice put you off bidding? Not necessarily — but it will move the price. Transparency at auction is a positive for everyone. A declared fault protects both buyer and seller from post-sale disputes, as seen with both the Hillman Hunter Restomod and the Lancia Beta Montecarlo Spider, both of which stalled under estimate because of declared gearbox issues. Is the Rover SD1 finally having its moment? Anthony Kersley thinks it absolutely should be. The very best examples are touching £35k but cost £50–70k to restore properly — and most serious owners simply won't sell. A presentable driver can still be found for around £15k, representing genuine value for a car that was genuinely ahead of its time. A NOD TO Richie Barnett — Market Editor, Classic Car WeeklyFrank, Pegasus Classics — Jensen Owners Club stand, NECAnthony Kersley — Auto Couture / star of Channel 4 Handcuffed (Episode 1 available now; Part 2 coming soon)Iconic Auctioneers — Classic car auction at the NECThe NEC Classic Car & Restora

    33 min
  8. James Harding (Chops Garage) | From Suits to Spanners & Selling £4k Forecourt Cars (Part 1)

    MAR 20

    James Harding (Chops Garage) | From Suits to Spanners & Selling £4k Forecourt Cars (Part 1)

    Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 1 of her conversation with James Harding from Chops Garage, a modern car dealer with a classic car soul. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who's ever dreamed of jacking in the corporate 9-to-5 to follow their passion. James tells the story of how, at 38, he walked away from a career as a national sales manager to start fixing and selling Fiat 500s from a rented garage bay. James gives a brutally honest insight into the realities of being a modern car dealer, from the public's "Del Boy" perception to the nightmare of consumer law. He explains why he'd rather sell a simple £4,000 Hyundai i10 than a complex modern car with a razor-thin margin and huge potential repair bills. It's a fascinating look at the pressures and pitfalls of the modern motor trade. Featured Stories The Corporate Burnout - How zoning out in board meetings thinking about welding an MGB made him realise he had to quit his sales manager job. The Leap of Faith - With a £12k payout and his wife's encouragement, he swapped his suit for a boiler suit and started his own car business. The Fiat 500 Years - Started by buying crash-damaged Fiat 500s from Copart and doing them up himself. The Silver Shadow Saga - Recounts the story of selling a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow to a buyer who spent an entire day inspecting it in a boiler suit, only to then demand an independent inspection. What You'll Learn How a childhood memory of a Citroën CX 25 GTI in France sparked a lifelong obsession with cars. Why he believes the public's perception of car dealers is completely at odds with the reality of consumer law. How the VAT margin scheme can leave dealers with a huge tax bill even if they make no real profit on a car. Why he refuses to do distance sales after getting badly burned. Why he thinks simpler, older-tech modern cars (like the Hyundai i10) are a safer bet for dealers than complex, feature-laden new models. Key Questions Is it possible to make a living selling cheap cars?James argues that while the margins are smaller, the risk is far lower. He focuses on simple cars that are built like older models (cable clutch, timing chain) which are cheap and easy to fix, avoiding the huge repair bills associated with modern complex cars. How has consumer law affected the motor trade?James and Sam discuss how the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which applies the same rules to a 60-year-old classic as a new TV, puts immense pressure on dealers. The 30-day right to reject and the assumption of a fault being present at the point of sale for up to six months makes selling used cars, especially older ones, a minefield. A Nod to Chops Garage on YouTube - Where James documents his life as a car dealer. Mad Mike from Wales - A classic car dealer who pre-filters customers by telling them his cars were "shit when they were new". Get in touch 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com 💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554 📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady 🎬 TikTok, Facebook & YouTube: The Old Car Lady #ChopsGarage #CarDealer #MotorTrade #ConsumerLaw #ClassicCars #ModernClassics #TheOldCarLady #WheelsAndDeals #CarSales Produced By Worth A Listen Productions

    55 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady,  the UK's classic car podcast for people who love the stories behind the cars.Sam Grange-Bailey isn't a presenter. She's a classic car dealer and a car dealer's daughter who grew up in the Manchester motor trade. She lived through the golden era of the British car business — the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and early '90s — when deals were done on a handshake, the cars had genuine personality, and the dealers who sold them were larger-than-life characters.This podcast preserves those stories before they're lost.Each episode brings honest, unfiltered conversations with the people who lived it: dealers, auctioneers, journalists, mechanics, and collectors. Expect tales of dodgy deals, auction house drama, barn finds, family businesses, cars that got away, and the ones that probably should have.If you've ever wondered what it was really like inside a British car dealership before the internet changed everything or you just love hearing proper stories about proper cars ➙ this is the podcast for you.Featured guests include Bond car specialists, Rolls-Royce dealers, senior motoring journalists, auction house insiders, and the characters who built the Manchester and UK classic car scene.Topics: classic cars, motor trade history, buying and selling at auction, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, MG, Porsche, barn finds, modern classics, showroom stories, car dealer life, classic car values, and the unwritten rules of the trade.New episodes every week.🌐 theoldcarlady.com📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady🎬 YouTube, TikTok & Facebook: The Old Car Lady📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com

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