2:21 Challenge accepted! There must at least be some decent parts to salvage from that Ferrari 348, such as its 3.4L V8 or that lovely interior. Would be useful for a replica so much like the real thing that it would be the real thing, give or take.
i used to love it when top gear was like this, you learn a lot from this sort of stuff, like what to watch out for and what to stay away from etc. I would only buy a CAT C / D as a donor for another car.
Old Top Gear was amazing. A simple to the point no nonsense car show. The new one was great for half a dozen Seasons or so before it became an idiotic free-for-all.
This video is still relevent today. I remember on 5th gear they bought a car that had a chassis leg made of filler. So his advice of checking out right to the bare mechanicals can pay dividends especially as it can be your life you're playing with.
Insurance companies are full of sh*t! I've just bought a Ford Puma that is a cat C write off.. They said there was over £1400 worth of damaged to it.. I repaired it with genuine panels for £80 and it's as good as new.
Excellent old Top Gear vid with alot of good info. He's right, you really can get a great deal on a lightly wrecked car, and fix it up yourself for a pittance.....but there's just one thing. Most wrecking yards will issue you a salvage title for the vehicle....sometimes it can be a real PITA to get the state to issue you a real one. Many states will insist on having the vehicle inspected at a state-sanctioned garage first---that's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but just make sure everything works as it should beforehand. There's also the wait time for the real title to come back....sometimes it can take months.
If you know what you are doing and have contacts in the trade, you can save yourself a fortune. All the damge on the Mercedes, is just cosmetic. If it's not structural or severely mechanical, then it's probably quite a cheap fix.
As long as the chassis, suspension, steering and other vital components are okay (so only visual damage or a broken light or something) it's indeed a very cheap way of motoring. But would you buy a car like this from someone, even if it has been restored? You just never know for sure about his history, so the profit of rebuilding such cars is only for yourself, don't expect to sell them on for big profits.
@cwwiss1 Yeah you can. If it's got kerbed it'll be visible, else you can check by jacking the car and spinning it. It'll wobble if bent. You can also tell if it's got a flat and no visible tyre damage, that could mean the rim of the wheel is bent away from the tyre and letting air out, but then the tyre usually comes off too... either way it's not as simple as "don't buy ever". Mine was stolen recovered, three years later all I've ever done is new driver's side window.
@doritostheking The problem with the wheels may only manifest itself at speed with vibration even though the wheel looks fine. If you have a stolen recovered and it's proved okay then you have got a car you can sell at a profit..good on ya. All I was saying is that buying a s/r is a gamble. With a simple crashed car the damage is fairly obvious..you know what you're getting. The only other advice I would give to anyone contemplating buying a 'write off' is TAKE YOUR TIME there's plenty
I have repaired over 50 salvage cars and would NEVER EVER buy a stolen recovered because you just don't know what it's been subjected to.The gear box may have been crashed,the engine thraped ,the wheels bent after being driven over the roughest ground.My advice would be to AVOID taking on a stolen recovered. They are often over priced anyway because they 'look' alright. Quentin ,my friend, you got this one very wrong.
£300 to repair that Micra? No way. Respraying alone would have cost £300 not including parts and labour to fit them. Also could be far more damage behind that bumper than is obvious.
Remember, this was made in the 90's. The Micra probably was worth £4,500 at the time.
The 1983 230E would last until September 2003.
2:21 Challenge accepted! There must at least be some decent parts to salvage from that Ferrari 348, such as its 3.4L V8 or that lovely interior. Would be useful for a replica so much like the real thing that it would be the real thing, give or take.
i used to love it when top gear was like this, you learn a lot from this sort of stuff, like what to watch out for and what to stay away from etc. I would only buy a CAT C / D as a donor for another car.
You mean A and B 😄?
to many stolens were getting rebirthed using write offs for the numbers here in oz so a write off means just that. breaking only. no numbers used.
Old Top Gear was amazing. A simple to the point no nonsense car show. The new one was great for half a dozen Seasons or so before it became an idiotic free-for-all.
Bear in mind that it will be recorded on the V5C Document the Category Write Off, and this will considerably affect resale value (5:20)
This video is still relevent today. I remember on 5th gear they bought a car that had a chassis leg made of filler. So his advice of checking out right to the bare mechanicals can pay dividends especially as it can be your life you're playing with.
Mr Clarkson obviously learnt his TV craft by studying Mr Wilson's presentation style.
Craft?. Clarkson is a Twat. Big Headed Twat
Mr C is a wonderful presenter but he knows nowt about how a car ticks. QW is a master of both and I wish he'd never left TG along with Tiff.
Insurance companies are full of sh*t! I've just bought a Ford Puma that is a cat C write off.. They said there was over £1400 worth of damaged to it.. I repaired it with genuine panels for £80 and it's as good as new.
Excellent old Top Gear vid with alot of good info. He's right, you really can get a great deal on a lightly wrecked car, and fix it up yourself for a pittance.....but there's just one thing. Most wrecking yards will issue you a salvage title for the vehicle....sometimes it can be a real PITA to get the state to issue you a real one. Many states will insist on having the vehicle inspected at a state-sanctioned garage first---that's not necessarily a deal-breaker, but just make sure everything works as it should beforehand. There's also the wait time for the real title to come back....sometimes it can take months.
justsomeguytoyouv
I do miss Quentin.
If you know what you are doing and have contacts in the trade, you can save yourself a fortune. All the damge on the Mercedes, is just cosmetic. If it's not structural or severely mechanical, then it's probably quite a cheap fix.
As long as the chassis, suspension, steering and other vital components are okay (so only visual damage or a broken light or something) it's indeed a very cheap way of motoring. But would you buy a car like this from someone, even if it has been restored? You just never know for sure about his history, so the profit of rebuilding such cars is only for yourself, don't expect to sell them on for big profits.
Arthur Tussik: Hold my beer
2:35 Well, since it is a nice red Ferrari... #challengeaccepted
Stolen recovered micra car thieves must have been hard up lol I'd have took my chances on a abandoned pushbike lol
OY! I drive a micra..
@@kamranhashmi1575 Scrap it
I used to go a scrap yard a lot and they used to have Aston Martin DB7, Honda NSX, S2000 even Mercedes SL that were repaired Category D.
Laying claim to a level head haha. Wilson is a classy man
It would be great to know if Mr Wilson has kept that bonny Merc. 😂
Sexy Fast Ford's are catching my eye also the Mercedes & the Ferrari etc
@cwwiss1 Yeah you can. If it's got kerbed it'll be visible, else you can check by jacking the car and spinning it. It'll wobble if bent. You can also tell if it's got a flat and no visible tyre damage, that could mean the rim of the wheel is bent away from the tyre and letting air out, but then the tyre usually comes off too... either way it's not as simple as "don't buy ever". Mine was stolen recovered, three years later all I've ever done is new driver's side window.
@doritostheking you can't tell if wheels are 'bent' until you test drive it .Something salvage yards won't let you do.
quentin...love that dood.
Ever seen his piece about how to buy a 2nd hand RR? Fantastic.
God almighty look at that 1989 Metro at 4:42! The back end's mostly all gone! :O
" A tame and cheap paint man". Well you're not tripping over these.
@doritostheking The problem with the wheels may only manifest itself at speed with vibration even though the wheel looks fine. If you have a stolen recovered and it's proved okay then you have got a car you can sell at a profit..good on ya.
All I was saying is that buying a s/r is a gamble. With a simple crashed car the damage is fairly obvious..you know what you're getting.
The only other advice I would give to anyone contemplating buying a 'write off' is TAKE YOUR TIME there's plenty
I have repaired over 50 salvage cars and would NEVER EVER buy a stolen recovered because you just don't know what it's been subjected to.The gear box may have been crashed,the engine thraped ,the wheels bent after being driven over the roughest ground.My advice would be to AVOID taking on a stolen recovered. They are often over priced anyway because they 'look' alright.
Quentin ,my friend, you got this one very wrong.
Manufacturer: Mercedes
Model: Not available
Year: 1983
Colour: Blue
Fuel Type: Petrol
Engine Size (CC): 2299
VIN: Not available
V5C Issued: Not available
Tax
Tax Status: Unlicensed
Expiry Date: 01/09/2003
Registration Date: 23/09/1983
6 Month Cost: £118.25
12 Month Cost: £215.00
absaloutly brilliant dojg this to my 1987 vw polo classic
3:53 Cars like these go ba-ro-road everyday.
That Benz needs two door skins and a fender...that's it.
Remember that however shit that Micra may be, it was a brand new car at some point!
@cwwiss1 Bollocks mate, if you can't tell when wheels are bent you're blind.
@DeanoTheLegend87 and even if the cost of repairs is well into 5 digits
It was in 1995.
2:37 Yeah tell that to B is for Build
Brilliant!
people just buy rite offs for the vin numbers.
Its always better to walk if you can.
Quentin Willson is a smug git. He & Clarkson deserve to be mates.
Did you mean WRITE off?
AAHHHHH, wrecked Ferrari, even if it is only a 348.
It's written, 'write-off'.
2:46
princess anne had one ya know.
not like this though
That Micra is not worth £4500 - I'm sorry, it just isn't.
It was
Considering it was about a year old at the time of this video. Probably cost that (market value) Worth it? Don't think so
Me too mate, me too
Rite off?
£1000.20 not too bad.
me too. that and uploaders who can spell.
0:19. Poor 2cv
Err, its write off !
£300 to repair that Micra? No way.
Respraying alone would have cost £300 not including parts and labour to fit them. Also could be far more damage behind that bumper than is obvious.
+V T This was back in the early 90s with single stage paint and cheap labor.
Depends on how you do it. 300 for just the junkyard parts and fitting them yourself is possible.
Write not rite.