Classic Car Club
You don't have to own a classic to drive one. Aaron Weddell reports.
Classic Car Club member plus Alfa
My daily driver is a BMW E30 M3 and, although I love it dearly, over the past few years, I have managed to lavish over £10,000 on top of its original purchase price on maintenance, servicing and general repairs and other ad-hoc costs. As such, I’m no stranger to the running costs of a classic car. I know that much of the money I’ve spent on my car I will never see again, but then, that’s the price of owning and looking after something a little out of the ordinary.
The only logical step from running a single relatively expensive car on a daily basis was, of course, to buy another one. The running costs are clearly outweighed by the fact that, by buying something older, I can avoid the tar-pit trap of depreciation -- at least, that’s what I said to my better half.
But at the tender age of 25, and with only one set of no-claims discount to my name, what could I buy that would possibly be even feasible to insure, let alone run and maintain on a regular basis? The answer seemed to be simple: nothing. At least, not within the fairly modest budget that I’d had in mind.
It was this simple logic that turned my eyes and thoughts to stray from the pages of the Autotrader, where I was looking for a second car to run alongside the M3, and, instead, to an advert in Evo magazine extolling the virtues of the Classic Car Club. Although the name may suggest images of tweed-clad, pipe-smoking gentlemen pontificating on the golden age of British motoring, nothing could be further from the truth...
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About the club
The Classic Car Club is for people who love cars and are looking for a cost-effective way to enjoy all manner of automotive thrills, welcoming everyone from motoring aficionados to those who don’t know their air intake from their elbow.
With UK locations in Bath, Edinburgh and London, the Classic Car Club operates under the simple motto, “Run by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts.” For once, this isn’t just marketing twaddle, as all of those involved in the Club are true classic car enthusiasts, with most of them starting out as Club members before becoming staff. This ethos certainly rang true on my first visit to the Old Street, London, branch. I was soon chatting away with the knowledgeable guys and gals about some of the 50+ cars they have available in their expansive showroom and making a mental checklist of which cars I simply must drive -- the list numbered about 50-ish.
So, two years ago, I signed up, parted with my hard-earned cash and experienced a number of cars that I couldn’t have dreamt of driving otherwise.
The cars
Despite the name and the connotations therein, the club is not only about the classic motors of previous generations. Sure, it has iconic classics such as a selection of Jags and Daimlers, including the MK II and E-types, an Aston V8, a Frogeye Sprite, various MGBs and earlier Porsches, including a 2.7 Carrera RS replica and a Speedster among others, but it's also made space for the more modern classics, including a Mercedes 190 Cosworth, an Audi Quattro, Ferraris ranging from the 308 through to the 348 and more. The club' started to look forward to the performance classics of tomorrow too, encompassing the AMG E55, an Impreza Turbo, a Daimler Super V8 and a Maserati 3200 GT.
The list continues to grow as does the club itself. The opening of New York division is especially beneficial to London members as the latest arrival at Old Street is a spanky new Mustang V8 courtesy of its American counterpart. Alongside the GT, the darling of the Playstation generation and rallying scene, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 is also a forthcoming addition to the ranks.
The club experience
Two years on and I’ve managed to drive many of the cars that I’d lusted after during my original visit -- the only thing is that the selection just keeps expanding! How far your membership takes you in terms of the numbers of cars borrowed and the days borrowed for is dependent on the Club’s simple points system. Basically, each car has a grade ranging from 1 being the lowest (BMW 2002 for example) to 6 being the highest (Ferrari 348ts to pick but one). The months of the year are also graded on the logical basis that it costs more points to hire a car at the height of summer than it does in the dead of winter. The same goes for weekdays and weekends -- weekdays at a low rate and weekends at a higher rate.
In my first year, I managed around 50 days borrowing and, on average, the Club’s members seem to enjoy 40-50 days a year. This can be increased if you stick to just weekdays, but it is difficult not to be enticed into a couple of extravagant weekend loans when the sun is shining or you have a social function to attend where you simply must impress.
While covering this area, it is probably a good time to mention that, although you are effectively hiring a car from a company, this is no Avis or Hertz. The cars are only available to members. After you’ve selected the right points package for you, there are no extra charges -- no extra cash to pay out for particular models, no insurance excess deposits and, best of all, no mileage restrictions.
As a member of the Club, there are obviously certain allowances that have to be made -- if you pay well over £1,000 to hire a spanking new Ferrari from a specialist hire company, then you’d be right to expect a showroom-standard car, but part and parcel of such an undertaking comes the mileage restrictions, the insurance payments up front and other such tie-ups. The Club’s cars may temporarily be suffering the odd scratch or scrape at times but are all maintained to a very high standard by a dedicated team of on-site mechanics, but, obviously, there are times when cars will be unavailable due to repairs to the aforementioned, routine maintenance and repairs.
It’s times like these, or when you call up for a late booking as a rare sunny spell is predicted for the weekend, that you can sometimes end up with something you’d never even considered. It was on one such occasion (in fact, the only time it has happened to me, as you can also select a second choice of car when booking, just in case your first choice is unavailable) that I had one of my most fun borrowings, simply because I got to experience something that my preconceptions told me I wouldn’t like, but which turned out to be a great drive.
The result
But this is all facts and figures. Driving great cars is all about the emotions they stir up, the admiring glances one gets in the high street and the random folk who will come and talk to you at filling stations, just so that they can have a poke around in something different from the usual Eurobox. I suggest you practice the art of lying though; unfortunately, I usually buckle under the pressure of questioning and let slip that the car isn’t mine at all!
The only downside I have found which has really affected me is that membership of the Club meant that I had no excuse not to buy a sensible runaround. As such, if I part the curtains of my study and glance out onto the driveway right now, next to my M3 is a stunning Sunbeam Alpine and next to that is a Peugeot 106 XN. At least in a couple of week’s time there’ll be a Bentley Continental R which, with its sheer bulk, will no doubt mean the Gallic shopping car being relegated to the road.
Phil Dicky said:
That seems a bit steep to me, £3k a year goes a long way.
Not on a classic car, even their 'basic' classic car, a BMW 2002, will set you back around 1500quid for a decent one, and then maybe the same again on running costs and insurance over the year driving it say almost every weekend, maybe 50 times a year. Admittedly a classic car will probably retain or even gain value while you own it, but you will have to limit the milage and hope nothing expensive breaks on it, plus you would need the captial to be able to buy each car for a few months before selling it on, that would make sense, but then you'd probably be rich enough not to care.
For someone like me, lives in central london, doesn't own or really 'need' a car, but likes a variety of classic cars and would like to try out a few different types before committing to the prospect of ownership in the future then it makes a lot of sense, 3K isn't cheap, but it isn't a massive amount in the world of classic cars, especially with the variety of choice they are offering.
R988 said:
That seems a bit steep to me, £3k a year goes a long way.
Not on a classic car, even their 'basic' classic car, a BMW 2002, will set you back around 1500quid for a decent one, and then maybe the same again on running costs and insurance over the year driving it say almost every weekend, maybe 50 times a year. Admittedly a classic car will probably retain or even gain value while you own it, but you will have to limit the milage and hope nothing expensive breaks on it, plus you would need the captial to be able to buy each car for a few months before selling it on, that would make sense, but then you'd probably be rich enough not to care.
For someone like me, lives in central london, doesn't own or really 'need' a car, but likes a variety of classic cars and would like to try out a few different types before committing to the prospect of ownership in the future then it makes a lot of sense, 3K isn't cheap, but it isn't a massive amount in the world of classic cars, especially with the variety of choice they are offering.
I agree. If I lived in London I don't think I'd bother with a regular car - use the tube in the week and classics for when I actually need a car.
But I live out in the country so it's not available to me otherwise I'd probably do it.
So it seems like good value to me. The issue for me would be the distance to the collection point would be a drag ant the beginning and end of each "rental".
Its definately food for thought though..................
I've owned modern hot hatches, Mk1 Golf GTI, Jaguar Mk2 and had a brief affair with a 944S2, so I understand the pride of ownership, polishing the car on a Sunday and forming a bond with a vehicle. I've also endured the pitfalls and wallet munching bills. It's not all rosy and we all suffer bad luck.
I'm a 911 fanatic and still want to buy a 964 RS. However, the club allows you to experience a whole host of cars you'd love to drive, but not neccessarily own. There's no way I'd want to part with my cash for a Ferrari 308GTS or a Bentley Continental R, but I can honestly say I've driven them!
Ok, you might find a classic hire company that will rent you a car, but you often need to be over 30 and leave a hefty deposit. I was 26 when I joined the club, and there were no qualms about me jumping straight into a Ferrari. It's totally hassle free.
There's also the fun of always having something different available for occassions. I've been to Porsche Club GB meets in a 911 Turbo, Goodwood in a Healey Sprite, borrowed an E-Type roadster for my wedding and a Rolls Royce for a corporate golf day.
The 911 may be on hold for now, but I'll be renewing my membership at Classic Car Club for the third year running!
However, it is important to remember that the club is primarily dealing with older cars...I had a few cars switched at short notice due to unforseen mechanical problems, and twice I was left stranded by the roadside after breakdowns.
Frustrating? Sometimes...but its something I've experienced with most cars, classic or otherwise!
Cheers,
Andy
Surprised they're still in business to be honest
The Club have an anti thrashing policy. They quietly assess a driver's attitude and competence from the first couple of rentals, and, if the driver fails the assessment, they only let him or her drive certain of their cars. Drivers who demonstrate mechanical sympathy and prudence can drive the whole range.
The business model works on people never using up their allocation of points. I never did.
I was glad that I joined. I drove a wide range of cars, and bought a car from the Club. I nearly invested in the company, but decided not to.
From 30 feet it looked ok ish, not the nicest colour, by a Long way, but up close it was very obvious that it needed A lot of bodywork . Apaling paint work / mismatch on the front wings and major rot around the rear screen, god knows what was lurking under the paint.
He didn't know anything about cars , but said it went well ( the Auto box blunted it ) but drank like a fish ! In my eyes it was far too scruffy to hire out .
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