Giving a classic a haircut
Discussion
I've always fancied a VW Golf Campaign, and occasionally do a search on fleabay to see what's out there.
I looked at a few about 5 or 6 years ago, and most had 100-150k on the clock.
I'm now noticing that the (few) Campaigns I'm seeing advertised have lower mileages than the cars I saw several years ago.
They are also at least double the price
Then I notice a car I'd seen a few months ago (the reg is very close to one I used to know) reappear on ebay with 83k on the clock, down from 170k.
It had also, according to the original advert, been a Cat D write off.
Are cars like this actually selling for 6 grand, or are they being advertised for silly money and changing hands for a lot less?
Is it still possible to find a straight Mk 1 Campaign?
I looked at a few about 5 or 6 years ago, and most had 100-150k on the clock.
I'm now noticing that the (few) Campaigns I'm seeing advertised have lower mileages than the cars I saw several years ago.
They are also at least double the price
Then I notice a car I'd seen a few months ago (the reg is very close to one I used to know) reappear on ebay with 83k on the clock, down from 170k.
It had also, according to the original advert, been a Cat D write off.
Are cars like this actually selling for 6 grand, or are they being advertised for silly money and changing hands for a lot less?
Is it still possible to find a straight Mk 1 Campaign?
Edited by spitsfire on Saturday 12th April 13:46
TooMany2cvs said:
Probably, but giving any attention at all to mileage isn't a great way to do it.
Agreed, but my point is more that mileage discrepancies seem to be a good bellwether of other problems likely to be lurking under the surface; Mk1s were quite twitchy in the wet and, as I understand it, they're very difficult to repair properly if the suspension geometry has been affected by a shunt. I'd rather have something that was mangy but honest with 200k on it than something shiny with 100k and some badly repaired accident damage or corrosion.
spitsfire said:
Agreed, but my point is more that mileage discrepancies seem to be a good bellwether of other problems likely to be lurking under the surface; Mk1s were quite twitchy in the wet and, as I understand it, they're very difficult to repair properly if the suspension geometry has been affected by a shunt.
I'd rather have something that was mangy but honest with 200k on it than something shiny with 100k and some badly repaired accident damage or corrosion.
I don't think you need the "But". I'm in entire agreement.I'd rather have something that was mangy but honest with 200k on it than something shiny with 100k and some badly repaired accident damage or corrosion.
spitsfire said:
I've always fancied a VW Golf Campaign, and occasionally do a search on fleabay to see what's out there.
I looked at a few about 5 or 6 years ago, and most had 100-150k on the clock.
I'm now noticing that the (few) Campaigns I'm seeing advertised have lower mileages than the cars I saw several years ago.
They are also at least double the price
Then I notice a car I'd seen a few months ago (the reg is very close to one I used to know) reappear on ebay with 83k on the clock, down from 170k.
It had also, according to the original advert, been a Cat D write off.
Are cars like this actually selling for 6 grand, or are they being advertised for silly money and changing hands for a lot less?
Is it still possible to find a straight Mk 1 Campaign?
That car looks like it has had a nice "mini restoration", but the fabricated history and mileage discrepancy is pure bullsh*t.I looked at a few about 5 or 6 years ago, and most had 100-150k on the clock.
I'm now noticing that the (few) Campaigns I'm seeing advertised have lower mileages than the cars I saw several years ago.
They are also at least double the price
Then I notice a car I'd seen a few months ago (the reg is very close to one I used to know) reappear on ebay with 83k on the clock, down from 170k.
It had also, according to the original advert, been a Cat D write off.
Are cars like this actually selling for 6 grand, or are they being advertised for silly money and changing hands for a lot less?
Is it still possible to find a straight Mk 1 Campaign?
Edited by spitsfire on Saturday 12th April 13:46
It could be worth a laugh asking the seller lots of "interesting" questions, then hitting him with the previous advert and see if he flips or ignores you!
There are still plenty of campaigns out there, with low mileages as well.
Mine hasn't moved in more than 10 years, so still has about 108,000 miles on the clock!
cahami said:
ask if wrexham vw adjusted the mileage for him? or email wrexham vw and advise them of this thread he may work there.
Quite tempting. Perhaps something along the lines of Dear Wrexham VW,
I've got an old Golf. It's a bit of a dog, but I've been told by a knowledgable spanner-monkey that it would be worth a few quid if not for the fact that it's been written off, otherwise mistreated, and has nearly 200k on the clock. I understand that you might be able to provide 'facelift' services for elderly VWs.
Is this a fixed fee, or do you charge on a sliding scale?
Keep up the good work!
Yours,
Derek Trotter Esq.
The sight of both the "haircut" and "mileage adjustment" expressions made me shudder! All very nasty, and all too familiar car dealer stuff. I've seen a quite a few classic cars now restored by both owners and firms which are then "zero miled" to suggest that the car is now "as new". Not so i'm afraid. Speaking as a professional restorer, the old car is still very much in there, and if it isn't, it should now have a Q plate.
This most subtle form of clocking should be made illegal.
How accessible is the MoT and V5 mileage record from the DVLA for a specific car?
This most subtle form of clocking should be made illegal.
How accessible is the MoT and V5 mileage record from the DVLA for a specific car?
Flatinfourth said:
How accessible is the MoT and V5 mileage record from the DVLA for a specific car?
Easy - you can do it online if you can get the details off the V5. By the same token, I've looked at cars that have obviously been clocked, pointed it out to the seller, and it invariably ends with them denying all knowledge, getting very offended, and me cursing the waste of half a day. All a dodgy seller needs to do in that situation is keep it advertised until somebody naive or desperate enough comes along.
There's probably a 2 or 3 grand profit in that car if it's been done as a homer or by a moonlighting mechanic. And it's tax free. For an initial investment of about £1500, that's plenty of incentive for some! The 'restorer' might be a decent mechanic, but I wouldn't want that guy fettling the brakes on my car!
I gave my vintage car a haircut so that when it took to the road again, started from a memorable point, 25000 miles.
However, when I bought the car, the speedo was not working, and probably hadn't since the 1960s. The needed repair was time consuming, but not that difficult.
No one in their right mind would have believed the figure anyway as the chances of a car leading a fully documented life from 1930 is close to zero.
However, when I bought the car, the speedo was not working, and probably hadn't since the 1960s. The needed repair was time consuming, but not that difficult.
No one in their right mind would have believed the figure anyway as the chances of a car leading a fully documented life from 1930 is close to zero.
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