Has Shed of the Week run its course?

[Turbobanana]

Has Shed of the Week run its course?

Case for the Prosecution:

Today's BMW Z3, with a 1.9 and auto, is - on the face of it - about as un-PH as it gets. This is a car that doesn't have enough performance to get out of its own way. In a drag race it would be monstered by so many "white goods" cars that you might just as well buy one of them and not worry about expensive parts replacement, and have the ability to carry people / shopping etc. Plus road tax, insurance and fuel will all be cheaper. It makes no sense. Today's inflated asking prices make it hard to find anything "desirable" for £1500. Your mum's old Escort is worth £30,000 and anything swept out of a barn is worth money, even more so if it hangs together enough to resemble a car. In summary, lately it appears that finding desirable Shed-territory cars is getting hard.

Case for the Defence:

OK, there are a few who will think a BMW "sports car" for £1500 would look good on the drive: if you're one of them, fill your boots. It'll probably be reliable, and - to be fair - it's a decent condition, bright-looking thing that has (probably) done a low mileage. Also it'll be easy to drive, albeit slowly.

But, as an article to inspire you, this doesn't stack up. Why not put Tony's considerable journalistic skills to better use. I propose the following, PH policymakers:

Trophy of the Week

I'm looking for a car, budget immaterial, that represents something you really want - something aspirational: a Trophy. While I don't expect any F40s to be found for £100,000, E30 M3s for £5,000 or air-cooled 911s for under £10,000, there are still occasionally Mondials, 996s or Chimeras skulking around at tempting prices. Ex-Academy Caterhams that need a bit of tidying. Bentley Mulsannes with scruffy paint or iffy colour combos. Doesn't have to be immaculate: think InfluEnzo, Ratarossa - that kind of thing. Don't limit the price: there are folk around with disposable income, and bargain trophy cars exist at all budgets.

Brave Pill covers some of these bases, sure, but that's aimed more at walking the financial tightrope that exists between enjoying a bargain, complex car and the omnipresent risk of financial ruin if (when) it goes bang. It's aimed at the serial risk-taker, not the person who wants - and can afford - something they lust after.

So what do you think?

[blue_haddock]

Nope i still love Shed of the week, its just a bit of fun.

Some you'll love, some you'll hate but either way they're usually a good read.

[illmonkey]

The cheapest ChimAera is 6 times the price, so hardly shed money.

I think you're worrying too much fella.

[andburg]

new cars are coming

SOTW will quickly return to normal

[Dr Interceptor]

For me, it's as much about the writing as it is about the shed.

[Baldchap]

Dr Interceptor said:

For me, it's as much about the writing as it is about the shed.

I agree.

It's a fun article, often splitting the crowd between 'They're rubbish' and 'I had one, they aren't as bad as people say' and 'I always liked these' types of discussion...

And the fact we're discussing it proves it works.

[MightyBadger]

Turbobanana said:

Has Shed of the Week run its course?

Case for the Prosecution:

Today's BMW Z3, with a 1.9 and auto, is - on the face of it - about as un-PH as it gets. This is a car that doesn't have enough performance to get out of its own way. In a drag race it would be monstered by so many "white goods" cars that you might just as well buy one of them and not worry about expensive parts replacement, and have the ability to carry people / shopping etc. Plus road tax, insurance and fuel will all be cheaper. It makes no sense. Today's inflated asking prices make it hard to find anything "desirable" for £1500. Your mum's old Escort is worth £30,000 and anything swept out of a barn is worth money, even more so if it hangs together enough to resemble a car. In summary, lately it appears that finding desirable Shed-territory cars is getting hard.

Case for the Defence:

OK, there are a few who will think a BMW "sports car" for £1500 would look good on the drive: if you're one of them, fill your boots. It'll probably be reliable, and - to be fair - it's a decent condition, bright-looking thing that has (probably) done a low mileage. Also it'll be easy to drive, albeit slowly.

But, as an article to inspire you, this doesn't stack up. Why not put Tony's considerable journalistic skills to better use. I propose the following, PH policymakers:

Trophy of the Week

I'm looking for a car, budget immaterial, that represents something you really want - something aspirational: a Trophy. While I don't expect any F40s to be found for £100,000, E30 M3s for £5,000 or air-cooled 911s for under £10,000, there are still occasionally Mondials, 996s or Chimeras skulking around at tempting prices. Ex-Academy Caterhams that need a bit of tidying. Bentley Mulsannes with scruffy paint or iffy colour combos. Doesn't have to be immaculate: think InfluEnzo, Ratarossa - that kind of thing. Don't limit the price: there are folk around with disposable income, and bargain trophy cars exist at all budgets.

Brave Pill covers some of these bases, sure, but that's aimed more at walking the financial tightrope that exists between enjoying a bargain, complex car and the omnipresent risk of financial ruin if (when) it goes bang. It's aimed at the serial risk-taker, not the person who wants - and can afford - something they lust after.

So what do you think?

Terrible idea, shed of the week is much better.

[anonymous-user]

MightyBadger said:

Terrible idea, shed of the week is much better.

Yep, long may SOTW continue

[RECr]

I still enjoy shed of the week. I think there is a case for casting the net wider than the PH classifieds but I suppose part of the point is to promote the classifieds section of the site.

[IgnitionMS]

You have to take into account that most “shed” priced cars tend to be advertised on Facebook, Gumtree or Ebay.

[Jimi.K.]

I enjoy Shed of the Week. They just need to increase the amount to account for inflation and the current inflated car market. £2500 would do it.

[Drive Blind]

SOTW is fine. I don't take it seriously and I doubt many would even consider buying the cars featured. It's there to stimulate discussion and to advertise the PH classifieds.

If anything has run it course it's the repetitive 'spotted' articles.

[Mark Asread]

The real difficulty is not finding an interesting SOTW for £1500, it's finding one on PH Classifieds. With every "improvement" to the search/layout it gets further away from Autotrader levels of usability, not to mention the impact of Faceplace Marketbook, Gumbay etc on the number of cars appearing in it at all, and the rise in value of anything with fewer than 300 advisories.

I pity Shed having to entertain the troops while the pickings get slimmer at ketogenic pace.

May it continue until there's not a single car left on PH under £20k.

[MightyBadger]

Jimi.K. said:

I enjoy Shed of the Week. They just need to increase the amount to account for inflation and the current inflated car market. £2500 would do it.

£2500 is not a shed

[Divieto di Sosta]

I don't always read the shed article but I'm glad it exists ,leave it as is .

Thank you .

[Turbobanana]

Fair enough.

I love SOTW too, and as someone above said, it's probably the best-written of anything on PH these days.

Just a thought. As you were...

Thread closed.

[Limpet]

Mark Asread said:

The real difficulty is not finding an interesting SOTW for £1500, it's finding one on PH Classifieds.

This.

Autotrader this week has some potential gems (or disasters, admittedly).

2004 Mercedes E320 wagon with 180,000 miles, and a fresh MOT from yesterday for £1,200
2004 Audi A4 3.0 cabrio with 112,000 miles, 10 months MOT, and a full service history but borked aircon and due a cambelt for £1,495
2006 Volvo V70 D5 with one owner, FSH and 150k for £1,250

Plus E39s, S Types, old XJs, Volvo, BMW and Jeep SUVs, and various other stuff with varying levels of bravery required, all under budget

[Dr Interceptor]

Have a look in the classifieds at cars up to £1500, sift through the dross and try to find an interesting car that SOTW-worthy - it's not easy.

About the best I could find was this....

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12991682

MG-Rover went bust in April 2005, but on a '55 plate, this will have been registered new post September 2005 (in fact it was registered in Jan 2006), so one of the very last new Rovers. Has the facelift dash, leather and low mileage. Not a very PH-worthy car, more a curiosity.

[Evil.soup]

Dr Interceptor said:

Have a look in the classifieds at cars up to £1500, sift through the dross and try to find an interesting car that SOTW-worthy - it's not easy.

About the best I could find was this....

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12991682

MG-Rover went bust in April 2005, but on a '55 plate, this will have been registered new post September 2005 (in fact it was registered in Jan 2006), so one of the very last new Rovers. Has the facelift dash, leather and low mileage. Not a very PH-worthy car, more a curiosity.

Now that is a cracking shed, always thought they were a great looking car, even in Rover spec. Sure it will be insanely slow, but if you were just looking for a cheap car to knock about in for 12 months, this is a winner for me.

I love SOTW like many others here, many of the caers are of no interest and the BMW today is nothing I would want to touch, but even so, it's not a bad shed if you want to simply be seen in a BMW drop top.

[Richard-390a0]

Jimi.K. said:

I enjoy Shed of the Week. They just need to increase the amount to account for inflation and the current inflated car market. £2500 would do it.

I agree with this. Temporary increase until prices normalise again in a year or two.