Description
BLOG FIRST and then the actual advert.
We have two problems here.
I have been in the classic car game as a full time professional for the past 25 years and I have seen the market place change many times over. Until maybe nine months or so ago, everyone along the line was still in a strong position. Prices remained on the rise, albeit slowly, and the newly-born classic car auction houses were on a winner all ends up. Private buyers paying top money and beyond for the vehicles.
Now, the slide has begun. If you bought a classic from wherever, maybe even from me, a few years ago then it has lost value. I for one appreciate this and will strive to keep my prices as low as I can to such an extent that I can be looked upon as the best value one-man band dealer in the UK. That means my vehicles are the best for the money. It doesn't mean I sell 10k cars for 5k. There is plenty of rough and cheap stuff out there but that is exactly what it is. There is a place for it too. Context is all.
Spring of next year will be when the private owners come out of hibernation and realise that prices have dropped. Fine. It will suit me to offer even better value cars that I already do. The bubble is bursting. I am doing my utmost to mirror that with the vehicles I offer for sale. Go elsewhere and buy if you disagree with me. As things stand, we still live within a democracy. To coin the modern vernacular: "Just saying!"
So, the first problem lies with the people who have paid too much, mainly from classic auctions. The second is that, in order to sell, they will have to take a hit. It's a two-in-one problem you might say. I don't mind. The lower the market place, the better it suits me. Let it fall. By buying for less, we can sell for less.
EMERGING from Martin Howey Classics' cool collection of cars today is an iconic 1960s saloon which is now a mega rare sight within the classic car market place.
It is a 1968 Triumph 2000 Mark 1 - yes the highly sought after original model - and she is a manual with working overdrive on 3rd and 4th. And what a delightfully smooth drive she is with that superb 2-litre twin-carb engine! A really pretty and solid example with a stunning up-market and un-damaged Triumph interior. She is a late Mark 1 and, as such, comes with the "facelift" dash which involved moving air vents into the centre and re-designing the heater controls beneath. Just lovely. She really is in super condition. There is some recent garage "scrape" damage to the rear end of the offside and a tiny ding around the door handle. None of this is rot and I could have had it repaired and you would never have known. But, if you follow my adverts, you will know that basically they go out as they come in. Were this niggling scrape not there, I would have asked more. Maybe another 1k. Mark 1s are hardly ever seen for sale. This is one not to be missed.
Now to the bonus ball. She has had just two owners from new. The first from 1968 until 1994 and the second until it found its way to me this week. Two owners in 55 years. Amazing!
This description is based on my opinion of the vehicle, the paperwork that comes with the car and anything I have been told about it. The vehicle is 55-years-old and this cannot be taken as a definitive statement for obvious reasons. As with most classic cars, there may be faults and quirks whilst, almost inevitably, some degree of tinkering and care will always be called for. Such are the joys of owning an antique vehicle and they must be taken within their own context and not compared to modern day cars. They are sold as old, mainly out-dated machines and come without any comeback whatsoever. They are my terms and conditions.
My classic cars are motoring antiques. This car, for example, is 55-years-old. It's not two, five or even ten-years-old as your own everyday car may be. It has been in service for more than half a century and so will have quirks and faults in there somewhere. However, faults on these old girls are not always apparent when buying and selling classics which is what I do. I do not restore them, nor do I pretend that they are concours cars. The majority of them go out as they came in, and I continue to enjoy finding more - a skill which is becoming increasingly difficult as many of you will be aware. They deserve to be taken on as "family pets" and cared for through thick and then. They don't make them any more and demand now out-strips supply. Please bear all this in mind, and enjoy your classic car. I can also assist with delivery and so please ask for a quote.
I have now been established as a one-man band classic car dealer for 25 years and pride myself on my buying prowess and - due to small margins - my prices which I firmly believe are up there among the very best in the UK classic car marketplace.
Thanks, Martin. the details below.
