Category
🚗
MotorTranscript
00:00We've all got a dream car.
00:06For most, it remains out of reach.
00:11I'm hoping you can help.
00:13So, I'm taking on the ultimate training challenge to make motoring dreams come true.
00:18The next time you see me, I promise I'm going to be in your dream car.
00:22Here's how. I meet car lovers who hand over their daily drive.
00:26And this is my starting point, that's brilliant.
00:29And whatever cash they can spare.
00:31I bet she's given us this car on a grand.
00:34Through a series of car trades.
00:36Got a deal.
00:37Well done, yeah.
00:38And money making deals.
00:39That's the car, let's go in a bid.
00:41I'll trade up until I've got enough money to buy the car they've always wanted.
00:45You look happy.
00:46Oh yes.
00:47I'll draw on years of experience and share my tricks of the trade.
00:52This car has already increased in value just by moving it geographically.
00:56Helping me in the workshop is my mate Elvis, an ex Formula One mechanic.
01:01Such a good feeling.
01:03Working together, the pressure's on for us to deliver the dream car.
01:07Thank you so much.
01:09This might even change my life.
01:11This time, we really earn our stripes as we try to trade up to an iconic off-roader for ex-soldier Tony.
01:18Since I was a young kid, all I wanted to do was want to land all of myself.
01:22I'm forced to take a massive risk on a super cheap car.
01:25It's such a gamble.
01:26It could be a £200 paperweight for me.
01:28And we face the rotten reality of converting a classic.
01:33Mate, it's become an absolute nightmare.
01:35I'm determined to rescue this.
01:37I'm heading north to meet Tony Dietrich Cowell.
01:49He's an ex-serviceman who's always dreamt of owning a Land Rover.
01:53Tony used to be a soldier and jumped out of planes for a living, so he certainly earned my respect.
01:58I can't wait to help him out.
02:06When I was seven or eight, my dad had a Land Rover, a short wheelbase one.
02:09But I think from that point onwards, all I wanted to do was own a Land Rover myself.
02:16My dream car is, without a doubt, a Series 2A Land Rover.
02:20It's the classic, iconic Land Rover as recognised worldwide.
02:24Two million of these off-road icons were built from 1948 onwards.
02:31The square body style uses light alloys to get around post-war metal rationing.
02:36Exported globally, Land Rover recently claimed over 70% of those built were still in use.
02:49So that's the dream.
02:50It's my job to make it a reality.
02:53The problem is, I don't know what my starting point's going to be.
02:56I don't know what car he's got to give me to start this long journey ahead.
03:12Tony!
03:13Hello Mike, you well?
03:14How are you?
03:15Yeah, not bad at all.
03:16I noticed this picture, is this you in the Army?
03:18I joined the Army in 1995 as a paratrooper.
03:20So we jumped out of aeroplanes for a living.
03:22I really enjoyed it.
03:23Not good with heights, but I love jumping out of planes.
03:25So you decided to join the paratroopers?
03:27Yeah, yeah.
03:28How many jumps you do?
03:29I think I got to about 40 odd, and then you start to lose count.
03:32Right, so you're good with heights now?
03:34Still not good with heights.
03:35Really?
03:36No, no.
03:37So you won't climb up a ladder, but you can jump out of an aeroplane?
03:39Yeah, it's a different kind of height.
03:40It's fantastic.
03:41So is this a member of the family?
03:44No, this was a photograph of one of the vehicles I used to compete in the Army Championships.
03:48I used to do navigation, off-road driving, and stuff like that.
03:51So is that where your love of Land Rovers comes from?
03:53It does, yeah.
03:54I mean, obviously Land Rovers have been a big part of my career, part of my life.
03:58So if I've got to go and find you a Land Rover, which one is it you're after?
04:02So my dream Land Rover would be a short wheelbase, 1960s Series 2A.
04:08Okay, so you've chosen one of the most popular Land Rovers out there at the moment.
04:12One that's really difficult to find.
04:14Tony's a lovely chap, he really is, and I'm motivated to do well for him.
04:18He's been around Land Rovers all his life, but never really owned one.
04:21And it's my job to get him his dream car, but I won't know if I can do it
04:25until I find out what he's got stored in his mate's garage.
04:29So this is where you keep the car, is it?
04:31It is, yeah.
04:32It's my friend Ian's house.
04:33And is that your friend's car?
04:34It is, yeah.
04:35It's a bit too new for me, though.
04:40Ha!
04:41And this is my starting point.
04:43That's brilliant.
04:442001 Mini Cooper 1.6.
04:46Do you know what?
04:47I'm relieved.
04:48I absolutely love it.
04:50Everyone loves the Mini, especially in this iconic colour, red with a white top.
04:55I can tell you some good news straight away.
04:57Full leather interior, 16-inch wheels, disc brakes all round.
05:00This one's got the panoramic roof.
05:02Brilliant.
05:03I can see that it needs attention in certain areas.
05:06So to get this to your dream car is a tall order.
05:11I'm going to need some kind of fighting fun to throw into this car.
05:15So what can you chuck in?
05:16Tell me you've got some money to throw in.
05:17I have.
05:18I've got some money.
05:19I don't know what you'll think, but I've managed to free up about 250 quid.
05:23250 quid.
05:24250 pounds.
05:26So I've got to turn 250 quid and an 18-year-old Mini into a Land Rover Series 2 from the 1960s.
05:34Yeah, that's a mission.
05:35Yeah.
05:36I mean, I'll take the 250 quid.
05:38Get your Mini and hopefully, the next time you see me, it'll be behind the wheel of your dream car.
05:44Awesome.
05:45A 1960s Land Rover is worth at least six times as much as this Mini.
05:50So I'm going to have to buy and sell a few motors to make enough cash to make Tony's dream off-roader a reality.
05:57My starting point's this Mini.
05:59And to sell it, we've got to make it distinctive.
06:01Out there on the internet, there is a sea of Minis that look exactly the same as this one.
06:07And the problem I'm going to have is trying to separate this from the crowd.
06:11And there are a few little tricks that I know that I can make this car stand out.
06:16One of the ideas, just to put stripes on it.
06:18This car is lacking the stripes.
06:20Do some decals.
06:21That'll make this plain Jane pop in the adverts.
06:32Elvis!
06:33Hello, mate.
06:34Look what I've got for you to play with.
06:36Wow.
06:37I used to have one of these.
06:38Really?
06:39Yeah.
06:40Who doesn't love a Mini Cooper?
06:41Oh, everyone does.
06:42That's awesome.
06:43What's it drive like?
06:44Drives absolutely brilliant.
06:45I've just driven it all the way down from Yorkshire.
06:46See, the guy Tony, he's lovely.
06:48Okay, he's an ex-para.
06:49What he'd really like us to do is to turn this vehicle into a 1960s Series 2A Land Rover.
06:57Wow.
06:58I mean, great choice, first of all.
06:59Right.
07:00Very good choice.
07:01But it's not a straight swap, is it?
07:02I'm going to have to flip this car, and then some, and then some, and I'm going to have
07:05to double my money along the way to get in the car of his dreams.
07:08And for doing that, Tony has very kindly given us these Mini Cooper, plus a very healthy
07:13250 pounds.
07:16Whoa, 250 quid.
07:18Wow.
07:19Okay.
07:20I'm not a magician.
07:21Turning the Mini and a few hundred quid cash into a Land Rover is, well, I've got no idea
07:26how we're going to do that.
07:27We need to change this car visually.
07:28And one of the ways we can do that is put some stripes on it.
07:31So we put some decals on the side.
07:33You know what I mean?
07:34100% love that idea.
07:35The other thing that's just jumped out at me is the idea of, remember the old classic
07:39spotlight?
07:40Love it.
07:41Rally-style spotlights.
07:42Absolutely love it.
07:43I think that's quick.
07:44It's easy.
07:45It's cheap to do.
07:46Well, we better get straight on with it.
07:47I need to turn this round as quickly as possible.
07:49Alright, let's get cracking.
07:52I'm getting the car washed as vinyl stripes need a really clean paint surface to stick
07:57properly.
07:58And I guess it gives me time to order some parts.
08:00I just really need it in a hurry.
08:01If you can get it to me today, that'd be brilliant.
08:03Thanks, man.
08:04Brilliant.
08:05The visual changes will make it stand out and help get it sold quickly.
08:13Because we need to move on to bigger, better trades.
08:22Right, so it's a vinyl like this with an adhesive already applied to the back and a protective
08:27film over the top.
08:28So it's relatively easy to apply in theory.
08:31But, as you can see, no road car has flat surfaces.
08:35It's all kind of twisted, curved areas, which are very, very tricky to get right.
08:42Some stripes are applied with water.
08:44But this vinyl goes straight on.
08:46It looked so easy when I was watching everyone do it at the Formula One team.
08:51Okay.
08:52Okay, let's just check.
08:54Yeah, we're all good.
08:55We're all good so far.
08:56Hello, Dave.
08:57Oh, we've got a crease in there.
08:58That's not good.
08:59Oops.
09:00There's a crease in here.
09:01It's pretty bad.
09:02I can see it straight away.
09:03And if I can see it, everyone else can.
09:04Dave, this is no good.
09:05So, I think it's important to go a little bit at a time.
09:12it's pretty bad, I can see it straight away and if I can see it everyone else can. Dave
09:19this is no good. So I think it's important to go a little bit at a time because if you
09:35do put too much on that's when you get air bubbles which is the last thing we want. But
09:42because the curve of the bonnet is so extreme here it becomes a lot harder to stretch the
09:46material. It's actually really cold right now in the workshop and that makes this stuff
09:50a little bit less stretchy, a little bit less malleable if you like. It's a bit easier when
09:55it's warmed up. I love it, it's transformed the look of the front of the car. The 30 pound
10:06side decals are definitely a two-man job but you need to hold them in position and then
10:10at the same time evenly stretch and lay the vinyl. I think it looks great. It's really
10:22good. The white pops out against the red really well. I think it's going to transform it. So
10:30I'm just popping these spotlights onto the front of the car which is nice quick and easy job. A
10:35great buyer just sixty pounds off the internet. They connect through a separate wiring harness
10:39and operate using relays. I'm just feeding the final wires through the inside of the bonnet
10:46to connect up the lamp here. So when you flash the full beam lights on the steering on the back of
10:51the steering wheel, these things will come on as well. Great. Ah, look at that. Wow. Now
11:03there's a man who's been working on. It looks good, doesn't it? Yeah, it looks absolutely fantastic.
11:07Let's get it sold. Three million minis have been built since 2001, flooding the second hand car market.
11:16I'm hoping these upgrades will make Al Cooper stand out in the crowd and find a buyer at twelve hundred
11:22pounds. Next, my optimism proves short-lived. I think I need to drop the price.
11:30I decide to take on a fast turnaround trade. This is how we can make business by creating a business.
11:40Huh? But it turns into a money pit, threatening our mission to get Tony E's dream Land Rover.
11:46I don't think any of this is repairable. I've got an 18 year old mini and 250 pounds to help ex-soldier
11:55Tony trade up to one of the most popular classic cars. My dream car is, without a doubt, a series
12:01two air Land Rover. This is going to be a really tough one. And I'm going to have to double my money
12:07and take some big gambles along the way. It could take up to five trades to get to the Landy, so the
12:12pressure is on to get this mini sold. We've already added some eye-catching touches. It's really good.
12:18The white pops out against the red really well. I've advertised it nationally at twelve hundred pounds,
12:23but so far we haven't had a single call in two weeks of marketing. Time to face reality.
12:31Time is the one thing we just don't have. I need to crack on.
12:35Well, I mean, what are you saying then? We would drop the price a bit?
12:39Well, I don't want to, but I think to get it over the line and do it quicker. Yeah, I think I need to drop the price.
12:46I've advertised a mini for £999. It always looks better than the full £1,000 in the advert. And
12:53exciting news, I've had a call.
12:57Are you Paul? I am.
12:58Paul, very nice to meet you. I'm Mike.
13:00Hi Mike, nice to meet you.
13:01Well, welcome down. This is my beautiful little mini.
13:04The top-spec leather interior is a big selling point on this car. Elvis has just detailed the
13:09seats ahead of the viewing. So I'm deliberately pointing out how good it looks. Inside, you can see
13:16it's fully finished with the leather interior as well. That's exactly what I'm after. Nice.
13:22You looked at a few? I've looked at a few, yeah.
13:25This is the nicest one I've seen. That's all I want to hear. I like it.
13:29Well, I've advertised it for the bargain price of just £999. Would you take £900?
13:36I'd let it go for £9.50.
13:41Well, I like it and I don't want to miss out on it. So, yep, I'll do £9.50.
13:44Top man. Congratulations. You've got yourself a nice little mini.
13:47Fantastic. Lovely. Thank you.
13:50I think Paul's delighted with that car. But now, more importantly, I've got some cash. I'm on the way.
13:56After spending money on parts for the mini, we had £150 in the pot. Add that to the sale price
14:03of the mini and I now have £1,100 to play with.
14:10One way of making money in the car game is to think outside the box. In this case,
14:15a horse box. Now, bear with me. I've got a plan.
14:18So, the horse box has been stored down here somewhere. I just need to find it.
14:39There's obviously a lot of junk around here. Somebody that's fixing up old motorbikes,
14:44that looks interesting. Oh, that looks like a horse box and this could be the lady. Hello,
14:51are you Debbie? I am. You must be Mike. I am. Is that the horse box I've come to see? Yeah.
14:57Wonderful. Can I have a look inside? Yeah, you can do, yeah. It just drops. Right, gotcha.
15:02Yes, look at that. I could be just about to buy a horse box. And no, I haven't lost a plot. I'm
15:12seeing this as a potential for a conversion to a coffee bar or a burger van. The kind of thing
15:16you see at festivals. There's a strong market and big profit potential if it's a solid vehicle.
15:22I can see the floor needs some attention. It's a little bit rotten here. Yeah, we're going to look
15:25at the floor and maybe lay some new floor in. It needs a lick of paint and a little bit of rust
15:31protection and that chassis is going to have to be tidied up. So how much are you aiming to get for it?
15:37We're hoping for a thousand. A thousand pounds? Yeah, yeah. You're looking to just get rid of it?
15:44But I would take 900 just to get rid of it. I think it's worth every penny of 900 pounds. I'll have it.
15:50Fantastic. It's a deal. It's lovely. Thank you very much.
15:55900 pounds is a fair price for a horse box. But to get Tony Heath's dream Land Rover,
16:03I need to make thousands of pounds of clear profits. And that means a shift in marketplace.
16:09Well, I'm really excited about this horse box to catering truck idea. But I think it's going to be a
16:13big sell into Elvis because the guy's a mechanic. He's used to working on Formula One cars. He's not a
16:20painter and decorator. And we've only got a couple of hundred pounds in the pot to pull this off.
16:32Hello mate. How you doing? What's that? What's that? Don't tell me you're bringing me a horse.
16:39No, I know how much you like horse power. But don't worry, we're not trading horses. No, this is how we
16:45can make business by creating a business, huh? But it's a horse box. I know it looks like a horse box
16:53on the outside. But don't worry, we're going to do something really special with it. You're going to
16:56love this. If you've been to any festivals or outdoor gatherings recently, you'll see lots of
17:04people turning things like this into a place where you can sell stuff, whether it's drinks or food or
17:10ice cream, whatever it is, you can sell them out of a horse box. So that's what I thought we'd do with
17:16it. But at the moment, it looks nothing like one of those. Come on, you've got to have a little bit
17:21of imagination. Let me show you what I mean. That's all we need to do. All we got to do is tidy it up.
17:26You can't just be patched up. Everything's got to be perfect. If we're going to use this for a
17:30business, we've got to do a proper job. And that's a lot of work. I know it's a lot of work, but trust
17:35me, it's going to be worth it. And when you find out what we paid for it in the first place,
17:38I think you'd be quite happy. Go on. 900 quid. 900 quid. I mean, that is, that's good.
17:47Mike's planning the fit out and looking at paint colours, whilst I'm tearing into the horse box.
17:51First job's to get rid of all the nasty internal panels. A modern catering business needs a spotlessly
18:00clean interior. Brilliant. That was harder than I thought. One down, loads to go.
18:18So having taken the ply off and exposed this skin, which is the outer skin of the horse box,
18:31it's in far worse state than I thought. I don't even think any of this is repairable.
18:38This was supposed to be a quick cosmetic facelift. It's going to end up being a complete ground up
18:43restoration. We've only got £200 left in the key for this entire refit, and yet we still haven't
18:52bought any parts. I know we're going to need more cash. We've already gone over budget.
19:04Hello? Mike, it's Elvis. Elvis, you all right, mate? Hi, mate. Not really. You know this horse box.
19:11I've got the ply off the insides, which is probably supposed to be the bulk of it. And when I've done
19:15that, it's uncovered just a nightmare that the skin, the aluminium skin of the actual horse box is rotten,
19:22and I've got no choice but to replace the whole thing. I mean, I'm sitting here looking at an absolute
19:27bare frame of a horse box.
19:34It's obviously a serious situation, so I head down to see for myself.
19:40Oh, dearie me. Look, I don't mind the hard work, you know that, but the costs are spiralling out of
19:49control. Well, look, I do appreciate the amount of work you've done so far, and I'm determined to
19:54rescue this. Well, I got us into this, and now I've got to get us out of it, or we're in trouble. We
20:00can't afford to get the horse box finished unless I double the £200 that we've got in our fighting fund.
20:05I've been on the lookout for an opportunity to turn a quick profit, and I may be onto something.
20:12I'm in the North East of England. I'm on my way to go meet a young lady called Holly. She's got an
20:17incredibly cheap little Honda Civic for sale. It's a 1.4. She just wants a couple of hundred quid for it.
20:23The car's got no MOT. It's just run out, and Holly wants rid. That's a great negotiating tool for me.
20:31If I think the car's strong, I'll get it MOT'd and flip it for a profit.
20:35Hello. Oh, hello. You all right? How are you? Yes, I'm good. Thank you. How's it? Very nice to meet you.
20:44You too. Hello. Nice to meet you. Can I just have a quick look around this, yeah? No problem.
20:49Very good. I mean, other than it needs a clean. Yeah. It's a good-sized boot. And it's got a good
20:54spare as well. How many miles has it done? 79,000. All right. That's okay. It's good. Shall we have a look
20:59inside? Yeah, of course. This car's quite well equipped, isn't it? It's got the electric mirrors.
21:05Got the electric windows. Do they all work? They don't, unfortunately, no. Okay. Can I fire it up?
21:10Yeah, of course. Wow. Perfect. Sounds lovely. Yeah, it does sound lovely. Well, I need to test it. Can I
21:18just go up and down inside this yard? Yeah. Yeah, of course. Just to make sure the clutch and the brake
21:21pedal works okay? Yeah, that's no problem. Do you mind? All right, go. Even if you've only got a small car
21:26park to test a car, it's vital you make sure all the major parts work and there's no nasty knocking
21:32noises from the engine, gearbox or suspension. The good news is it does start, stop and go. It does,
21:38yes. The bad news is I just can't properly test it. It's got no MOT. It's not legal. How much did you
21:45want for it? 200. I know the car is incredibly cheap, but it's such a gamble. It could be a 200 pound
21:53paperweight for me. Yeah. Could ask 100. 100 pounds? Yeah. You got yourself a deal. You seem quite
22:03happy you didn't get your asking price. I am because I only paid 100 quid for it in the first place.
22:11You're on to a winner trading medium-sized hatchbacks. They're mainstream, not niche, so they're always in
22:17demand. But to get the best price, everything's got to function perfectly. So I need Elvis to sort this
22:22window problem.
22:34Elvis! All right. How are you, bud? What's this?
22:39Next, I deliver the answer to our prayers. Welcome to our 100 pound Honda Civic. And start
22:45the hunt for the dream Land Rover. That looks like a real project. It needs a bit of work, granted.
22:51I'm on a mission to get Tony, an ex-para, the Land Rover of his dreams.
22:58So you've chosen one of the most popular Land Rovers out there at the moment.
23:01I've already sold on his Mini for nearly a thousand pounds. I don't want to miss out on it,
23:05so yeah, I'll do 950. Top man. Congratulations.
23:08But I'm going to need at least six times that if I'm going to get Tony his classic 4x4.
23:15I took a gamble and turned in a horse box into a catering unit, but it needs a full restoration and
23:21more cash. The costs are spiralling out of control. So now I'm pinning all my hopes on making a profit from
23:28a hundred pound car. A hundred pound? All right. What's wrong with it? Has it got an engine in?
23:34Has it got a gearbox? Of course it has. It's on a trailer because it's got no MOT. Oh, I see.
23:39Here we go. Why is it not? Why has it failed an MOT? It hasn't failed. It's just expired. And I reckon
23:44the little thing will fly for an MOT. If you wouldn't mind having a look at the electric windows,
23:48they don't work. All right. I mean, I love it. 100 quid for a car. So Mike's brought me something
23:52else to fix. And I've got to say I'm a bit happier this time because, well, it's a car,
23:56first of all. But if I can get the Honda turned around quickly, it'll be great. So we can add
24:00some more money to the horse box fund and that'll be brilliant. Window problems are often electrical
24:06issues. So that's where I'm starting. We know that the driver's side window isn't working. The passenger
24:13side is though. So that rules out the fuse. We know the fuse is fine. So now I'm going to start to look
24:18at the electrical side and switch particularly. Helpfully, the car came with a replacement switch,
24:24but there's no guarantee it's working. Now, I've no idea if that is a good switch or a bad switch,
24:30but I guess we might as well give it a go. Plug that in. Switch the ignition back on.
24:38That is brilliant. That's brilliant. Go on, just about. You know, sometimes it's just your lucky day
24:51and they'll throw this back together and then go and buy a lottery ticket. Well, I might do pretty
24:56well picking this car up for 100 quid. I think I might just outdone him. I fixed it for nothing.
25:01Search around on the internet and you can get an MOT for as little as 20 pounds. I've still got some basic
25:06checks to do, but I'm pretty sure it'll pass. Then Mike can put it up for sale. I've had the Honda
25:13advertised for a cheeky £695. No viewings just yet, but I just had a call from a guy that said he's
25:20going to pop down after work. I hope he makes a bid. I need to sell it. I need some cash for that
25:25horse box. How about £650? Yeah, you got yourself a deal. Do you know what? I can't be any happier.
25:32I've just sold that little Honda that I paid £100 for for £650. There's the keys. Thanks very much.
25:39Enjoy the car? Will do. Right, we're in the money again. We've got £730 to put into the horse box.
25:50While Mike's off spending our windfall on new side panels and flooring, I'm prepping the frame for paint.
25:56We really want the horse box to stand out in a crowded field, literally, so colour choice is key.
26:08So we've decided to go for a two-tone look with pastel green and cream on the horse box. I think
26:14it's going to look great. I think it will really fit in with that country look, which is really
26:18popular at the festivals and hopefully it will broaden its appeal too. Whenever I do paint with
26:26a brush like this, it's always nice, a nice little touch to just give a little flick at the end of
26:30each brush stroke because if you don't and you stop dead, you get some horrible little brush marks like
26:35that. The original external galvanised panels on the side of the horse box are really expensive to
26:45replace, so Mike's been clever and ordered a new material called mesh board. It's good value at
26:49about £60 a sheet and is really easy to work with.
26:57The boards need to be supported during a cut, otherwise they can wobble and pinch the blade.
27:02I'm trying to make sure that the measurements are all absolutely perfect and the cuts are all really
27:06clean because it's the finish that's going to sell this horse box. Whoever buys it needs it to reflect
27:10their business so the attention to detail and the workmanship has to be as high as it can possibly
27:15be. Shouldn't take me too long to get them all installed and I'm going to use a polyurethane
27:20adhesive to stick them in because that's the kind of stuff they use to stick windscreens into cars.
27:24First of all it's really really strong but it also is weatherproof which is exactly what this
27:28horse box needs to be. Mike's had another money-saving idea for the interior.
27:35He's bought a load of old scaffolding boards from a building site. It's a cheap source of wood at only
27:41£10 a plank. It's easy to work with and matches our rustic design. I'm going to sand this lot back
27:49and then create some custom shelving and a bar top.
28:09Right well we're on the final straight here this really feels like we're nearing the end of this
28:13project. After days of work it's great to see the horse box coming together. Without that clever
28:19Honda Civic Flip this project would have never made it past the finishing post.
28:27No way I mean seriously really look at this. Wow fantastic. Mate there's been times on this when
28:38I've thought I thought about throwing the towel in but I'm really pleased I'm glad you like it.
28:42Now we need to turn this into some serious cash. Yeah well I hope so. But that dream car will cost at
28:48least six grand. I need a plan to maximize my chances of getting that. So I'm heading for the hills.
28:58So how do you sell a converted horse box? Well you bring it along to a country fair.
29:05Put it in front of the eyes of the people who are really going to appreciate it.
29:08There'll be loads of people walking around taking inspiration to start their own business
29:15and hopefully by the end of the day I'll attract the right punter.
29:23So you would serve from here and that's the condiments table over there so they would go and get
29:27their condiments. Good isn't it? Very good. I'm giving my best sales planter but I'm having to fight British
29:35summertime. Rain threatens and the crowds thin out quickly. Has my chance of a sale gone?
29:43Well I do like a day out in the country but I do like to make some money even more and unfortunately
29:48today hasn't been one of those days.
29:50Of course the horse box ad is out on the websites too but getting people to experience it in the flesh
29:58was always my best chance of finding a buyer. I'm gutted. And the worst thing is bright and early
30:06the next morning I have to face Elvis with the bad news. Morning mate. Hello mate how you doing?
30:12Yeah all right still here then. Well it is still here for the moment. I did take it to this event at
30:17the weekend. Lots of people loved it but nobody actually put their hand up for it.
30:22Until this morning I've sold it. Are you joking? That's great. It's not the full asking price but
30:27I managed to get 5795 for it. I mean that's not bad. I mean there's still some way off getting
30:31Tony as Land Rover isn't it? It is but I'm a great believer in dealing with one problem at a time
30:36so this is now sold we just have to move on. Our horse box was bought by a theatre and live event
30:44company so it should have an interesting new life on tour. So I started with a car worth around a
30:51grand and now I've turned that into over six grand in just three trades. But is it enough?
31:00To be honest with you this trading journey has turned out tougher than I originally thought.
31:07I was hoping as well to have a little bit more money to go hunting for a really decent series 2a for
31:12Tony. Not all cars for sale are advertised. I've abandoned looking at ads and decided to put a
31:18wanted post on Land Rover enthusiast forums. They're a tight-knit community and usually a source of well
31:24cared for cars. This morning a guy called Ian got in touch. That's why today is really important for me
31:31because the guy that I'm on my way to go and see is a member of the Land Rover owners club and I'm hoping
31:36he knows his cars and this is going to be a decent one.
31:48Ah you must be Ian. Hello. Ian how are you? I'm Mike. Pleased to meet you Mike. Nice to see you.
31:54So this is the car 1964 series 2a Land Rover. So that's the 200 TDI. A lot more power so you can
32:01keep up with the modern traffic with that. Yeah lovely. So it's got nice modern running gear but
32:05wrapped up in this old original body. It has yes. Nice and solid. And have you had it long? I've had
32:11this nearly nine years now. So why are you selling it? Well unfortunately I need some funds for rebuilding
32:17this one. Seriously? Yes. Wow. Well Ian that's more than just a weekend's work isn't it? That looks like a
32:23real project. It needs a bit of work granted. But this is good. I like the patina on this. Can't buy that.
32:29Yeah you can't buy it. The wheels could do with a bit of tidy up but that's not not hard to do.
32:33Yeah. Right let's have a look inside then. Do you know what I like about it these is just how simple
32:40they are. I mean there's nothing really to worry about. It could do with a little bit of a tidy up
32:44but it's all right isn't it? Yeah yeah it's all there. Yeah I mean having a little spruce up in there
32:48it's uh it's gonna be all right. So uh you say it starts stops and runs? Really well yes. Does it?
32:53For a series two. Can I take you for a quick test drive? Of course you can.
33:05Old Land Rovers like this are never going to win any awards for refinement and noisy
33:10they're agricultural they clang and they bang as they go down a road but for a Land Rover enthusiast
33:15like Tony none of that matters. The major upgrade on this one happens to be the engine. It's been
33:25upgraded to a more modern power plant out of the Defender. It's got the 200 TDI which means it's a
33:31two and a half litre turbo diesel. It's a lot better than the original little four cylinder with its
33:37rattly old gearbox. This one actually does get down the road and keeps up with modern traffic
33:42and it's got five gears and that's good for Tony because he wants to take this vehicle off-roading
33:48as well as going to the shops. Apart from the engine upgrade this Landy is stock. I usually avoid
33:55buying modified cars but with cars like a Land Rover gentle modifications can sometimes add to the value.
34:03I think this is the perfect vehicle for Tony. There are a few things I really would like to do to it
34:09don't the wheels for one tidy up the interior but they ain't going to cost money they're just going
34:15to cost time and the major problem I've got is Ian. He wants seven thousand pounds for this and I've
34:21only got six thousand pounds to spend but I know that Ian wants to finish that long wheelbase Land Rover
34:28rotting at his front garden and the only way to do that is to release the cash from this. So if I can go back
34:35and get this for six grand it's the perfect car for Tony and I'll be a very happy man. My plan is to be
34:44bold and clear with Ian. Stick to your top price and it puts all the pressure on the seller.
34:57Well that was like an event driving that down the road it really was. It was bangy, clackety, noisy,
35:04smelly, it was all of those things and utterly wonderful. So how much did you want for it?
35:08Seven grand I'm after. Well you know seven grand is not a bad price for one of these. Problem is I've
35:15actually only got in my budget six grand. Yeah it's not as much as I wanted to be honest. Next we ramp up
35:25our efforts to deliver a Land Rover for Tony. So if I was to say that's your car you would be beside
35:30yourself wouldn't you? I would be I'd be over the moon. Well that's not your car. We're on a tough
35:37mission to get ex-paratrooper Tony his dream Land Rover. I reckon this is the perfect vehicle for
35:44Tony. It's owned and cared for by a Land Rover enthusiast but the price is high. You know seven
35:51grand is not a bad price for one of these. Problem is I've actually only got in my budget six grand.
36:00And I know that's not what you want but because you want to put some money into your
36:05your long wheelbase one. It is going to another Land Rover enthusiast. He will join the club.
36:10Yeah it's not as much as I wanted to be honest
36:15but I think it's time to let it go. So yeah I'll do six. You would? You're a gentleman. That is lovely.
36:22Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. No worries. Yes six grand secures me this fantastic
36:29British icon. I think it's exactly what Tony wants and there's even money left over to sort
36:35the wheels and tidy the cab before we hand it over. Look at that. Tony's dream car. That is Tony's
36:49dream car. Yes 1964 Land Rover series two. He's gonna love this mate honestly it's exactly what he was
36:57after. It's got that proper patina that a car of this age should have and a rugged car of this age
37:02should have as well. Yeah I don't think these cars need to be pristine. I think they wear their age
37:06really well. I mean it could do with a couple of little bits that we could tidy up only because
37:11I want to give Tony the best possible car we can when he when he finally gets it. This is a lot of
37:17car for six grand. That engine upgrade alone probably cost a few thousand. The removable hard
37:22top's worth hundreds and I've noticed it's got new aluminium door tops. A high-end replacement for the
37:27old steel ones which rot out. It needs some cosmetic work doing but that's about time not money.
37:38Well these have been painted before but badly and as you can see all the paint is peeling off you
37:44can literally pick it all off by hand but rather than do it all by hand it's much easier if we get
37:50a pressure washer in. I'll be able to clean it all off and it should take the paint off as well.
38:05Off-white is the colour for a period Land Rover wheel and hand painting suits the patina of this car.
38:11This cab can be a noisy place despite the sound absorbing felt added by a previous owner.
38:23Materials specially designed for car interiors laid over the top of the old felt will improve
38:28the look and the sound quality in here.
38:30If you're wondering why I'm bothering to measure this material out before I put it in the car
38:41it's because if you've ever tried to do this before if you don't cut the material down to size first
38:46you've got material everywhere and it ends up looking like you're trying to wrestle an octopus
38:50in a very small space. So I'm going to measure it out, cut it out properly to the right sides
38:55and then come and glue it in. I spray contact adhesive directly onto the old felt.
39:04Then it's a two-man job to lay the new material over the top.
39:07Wow, I mean I can't say that was easy but it's totally transformed the interior.
39:25It just gives it a finished look, dare I say in a Land Rover, might have even given it a tiny little
39:31bit of luxury. I've given the car a full checkover and service and the 2A
39:40is ready for handover.
39:44There's a Land Rover meet tonight at Cywell Historic Airfield in Northampton.
39:48It's 60 miles north and we're on our way to meet Tony.
39:53Well I'm going to tell you Elvis, I love what you've done to this Berkeley but those nice
39:59delicate little touches have transformed the outside and somehow you've made it feel nicer on
40:05the inside. Yeah I'll tell you what it is, it's this. This roof lining has really made a difference.
40:11I thought you know it's had a little bit of luxury, I thought it might sort of deaden the sound a little
40:16bit but it doesn't feel like it's done that at all, it's still really loud. What?
40:26We've arranged to hide our Land Rover in the pack, so Tony won't know which Land Rover is his.
40:36What I love about it is there's so many variations on them. They're great and they look at this thing
40:40yeah look this is beautiful. When I look at these they are all unique aren't they in their own little
40:46way. I think that's what people love about them isn't it? It's like stepping back in time. Yeah.
40:57Tony! Hello mate, how are you? Yeah brilliant. Really good to see you. This is Elvis.
41:01How you doing? Hi Elvis. Great to finally meet you mate. I mean I feel like I know you a little bit
41:04already but it's great to put a face to you. No and you Elvis, really good meeting you. Well we're excited
41:09your rear because me and Elvis we've been working tirelessly hard to get to this point and there
41:13are some pretty tasty looking Land Rovers out there. Oh this is just my kind of thing. I'm in heaven at
41:19the moment. Have you seen how many are here? Do you want to come and have a look? Oh yeah I'm really excited.
41:24You've got the late model series 2As, the earlier version with the headlights in the middle
41:29and that's what I love. So this is like the iconic Land Rover isn't it? What's that an early series 2A?
41:34Yeah that's an early series 2A with the Grasmia Green paintwork. Grasmia Green, you know the paintwork
41:39on this one as well. I do yeah because this is the the colour of the very first Land Rover, the
41:44the series 1 Huey. Is that right? Yes. That is a proper enthusiast that knows that. So if we
41:49was to say this is your dream car, how would you be about that? I would be over the moon, absolutely over the moon.
41:56Actually this Tony is your dream car. Really? Yes sir, seriously. Brilliant, cheers. Thank you.
42:07Absolutely fantastic, I love it as well you know it's the hard top with the cream roof and the windows.
42:11Oh I can't get rid of the grin. Please come and have a look inside. Looks brilliant.
42:16Yeah it suits you Tony. So is this really mine? This is yours, yes. What are you going to do with it?
42:24I'm going to take my son out, get on the green lanes, have a bit of fun and maybe go camping or
42:29something and just sort all my joy with it. That's what it's for. This is your dream car. Brilliant,
42:36thank you mate. Give me a hug. Oh fantastic. I'm so pleased you like it mate. That's preserving.
42:44Love it. Get in, get me on the wheel. Oh where do I start? We did it. We did do it. We did it.
42:51Yeah we did, look at that. Happy customer. He's a happy boy isn't he?
43:01Absolutely brilliant.
43:03I'm so pleased. Shall we do another one?
43:15I'm so pleased. Shall we do another one?
43:23Have a great day!