Banger for your bucks...

In addition to the hordes of three year old Ford Foci (is this the correct pluralisation of a Focus?!), German machinery and other fine motoring specimens that you find on http://www.theinternetcarlot.co.uk/, there is another - dare I say it - almost dirtier side to our business.

Before you ask, nothing illegal, nothing sinister and certainly nothing that would involve a visit from those splendid civil servants at HMRC.

I am talking about the world of the 'banger'. To me, a 'banger' can be defined as a car which may be old or mechanically infirm but is definitely cheap.


We generate many cars in part exchange which fall into one if not all three of those categories. In order to maintain good relationships with franchised dealerships, we also take many of their cheaper cuts. Think of us as a Hilton hotel with a youth hostel in the basement.


These make there way either to http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/internet-carlot/ or through a 'spares/repair' advertisement on Autotrader.

Many dealers do not relish getting involved in this end of the car market but I - as has been said by many - am different to the rest.

My affinity to the banger started in 1998 when I joined the trade. As a reward (sic) for working many long hours, the sales manager agreed to let me use whatever delightful beasts we had lying around the back instead of using my own car.

One of my best mates Alec was already into this form of car buying. Recently he bought a 1985 BMW 316i for £800 from a man called Cheeki who lived in Wembley. The two hour journey to go ten miles on various TFL services meant he was somewhat committed to the purchase before he arrived. On the test drive Alec noticed that the speedo was not working. 'Cheeki', he said, 'how do you know how fast you are going?' Alec enquired, 'I imagine.' Cheeki replied casually...


I drove some serious sheds that summer including a Rover 820i that broke down as I put it back in the compound to such an extent that it had to be scrapped the next day, but none of them let me down......significantly.......or at least at rush hour.


When I worked at BMW, I often left my company car behind so that I could drive the 30 miles home in one of our part exchanges. You could say it was like choosing the Golden Girls over Girls Aloud.

The difference between then and now is that the bangers are ours and as a result I get more pleasure from the experience.

Yesterday I bought a 1998 (R) Mercedes C220CDi estate in doom blue (read 'the money of colour' post for a description) with dark blue cloth. It has only done 203,000 miles and is as square as Gordon Brown. OK, so an atomic cloud appears every time the old girl fires up but when she is running she purrs like a kitten.....with asthma. OK, when we are driving the dash is lit up like Oxford Street at Christmas but none of those warning lights are severe enough to worry about. It would be bad form to disclose how much I paid for her but suffice to say in true motor trade fashion it involved a small hairy primate.

Searching for the perfect banger is like searching for the perfect partner. You have many bad dates but keep coming back for more. To push this woeful metaphor to the dangerous edge, you could describe me as having Mormon-esque values when it comes to bangers.

The banger allows you to scratch any motoring itch. £1000 can buy an old MR2, a classic (although no doubt rusty as an anchor) Mini or an old Landie, the list is endless.

So am I here advocating that everyone should save their hard earned money and go and buy a banger?

No and not just because I sell some more expensive cars.

The banger can be a fickle friend.

Many are the time I have been stood up in a pub with a pint in my hand by a banger. Many are the times I have lent the banger some money only for the banger to disappear. Many are the times I have gone on holiday with a banger and we have fallen out.

You get the picture.

I am a great friend though and cannot help coming back for more.....

Jamie