An update on our ‘Great Classic Trade-up’ Challenge

Here at LI Towers, we love a classic car project, and in 2022 we aim to buy and trade up in our Lancaster Insurance ‘Great Classic Trade-up Challenge’. We’re pitting our wits against the might of the fine people at Classics World, going head-to-head in the race to buy and sell a series of classy classics.

Representing Lancaster is our Senior Operations Manager Andrew Evanson, while for Classics World, its Managing Director Phil Weeden. Both men are on the look-out for a classic to buy with a budget of £5,000, and both have tales to tell that will resonate with you all, as they update us on their progress so far…

Andrew Evanson, Lancaster Insurance Senior Operations Manager

“The first car that caught my eye involved an 8 hour, 400 mile round trip to Derbyshire to view a Morris Minor I found on eBay. After a lengthy chat on the phone to the seller I realised there was no welding needed and it was mechanically capable enough to make the journey back home.

The car really would have benefitted from a decent machine polish, some interior tidying and generally a good service as it had been parked up for a while. All of which I could have done myself. I could almost hear the sweet cha-ching of profit rolling in as I cruised up the M1 to view it.

Now, there’s a really good lesson here to anyone buying a car unseen – and that is DON’T DO IT!!

We’ve all the heard horror stories of unscrupulous sellers hiding dodgy repair work, but it wasn’t the case in this instance. I genuinely think the seller had good intentions but had no idea how badly the Moggy had suffered through years of storage. There was a fair bit of welding needed which I’m quite capable of, but time is money and I quickly realised this wasn’t the car for us.”

The second car I came across, was a gorgeous MG BGT - another eBay auction find, advertised by a reputable dealer on behalf of a customer. It wasn’t quite good enough for forecourt stock but definitely had potential. A call to the dealer and an informative chat about the car told me everything I needed to know. This was the car for us, subject to price.

So, I set an alarm for a few minutes before the end of the auction, decided on the maximum price I was willing to pay and waited for the last-minute action to unfold. Sadly, someone wanted this car much more than we did and it sold for a few hundred pounds over my maximum bid. Such is life.

Still on the hunt, I’ve now found a nice looking MK1 Mazda MX5 for sale on the Facebook marketplace. It’s certainly the right price and looks like a strong contender but at the moment the seller hasn’t responded to any of my messages asking to arrange a viewing.

If nothing has come up by the end of the month, I’m off to the Anglia Car Auctions to go and see if they have anything suitable – watch this space!”

Phil Weeden, Classics World Managing Director

“OK, here come the excuses. Finding the suitable base car is tricky. It needs to be something with instant and broad appeal; a car to which we can easily and quickly add value. Maybe German, like an E36 BMW, especially a six-cylinder petrol model, or W124 Mercedes springs to mind.

I did recently check out a Peugeot 205 GTI, decent for the kind of money we’re looking at, however it’s a slightly bonkers conversion, sporting a 3.0 V6 petrol unit from the 406 coupe. While it looks like it’s been done to a decent standard, I think the engine mod may put some people off.

I’ve also seen a rather delightful Mk2 Orion 1.6 GL. Yes, I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea but they’re super rare now. So to find a low mileage example (this has a reported 11k), is quite a discovery. The paint’s a bit scabby in places, but it’s otherwise in absolute mint condition.

There are a couple of classic car auctions taking place in February, so I’m hoping by the time you read this I’d have finally made my first purchase. There’s plenty of choice. But that just means there’s plenty of opportunity to get it horribly wrong. Hopefully I’ll find that diamond in the rough I need to get this challenge off to a strong start.”

Maybe you have a vehicle that would fit the bill for our first purchase to kick off the challenge? If so, please get in touch by emailing the details through to restochallenge@lancasterinsurance.co.uk.