James Ruppert Could MOT tweak inflate prices?
The new MOT exemption will impact prices of pre-1978 cars
Some will celebrate not having to pay 50 quid every year
What exactly does the MOT mean to you? An annual sharp intake of breath as your local garage tells you what the damage is to get your old car through the test? Then again, you could view it as confirmation that you are maintaining your vehicle in the rudest possible health. Whatever you think about that crucial half an hour when a mechanic prods around your pride and joy, the simple fact is that the MOT isn’t perfect. It was, however, all we had until recently.
The Department for Transport has decided to scrap the MOT test for vehicles over 40 years old. The change in legislation will come into force on 20 May 2018. It brings the MOT test into line with Vehicle Excise Duty, which will also no longer be applicable from that date. For some, it seems to be a cause for celebration because it might just save 50 quid every year. Others focus on the fact that they can go and buy a Lamborghini Countach and not have to worry about it passing a test.
I am not sure whether this exemption is going to make values go up or down. Already the 40-plus market seems to be rather high, if not as overheated as the market for 1980s hot hatches is right now. Even so, can we really make a case for 1970s metal as viable everydayers?
Obviously, the answer is yes and I have to resist the temptation to list yet another Series Land Rover. Instead, I stumbled across a 1974 Volkswagen Passat. Essentially, this is a giant Golf and this one had 14,000 miles. A life wasted in storage explained the £4995 asking price. Maybe if it had been used, the old Fraulien would not have survived. Still, there you have a proper old-school family hatch, with not a lot of rust and scruffily solid. It still sounds £3000 too much but that’s the market.
MGBS are still quite affordable, probably because there are plenty around, but the upside is that you can get all the bits. I found a 1964 example that had been rebuilt a few times, imported from the States and seemed to be in fine fettle. Insurance valued it at £11k, so the asking price of £8250 is fair enough. You could probably get it for less than £8k.
The MGB is not family friendly, but neither is a 1973 Vauxhall Viva I found. What a fantastic-looking twodoor, though: sharp as anything and another low-mile survivor. £4750 sounds far too much to me (£3k is more like it) and the fact that it will no longer need an MOT doesn’t help.
As sensible readers would agree, all cars need to be roadworthy and the MOT certainly helps. I rather fear the authorities now have an age-related excuse to blanket-ban vehicles from certain areas or simply participating in everyday motoring life.