Marketplace

Russ Smith’s take on the latest market news.

In a chance encounter recently, I bumped into a guythat I bought a classic from nearly twenty years ago. I remain grateful as it turned out to be one of the best deals I ever did –one of those ‘moving house and it has to go this week’ scenarios. He had no time to MOT the immaculate Lancia Beta coupé that emerged from a pile of blankets in his garage – he wanted £800. I didn’t even haggle.

It appeared in Staff Car Sagas a few times, though not often as, in a most un-italian manner, it rarely misbehaved. Two years later, it had to go as I had no garage to further its preservation, but I doubled my money on it. I’ve kept tabs on it, and Wayne was pleased to hear that the car was still around. Did I see a twinkle of fondness for it in his eyes still?

What it did was set me thinking about my other most memorable ‘deals’. It soon dawned on me that the Lancia was possibly the only one I’d handed over a wad of cash for. Because back in the days when we weren’t permanently and globally connected, free old cars were not that unusual. You just needed an ear to the ground to hear when something needed to be gone in a hurry for some reason.

Such joys as an almost rust-free Series MM Minor and a 205 GTI are fondly remembered for their freeness, all of which a few bob and a bit of graft on my part put back on the road. All would probably now bypass me as people are savvier about values and can find quick buyers holding cash with a few clicks of their phone.

I can see the benefits, but it has certainly taken some of the old romance out of finding cars.

‘The Beta coupé was one of the best deals that I ever made’