Would you buy a car from Wheeler Dealers?

[Carmudgeon]

Putting aside whether you're Team Edd or Team Ant, would you buy a car from Wheeler Dealers in general, or especially not having seen the work done in the episode before deciding?

I don't think I would, and I don't believe the buyers have the chance to either.

Some of those cars start out pretty rough, and the mods they do aren't to my taste, even though they're quite minor compared to many car shows.

Of course, every case is different, so I guess it comes down to how much faith you'd have in the show's makeover skills and process.

 

[ls1mike]

Really depends on the car and what they did to it. Some have come out really nice.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Depending on what car it is if it is something I was really looking for then absolutely.

 

[ollie]

No possible way!! All those cars slapped together.

 

[97prizm]

Back in the day they had a bigger budget. Didn't Ed quit a while back? Something about the producers reducing content making it more flashy.

 

[wag123]

Speaking from personal experience repairing and flipping vehicles, I think that there are a whole lot of things done to their vehicles that are not specified and don't make it onto their episodes. Furthermore, in many cases the labor hours that they claim to have spent are a joke. For example, in a recent episode featuring a Jeep CJ-7 they listed 27 man hours of labor, which is ridiculous considering how much work was actually done. In reality, there are precious few vehicles they sell that actually make a profit when labor is taken into account (unless Ant likes working for $10/hr).
I also believe that they get a whole lot of things for free. For example, didn't you ever notice how few of the vehicles they purchase need tires, and that tire replacement often isn't specified in their final cost? In the real world, a whole lot (majority) of used vehicles like what they are flipping need tires, and new tires are a major cost item on lower cost vehicles.
As for the question of whether or not I would purchase one of their "reconditioned" vehicles. Depending on the vehicle, I would say yes.

 

[JC1]

Depends on the car. They Did an M3 where they converted it to a Manual and fixed a few problem spots. That was a nice car. Some of the other cars, I would pass.

 

[SeaJay]

It would appear to me from watching dozens and dozens of shows both with Edd and with Ant, that they properly address just about any mechanical item identified as an issue, whether minor or major. They also put in new consumable parts even if not needed when things are opened up and it is easy to do so, like many of our DIY posters would do.

I have no auto mechanical skills o/t changing a tire or adding fluids if low. So it is possible they are fooling viewers like myself.

 

[Brons2]

What channel is this show on? I only know of Ant though his wife and her HGTV show, which my wife loves.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

I wouldn't turn down a Chip Foose ride.

 

[chainblu]

It would depend on the car and price, but yeah I'd buy a Wheeler Dealer car. Not sure I'd buy anything from some of the other hacks I see on TV.

 

[RitcheyRch]

Most likely would not buy a car from them.

 

[dkryan]

Yep, hands down versus anything I ever saw back in the day on “Pimp My Ride!”

 

[Astro14]

In the premise of “Wheeler Dealers” they state that the show is representative of a what a DIY could do in flipping cars, so yes, the labor is not booked/considered at regular rates, but I have to say that most DIY couldn’t do what Edd China or Ant are doing to those cars.

 

[14Accent]

What channel is this show on? I only know of Ant though his wife and her HGTV show, which my wife loves.

*Ex-wife. Just saw on the news yesterday that they're done already. Big shock!

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

They seem to price them assuming about $100/hr labor rate. Fair enough and they are focused more on reliability than flashy garbage. I wouldn’t have a problem if I had the chance.