Hooniverse Asks Bonus: Has Wheeler Dealers jumped the shark?

Edd China

The British cable TV show Wheeler Dealers should not need introduction to Hooniverse readers. They buy low-priced interesting cars that need a bit of work, fix them, and flip them for profit. All of that is done in the name of keeping another modern classic on the road. The idea behind the show is pretty cool, and it works too, with Edd China’s careful explanation of all the work he is doing and Mike Brewer doing the buying/selling and generally being in the way.

Let’s start off with the fact that the show has never been perfect:

  • Mike always finds the car he wants for low money – c’mon, there are cars we all want, and we do look for them and never find them for the right combination of car/deal. Then there is the fact that everyone looks for a deal first, and car second, as there are more good deals out there than there are good cars for the right price.
  • There is no job that’s too big/small for Edd – interior makeovers, frame-off restorations, oil changes, he does it all, and nothing ever goes wrong! No bolts are rusted/broken, all trim always fits perfectly back in, all after-market parts work perfectly. All the things that Edd does not work on are evidently perfect.
  • No car ever gets washed, it just ends up being clean.
  • Poor acting on part of sellers, buyers, vendors, and other characters, especially Paul who comes over only when needed and never says anything.
  • The fact that Edd’s labor does not cost anything. Evidently he can spend eighty hours working on the car which results in 200 quid profit, and that’s enough to keep the shop running, pay his and Mike’s salary, and build up the kitty for another car purchase.

We have all come to expect that from this show, and really it would be challenging to fit more details into a 45-ish minute time slot. There were a few episodes that I rolled my eyes on, such as the drifting Skyline or the expedition Discovery (on stock tires/suspension), or the completely weird VW bus that Edd ended up keeping for himself. Recently, however, I was even more perplexed by the choice of vehicles used on the show and their final result. 

[Image: our old friend Wayne Moyer]

wheel dealer vw camper van

The recent show featured a 1950’s Cadillac Coupe DeVille, bought in the U.S. and exported to UK. The car needed everything, and upon seeing it Edd asked if Mike could bring it back, and rightfully so. But Edd being Edd predictably gave the Caddy everything it needed, except any kind of engine work. Everything Edd did worked flawlessly as always, including the completely custom air suspension which took about four minutes to install. 

What got me in the end was the choices made on the Caddy. Neon-ish green color, white interior, and the worst looking pin-stripe things I have ever seen. The only person that could like this vehicle is Ali G.

The show seems to have moved from quick-fix flips to complete restorations. The attention to detail and explanation in labor involved that once existed is now gone. The cars have changed from $5000 enthusiast models to supercars, which isn’t necessarily bad but the BS factor is raising exponentially with that.

To their credit, there are only so many $5000 interesting cars. The work on all similarly priced cars would be similar, and we would be complaining that each episodes are the same. They, the hosts and producers, need to change to keep things interesting to keep the audience. In a way they need to keep raising the bar, but along with that come a lot of BS that frankly many viewers won’t like.

What does Hooniverse think?

How could the show be improved?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 64 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here