Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady
Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady, the UK's classic car podcast for people who love the stories behind the cars.
Sam Grange-Bailey isn't a presenter. She's a classic car dealer and a car dealer's daughter who grew up in the Manchester motor trade. She lived through the golden era of the British car business — the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and early '90s — when deals were done on a handshake, the cars had genuine personality, and the dealers who sold them were larger-than-life characters.
This podcast preserves those stories before they're lost.
Each episode brings honest, unfiltered conversations with the people who lived it: dealers, auctioneers, journalists, mechanics, and collectors. Expect tales of dodgy deals, auction house drama, barn finds, family businesses, cars that got away, and the ones that probably should have.
If you've ever wondered what it was really like inside a British car dealership before the internet changed everything or you just love hearing proper stories about proper cars ➙ this is the podcast for you.
Featured guests include Bond car specialists, Rolls-Royce dealers, senior motoring journalists, auction house insiders, and the characters who built the Manchester and UK classic car scene.
Topics: classic cars, motor trade history, buying and selling at auction, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, MG, Porsche, barn finds, modern classics, showroom stories, car dealer life, classic car values, and the unwritten rules of the trade.
New episodes every week.
🌐 theoldcarlady.com
📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady
🎬 YouTube, TikTok & Facebook: The Old Car Lady
📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com
Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady
Auction Special | Manor Park Classics | What Sold, What Didn't & Why!
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Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for a special auction episode recorded on Friday 13th February 2026, predicting results for Manor Park Classics' sale the following day.
Sam goes through her shortlist from a dealer's perspective, estimating hammer prices, then reveals actual results with insights from Jim Gregory (Sales Director at Manor Park Classics) and Richy Barnett (Markets Editor for Classic Car Weekly).
This episode explores where the classic car market is heading in 2026. From a £5,750 Rover P6 V8 to a £10,350 Jaguar XJS that smashed estimates, Sam analyses what sold, what didn't, and why. We discuss the death of E-Type values, the rise of modern classics (1980s-2000s), and whether XK8s will leapfrog XJS as the affordable Jaguar.
Featured Cars & Results
- Rover P6 3500 V8 (1972) - Mexico brown, single family ownership, sold £5,750
- Triumph TR7 Drophead (1981) - 30k miles, hammered £6,400
- TVR S2 (1989) - British Racing Green, sold £6,900
- Bentley Arnage Red Label (2000) - 146k miles, £31k service history, bargain at £8,280
- Jaguar XJS 4.0 (1995) - Guided £5.5-6.5k, smashed estimate at £10,350
- Mercedes 560 SEC (1989) - Sold £20,460
- BMW 328i Sport (1998) - Sold £7,590
- Alfa Romeo 156 - Sold £8,500, having a moment
What You'll Learn
- Why service history matters with higher mileage cars and why high mileage cars can be a better bet than low mileage.
- How to spot auction bargains (Bentley Arnage at £8,280)
- Why E-Types have fallen and won't bounce back
- The sweet spot: £7-25k for monthly sales, £50-100k struggling
- Why 1980s-2000s modern classics are the hot decade
- How finance deals put exotic cars everywhere
- Why leggy but maintained cars beat garage queens
- The importance of MOTs even on exempt cars
Key Questions
What's hot and what's not in 2026?
Hot: Modern classics (1980s-2000s BMWs, Japanese cars), Porsche Boxsters/Caymans, XJS straight-sixes, TR7s, Alfa 156s. Not: Pre-war to 1950s British cars, E-Types fallen and won't recover, £50-100k cars struggling. The market shifted from cash buyers to finance deals making exotics accessible to everyone.
Are XJS values finally rising?
Yes! The £10,350 XJS (guided £5.5-6.5k) proves the market is waking up. Jim Gregory and Richie Barnett agree they're having a moment. Question: will XK8s leapfrog them as the affordable Jaguar, or will XJS become the E-Type successor?
What makes a good auction buy?
Single-family ownership, full service history, current MOT (even if exempt), regular use, original spec, right colors. Avoid: cars needing recommissioning, anecdotal mileage, wrong colors (beige Mercedes 190E didn't sell despite being perfect), high estimates leaving no trade margin.
A Nod to
Manor Park Classics Runcorn Cheshire
Jim Gregory and Richy Barnett.
Get in Touch
💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554
📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady
🎬 TikTok, Facebook & YouTube: The Old Car Lady
#AuctionSpecial #ManorParkClassics #ClassicCarAuction #JaguarXJS #BentleyArnage #RoverP6 #TriumphTR7 #Mercedes560SEC #ClassicCarMarket #2026Market #ModernClassics #TheOldCarLady
Produced By Worth A Listen Productions