Autoshite banger rally?

[Kiltox]

As mused in the Astra thread in the moderns section I think I’ve identified an opportunity for something quite hilarious*

BCA has a constant source of shit but possibly usable cars in their no reserve sale, which is basically all of the shit from WBAC that is too fucked/old/shit for the motor trade. Where your driveway traders and YouTube car flippers get their cars from basically.  Proper jeopardy - no report, no idea if it’ll be able to get down the road.

For £314ish including fees you can drive* out of one of their auction centres in AN CAR of some description. I’ve bought two this week, it’s absolutely possible to acquire large numbers in short periods of time  

What I propose is that a number of us do this, either paying little attention to where they are located OR deliberately buying them all from a single location - and then banger rally style, drive to a central location or locations. 

Thoughts? 

[Wibble]

Sounds ace if we can all use your account and clone your trade plates🤣

[worldofceri]

That reads like, you pay BCA £314 and get to choose your steed from line up of partially fucked motors, or, they just allocate you one at random.

[Kiltox]

2 minutes ago, Wibble said:

Sounds ace if we can all use your account and clone your trade plates🤣

 

Just now, worldofceri said:

That reads like, you pay BCA £314 and get to choose your steed from line up of partially fucked motors, or, they just allocate you one at random.

So that’s basically what would happen in a way - because you need an account, someone with an account (me, possibly some others on here that could chip in) would need to be doing the bidding. 

[Markeh]

I bet this would've been a lot easier to organise back in the days of the old Cannock auctions!

[Bear]

This could only be improved with a large wheel that clicks and rattles then stops pointing at a choice vehicle.

A wheel of misfortune.

[Bear]

In fact there's a video idea: Wheels of Misfortune - roulette of BCA's shittest rejects and bad decisions...

[Wibble]

I’m still interested, as long as we’re legal, which is easily doable with short term cover I suppose and taxing then SORN after. Blackbushe is nearest to me.

[Kiltox]

4 minutes ago, Wibble said:

I’m still interested, as long as we’re legal, which is easily doable with short term cover I suppose and taxing then SORN after. Blackbushe is nearest to me.

Edinburgh you say? Cool. 

[Wibble]

7 minutes ago, Kiltox said:

Edinburgh you say? Cool. 

I’m done with driving to Scotland for now, thanks!

[Heidel_Kakao]

Would there be any chance of getting something interesting or is it all total dross at the minimum entry price?

[Kiltox]

6 minutes ago, Heidel_Kakao said:

Would there be any chance of getting something interesting or is it in total dross at the minimum entry price?

Luck of the draw really. There was a Rover 75 went through the other day 👀

[Bear]

6 minutes ago, Heidel_Kakao said:

Would there be any chance of getting something interesting or is it all total dross at the minimum entry price?

I bet there'll be some awesome randomness, anything like a Chevy Spark or Aygo would have resale potential for the cheap insurance

[Imhotep]

I do like a car lottery. Knowing my luck I’d end up with a Hyundai Getz with HGF but this sounds like something worth doing overtime for! 

[Bear]

1 minute ago, Kiltox said:

Luck of the draw really. There was a Rover 75 went through the other day 👀

Definitely could me in for any Mercedes idiocy (I bet there isn't because of the breaking potential for bits).

[Six-cylinder]

1 hour ago, Markeh said:

I bet this would've been a lot easier to organise back in the days of the old Cannock auctions!

The Cannock auctions cars were so bad even I never bought one!

[Pieman]

Something I proposed on here a while ago....a banger rally, but in reverse.  I came up with the idea after reading @Mr_Bo11ox's adventure with his Spanish Simca.

Instead of buying a cheap heap of shite in the UK and then driving it to a far-flung location, the participants - in teams of two or three - are transported to a location somewhere in Europe with a budget of a few hundred Euros.  Each team has to buy a car - the more obscure or fucked it is, the more points they score - and they then have to complete the necessary paperwork, and drive it back to the UK.  The winner is the team that makes it back with the fewest breakdowns.

I reckon it could even have TV potential.

[catsinthewelder]

A slight but not insurmountable issue is that the DVLA are probably the easiest body in Europe to change ownership with.  Most countries require a visit to the village official or similar.  Some, like Italy require you to have your own numberplates which are only available to residents.  I could definitely be talked into doing this again though @dollywobbler 😉

[beko1987]

9 hours ago, Markeh said:

I bet this would've been a lot easier to organise back in the days of the old Cannock auctions!

Yea but after winning the auction there's then the fear and trepidation of 'will it make it back to the truckers rest under its own steam'. 😬 Could be a short episode 😂

[Kiltox]

20 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

Yea but after winning the auction there's then the fear and trepidation of 'will it make it back to the truckers rest under its own steam'. 😬 Could be a short episode 😂

Tbh this applies absolutely as well to these cars I’m on about 

The Astra I drove home from Nottingham yesterday has the expansion tank cap stuck firmly on, it’s like it’s cross threaded. If I wanted to top up the relatively low coolant I wouldn’t have been able to! 

[Kiltox]

8 hours ago, Bear said:

Definitely could me in for any Mercedes idiocy (I bet there isn't because of the breaking potential for bits).

There definitely is, I just don’t know if a £150 bid would buy them 

[bangernomics]

Edinburger flights are cheap enough if planned on advance. Why not I have good breakdown cover and a father who is obsessed with the square sausage.

[beko1987]

35 minutes ago, Kiltox said:

Tbh this applies absolutely as well to these cars I’m on about 

The Astra I drove home from Nottingham yesterday has the expansion tank cap stuck firmly on, it’s like it’s cross threaded. If I wanted to top up the relatively low coolant I wouldn’t have been able to! 

Was probably safer to be left alone until back at the workshop anyway. We both know how well cars run with low/no coolant if you keep the speed up so the radiator cools 😂

[andy18s]

2 hours ago, catsinthewelder said:

A slight but not insurmountable issue is that the DVLA are probably the easiest body in Europe to change ownership with.  Most countries require a visit to the village official or similar.  Some, like Italy require you to have your own numberplates which are only available to residents.  I could definitely be talked into doing this again though @dollywobbler 😉

There are rumblings of a sort of DVLA online being set up here in Bg, but certainly not for a few years yet.

 

[UltraWomble]

11 hours ago, Kiltox said:

Thoughts? 

Sounds ace.

There is a BCA literally down the road from me in Bamber Bridge - however I have no account.

Is there any way of seeing their chod offerings without an account?

But yes, this sounds ace.

[UltraWomble]

https://www.leboncoin.fr/ad/voitures/3154523602

760 miles in a 30mph diesel....

[Bear]

Britain is probably the only place in the European region where you can buy a £150 car and it be legal and capable of getting you homeC though. My C-class that ended on eBay at £800 is a €4000+ car in Germany or Portugal if the wheel was on the left...

[chaseracer]

14 hours ago, Pieman said:

Something I proposed on here a while ago....a banger rally, but in reverse.  I came up with the idea after reading @Mr_Bo11ox's adventure with his Spanish Simca.

Instead of buying a cheap heap of shite in the UK and then driving it to a far-flung location, the participants - in teams of two or three - are transported to a location somewhere in Europe with a budget of a few hundred Euros.  Each team has to buy a car - the more obscure or fucked it is, the more points they score - and they then have to complete the necessary paperwork, and drive it back to the UK.  The winner is the team that makes it back with the fewest breakdowns.

I reckon it could even have TV potential.

If only we knew someone who could do the commentary... 😉

[AnthonyG]

On 04/03/2026 at 21:55, Markeh said:

I bet this would've been a lot easier to organise back in the days of the old Cannock auctions!

Depending on where people are based, myself, @catsinthewelder, @warch and other people around Mid Wales/Shropshire/Herefordshire/Worcestershire/Brummagen/Black country could attempt this with Leominster Car Auctions, about 10 mins from the A49/A44 junction next to the town. There’s a naff ‘American’ diner just off the roundabout we could congregate at as well. 

Catch is that the ‘banger’ auction is Thursday evenings, starting 5 or 6pm from memory. From the last time I went, which admittedly was quite a while ago now, the stock was better than Cannock,  BUT not a massive deal better!

The fact the ex West Mercia police cars were in the ‘special stuff’ section should give you an indication of the quality of stock, and I’m talking the panda cars, not the motorway interceptors. Think 5 year white Astra Life’s with rubber bungs covering the holes in the roof. 

[hairnet]

man talks about auctions having vehicle with known reputation