Cosmo Kramer

Was just watching the latest Wheeler Dealers that aired May 9th when they restored a Mercedes 560SL. At the end they went to an automotive bookstore somewhere in LA to show off the car and do a book signing. Mike was showing their car to some people and parked beside him was a red S body 928, was it anyone here?

gazfish

Don't know the answer, but I always avoid the first and last 10 minutes to minimise Mike. Ed China should go it alone IMHO.

dr bob

Interesting to note that Ed gets a producer credit, where Mike does not. Guessing that it's really the Ed show, with Mike as his trusty sidekick. Trouble is that there's a narrow market for car restoration programs, much broader one for FIND-repair-RESELL. Same with Chasing Classic Cars, albeit at an elevated market level. "It's All About the Chase" as far as the TV market is concerned, not about that boring repair work. Jim Bailey can add a lot to this discussion, working as a producer on his daughter's show. Jay Leno's car show is about Jay and some of the culture, with the cars merely a vehicle for the message. Most of the "car reality" shows seem to end up being about the personalities and conflicts churned by the producers, just like the other "reality" shows. The real "reality" is that no serious business could survive with the generated conflicts we see on TV. Give credit to Ed and Mike, in that they don't ever seem to battle over things.

A notable exception seems to be "Bitchin' Rides" which has some hints in their ""Beyond Bitchin' Rides" episodes that offer a deeper look into a few of their projects. You get to find out that projects that are compressed into one or two hour-long programs really took a year or more to complete.

Cosmo Kramer

Mike was actually offered a spot on Top Gear after they whacked Clarkson and the others left but he turned it down. He said Wheeler Dealers is doing well and he felt Top Gear was getting old.

booch

I really enjoy Wheeler Dealers. They usually have interesting cars, they don't go crazy with most of them, and Edd does a nice job explaining what he's doing for the most part. You obviously couldn't run a business on the 'profits' they claim on the majority of the cars, but it's a good show.

I still haven't caught the full episode where to redo the 928, I have only get bits and pieces when it's on replay. Haven't seen the episode yet that spurred this thread.

AirtekHVAC

WD is one of my favorite shows....no drama and BS....they appear very genuine

Also like Bitchin rides....again, no arguing, cursing, fighting (the occasional bleep is ok)

If I wanted to hear all the crap, fighting, and drama, I'll just turn off the TV and talk to the wife....

Captain_Slow

Best thing about Wheeler Dealers is they aim for the middle of the classic-car enthusiasts bell curve, both in terms of budget for buying and budget for repairing old cars - mostly selecting cool cars that are under appreciated and undervalued. Mike and Ed seem dedicated to portraying what the average enthusiast might accomplish with a combination of cash and their own hands. Works for me. The fact that the cars are fixed up and flipped is mostly to keep the series rolling along from one project to the next (not really to say "You too can buy for cheap and sell for a profit"). I have the brown 928 episode on my laptop. It's nothing like a Dwayne DIY guide, but still encouraging.

WyattsRide

WDers is my favorite "reality" car show. Mostly all the cars they turn are interesting to me. Mike although a little annoying at times is funny. Edd seems to really know what he's doing and explains things well. (I wish he would get that hair under control at times.) The cars aren't chopped, customized, reshaped, painted crazy and no oversized spinner wheels are added. But, most important is, there's no stupid drama that most of these shows like to have. I hate that the most.

Just looked up that there are 12 seasons of Wheeler Dealers. Never knew that.

Chris Lockhart

Yeah I really like Edd, but Mike gets on my nerves. My only issue with Edd is that sometimes he doesn't clean up/repaint a part before reinstalling it. He is very knowledgeable, and explains things very well, but sometimes that gets to me. If that's my only issue then it must be a good show. LOL.

mike77

If I remember correctly Ed also has an engineering company and is also an inventor. He also has some wacky world records. Fastest sofa and fastest office desk spring to mind.

Edit: he has a couple of garages not an engineering company.

Imo000

He does doesn't clean it up because that's what real mechanics do. Unless a part has to be clean to perform, it's a waste of time if the car is being sold. I do the same with the card I flip. Only fix what is necessary and to make look good enough to sell it at a descent profit. Let the new owner do the polishing if they want to.

mr914

I was cycling in Malibu the day this episode was being taped...I almost fell off my bike when i realized it was the guys from wheeler dealers ...passed right by them when they were discussing the route with a chp escort.

GuardsTurbo

Although Mike can be a bit annoying at times, I don't think the show would be the same without him. They both make a great team and show together. As a side note, there are some really stupid reality restoration shows they are coming up with lately but the worst show of all time IMHO is Dallas Car Sharks..........

James Bailey

The vast majority of "car shows" are produced, directed, and edited by people who know NOTHING about cars, care little about cars, and have no clue about repairing cars, or how buying or selling works..... they could just as easily be doing a cooking show, the weeks before and a dog show after..... and usually are !!

Imo000

All American reality shows are garbage! Can't believe the crap the American networks produce these days. At least the CBC sux so bad that they are unable to duplicate the 'Merican junk. So glad I cut cable 6mths ago.