Wheeler Dealers

For the 1963 film, see The Wheeler Dealers.
Wheeler Dealers

Series 9 title card
Also known as Wheeler Dealers: On the Road (Series 5)
Presented by Mike Brewer
Edd China
Theme music composer The Wideboys
Opening theme Balaclava
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of series 14 (Wheeler Dealers)
2 (Trading Up)
No. of episodes 161 (as of 19 October 2015)
12 (as of 10 September 2015)
List of episodes
Production
Running time 30 minutes (Series 1-6)
60 minutes (Series 7-)
Production company(s) Attaboy TV (Wheeler Dealers) X2 Productions (Trading Up)
Release
Original network Discovery Real Time (2003-2010)
Discovery Channel (2011-present)
Original release 4 November 2003 (2003-11-04) – present
External links
Website

Wheeler Dealers is a British television series produced by Attaboy TV for the Discovery Channel, fronted by car enthusiast Mike Brewer and master mechanic Edd China. (In the United States the series is seen on Discovery's Velocity Channel HD.) The premise of the show is that Brewer and China are on a mission to save repairable enthusiast vehicles, by repairing or otherwise improving an example of a particular make and model to a budget, then selling it to a new owner.

The show was created by Daniel Allum and Michael Wood, the founding directors of Attaboy TV, both long-time car enthusiasts.

There have so far been 14 series of the programme and three different theme tunes have been used; the current one being Balaclava by The Wideboys. The previous theme was from V-The Production Library by Music 4. Series 1 originally aired in 2003. The second half of Series 6 was aired in Autumn of 2009 on Discovery Real Time. Series 5 was renamed to Wheeler Dealers: On the Road; in this series Mike and Edd expanded their car search by heading out into Europe hoping to find classic cars to buy and restore. Beginning with part 2 of Series 8, Mike further expanded their horizon by touring the United States. In Series 12, Mike and Edd set up a new workshop in Huntington Beach, California. This decision was made so that they could deliver more episodes of the show and meant they were able to restore and sell the cars on the spot, instead of having them shipped back to the UK. Series 12 will also introduce the brand new workshop back in the UK.[1]

In April 2013, a spin-off series titled Wheeler Dealers Trading Up was launched. This series was produced by X2 Productions Ltd and has Mike travelling around the world to buy and sell, but not repair or restore, used cars in different countries on a set budget. He begins with $3000 and trades his way through the series up to a Porsche 911. It was recommissioned by Discovery Channel International for a second series where Mike ends up buying a Ferrari. This series does not feature Edd China.

Format

Each project spans a pair of 30-minute episodes, in which Mike buys a vehicle, turns it over to Edd for repairs, then sells it on. For the first series, the budget was £1000, for Series 2, £2000, and for Series 3, £3000. Budgets in subsequent series have varied, depending on the target vehicle. For example, a £10,000 budget was set on buying and restoring a Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 in Series 6. The £5000 budget concept was dropped from series 8 (2011) onwards and now varies depending on the car. For series 11 (2014), the budget is listed on the show's Discovery UK website as "up to £20,000".

The presentation for each project usually follows a similar TV format. Through series 6, the project was presented in two 30-minute episodes. Starting with series 7, the format was changed to a single 1-hour episode.

Summary

The show was created with a DIYer in mind. The costs, and thus any profit or loss for a given project, are assessed without consideration of the labour costs of mechanic Edd China (the assumption is that a well-equipped and able enthusiast could complete all work himself) but if repairs require professional help, like body resprays, complicated electronics, or windscreen replacements, they are added to the final cost.

Nevertheless, the show is sufficiently in-depth to provide good overviews and insights to buying and improving older enthusiast vehicles.

Sometimes, painting is done by hand using a spray-can in their workshop instead of going to professional painting workshop. This is usually reserved for vehicles where only a portion of the vehicle needs painting, or where the part being painted has little effect on the overall appearance. When Edd and/or Mike consider that the appearance of the paint will make a notable difference to the sale value, professional painting is undertaken. When the respray is carried out by others, it is usual for Edd to do the majority if not all of the preparation work prior to painting.

Also addressed on each vehicle are its service history, bodywork defects (e.g. rust, dents), worn-out interiors and accessories. Vehicles that have either been inactive for long periods of time or purchased from outside the UK are restored and modified to pass the country's strict MOT tests.

First half

Second half

Cast

Mike Brewer uses his skills as a former car trader to scout and buy used cars to be restored and sold for profit.

Edd China is the show's mechanic, who does much of the restoration and mechanical/servicing work, and gives viewers tips on how to sort out and solve various car problems, as well as estimate how much a garage would charge for such repairs.

Paul Brackley, the series' technical advisor, makes sporadic appearances to assist Edd in carrying heavy parts or equipment in the garage, when Edd needs additional assistance (such as when Edd is bleeding brake/clutch fluid or checking exhaust while a vehicle is running), and helping Mike tow non-running or non-MOT-compliant vehicles to the shop.

Guest appearances on other shows

While buying more American cars for the show, Mike Brewer drops in on Chip Foose during the 2 June 2013 episode of Overhaulin', where Chip shows Mike the 1972 Lotus Europa he is customizing.

Cars for sale

Attaboy TV is now offering cars featured on the show for sale through Wheeler Dealers' Discovery page.[2]

Air dates

Wheeler Dealers

For Series 1 to 6 each car was covered in two half an hour episodes (including ad breaks). From Series 7 onwards each car was covered in a single one-hour episode.

Series Episodes Originally aired
Series premiere Series finale
1 12 7 October 2003 11 November 2003
2 12 10 August 2004 16 September 2004
3 12 23 August 2005 27 September 2005
4 12 29 August 2006 3 October 2006
5 12 28 October 2008 6 December 2008
6 20 5 May 2009 17 November 2009
7 10 4 May 2010 9 November 2010
8 10 5 April 2011 1 November 2011
9 15 20 March 2012 6 November 2012
10 12 19 February 2013 22 October 2013
11 15 17 March 2014 13 October 2014
12 19 23 March 2015 19 October 2015
13 9 May 2016

Trading Up

Series Episodes Originally aired
Series premiere Series finale
1 6 2 April 2013 7 May 2013
2 6 6 August 2014 10 September 2014

Sweden Special

On 2 April 2012, the Swedish version of the Discovery Channel aired a special episode called Wheeler Dealers Sverige Special (Wheeler Dealers Sweden Special).[3] In this episode, the Swedish presenters bought a Ford Mustang for 55,000 SEK. After having to refurbish the brake calipers, swap the engine and giving the car a new paint job, they were able to sell it for 135,000 SEK, giving them a total profit of 28,000 SEK. It is unclear whether Discovery Channel are planning on making this into a full series or just this episode.

U.S. Top 5 Specials

Series Episodes Originally aired
Series premiere Series finale
1 5 5 June 2013 3 July 2013

Discovery U.S.'s Velocity channel commissioned a series of one-hour Wheeler Dealers: Top 5 Specials hosted by Mike Brewer, featuring the top five vehicles of each genre Mike and Edd have worked on during the first nine years of the show. The specials began airing 5 June 2013, on the way to a Top 5 Viewer's Choice finale on 3 July 2013.[4] These episodes have been shown in the UK on the Discovery Channel at the end of season 11.1 and started on 5 May 2014.

Episode Top 5 Originally Aired
1 80s Icons 5 June 2013
2 American Icons 12 June 2013
3 Micro Cars 19 June 2013
4 Performance Cars 26 June 2013
5 Viewer's Choice 3 July 2013

Episodes

As of 18 May 2015, 151 episodes have been shown, covering 110 different vehicles, with two recap episodes.

Trading Up

Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up
Presented by Mike Brewer
Country of origin United Kingdom
No. of series 2
No. of episodes 12
Production
Running time 60 minutes
Production company(s) X2 Productions Ltd
Release
Original network Discovery Channel
Original release 2 April 2013 (2013-04-02) – present

Series 1 (2013)

In this series made by X2 Productions Ltd, Mike Brewer navigates his way through the culture and idiosyncrasies of the international used car trade, traveling to different countries. Starting with a budget of US$3,000, he attempts to transform his first purchase into a succession of real deals working his way up to his goal: a US$30,000 luxury sports car. Episodes 1-3 and 5-6 directly connect with each other, with the final car of the former episode being sold in the latter episode.[5] In the United States, airings on Velocity began on 10 July 2013.

# Location Vehicle Budget Purchase Price Additional
Costs		 Final Selling Price Profit / Loss UK Air Date UK Viewers (million)
1 Kolkata, India 2004 Maruti Suzuki Alto LX $3,000 $2,150 N/A $2,550 $400 2 April 2013 0.15
  • The car was bought off the street, and sold via a newspaper classified
2004 Tata Indigo Marina $3,400 $2,350 $25 $2,850 $475
  • The car was washed for $5
  • Mike had to replace the starter motor for $20
2000 Hindustan Ambassador Classic $3,875 $3,600 $1,050 $7,600 $2,950
2 London, Herefordshire
and Newark, UK
  • The car was shipped over to the UK and got stuck out at sea
  • Mike had to get the car serviced to drive on UK roads
  • Transport & service cost Mike $1,050
 9 April 2013 0.21
1971 Triumph Spitfire Mk IV Convertible $3,000 $2,400 N/A $3,450 $1,050
  • New seat foam was installed on the seats
  • The wheels were replaced with refurbished wire units
1992 Land Rover 90 Defender $4,050 $4,100 N/A $5,825 $1,725
  • New front grille and headlamp covers were installed
  • Wheels replaced with refurbished black alloy units
1967 Chevrolet El Camino $9,600 $9,600 $808 $9,900 -$508
3 Gothenburg, Uddevalla,
Malmö and Fjällbacka,
Sweden
  • The car was shipped over to Sweden from the UK
  • Repair & transport cost $808
  • Mike had to refund the buyer $2,300, as the engine was not as advertised
 16 April 2013 0.26
EPA-Traktor (1958 Volvo Duett) $11,392 $3,000 $9 $3,302 $293
  • Fuel pump was replaced cost $9
1972 Saab 96 $11,685 $1,850 $23 $2,460 $587
  • The wheel hubs were cleaned and repainted, cost $23
1966 Volvo P1800 $12,272 $11,200 $525 $14,400 $2,675
  • Right-hand-drive model
  • The car was shipped over to the UK from Sweden, cost $525
4 Tokyo, Japan 2003 Daihatsu Tanto $12,649 $11,070 $640 $12,820 $1,110 23 April 2013 0.19
  • The car was washed, clay-barred and polished
  • Repaired all scratches on front bumper, cost $640
2003 Nissan Stagea 250 RX $13,759 $4,225 $1,516 $7,692 $1,951
  • Mike had to get the Shaken certificate for the car to be road legal, which cost Mike $1,516
1976 Toyota Celica Coupe $15,710 $3,653 $1,435 $2,179 -$2,909
  • The car had a faulty alternator, so Mike had to make the decision to put it straight back into auction and cost $1,435
5 Mexico City, Mexico, San Francisco
and Palm Springs, USA		 1956 Volkswagen Beetle $12,801 $10,400 $200 $11,500 $900 30 April 2013 0.16
  • Rare German import built before Mexican production
  • New windscreen wipers and rear view mirror were replaced for $200
1980 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II $13,701 $10,000 $500 $14,000 $3,500
  • Mike had to replace a flat tyre for $500 - including fuel
1967 Chevrolet Camaro $17,201 $15,000 $100 $27,142 $9,292
6 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
  • The car was shipped over to Dubai from the USA
  • Got stuck out at sea, resulting in Mike having no money to buy a car
  • Mike had to get the car registered car for Dubai (cost: $100)
 7 May 2013 0.24
2005 Toyota Prado GX $0 $14,571 $450 $17,142 $2,106
  • Mike had no money and had to persuade dealer to 'sell' him the car on trust and that Mike would pay him back after the car had been sold on
  • The car was washed, the engine steam cleaned and headlamps polished for $100
  • New window tints were added for $350
2001 Porsche 911 Carrera Convertible $28,599 $25,714 N/A N/A N/A
N/A

Series 2 (2014)

# Location Vehicle Budget Purchase Price Additional
Costs		 Final Selling Price Profit / Loss UK Air Date UK Viewers (million)
1 Sydney, Australia 2000 Ford Falcon Futura AU II $3,000 $900 $215 $2,790 $1,675 20 October 2014 0.23
  • Mike went to a scrapyard where he found a second hand driver-side mirror and headlamp for $80
  • Mike changed the parts and resprayed the bumper himself in order to cut the costs
  • Mike sourced out second hand camping equipment and bought it for around $135
1981 Mazda RX-7 $4,675 $4,050 $450 $3,600 -$900
  • Mike had the car repainted for $450
  • Mike's friend, Richard put the car in his showroom to attract attention
  • The first bid on the Mazda was $5,130 with $480 profit, but in the end the deal was called off
2002 Holden Commodore VU II UTE $3,775 $4,750 $450 $5,850 $650
  • Mike had to pay for the car via his credit card as there hadn't been a sale with the Mazda at this point
  • The car was detailed and the calipers were painted for $450
  • The car was sold to one of the mechanics who was working on the car
1972 Ford Escort Mk 1 $4,425 $4,950 $1,368 $14,240 $7,922
2 Clacton-on-Sea, London,
West Midlands & Aberdeen,
United Kingdom
  • The car was shipped to UK in a container with a cost of $1,280
  • Mike had to register the car in the UK for $88
  • The floor panel was repaired
 27 October 2014 0.24
1983 Volkswagen Golf GTi Mk 1 $12,347 $5,200 $160 $7,200 $1,700
  • The ball joints had to be replaced for $160
1999 Caterham 7 $14,047 $13,200 $160 $15,600 $3,140
  • Mike converted the car back into a road car; doors, seats, road roll cage and new 7 badge were put back on
  • Racing roll cage, racing seats, transponder and racing stickers were removed from the car and sold for $900
  • Andy charged $160 for helping Mike
2007 Land Rover Freelander $17,187 $15,200 $80 $17,000 $1,478
  • As Mike was driving the car he noticed that the SRS light was showing, this was due to a loose plug on the passenger side causing an open airbag circuit. This was fixed for $80
3 Sao Paulo, Brazil 1972 Volkswagen Kombi $18,646 $12,174 $435 $13,913 $1,304 3 November 2014 0.22
  • The expert considered that the car has more than 80% of the original parts and can be registered as a collectors car (with black number plates). This cost Mike $435
1962 Willys Jeep $19,950 $10,000 $48 $10,435 $387
  • The buying price included two new front wings replacements, which cost $65 to replace them
  • The old front wings were taken to a scrapyard and Mike got $17
  • The mechanic that fitted the wings ended up buying the car
1976 Chevrolet Opala $20,337 $5,217 $6 $6,522 $1,319
  • The car was foam washed for $6
4 Austin TX, U.S. 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray $21,655 $17,000 $440 $22,500 $5,060 10 November 2014 N/A
  • Electric pick-up installed to replace the original one, increasing the BHP from 145 to 195, this cost Mike $440
1959 Chevrolet Apache $26,715 $11,000 $940 $14,500 $2,560
  • Mike bought a chrome plated grill, front bumper and front light framing for $850
  • Other ornaments and badges were sandblasted for $90
1969 Jaguar E-Type $29,275 $16,000 $5,000 $37,000 $10,000
5 Warsaw & Gdynia, Poland
  • Mike refurbished the cracked steering wheel
  • The wheels were steam cleaned, engine bay chemically cleaned and tyres dressed
  • A whole new braking system had to be installed
  • The drivers seat was taken to an upholsterer to repair the ripped leather for $200
  • Total costs were about $5000 (including the ripped leather seat)
 17 November 2014 N/A
1973 Fiat 126p $39,275 $1,000 $500 $1,833 $333
  • The price included a set of alloy wheels
  • The car was wrapped in car wrapping foil for $500
  • The car was auctioned at a car fair in Warsaw
1984 GAZ-66 $39,608 $4,000 $0 $4,700 $700
  • Mike sold the truck to a military dealer in the UK via a video call, before he even bought it.
6 Milan, Mantua, & Modena, Italy 1980 Vespa Primavera 125 ET3 $40,308 $4,900 $322 $7,000 $1,596 24 November 2014 N/A
  • Mike offered to service the scooter himself to lower the purchase price
  • The aftermarket luggage rack removed
  • The carburettor was refurbished and cleaned up
  • The rear view mirror was changed
  • The scooter was washed
  • Total cost for parts was $322
1993 Lancia Delta Integrale Evoluzione II $41,904 $35,000 $10 $39,000 $3,990
  • The car was purchased in Menton, France, due to the high demand of re-importing Delta Integrales from other countries
  • The paint was touched up by Mike due to damage from stone chips
  • Mike's trader contact ended up buying the car as a trade when the potential buyers failed to turn up.
1989 Ferrari 348 tb $45,378 $44,800 N/A N/A N/A
N/A

Other vehicles

Mike has used a variety of vehicles on Wheeler Dealers to travel to see prospective vehicles and/or tow them if they are not in running order or street legal.

Mike has used a Mitsubishi Shogun to travel around England since series 9 (2012). Vehicles used prior to series 9 include a dark turquoise Nissan Primera Estate, a blue Subaru Legacy Estate, a red Honda Accord Tourer, a black SsangYong Rexton II, a dark blue SsangYong Kyron, a black Land Rover Discovery 4, a blue Nissan X-Trail and a light blue Ford Kuga. For Series 8a, he used a black X-Trail. For Series 12b, he use a white Mercedes-Benz Sprinter to transport the Messerschmitt KR200 back to the workshop.

When Mike travelled to France in series 5 to purchase the Citroën DS, he rented a French-registered black Opel Zafira; he rented a newer version of the Zafira when he returned to France to buy the Renault Alpine A310 in series 9a. Mike used a French-registered silver Toyota Corolla Verso when he returned to buy the Citroen 2CV in series 11a. When he returned to France in series 12b, he rented a French-registered grey Audi Q3 to purchase the Citroen HY Van.

When Mike travelled to the U.S. for series 8b, he rented American-registered silver Ford Expedition ELs, except for the last episode where he used a black Chevrolet Tahoe. When Mike returned to the U.S. in series 9b to purchase the Willys MB and Ford Mustang Fastback, he rented a grey Expedition EL. When he purchased the Chevrolet Corvette C2 Sting Ray and Cadillac Coupe de Ville in the U.S. in series 10b, he rented a grey Chevrolet Suburban. For series 11 in the U.S., he rented a silver Suburban, a dark red Cadillac SRX, a white Mazda CX-9 and a black Nissan Armada. For series 12 he rented a black Chevrolet Suburban, silver GMC Yukon, silver Chevrolet Captiva and silver Chevrolet Suburban.

For series 9a, when Mike travelled to Italy to purchase the Fiat Dino, he rented an Italian-registered silver Ford Kuga, Series 12b Mike rented an Italian-registered white Mercedes-Benz M-Class to purchase the Noble M12.

For series 10b, when Mike travelled to Poland to purchase a Lamborghini Urraco P250S, he rented a Polish-registered grey Land Rover Discovery 3; when he returned to Poland to buy the FSM Syrena 105L, he rented a black Discovery 3.

When Mike travelled to the Netherlands to purchase the BMW Z1 for series 11b, he used his friend's British-registered orange Ford Transit.

When Mike went to Germany to get new tyres for the Fiat Panda 4x4, he rented a German-registered cream Kia Sportage.

Trading Up

For Trading Up, Mike rode a white Toyota Fortuner owned by a used car dealer in India. In Dubai, Mike's contact drove him around in a white Ferrari F430. In Texas, Mike rode a grey Chevrolet Corvette C2. Taxicabs featured in the series include a yellow Hindustan Ambassador Grand and a green and yellow Bajaj RE in India, a black LTC TX4 in the UK, a black Toyota Crown Comfort in Japan, a yellow and red Volkswagen Sedan Type 1 in Mexico, a white Ford Falcon in Australia, a white Chevrolet Onix Sedan in Brazil, a yellow Dodge Charger in Texas, and a yellow Fiat 600 Multipla in Italy. For Hire Cars, he rented a Black Mitsubishi Shogun in the UK, a black Chrysler Grand Voyager in Brazil, a dark red GMC Yukon in Texas, a grey Land Rover Discovery 3 in Poland, and a white Fiat 500 in Italy. In Poland when Mike is taking the Fiat 126p to get vinyl wrapped, he borrows a grey Opel Movano, to carry the car to the vinyl wrapping shop.

For Wheeler Dealers: Top 5 U.S. specials, Mike stands in Edd's shop, in front of a red Chevrolet Corvette C2.

Intro/segment vehicles

The opening sequences and filler segments from series 1 to 9 feature the cars that were worked on throughout their corresponding seasons:

Series 10 did away with using cars on the opening and commercial break sequences, instead using a title card with the series logo and the colour(s) of the episode's car on the background. The filler segments, however, use the following cars:

Starting with series 11, Wheeler Dealers no longer uses cars on the filler segments.

Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up Car Experts

Series 1 - Chak from India, Tony from UK, Michael from Sweden, Atsushi from Japan, Carlos from Mexico, Bill from USA and Abu from Dubai.
Series 2 - Richard from Australia, Colin and Andy from UK, Mauricio from Brazil, Antonio from Texas, USA, Mirek from Poland and Dario from Italy.

Channels

Country Channel
 Argentina
 Australia Discovery Turbo MAX
 Belgium Discovery Channel
 Brazil Discovery Turbo Brasil
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Discovery Channel Bosnia
 Bulgaria Discovery Channel Bulgaria
 Canada Discovery HD
 Chile Discovery Channel
 Costa Rica Discovery Turbo (Latin America)
 Czech Republic Discovery HD
 Denmark Discovery HD
 Estonia Discovery Channel
 Finland Discovery Channel Finland
JIM
 France Discovery Channel France
RMC Découverte
 Germany DMAX
 Hong Kong DMAX Asia
 Hungary Discovery Channel Hungary
 India Discovery Turbo
 Indonesia
 Israel Discovery HD
 Italy
 Japan Discovery Channel
 Latvia Discovery Channel
 Lithuania Discovery Channel
 Malaysia DMAX Asia
 Mexico Discovery Channel Mexico
 Netherlands
 New Zealand Discovery Turbo
 Norway Discovery Channel
 Philippines DMAX Asia
 Poland Discovery Channel Poland
 Portugal
 Romania Discovery Channel
 Russia Discovery Channel Russia
 Serbia Discovery Channel
 Singapore DMAX Asia
 Slovenia Discovery Channel
 Spain Discovery MAX
 Sweden Discovery Channel
 Taiwan DMAX Asia
 Thailand
 Turkey Discovery Channel
 United Kingdom
 United States Velocity Channel HD

References

  1. ↑ "Wheeler Dealers Season 12 Q and A". Discovery TV Youtube. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Buy the Cars". Discovery Networks. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Wheeler Dealers Sverige Special". Wheels magazine (Sweden). 2011-11-23. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  4. ↑ "Velocity TV schedule".
  5. ↑ "Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up". Discovery. Retrieved 2013-04-11.

External links

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