Wheeler Dealers : Occasions à saisir

It's a real car restoration show without the unwanted side story lines. Minus Mike's Cockney accent during negotiations, Edd steals the show. My only negative comment would be how low they sell the cars. A beautifully restored BMW M3 for 6 thousand pounds? Not sure if there is a difference in the UK and the U.S. concerning used cars, but that was a steal. That car would have sold easily over $25k here.

For a car restorer, I like the way Edd doesn't try to "shiny up parts," during the restoration.

By far the restoration car show on TV. I only hope they continue this series as it is gaining popularity over here. This is what car shows should be like, the soap opera stuff mixed in with most other car programs are basically a nuisance.

Cheers!

Like everything US TV execs get their mitts on they've managed to neuter a great show into an okay show. I think this show was the creation of Mike Brewer but as most people seem to agree Edd was the reason to watch. I applaud his decision to stand up to Disney and leave when the real car repair portion of the show was being relegated to being an afterthought.

Ant seems like a nice guy and a great mechanic he's just not Edd China and that is the difference. I also read many of the other reviews and as others have so wisely pointed out the "profit" angle is ridiculous. Edd's labour charges would easily amount to thousands of dollars on each project. Brewer can't be serious about that word profit. The cars are being sold at a ridiculously cheap price for all that work.

Anyways please Disney ( Velocity) come to your senses and bring back Edd . Let him have the creative control over a series dealing with auto restoration.

I have watched nearly every season of this show and thoroughly enjoy it. I tire of Mike quickly, but I know he plays a necessary role and Edd is following up with some fine wrenching of his own. He really shines when explaining the detail of his work. I wish Edd's portion of the show might be extended for another 20 minutes to further explain his technique and ideas. As a shady-tree mechanic, this is the part of the show I find fascinating.

Learning about the variety of automobiles they bring through is a fun and fulfilling experience, but my one jab is that Mike needs to let Edd drive the cars he repairs.

First of all, I must say that this program works mainly because of the personas in it:

Mike Brewer is top boy salt-of-the-earth car dealer of the Frank Butcher variety. It's fun to watch him search and negotiate the purchase of a car and you can see that he is really holding back the greasy negotiation skills that most forecourt dealers have.

Edd China is the uber-tall and genial mechanic, who you can imagine came to this through pottering on dad's old E Type in their summer house in Anglesey - he is not your average grease monkey.

Together they create TV magic by taking old but classic well made cars and then bringing them to life and selling it on for a nominal"profit".

Don't expect to learn anything here - I have watched most of the Brewer/China partnership programs and I still don't have a clue what to look for if I were to buy a "smoker" to renovate.

However, this program is not really of that variety - in my mind, it is about realising the value and craftsmanship that went into making some of the better vehicles in the past - and celebrating it by giving them some TLC in China's workshop. I'd say this is true recycling (as opposed to putting all your rubbish in a plastic box, eventually bound for a landfill)

Of course some episodes will interest you more than others but on the whole, there is enough honesty, good intentions and humour to make it worth your while.

Warning: watching Edd and Mike will be much to the chagrin of everyone else who tries to watch their favourite programs on telly in your household. I certainly get a few withering looks when I try and watch it. Enjoy at your peril.

Rarely do shows about often dry topics like car repair resonate with so many people, but it's clear that the British-produced "Wheeler Dealers" hits precisely this mark. With its simple, average-guy approach to buying, repairing, and selling used cars, it conveys an equally simple encouragement to the non-mechanic that anyone with a wrench and a bit of ambition can tackle most repair jobs.

Mike Brewer and Edd China make the perfect tandem of street buying smarts and mechanical know-how that has allowed them to turn a profit on nearly every car they've taken on. Mike's vehicle knowledge combined with his folksy yet hard-charging sales smarts makes you think he could sell venom to a cobra and make the cobra think it was his idea. China's vast yet understated knowledge of the mechanicals combined with his easy-going "let's get cracking" attitude shows how simple many seemingly daunting repairs can be. Obviously, some repairs require tools and resources beyond the scope of many do-it-yourself types, but the mere notion that nothing is beyond the scope of someone willing to "give it a go" makes Wheeler Dealers an unmistakable winner - even if don't own a single "spanner" (wrench).

Here's hoping "Wheeler Dealers" goes on for many years to come!