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Real stories from the yard. Cars we’ve bought across Hexham, Corbridge, Prudhoe and the Tyne Valley, plus the odd workshop project along the way.
2026 Speedboat Summer Workshop Project
Between car jobs this spring we took on a rough yellow speedboat as a workshop project. The hull had holes, the old paint was past saving, and the deck needed serious attention. This is the summer 2026 restoration diary: strip, primer, fibreglass repairs, fresh paint, ready for the season.
2007 Nissan X-Trail
Called out to a Nissan X-Trail Columbia DCi that had been sitting so long it was more green than silver. No battery in the car at all, tyres flat. We brought our own battery, got it started on the drive, and had the paperwork done at the kitchen table before the kettle had boiled twice. Rural Allendale address, not the sort of job a branch-based buyer turns up for.
2009 Kia Picanto
Collected a bright orange 2009 Kia Picanto from a seller in Haltwhistle. Bodywork had taken a few knocks over the years, needed a pair of front tyres, and there were a handful of mechanical prep jobs before it was road-ready. Not the sort of car we'd put into retail, but the running gear was solid and at £35 a year road tax with a willing little 1-litre engine, exactly the right cheap, forgiving first car for a new driver. Which is where this one went: straight to my brother-in-law, who'd just passed his test.
2007 Ford Fusion
Proper non-runner, this one. A 2007 Ford Fusion Zetec Climate with a snapped rear axle: the car literally couldn't move under its own power. Classic "nobody else wants to know" call-out from a remote Bellingham address. We winched it on and had it off the drive the same day.
2012 Honda Civic
We get asked a lot whether we cover Newcastle. Answer's yes. Drove out to Gosforth for a 2012 Honda Civic diesel: 121,000 on the clock, freshly fitted front tyres, new battery. National buyers wanted her to drive to a branch in Byker. Local Newcastle options had dropped off after inspection. We came to her.
2011 Volvo V60
A Hexham seller came to us with a 2011 Volvo V60, white, low mileage for the age. On paper, a clean straight-buy candidate. On inspection, a mechanical profile that meant the right answer for the seller wasn't "we buy it today", it was our sale-or-return service. This is a short case study on when SOR beats a fast cash offer.