The buying brief
Special is not the same as expensive.
MotorSignet buys collector cars, modern classics, prestige and high-performance cars, supercars and limited-production models, from private sellers in the UK, Europe and further afield. MotorSignet is your single point of contact throughout: either we buy the car ourselves, or we place it with one of the vetted dealers we work with, who then pays you directly, which we tell you is possible before you ever get an offer. We never retail it ourselves. Every car is read on its own merits, whichever side the steering wheel sits on.Buying criteria
How a car is read
There is no checklist a car has to pass. A specialist reads the whole car, and these are the things that carry weight when they do.
- The car, not the bracket
- Ferrari Daytona SP3, McLaren Senna, McLaren P1 and Lamborghini Diablo are examples of the special cars we are interested in buying. A car does not have to be expensive to interest us: a well-kept BMW E30 M3, Lancia Delta Integrale, manual Ferrari or 911 in the right specification can also fit the brief. We review originality, specification, condition and documented history alongside the asking price.
- Assessed individually
- No age limit, no mileage ceiling, no minimum value. Each car is read on its model and specification, its recorded mileage, its condition, its service history and provenance, where it is, and what you are asking. A higher-mileage car with the right history and the right specification is often the better car of the two.
- Specification is part of the car
- Factory options, a manual gearbox, an unusual colour combination, a delivery-spec interior, the original books and tools. These change what a car is, and a specialist reads all of it. Tell us what was ordered and what has been kept.
- Left-hand drive, right-hand drive, imported, overseas-registered
- Steering position and registration status are attributes of the car, read alongside everything else. A UK-registered left-hand-drive car, a European-registered Ferrari, an import not yet registered here: all considered. Registration status changes what you are able to send us, not whether the car is of interest.
- Outside the UK
- We buy from Europe and further afield. An overseas purchase depends on the documentation available, an inspection we can arrange or rely on, transport, and the total cost of bringing the car here. We work that out early and tell you whether it adds up on your car, rather than after you have spent time on it.
- What we do not do
- We do not promise to buy every car offered to us, and there is no automated valuation here. A specialist works the figure out by hand from the details you send, so no price comes from a pricing tool. If it is not one for us, we will tell you, and tell you why.
Begin
Tell us about your car
The more of this you can send, the sooner a specialist can give you a real answer.
- Registration, VIN or chassis number
- Make and model, and the exact variant if you know it
- Country and location
- Mileage, and whether that is miles or kilometres
- Your asking price, and the currency
- Photographs: exterior, interior, engine bay, and anything you would want a buyer to see
- Service history and documentation
No fees for sellers, no obligation. A specialist reads every submission personally, and we aim to reply within 24 hours, with a direct purchase offer usually within 48 hours.
Common questions
Questions sellers ask first
- Is there a minimum value, age or mileage?
- No. There is no age limit, no mileage ceiling and no minimum value. Each car is read on its model and specification, its recorded mileage, its condition, its service history and provenance, where it is, and what you are asking.
- Do you buy left-hand-drive and imported cars?
- Yes. Steering position and registration status are attributes of the car, read alongside everything else. A UK-registered left-hand-drive car, a European-registered Ferrari and an import not yet registered here are all considered.
- Do you buy cars outside the UK?
- Yes. We buy from Europe and further afield. An overseas purchase depends on the documentation available, an inspection we can arrange or rely on, transport, and the total cost of bringing the car here.
- Will you definitely buy my car?
- No, and we will not pretend otherwise. We do not promise to buy every car offered to us, and no figure is quoted before a specialist has looked properly. If it is not one for us, we will tell you, and tell you why.
- What do you need from me to start?
- To start, just the registration (or the VIN or chassis number for a car without a UK plate) and a few details. Photographs, the service history and an asking price all help a specialist get to a firm figure faster, but none of them is needed before you get in touch.