“I drove a friend’s fiancée to a wedding but the car broke down in Richmond Park,” the 49-year-old says, with a laugh like a V8 engine. “In 15 years time hopefully the car will still be going, and I can drive my daughter to her wedding.”
Apart from shielding drivers from Ulez fees, classic cars have other cost-saving perks. They are exempt from MOTs once they reach 40, as long as no “substantial changes” have been made and the car is roadworthy, while vehicle tax is waived if you register with the DVLA.
“It’s our second car but with the Ulez coming in we might well be using it more and more on a daily basis,” says Crum, who lives in Dulwich, south London.
“Hopefully it starts to pay for itself. The idea of paying £12.50 each time we go to the supermarket to buy food is just crazy. And we don’t really want to be spending £30,000 on a new car.”
Martin Gisborne, of car renovation company Kingsley Cars, believes the emission zone could create a surge in demand for older models. The dealers’ stock includes a 1971 five-seater Range Rover, priced at £170,000, which it markets as a “Ulez beater”.
“If you actually get in an old Range Rover they are horrible,” he says. “They waft about and they sway from side to side. This is like driving an old Range Rover how you would want to remember it.”
