MG ZS 180, 2003, 83k, £9,490
Anyone with kids will be more than a little anxious about the next few weeks; if it isn’t already, it’s school holiday time. Which means at least six weeks of worrying just a little more about what they’re up to all day - and, of course, planning a family getaway to the seaside. It’s tradition, after all, and tradition dictates that you go to the seaside in a sensible saloon and everyone has a jolly splendid time. When we were kids, that would invariably have been in something naff, but that doesn’t have to be the case any longer - even if sandcastles and amusements are still on the agenda. This MG ZS 180 is an ideal example of what we're talking about; the kids will be fascinated by winding up windows and choosing the next CD, while you get the entertainment of the KV6 and a fine front-drive chassis. Just think of all that space under the spoiler, too.
Saab 9-5 Aero, 2007, 84k, £4,991
For those after something subtler, safer and speedier - not to say even cheaper - than the MG, could do a whole lot worse than a 9-5 Aero. Everyone is going to be comfy in Saab seats when it comes to a nap on the way home, those up front have the benefit of heated chairs, and there’s no danger of this attracting any unwanted attention on the promenade. Unlike, um, some others on this list. There isn’t even an Aero badge on this one. But there is a manual gearbox, which is nice to find on these 250hp flagships, and an advisory free MOT that runs all the way through summer, autumn, and into 2026. There’s not very much else said about it in the ad, but as tends to be Saab tradition it presents pretty nicely. Nothing a polish and some leather feed couldn’t sort, that’s for sure. Next thing you know it’ll be at a classic car show on the way home…
Ford Sierra Cosworth 304-R, 1990, 86k, PH Auction
We’ve probably all been to the caravan for a week in a Cortina, Sierra or Mondeo of some kind. The car was likely slow and dreary, but you remember the experience vividly because weeks away from home are exciting when you’re seven and haven’t had to plan it. How different things might have been in a Sierra Cossie; 35 years ago it would have felt like your dad was a superhero. These days the kids would probably rather take a cab to the beach so they can plug their phone in. Even if it does look acceptably spacious back there, and the Sierra has electric rear windows - take that, MG. This isn’t just any Cossie, either, but the Rouse Sport modified 304-R - a true connoisseur’s special that nobody else will know anything about. Just how we like it. Bidding opens on Tuesday, so it could be yours by August. Make sure the staycation is a good drive away…
Vauxhall Insignia VXR, 2014, 104k, £6,695
The only carmaker who could claim to have conveyed as many families around the UK as Ford is Vauxhall, its bitter rival for the nation’s affections. The pitch battle was a fever pitch when the Insignia was introduced to lever buyers from the Mondeo. What it lacked in ‘Feel the difference’ quality, the Vauxhall made up for with brute force - a ploy it repeated over and over in VXR colours. The Aussie-built turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 delivered 325hp to all four wheels via a Haldex AWD system. Subtle it was not. But it was plenty fast enough for most and it has inevitably gone from being vaguely affordable when new to dirt cheap now. Under £10k buys you a decently kept, average miles example like this one. A different sort of timewarp to the Sierra, but one that will seem no less wistful before very long.
Nissan Skyline HR-34 GT, 1998, 85k, PH Auction
Of course, if you find three-box European cars about as interesting as packing peanuts, then there is always the vast melting pot that is the JDM. Options abound: envy the child who is retrieved from the school gates in a WRX or Evo. What better way to make fond memories? Or you could go deeper still and buy something like this HR-34 GT - a car that answers the question what an R34 GT-R would look like if you installed some family-friendly back doors. Granted, you won’t get quite the same quota of white-knuckle performance (this version getting a much more humble 2.0-litre lump) but you’re sure to turn heads like a topless supermodel. This one has been in the country since 2019, and a few bumps and scrapes aside, appears to be in decent nick. Bidding begins next Wednesday.
Aston Martin Rapide, 2010, 34k, £34,995
If you’ve got a bit more budget to play with, the options go from left field to a place right at the farmer’s table. Given a full run of the classifieds, a Giulia QF - available for under £30k - ticks all sorts of boxes, not least the one devoted to entertaining the child inside you. But there are few experiences that come close to the regal pleasure of sweeping up and down the country in a V12-powered Aston Martin, especially one as pretty as the Rapide. That you can have one for VW Golf money is one of the abiding quirks of the secondhand market, although obviously you’ll be wanting a backup fund for upkeep and fuel - and the rear isn’t quite as spacious as you might think. But what better way to prove to the kids that the start of the 21st century, with all its rapacious silliness, had way more pomp and circumstance than the next bit to come.
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