What sub 10k "classic" would you own just for the nostalgia?
Discussion
If you were to purchase a classic for nostalgic reasons i.e. maybe a family member owned one when they were contemporary or you always wanted one but never had the opportunity to own one, something that wasn t necessarily a renowned driver s car but you just fancy one for sub 10k what would it be? You can pick up to 3 choices.
I was a kid/teenager in the 80s/90s, so more nostalgic about that era of cars but early 2000s was also good. I was earning decent money by then though, so that era of cars was somewhat attainable (within reason). The problem is that most of the stuff from that 80s/90s era that was actually good ie most of the hot hatches/rally specials etc are over 10k now. I had a 205 GTi in the early 2000s when they were dirt cheap but a decent one would probably set you back over 10k now? I guess you could probably get a decent 350Z/RX8 for 10k and they were actually quite good cars but a bit too late to bring the nostalgia out for me.
The affordable 2+2 coupe was a big thing in the 90s. Normally quite humble underpinnings but most of the major manufacturers had a rakish 2+2 coupe on their roster. I guess it was the crossover of its day but better! I liked most of them really and I did get to own one of them (Corrado VR6) in the 2000s and it was a great car. Fantastic engine, handled really well and fairly practical but it wasn t the most reliable/best built thing. The two that got away though but I suspect aren't quite as good as the Corrado.
1) Rover 220 Turbo Coupe
I have a bit of a fondness for 90s Rovers and this was probably the coolest and fastest. My older cousin had a pre-facelift Nightfire Red one when they were still fairly new and it was the fastest car that I had been in up until that point. I don t think that they handled particularly well (quite torque steery) and IIRC, I don t think that his was particularly reliable even back then but they were really fast and still looked/look sharp IMHO. I haven t seen one in years, even when I was selling MGs/Rovers in the early 2000s, I rarely came across one, until one turned up on the Autoalex channel recently. Ideally it would be Nightfire Red like my cousin s but Polynesian/Tahiti blue was good too. Probably a bit crap but I still kind of want one!
2) Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo
Another really fast car (faster than an Escort RS Cosworth at the time IIRC) but the chassis/brakes couldn t really keep up by all accounts. It looked so exotic though, sitting alongside the boring Fiat hatchbacks that my parents owned at the time, was properly quick and a slice of Italian exotica/a "poor man's Ferrari" for Mondeo money and they don t really make anything like that any more. I'd probably go Trophy Yellow (launch colour, as that was the colour of the one on the poster that I had on my bedroom wall) but the red and the Sprint Blue looked really good too.
3) Audi TT Roadster
I was a bit older (at University) when this one came out but it made quite an impact stylistically and was the car to be seen in for a short period of time. Slightly soggy mk4 Golf underpinnings, so far from a proper sports car but decently quick and looked cool and very contemporary both inside and out. The coupe is possibly the more iconic silhouette but I could probably forgive the slightly numb driving experience more with the top down on the Roadster on a nice sunny day and Thandie Newton drove one in MI2 so that helps! I can't decide if I like the B5 RS4-style wheels on them or not, I think the original wheels might look a bit "purer" and suit the rest of the car better?
So what 3 sub 10k classics would you love to own, not because they re necessarily great driver s cars but purely for nostalgic reasons?
I was a kid/teenager in the 80s/90s, so more nostalgic about that era of cars but early 2000s was also good. I was earning decent money by then though, so that era of cars was somewhat attainable (within reason). The problem is that most of the stuff from that 80s/90s era that was actually good ie most of the hot hatches/rally specials etc are over 10k now. I had a 205 GTi in the early 2000s when they were dirt cheap but a decent one would probably set you back over 10k now? I guess you could probably get a decent 350Z/RX8 for 10k and they were actually quite good cars but a bit too late to bring the nostalgia out for me.
The affordable 2+2 coupe was a big thing in the 90s. Normally quite humble underpinnings but most of the major manufacturers had a rakish 2+2 coupe on their roster. I guess it was the crossover of its day but better! I liked most of them really and I did get to own one of them (Corrado VR6) in the 2000s and it was a great car. Fantastic engine, handled really well and fairly practical but it wasn t the most reliable/best built thing. The two that got away though but I suspect aren't quite as good as the Corrado.
1) Rover 220 Turbo Coupe
I have a bit of a fondness for 90s Rovers and this was probably the coolest and fastest. My older cousin had a pre-facelift Nightfire Red one when they were still fairly new and it was the fastest car that I had been in up until that point. I don t think that they handled particularly well (quite torque steery) and IIRC, I don t think that his was particularly reliable even back then but they were really fast and still looked/look sharp IMHO. I haven t seen one in years, even when I was selling MGs/Rovers in the early 2000s, I rarely came across one, until one turned up on the Autoalex channel recently. Ideally it would be Nightfire Red like my cousin s but Polynesian/Tahiti blue was good too. Probably a bit crap but I still kind of want one!
2) Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo
Another really fast car (faster than an Escort RS Cosworth at the time IIRC) but the chassis/brakes couldn t really keep up by all accounts. It looked so exotic though, sitting alongside the boring Fiat hatchbacks that my parents owned at the time, was properly quick and a slice of Italian exotica/a "poor man's Ferrari" for Mondeo money and they don t really make anything like that any more. I'd probably go Trophy Yellow (launch colour, as that was the colour of the one on the poster that I had on my bedroom wall) but the red and the Sprint Blue looked really good too.
3) Audi TT Roadster
I was a bit older (at University) when this one came out but it made quite an impact stylistically and was the car to be seen in for a short period of time. Slightly soggy mk4 Golf underpinnings, so far from a proper sports car but decently quick and looked cool and very contemporary both inside and out. The coupe is possibly the more iconic silhouette but I could probably forgive the slightly numb driving experience more with the top down on the Roadster on a nice sunny day and Thandie Newton drove one in MI2 so that helps! I can't decide if I like the B5 RS4-style wheels on them or not, I think the original wheels might look a bit "purer" and suit the rest of the car better?
So what 3 sub 10k classics would you love to own, not because they re necessarily great driver s cars but purely for nostalgic reasons?
Edited by white_goodman on Friday 30th May 17:13
Edited by white_goodman on Friday 30th May 17:14
I don't know about the other two but you can certainly pick up a TT for about £5 these days.
I enjoy driving mine and just throw money at it. Still cheaper than a newer £10k car. Have spent about £4k in total. It's still not perfect but if I'd spent £4k on a newer car, I may well still have put £2-3k into it over the last 2 years of ownership so I'm fine with it. And as sheds go, it's a little more interesting.
I enjoy driving mine and just throw money at it. Still cheaper than a newer £10k car. Have spent about £4k in total. It's still not perfect but if I'd spent £4k on a newer car, I may well still have put £2-3k into it over the last 2 years of ownership so I'm fine with it. And as sheds go, it's a little more interesting.
Hoofy said:
I don't know about the other two but you can certainly pick up a TT for about £5 these days.
I enjoy driving mine and just throw money at it. Still cheaper than a newer £10k car. Have spent about £4k in total. It's still not perfect but if I'd spent £4k on a newer car, I may well still have put £2-3k into it over the last 2 years of ownership so I'm fine with it. And as sheds go, it's a little more interesting.
I think the Fiat is certainly within budget but there are probably better ie better driver's cars out there, albeit newer, so don't come with the same nostalgia. The Rover, especially in Turbo pre-facelift form is just super rare. mk1 TT is probably a good shout, enough of a following and numbers for parts supply to be fairly good and they're still a cool thing to look at/special thing to be in, even if the drive doesn't live up to the looks but if you don't need rear seats, fairly practical and as easy to live with as a contemporary Golf?I enjoy driving mine and just throw money at it. Still cheaper than a newer £10k car. Have spent about £4k in total. It's still not perfect but if I'd spent £4k on a newer car, I may well still have put £2-3k into it over the last 2 years of ownership so I'm fine with it. And as sheds go, it's a little more interesting.
Cheese on Toast with Worcestershire Sauce said:
E36 328i
That's a good one. I didn't particularly like the E36 at the time. The E30 had more of a "classic" BMW look to me and the E46 looked a lot more modern when it came out but I saw a really tidy E36 328i (just a saloon) at a car show the other day and the design just looked so clean and right compared to more modern offerings. white_goodman said:
Cheese on Toast with Worcestershire Sauce said:
E36 328i
That's a good one. I didn't particularly like the E36 at the time. The E30 had more of a "classic" BMW look to me and the E46 looked a lot more modern when it came out but I saw a really tidy E36 328i (just a saloon) at a car show the other day and the design just looked so clean and right compared to more modern offerings. 
white_goodman said:
Hoofy said:
I don't know about the other two but you can certainly pick up a TT for about £5 these days.
I enjoy driving mine and just throw money at it. Still cheaper than a newer £10k car. Have spent about £4k in total. It's still not perfect but if I'd spent £4k on a newer car, I may well still have put £2-3k into it over the last 2 years of ownership so I'm fine with it. And as sheds go, it's a little more interesting.
I think the Fiat is certainly within budget but there are probably better ie better driver's cars out there, albeit newer, so don't come with the same nostalgia. The Rover, especially in Turbo pre-facelift form is just super rare. mk1 TT is probably a good shout, enough of a following and numbers for parts supply to be fairly good and they're still a cool thing to look at/special thing to be in, even if the drive doesn't live up to the looks but if you don't need rear seats, fairly practical and as easy to live with as a contemporary Golf?I enjoy driving mine and just throw money at it. Still cheaper than a newer £10k car. Have spent about £4k in total. It's still not perfect but if I'd spent £4k on a newer car, I may well still have put £2-3k into it over the last 2 years of ownership so I'm fine with it. And as sheds go, it's a little more interesting.
Of the other two, I have a soft spot for both cars but if I had to make a choice, I'd take the Fiat because it feels more exotic.
I just had a thought now that you mention Thandie Newton - I also have a 996 Turbo. Wonder if the neighbours think I'm a fan of M:I 2. I have also been heavily into rock climbing at one point. And I owned a Chimaera.
This is getting silly now. Maybe I am Tom Cruise.white_goodman said:
Len Clifton said:
And they will all be rusty by now.
What will (or just most 80s/90s cars in general)?Edited by Len Clifton on Friday 30th May 18:15
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff