Which 1970s/1980s/1990s "classic" car would you buy?
Discussion
Just for fun, you have an empty spot in your garage for a bit of automotive nostalgia, what would you buy if you were to choose something from the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s? It has to be for a sum of money that you can feasibly afford and justify spending on what will probably essentially be a "toy". Modern cars are great and all but none have them have really pulled on my heartstring as much as cars that I have owned from the 70s/80s/90s era. I do actually have an empty spot in my garage, as we have enough space to park our other vehicles on the drive and the angle to get a car out of the garage on a regular basis is a little awkward, so here goes. I'm going to run with a nominal budget of 20k, which is one that I could feasibly afford but might find hard to justify (to my wife anyway)!
1970s
A 2 door Mk1/2 Escort is out of the question for the budget, so I'm going to go with this rather lovely classic Beetle. It won't be a B-road weapon but back in the 90s I would have loved one of these as my first car. My peers either seemed to want a Beetle or a Mini and I was firmly in the Beetle camp but have come to appreciate the virtues of the classic Mini more in the intervening years. My 13 year old daughter also loves classic Beetles, so it's a car that we could potentially enjoy together (maybe not her first car though, as my wife currently has a 2015 Clio, which I'm hoping is going to last for that purpose). It seems like a pretty genuine and tidy car though and not extortionately priced. In fact, I might even be able to justify the purchase of another motorcycle on top of it!
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20282734
1980s
Being more of a Peugeot/VW hot hatch fan in the 1980s, I kind of missed out on the fast Ford phenomenon. They were a bit more lowbrow but secretly I rather liked them. Yes, ideally it would be a Sierra Cosworth but this S2 Escort RS Turbo would get me into an RS Ford for a lot less and it should still be quick enough to be entertaining. I would prefer a red or a grey one really but this black S2 looks pretty clean for the money?
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20344810
1990s
This is probably the trickiest choice, as there are several enticing options.
This Bentley Turbo R is an awful lot of car for the money and would be quite a thing to smoke about in but it has the potential to bankrupt me and is possibly too big to fit in the garage!
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17502901
I had a mystic blue with cloth Corrado VR6 in the 2000s and it was a very cool and fun car, although I only paid 3 grand for mine and it was a little rough around the edges. I would love another in nicer condition and the Dragon Green with leather would be nice but spare parts for them are probably getting quite scarce at this point?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211141...
So on balance, I'd probably go with this R129 SL. It finally ticks off the V8 box for me and is a perfect piece of 90s nostalgia, especially in this colour scheme from "peak" Mercedes era. It's perhaps a bit "old mannish" though, I'm still only in my 40s but at least it's growing old gracefully!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202605122...
So within the realm of a feasible budget, what 1970s/1980s/1990s "classic" car would you buy?
1970s
A 2 door Mk1/2 Escort is out of the question for the budget, so I'm going to go with this rather lovely classic Beetle. It won't be a B-road weapon but back in the 90s I would have loved one of these as my first car. My peers either seemed to want a Beetle or a Mini and I was firmly in the Beetle camp but have come to appreciate the virtues of the classic Mini more in the intervening years. My 13 year old daughter also loves classic Beetles, so it's a car that we could potentially enjoy together (maybe not her first car though, as my wife currently has a 2015 Clio, which I'm hoping is going to last for that purpose). It seems like a pretty genuine and tidy car though and not extortionately priced. In fact, I might even be able to justify the purchase of another motorcycle on top of it!
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20282734
1980s
Being more of a Peugeot/VW hot hatch fan in the 1980s, I kind of missed out on the fast Ford phenomenon. They were a bit more lowbrow but secretly I rather liked them. Yes, ideally it would be a Sierra Cosworth but this S2 Escort RS Turbo would get me into an RS Ford for a lot less and it should still be quick enough to be entertaining. I would prefer a red or a grey one really but this black S2 looks pretty clean for the money?
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20344810
1990s
This is probably the trickiest choice, as there are several enticing options.
This Bentley Turbo R is an awful lot of car for the money and would be quite a thing to smoke about in but it has the potential to bankrupt me and is possibly too big to fit in the garage!
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17502901
I had a mystic blue with cloth Corrado VR6 in the 2000s and it was a very cool and fun car, although I only paid 3 grand for mine and it was a little rough around the edges. I would love another in nicer condition and the Dragon Green with leather would be nice but spare parts for them are probably getting quite scarce at this point?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211141...
So on balance, I'd probably go with this R129 SL. It finally ticks off the V8 box for me and is a perfect piece of 90s nostalgia, especially in this colour scheme from "peak" Mercedes era. It's perhaps a bit "old mannish" though, I'm still only in my 40s but at least it's growing old gracefully!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202605122...
So within the realm of a feasible budget, what 1970s/1980s/1990s "classic" car would you buy?
1990s
Four years ago I sold my Mazda RX-7 after a decade of costly but happy ownership. If I was going to buy a 'classic', this would be top of the list for how well they drive, how fun they are to push towards the limit, not to mention the joy of just looking at it:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17797097
1980s
I have always loved the idea of the Rover SD1 - a family car with those Ferrari looks, a V8 engine and RWD - so one of these would definitely be on the agenda for a classic:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17802028
1970s
Tougher for me as the malaise era predates me. However I've heard great things about the Lotus Europa, so one of those would be interesting as a potentially exciting drivers car:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20032840
Four years ago I sold my Mazda RX-7 after a decade of costly but happy ownership. If I was going to buy a 'classic', this would be top of the list for how well they drive, how fun they are to push towards the limit, not to mention the joy of just looking at it:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17797097
1980s
I have always loved the idea of the Rover SD1 - a family car with those Ferrari looks, a V8 engine and RWD - so one of these would definitely be on the agenda for a classic:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17802028
1970s
Tougher for me as the malaise era predates me. However I've heard great things about the Lotus Europa, so one of those would be interesting as a potentially exciting drivers car:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20032840
Dapster said:
Junior GT
20v Quattro
993 RS Touring
EDIT: Sorry didn't see the £20k budget. Will have another think....
No worries, a fine set of vehicles, as long as its within your budget. The £20k limit is not mandatory.20v Quattro
993 RS Touring
EDIT: Sorry didn't see the £20k budget. Will have another think....
Edited by Dapster on Friday 15th May 18:06
Edited by white_goodman on Friday 15th May 19:49
Austin Metro.
The sound of the gearbox whine setting off in first gear is a nice bit of bonnet music that never gets tiresome to hear. To think that sound could be heard everywhere at one point.
I have a 1985 Austin Mini, but the I notice the gearbox sound is more pronounced in the Metro.
Otherwise, off the top of my head, an E30 BMW 3-Series. Grew up with one as the family car (1986, C-reg, 5-speed manual, dark blue 320i coupé with an integrated rear spoiler). It also had multispoke BBS alloy wheels. Ideally I'd have that exact same model.
The sound of the gearbox whine setting off in first gear is a nice bit of bonnet music that never gets tiresome to hear. To think that sound could be heard everywhere at one point.
I have a 1985 Austin Mini, but the I notice the gearbox sound is more pronounced in the Metro.
Otherwise, off the top of my head, an E30 BMW 3-Series. Grew up with one as the family car (1986, C-reg, 5-speed manual, dark blue 320i coupé with an integrated rear spoiler). It also had multispoke BBS alloy wheels. Ideally I'd have that exact same model.
T697JVS said:
Alfa Romeo Montreal
Honda NSX
Lotus Elise S1
If you find an Alfa Montreal for £20K please send me a link!Honda NSX
Lotus Elise S1
An NSX seems unlikely for that budget too, but they do nothing for me anyway.
As time has gone by I have come to realise 70s/80s/90s cars were best enjoyed in those decades. They'd just be disappointing now.
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff