So long as you’re not spending your last penny, a used Jaguar XK8 for less than £5000 could be fun. Agreed, a rotten subframe, a sagging headlining, galvanic corrosion where steel and alloy come into close contact, worn suspension and worn bores on pre-2000-model-year cars could wipe the smile off your face but we’re here to celebrate the old Jag, not kick it.
Jaguar XK8 4.0 Coupé, £4995: There’s much to celebrate, too. Back in the day, Autocar ran a standard 290bhp 4.0 auto coupé and everyone who tried it loved it. Silver and especially black are the best colours but bright blue also looks good. Unfortunately, our find is in British Racing Green, a colour that doesn’t suit the large XK8, with its executive pretensions.
On the upside, it has done only 67,000 miles and has full service history. (It has been serviced every year of its life by a mix of main dealers and reputable specialists.) The private seller appears to be of the fussy persuasion, too, because he has dug deep for a new headlining and even a new alternator, which he describes as a “precautionary measure”. We like that. We also like the fact that he says it has been “well loved and looked after”.
Of course, we could be reading too much into those sweet words. At the end of the day, it’s only £5000 and an early model at that where later cars got improved steering, styling tweaks and xenon lights.
Money no object? Not an XKR but a nice 300bhp XK8 4.2 S with heated seats and 19in alloy wheels. It was launched in 2005 as a last hurrah and today prices start at about £9000 for a 2005-reg coupé with 90,000 miles.
Skoda Yeti 2.0 TDI Outdoor 4WD, £6475: Not just any Yeti but the 2014 Tour de France special that had waterproof seat covers, bike wheel bags and cycle carriers. First owners also got a Rouleur Tour de France centenary book worth £250. It’ll be a miracle if there’s one in this 93,000-mile car.
Volkswagen Golf 1.8 GTI Cabriolet, £2995: Not as highly prized as the hatch but prices for the best are getting there. This is a tidy 1986-reg car that has done 109,000 miles but it has no rust or mechanical issues. It has matching white alloys, hood and leather trim, so you’ll need to wear your sunglasses.
Porsche 924 2.0, £3250: White suits the 924 and is what drew us to this 1984 car with 117,000 miles. It has stacks of history and has had up to £4000 lavished on it in new parts in recent years. The body has some light rust that could be worth fixing with an eye on its future value.
Daihatsu Copen, £1195: Daihatsu used to spring the odd surprise, such as the dinky Copen convertible of 2003. It was powered by a 67bhp 660cc turbo three-pot. Copens are well built, reliable and well equipped and, as this 2004-reg with 64,000 miles proves, good value.
Auction watch
Peugeot 309 GTi: It’s neither as pretty as the 205 nor as popular, which is why, for years, the 309 GTi was such a bargain, at least if you could find one. Many were broken for spares to keep 205s on the road. It’s arguably better to drive than the 205 (something to do with it having a stiffer shell).
This 1990 example, a 15,000-mile Phase 2 model, passed through auction a month or so ago when it made a solid £12,432, an oddly precise figure. The last owner had had it for 29 years. How he kept himself from driving it is beyond us.
Future classic
Nissan Cube, price - £4990: No prizes for tipping this one as a future classic. The Cube is already a sought-after motor by those who like running around in something inspired by a 1950s refrigerator. The reason for pointing it up now is that they’re still good value for money.
However, the market is dominated by Japanese imports. Instead, we reckon a rare UK car is the way to go and duly found a mint 2010-reg 1.6 with 42,000 miles and full Nissan service history for £4990. Finished in black, it looks like a taxi that has been shunted up the back, but we’ll live with that.
Clash of the classifieds
Brief: Car spotters’ special - something for £4000 that’s rare, innovative or interesting – or a bit of all three.
Citroën C3 Pluriel Charleston, £2490
Midas Gold, £3995
Mark Pearson: Johnno wanted a rarity and an innovative design and, baby, here it is: a Midas Gold from 1989. It’s a Mini Metro but thankfully not as we know them. Instead, this marked-up Mini Marcos was tweaked by Midas and received further input from the great Gordon Murray – and he’s very tall and notably South African, so I wouldn’t argue with him. Wind-in-the-hair fun and a collectable classic. What the hell have you chosen?
Max Adams: I, Mark, have also gone for something rare and innovative, but ultimately far cheaper: a Citroën C3 Pluriel in Charleston form to celebrate 60 years of the 2CV. At its height, there were 46 of these on our roads, making this coupé/convertible/pick-up a very rare beast indeed.
MP: I’m not surprised. It’s hideous. Is that the thing with the roof that doesn’t work?
MA: Initially, it didn’t, but by the time this 2009 one was built, they’d ironed out the kinks. Anyway, those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. I don’t suppose yours is much better?
MP: Mine has poise, performance and practicality and is hand-built to standards that yours could only dream of.
MA: I’m sure even a Citroën from this period was built better than a British kit car spannered together by an amateur mechanic. I’d rather take my chances in this Pluriel and pocket the £1500 saving.
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Love the 924, they've been