The Good Oil

The fifth generation Golf GTI is seen by many as the best one Volkswagen has produced. And now you can buy a really tidy NZ new one for less than the price of an original first generation GTI – a lot less actually. This one can be driven away for just $8990.

In 2004 a Greek taxi driver donated his 1976 Mercedes W115 240D to the Mercedes Benz museum in Stuttgart. He figured he’d got his money’s worth out of it and the big German car giant might like it. Why? Because it had travelled 4.6 million kilometres. Old Mercs were built to last and this one in our National Classic Car auction looks to have plenty of miles left in it. Read on...

Until quite recently the idea that a Vauxhall Viva would become a classic seemed farfetched to say the least. But as numbers have dwindled many of the everyday family cars of the seventies are striking a nostalgic note amongst a generation of car fans. The simple but pretty lines of the Viva make it a good entry level retro ride. Read on...

The Turners National Classic Car auction starting tomorrow is shaping up well. As usual it’s an eclectic mix of styles, ages and origins and as usual there is the unusual. Take this 1982 Lotus Esprit S3 – an aggressive wedge of a car with a mid-mounted engine and a James Bond connection, as well as a Kiwi connection. Read on...

Classic Fords have been appreciating in value at alarming rates over the last few years and the once modest Anglia is no exception. And while the vans were hardly rare (over 200,000 built), for the most part they lived a typical van life – short and hard. Survivors are rare in NZ making this one all the more desirable. It’s part of the Turners National Classic Car Auction starting this Friday. Read on...

If you were wealthy in 1970s America then the Cadillac De Ville was probably the car for you. If you were a member of a certain type of “family” you probably went for the top of the line Coupe D’Elegance with a trunk big enough to carry at least two adult bodies. This lovely example is part of the National Classic Car Auction starting 28th July. Read on...

The Oldsmobile Toronado is possibly one of the better looking American cars of the era and is significant for being the first front wheel drive American car since 1937. And it’s still the only American car ever to get on the podium in the European Car of the Year awards (3rd in 1966). This 1970 example with less than 9000 miles on the clock is part of the Turners National Classic Car Auction starting on 28th July. Read on...

If there is such a thing as a car that is double retro then the Nissan Figaro is it. It was a special project for the Japanese market launched under the banner “back to the future”. That was 26 years ago, which quite possibly makes it the first car to re-imagine the 60s and the first to become a retro themed classic in its own right. So it’s now double retro. This one’s being auctioned at Turners North Shore. Read on...

The third Generation BMW M3 is the Supercar you can drive daily to work and take to the track on weekends. They may be getting older but that just makes them more affordable. And if you look after them you could be looking at a very desirable future classic. Turners Wellington has this one to be auctioned this week. Read on...