The Good Oil

It’s been a long year and you’re ready for a holiday. But it has also been a long year for your car. So is it in need of some loving before you hit the long hot NZ summer holiday period?

As is traditional with our December issue of the Good Oil we take a look at some automotive related gifts - good and bad - for the car mad people in your life. As with Newton’s third law of motion “For every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction” the same can be said of gifts. For every useful and thoughtful gift there is a useless and thoughtless gift. Let’s carefully tiptoe our way through this minefield.

The new Fiat 500 is bigger, more powerful, more refined, safer and faster than the original Bambina. But this 2010 Lounge JTD is available to buy at $6990, or around half the price of a decent vintage one. It’d make a great Christmas prezzy for someone, too. Read more...

In these days of rising fuel prices an SUV might have less appeal than it once did. But this Suzuki SX-4 S-Cross Prestige has SUV looks and size without the wallet withering big engine. And this 2017, top of the range example has an auction estimate of half the price of a new one. Read on...

In 2006 the Mini Works GP was the fastest Mini ever factory produced and only 2000 were made for the whole world. If ever a car screamed “future Classic” it’s this one. It’s not just a Mini Cooper S with a few extra horsepower thrown in; it’s a road-going track car with some very special kit. Read on...

The Triumph Bonneville Bobber could have been a fashion exercise with little in the way of substance. But in actual fact Triumph delivered a retro themed bike that delivered on more than just looks. This near new example has travelled a tiny 58kms and it’s for sale now. Read on...

If you need a big van then the Mercedes Sprinter 516 with high roof and long wheel base is hard to beat. Bigger is better when it comes to a cargo van and the big Merc has one of the biggest payloads available in a van and it can haul up to 2495kg in its cavernous interior. Read on...

Take a one owner, early example of one of the worlds all-time best selling cars, mix in the more desirable coupe body shell, sprinkle with incredibly low mileage and garnish with original plastic protection still on the door cards. This is the recipe for a very rare and desirable dish being served up by Turners Napier. Read on...

Some see the XJ series Jaguars as fusty, heavy luxo-barges for ferrying around royalty. And that’s not entirely unfair. But it does have timeless, even elegant, looks and in the XJR it has some serious power gains and weight loss. This old fat cat has been to the gym and it hunts Audis and Beemers for lunch. It’s also a dead-set bargain. Read on...