August

New cars are expensive, with electric ones even more so. But what about a nearly new electric car at around the price of a new Suzuki Swift? This 2023 GWM Ora is a full EV with just 665kms on the clock with the balance of its 5 year, 150,000km mechanical and 8 year, unlimited kms battery warrantees. The auction estimate is $23,000 - $27,000, which is pretty good when you consider the RRP is $47,995. Could this be your next new(ish) car? Read on...

A few years ago these two exotic sports cars were priced quite similarly on the used market. The Porsche 996 was unloved by the purists and as a result it became the “affordable 911”. The Mercedes 350 SLK looked more aggressive than its predecessor and journos seemed to really like it. Today, the 996 may still be the affordable 911 without being cheap, but the Merc is actually affordable. These two examples at Turners might appeal to similar buyers on very different budgets. Read on...

Holden Special Vehicles, or HSV, was the performance division of Holden, and many great models have received the HSV magic over the years. But the very first HSV model was the 1988 Walkinshaw Racing VL Commodore Group A homologation special. A total of 750 road going cars were sold, all in Panorama Silver, after Mt Panorama. So, a super rare car you thought you could never own. Well now you can, as this genuine NZ new example is being sold by Turners Christchurch. Read on...

The Ford Escort Mk1 is loved by thousands and it has a special connection to New Zealanders as it was part of the life blood of our long dead car assembly industry. NZ was one of only a handful of countries that assembled them and we bought them by the thousands. We loved them then and we really love them now. However, most have been loved to death so those that remain have become highly desirable, like this 1974 1300GT at Turners Christchurch. Read on...

BMW’s first EV was launched in 2013 and despite being out of production for two years, the i3 still stacks up as one of the best in its class today. It’s a small car by today’s standards but is roomy and has thoroughly interesting modern styling. Older examples are still consistently hitting their range targets and they have a pretty good reliability reputation. The BMW i3 might just be a canny used EV buy. Turners Westgate has this one coming up for auction. Read on...

The Defender has long been the go-to vehicle to make posh people look more rugged. But make no mistake, this is one tough beast from a time when the Defender was a stripped back, no nonsense, work truck. The new Defender is actually posh. It’s all modern and flash and it probably doesn’t even leak oil like it’s supposed to. And costs around $150k. Turners North Shore has this one that could be yours. Read on...

Mitsubishi’s theory of evolution was simple; take a standard model Lancer and turn it into a blisteringly fast weapon and keep updating it. The first Lancer Evo was released in 1992 and ten evolutions and loads of motorsport success later the Evo X was the final version. While it may have fully evolved and is no longer built, Turners Wellington has a nice example so you don’t have to miss out. Read on...

So you find the regular Nissan Note E-Power a bit bland? Well they also do a Nismo edition, and it’s a blast to drive. Unlike most hybrid vehicles, the Nissan Note e-Power is the perfect compromise for those wanting the EV driving experience without the need to plug in. But can it really be a driver’s car? Well yes, actually. Read on...

If you were very successful and wealthy in 1972 you probably had your heart set on a luxury car. A Rolls Royce was maybe out of your range, or perhaps a bit ‘old money’ for your taste. Indeed, what you really wanted was the Mercedes that was the forerunner to the famous S-Class line, the W108/109. And if funds could be stretched you really wanted the 3.5L V8 option. It said to the world you had class and taste. Over 50 years later this 280SE V8 still projects good taste and is perhaps more classy than ‘class’. And it could be yours. Read on...