January

Fiat’s modern take on the original 500 is a cute little commuter car, in the image of its granddad. But there’s also a fast Abarth version and despite its spritely performance, modern tech and safety features it is also cheaper than buying its Granddad. This 2014 500c Esseesse convertible, with its 118kw turbocharged 1.4L engine, reading just 75800km, has a price of just $13995. That’s a fraction of what you’d have to pay for a 60s example, if you could find one. Read on...

It might seem like the very opposite of what would be considered rock and roll, but the humble Toyota Previa of the nineties has credentials. Thirty years ago if you were a band, either local or sometimes international, touring NZ or Australia you were likely to do it in a rented Previa, or Tarago as it was known across the ditch. Before the Previa you probably hit the road in a Hiace with uncomfortable bench seats and no stereo or AC. They’re still pretty good today. Read on...

It’s considered by many to be peak BMW 3 series and in its day the E46 was highly regarded. With the E30 well and truly in classic territory, with prices to match, maybe the E46 will be the next classic 3 series, especially if it has a big 6 under the bonnet. Like this Kiwi new 330ci cabriolet with a tempting price. Read on...

The Mitsubishi GTO competed with such giants as the Nissan Skyline GT-R, Toyota Supra and even the Honda NSX but with even more tech. The GTO (or GT3000 for the world outside of Japan) came with active aero, electronically adjustable suspension, AWD and 4-wheel steering. It was powerful and fast, but all the tech made it heavy and sometimes unreliable. Today the GTO looks like a bargain compared to its contemporaries. So should you buy this one? Read on...

Everyone knows the R32 Nissan Skyline of the early 90s, especially the giant killing GT-R that now commands giant money. But before that there were seven generations of Skyline and this is from the seventh generation known as, you guessed it, the R31. This Aussie built luxury Ti spec example was sold new in NZ in 1989. It has the 3 litre RB30 engine - that also found its way into the Holden VL Commodore - and a 5 speed manual gearbox. This survivor is coming up for auction in Timaru next week. Read on...

BMW’s first EV was launched in 2013 and despite no longer being in production, 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 futuristic 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 Porirua has this early example to be auctioned with a very low estimate. Read on...

Every now and then a car comes along to Turners that we’ve never seen before. This is one of them. Is it a kit car that’s registered as a Lotus? Is it a prototype of some sort? Where did it come from? Well I’m not entirely sure, but I believe this may be a prototype Lotus built in NZ by Steel Brothers for the American market. Is it a rare piece of NZ Lotus history? Well you can buy it and find out. Read on...

The Jeep Wrangler has never been the world’s most refined vehicle in terms of ride quality and handling; it’s not really the point. But the addition of 22 inch monster truck wheels and tyres to this 2018 example will most likely have made it even worse. But on the upside, it looks like a Tonka truck, which will make it very popular with young children. If you are the sort of person who likes to see happy, smiling kids then this car might be right up your street. Read on...

When the Toyota 86 was released in New Zealand in 2012 it caused quite a stir. There were limited numbers and all were spoken for before they had even arrived. It wasn’t particularly rapid but it was a focused drivers car and it was a classic before it had even left the showroom. This Ex-Aussie manual example is available now. Read on...