March

Once upon a time I T-boned a 1986 Toyota Cressida in my 1979 Chrysler Alpine after being rear-ended by a mid seventies Hillman Avenger. No one was badly hurt but sadly none of the cars survived. I had forgotten about it until I saw these two pop up for sale at Turners and the memories came flooding back. And then there was the realisation that two of these models had become classics and the other had disappeared almost without a trace. Read on...

Fluff up your perm, adjust those shoulder pads and break out the INXS cassette because you’ll need to get into character when you drive one of the ultimate roadsters from the late 80s/early 90s. The Mercedes R129 500SL is one of the great wind in the hair cruisers with real punch in the performance stakes. Der Velvet Hammer. Read on...

Before there was HSV (Holden Special Vehicles) the hot Holdens came from HDT (Holden Dealer Team). But by the time of this VL Group A SS homologation special the Holden/HDT relationship had started to crumble, all because of Peter Brock and a box of crystals and magnets. Read on to find out more about that story and how you can buy this very desirable Holden...

Mercedes sedans from the 60s and 70s are just plain cool. They are slow, especially with a non-turbo diesel under the bonnet, often rusty and maybe even a bit smelly, but very, very cool. But there’s one accessory on this $1 reserve W115 240D that is very desirable and worth more than most might think. Can you guess what it is?

Values of Mazda’s brilliant MX5 have been on the rise in recent years but $9990 for this 1998 low km RS model still represents good value today. Forget that you could once pick them up for peanuts as that’s irrelevant (I mean you could once buy a good Porsche 911 for $10k). It’s best to recognise why the MX5 is gaining in value, and will continue to do so. Read on...

BMW’s 1 series may have been the smallest, most affordable car in their range at the time but they also catered for the lovers of small cars with big power. The 135i dispensed with the 4 cylinder engines and squeezed in a straight six with a couple of turbos strapped on. If your idea of fun is 300hp through the rear wheels of a little car then this could be for you. Read on...

The thought of a Japanese lux o-barge becoming a classic may seem far fetched but the name Lexus has become synonymous with luxury, quality and reliability. The Toyota owned brand had released its first model only 12 years before this 2001 GS300 was built so it’s a young brand and this car comes from its relatively early days. And this one owner, NZ new example with just 80,900kms under its belt is a prime example. Read on...

I have always felt that the true successor to the original Mini was not the new BMW Mini but the MK1 Ford Ka. It’s small, cheap, instantly recognisable and fun to drive. It’s also easy on petrol, which, as we all know, is an advantage today. This example has very low kms and being from 2004 makes it the one to have. Read on...

A few short years ago Korean brands were looked down on by car buyers who saw them as inferior. And, to be fair, who can forget the dodgy Daewoo Nubira or the Hyundai Pony? But in recent years brands like Kia and Hyundai have skilfully turned around perceptions by building decent, if not overly exciting, cars. And then Kia got cocky and took on the Europeans with the Stinger. Is it any good? You betcha. Read on...