The Aesthete goes modern

The Aesthete's Fleet

I work with another car enthusiast although I would not describe what he drives as classical in any sense. He often sends me links headed up WTF!!! and other expressions of utter disbelief. He tells me that all of the European cars predating 2000 are about to be tossed on a large bonfire on the Central Plateau as they are now officially worthless.  Consequently I overcame my prejudices and looked into the recent past on Trademe. I saw terrible things no one should ever have to see...

2003 Volkswagen Passat W-8 4Motion. There is hardly anyone who does not know that a Bugatti is just a big expensive Volkswagen. Likewise Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche. The anodyne looking Passat saloon also packs the kind of technological wallop that commands wicked prices in those other brands. Seeing as the engines are modular you are buying 4/5ths of a Lambo. The 4-litre W8 is governed to 250 KPH apparently. Yours for something over 7K.

For: Again, vorsprung durch dirty big engine.
Against: The next major service bill will have you questioning your decision.
Investment potential. 0/10. It will burn merrily on the fire though.

1995 Fiat Coupe. Or you could fix up this one owner NZ-new Fiat Coupe which has sadly defiled itself with a cam belt failure and bent its valves. The Aesthete much prefers these daring Chris Bangle styled coupes over their bug eyed Alfa GTV counterparts which are also heading down the trail to worthlessness. Bids are stuck below $800 with reserve already met so remember, fortune favours the bold.

For: Unlike almost everything else from the period, characterful and great fun.
Against: Dare I say it, a bit temperamental?
Investment potential. 2/10 as long as the engine is not completely wrecked.

1990 Porsche 928 S4. You could pay a lot less than 28K for a 928 now but this one appears to be brand new with one previous New Zealand owner. As regretful purchasers of rough 928s find out, an engine rebuild can consume the greater part of that purchase price so if you want the best example of one of the best cars ever built, it is not seemly to quibble.

For: A modern Porsche has few real advantages.
Against: Big and heavy.
Investment potential: 2/10 given that there will always be a market for the best ones.

1991 Nissan Silvia Mitsuoka Le-Seyde Coupe.  I imagine this vile creation was built to allow Japanese porno stars to pretend they were driving an Excalibur in Miami so now you can repeat whatever illicit sensations they experienced right here in Dunedin! I will go and have a look at it tomorrow but I will be disinfecting the seats before I get in.

For: Words escape me.
Against: I told you I have seen terrible things.
Investment potential: Bwahahaha.

1973 Fiat 125T. I could not have paused in benighted era for one second longer so back to my happy place with a nice boxy Fiat 125 saloon.  The vendor purports this to be a genuine 125T which was a local variant fitted with desirable extras by the Fiat agents. High back bucket seats... grwwwlll. In my car spotting teens, I always gave myself an extra high score if I saw one during my parent's interminable drives to that nice pub that they kept forgetting the location of.

For: Make sure it is a real one and then buy it.
Against: Any good 125 is desirable now so nothing much.
Investment potential: 3/10. The cachet of the letter T commands a premium


Something for the Stan Getz fans... 

Volkswagen SP2. The 1972 World Cars Annual that I used to take on those drives with my parents was full of oddities like this and safe to say I never saw any of them on our roads. I would have given myself a score of 14000 if I had spotted this Brazilian-built Volkswagen SP2 that looks like a cross between a Lancia Fulvia Zagato and a 240Z.

For: Just the thing for slow drives to Ipanema.
Against: VW Variant bits.
Investment potential: Who would know? Quite sought after in Brazil, apparently