Ain’t Life Grand – Five Classics for £1,000

Welcome, dear reader, to the 1,000th Car & Classic magazine article! That’s quite the achievement and so to commemorate this millenary milestone we’re taking a look at five classics you can buy for £1,000. Yep, they’re still out there, keeping their heads down and going about their business without fanfare, just waiting for their time to shine. We know of what we speak too as there are a couple of sub-grand classics currently on the Car & Classic fleet. You see, a classic car doesn’t have to be an expensive, all consuming shiny gem of a thing and there’s something endearing about picking up one of these less costly classics, knowing that you paid a fraction of the sticker price when new. Not only that but with the rising cost of fuel, tax and everything else to boot, a cheap classic is a welcome shot in the automotive arm.

For such a paltry price you’d perhaps think that there wouldn’t be a whole heap of choice as far as classic metal is concerned but you’d be wrong. Yes, there are going to be some absolute sheds within this particular financial bracket but there are also some diamonds in that rough too. Cars mostly forgotten about or ignored, or cars that are only just beginning to earn their classic status. Whatever the case, we’re here to show you five of the best available. So, put aside next month’s pay cheque, remember your due diligence and grab yourself a bargain. You can thank us later.

Volvo 900 Series

We’ve seen prices of earlier 200 series Volvos rising for a while now but the later 900 series cars are still very much affordable. How long they will remain that way is up for discussion but currently you can pick up a 900 series estate for around £1000. The quality of these cars in undeniable and the Redblock engines fitted to most are pretty much indestructible. They can also be reliably tuned for big power if that’s your particular bag. Not only that but the classic boxy Volvo shape remains a distinctive design and one that is now a rare and welcome sight on the roads. We picked our 940 turbo estate up for £700 a couple of years ago and with over 200,000 miles under its belt it’s still going great guns. It’s the top spec CD version too so it has all the bells and whistles, including heated leather seats and cruise control. It’s the proof in the pudding and an absolute steal too. This rust-free 960 estate may be a little cosmetically challenged but it’s solid and mechanically sound.

Mazda MX-5

We love an MX-5 here at Car & Classic. It’s the quintessential, plucky modern sports car that has endured simply because it’s an absolute hoot to drive. This is front-engined, rear wheel-drive fun at its best thanks to almost perfect balance and you can still pick one up for £1,000. There may be some fettling to do at this price but that’s half the fun and earlier cars are easy to work on with excellent parts availability. Whether it be a weekend runabout, daily workhorse or track day toy, the Mazda MX-5 is a versatile little thing that ticks a lot of boxes and at £1,000 you’ll be getting a lot of smiles per pound. This early ’90s Mk I Japanese import needs a little TLC, including replacement sills to secure an MOT but it does appear to be mechanically on point and with its limited slip differential would be an excellent basis for a track or drift car. At well under £1,000 it’s surely worth a punt.

BMW 3 Series

Believe it or not you can still pick up a half decent 3 Series for around £1,000 if you’re prepared to be patient. It’s not going to be one of the larger-engined or top of the range models but it will still be a well-made, German-engineered classic. There has never been a bad 3 Series but the third generation E36 cars are where you’re going to find the best bargains nowadays and with a choice of sedan, coupé, convertible, estate and hatchback there are a lot of options. This 1999 BMW E36 316i Compact is a little over budget but a cheeky offer might be all that is needed to secure the thing for around the £1K mark. They do come up for sale at that price point though so keep your eyes peeled. For that money you can’t really go wrong but they won’t stay this cheap for much longer.

Saab 9-3

The compact Saab 9-3, along with its larger cousin the 9-5, has become a bona fide member of the £1,000 club. Perhaps in part to the dissolved status of the Swedish company, values of these two models are pretty much at rock bottom and so currently provide a hell of a lot of car for the money. The 900 that the 9-3 replaced has seen a surge in popularity as a classic and therefore a hike in price as well but these modern classic Swedes are yet to follow suit. They’re well made, reliable, practical and comfortable. You may not get a turbocharged petrol model at this price and a Viggen is on another level but the normally aspirated 2.0-litre engines are refined with plenty of power and are pretty much bombproof to boot. This ’02 turbo-diesel is bang on the money and with a whole host of replacement parts (including a lower mileage engine and gearbox) has been well maintained.

MG F

Another two-seater in the same vein as the MX-5 the MG F is less refined and not as popular as it’s Japanese cousin but it’s still an incredibly fun little car with excellent handling that remains cheap as chips. It’s a mid-engined, rear wheel-drive roadster which plonks it firmly in proper sports car territory, and we stand by that statement. Initially offered with a 1.8-litre four cylinder K-Series engine producing either 120 or 145bhp, depending on whether or not you opted for Variable Valve Control, they were fast enough. The second gen, face-lifted cars were available with a 1.6-litre or a more powerful, 160bhp 1.8 but either makes for a great starter classic that can be used every day. This 1999 model, available via the Car & Classic Classifieds, has the more powerful VVC engine and is ready to drive away. The heater is stuck on hot but at less than £800 who cares?