Shednesday: Audi A2 to BMW Z3
Merry Shednesday. Some famous Hollywood-type American person has been in touch; you know, the bald one with the gravely voice. Apparently, the world will end and get eaten by sharks (or was it snakes?) unless I can find a car for two grand or less for every letter of the alphabet.
I did say I was getting too old for this sort of thing, but he kindly gave me an imaginary budget of £52,000 to make it happen. He also pointed out that I had a particular set of skills suitable for the job. Better get to it then...
Before proceeding, here is a cautionary note: the following list (sorry William – at least it’s not a top 10) doesn’t mention a single Peugeot, Volvo, Mazda, Saab or Proton. Rest assured, 26 other automotive brands do make an appearance. That said, with 26 cars mentioned, this week’s piece has some girth, so grab a cuppa and strap yourself in.
Oh, some of you might see the list as 1 to 26, rather than A to Z. It's a bit odd.
Shednesday A to Z
- I’ve never been a huge Audi fan or especially lusted after one, but if I had to have one then the A2 would be an obvious choice. This 2003 one is £1995, has an MOT and is in Tamworth.
- It always amazes me what you can buy on a smaller budget. How about a £1900 2006 Alfa Romeo Brera? Probably one of the prettier cars of the last 20 years. It’s in Weston-super-Mare and has an MOT.
- C is for Gavin’s favourite C word (No not THAT word; he’s a gentleman! And no it’s not ‘Citroën’). It's the Toyota Camry. My choice is probably worthy of its own dedicated piece, but it will likely have sold by next week. It’s only a £1400 7 seater 1993 Camry estate in Ipswich with an MOT! Personal fact: my Dad also had one of these and as a kid we would fight over who sat in the rear-facing seats in the boot. Thankfully we were never rear-ended.
- Delta Force would probably be of help against earth invading sharks, however you will have to cope with this Leeds-based 2012 Chrysler Delta It’s intriguingly cheap at £1350. Yes they look better in two-tone black and white, and the SR interior is nicer, but one can’t be picky when sharks are about to eat the planet. This also has an MOT.
- This £1500 2007 Volkswagen Eos has a swanky interior, personalised relevant plate and a 3.2-litre V6 under the bonnet. It’s in Birmingham and has an MOT.
- £1500 could also get you this 2005 Honda FR-V. It’s the 2.0-litre Sport with VTEC and a nice combo of red body and cream leather interior. Bodywork is a bit rough but hopefully salvageable and it does have an MOT. It’s in Mitcham.
- Our G unit is a 1993 Ford Granada limousine that is pretty rough (rusty) but it is only £750. It doesn’t have an MOT and is in Bicester.
- £1200 will get you this 1990 Daihatsu Hijet, with the time-honoured white body, black bumpers and steel wheels. The wheels need painting black, but that is a mere piffle. It’s in Nottingham and will come with an MOT
- It can only be the Mitsubishi I. This 2007 one is £789, in Birmingham, it has an MOT, but needs work.
- This is becoming somewhat of an odyssey, or what you could call a journey. Speaking of which, here is a £1000 2009 Dodge Journey. It has an MOT and is in Evesham
- From large MPV to supermini, my special K is this £500 2004 Perodua Kenari. It’s in Coventry and doesn’t have an MOT as needs some welding work amongst other things.
- With festival season on the horizon, you could give it large in a festival (nearly) ready 1995 Nissan Largo. Yours for £300! It’s in Bristol and doesn’t have an MOT as will need trailering, unless you plan on taking some tyres, a battery and are handy with a spanner.
- At half the size, but nearly twice the money, is this pre-facelift £599 2005 Chevrolet Matiz. It’s in Walsall and has an MOT.
- From what used to be a Daewoo to an actual one, here is a 1996 £1444 Daewoo Nexia. It’s super low mileage and had one owner. It has an MOT, is in Stockport and with a bit of a clean could be a good for the Festival of the Unexceptional.
- “Oh what’s occurring with O?” I’m glad you asked; it’s this two-tone 2004 £900 Subaru Outback. It has an MOT and is in Westhill.
- I am pretty amazed I have got to this point without repeating a manufacturer, so it makes sense (tenuously) that P is this low mileage £995 1995 Kia Pride. It has an MOT and is in Blackwood.
- Speaking of pride, you will be beaming with it when you finish fixing up this £595 Quantum kit car. It’s in Morpeth and needs a lot of work so no MOT.
- I’ve arrived at a pirate's favourite letter. Like the earlier FR-V, this also has six seats. It’s a leggy 2006 Mercedes R-Class and yours for £2250. It has an MOT and is in Coventry.
- Staying with the people carrier vibe, but this time with a smidge of off-road ruggedness, is this £1495 2001 Renault Scenic RX4. It’s in Rugby and will come with an MOT.
- Hopefully a Trooper can save you from the world-eating sharks. In particular this £1450 1997 Isuzu Trooper Bighorn, which is rough and ready but does have an MOT. It’s in Bolton.
- It’s probably time for something a bit more racy. How about a 1986 Fiat Uno race car for £1000? It’s in Wigston and unlikely to have an MOT as it’s been in storage and needs some work.
- With sharks about to eat the planet, this £2000 1964 Vauxhall Viva post-apocalyptic rat-rod seems very appropriate. It’s in Maidstone and I assume is MOT exempt given its age.
- Sadly this custom-built Suzuki Wagon R sold at the weekend. So instead you will have to make do with this pre-facelift low mileage auction 2000 plate Suzuki Wagon R+. It has an MOT and is in Spalding.
- It can only be the Citroën Xantia (sorry no XMs were available in budget). This 1999 one is the estate version and has had one owner. It also has an MOT and is in Redhill.
- At this point I am asking myself why did I start this monumental task? Speaking of Y, this £1995 2009 Skoda Yeti seems like quite a lot of car for the money. It has an MOT and is in Sheffield.
- The final car was chosen, simply because I quite liked its wheels. I'm unlikely to buy a BMW, with the exception of an old 8 series (because pop-up lights and no fugly chintzy grille). Anyway here it is: a BMW Z3. Yours for £1899. It’s in Witney and has an MOT.
You can now rest easy that the world won’t be eaten by sharks. Probably. Hopefully not.
Over to Gavin to no doubt malign the fact that some of his favourite car brands were missing from the above list! I should also probably return the keys to the PetrolBlog liquor cabinet. There are only two things in it: absinthe and a bottle of plum wine. Odd. Time for a lie down, methinks.
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