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What's the best starter classic?

Could you recommend a cheap starter classic? Something that can be purchased under £1000 and practical to use as an every day machine?

Asked on 5 April 2013 by Wackyschild

Answered by Keith Adams
Finding a cheap, everyday classic for £1000 is not too difficult.

I'd recommend going for a 1980s supermini, and the most reliable and probably best-made of the lot is the 1981-1991 Volkswagen Polo 'breadvan'. You should still be able to pick up a nice family-owned example for around about £1000, but numbers are thinning fast, and demand has already started to pick up on account of it being a part of the retro Volkswagen scene. Just watch out for badly lowered examples...

A left-field choice might be the Volvo 340-Series. They're cheaper to buy and do come with low insurance, but a bit heavier to drive, and certainly aren't great on fuel, especially in 1.4-litre form.

Happy to help
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