20 sub-£10k classic cars you can buy this weekend

Don’t blow your budget

Spring is the time when classic cars start to emerge from winter hibernation. This year, more than ever, it’s an opportunity to look forward to Sunday drives and pub runs, classic car events and mingling with like-minded people.

The forthcoming Anglia Car Auctions (ACA) sale is your chance to buy a classic car of your own – and you don’t need to spend a fortune.

Plus, it’s all online, so you can bid from the comfort of your home.

Armed with a virtual budget of £10,000, we’ve selected 20 affordable – and in some case quirky – classics from the ACA sale on 27 and 28 February 2021 to whet your appetite. Some need more work than others, though…

1. Alfa Romeo Giulia 1300 Super (est: £4500-6500)

This is a good price for an Alfa Romeo Giulia saloon, although it will require a little work to bring it up to concours condition (we can’t help but notice the two different shades of red).

Alternatively, you could simply enjoy one of the best handling and prettiest sporting saloons of the era. It was registered to an RAF corporal based in Cyprus, who kept the car until 2000. A nice backstory always helps.
 

2. Austin Mini Mayfair (est: £5500-7500)

The Mini Mayfair replaced the HL in 1982, and was one of a number of special editions launched in the 1980s.

It remained on sale until 1996, by which time it had adopted the Rover badge.

The vendor is prepared to guarantee the 7909 miles on the clock, although the car’s MoT history highlights an error made by the tester, when the mileage was mistakenly listed as 73,439.

3. Bentley Arnage Red Label (est: £8500-10,000)

We will admit that we’re stretching the upper limit of our budget to feature this 2001 Bentley Arnage Red Label, but it highlights what you can buy for the price of a new city car.

Granted, a city car is likely to provide fewer headaches and put less of a strain on your wallet, but this is the modern classic for you if you want to know what it’s like to drive the automotive equivalent of Blenheim Palace powered by a 6.75-litre V8.

If the 395bhp is a little disappointing, the 616lb ft of torque is anything but. Time to roll out the ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’ cliché?

4. Bond Bug (no reserve)

Few cars capture the spirit of the ’70s quite like the Bond Bug. Flares and a Paisley velvet jacket are essential attire when you’re driving this three-wheeled wedge of nostalgia.

The Bug arrived in 1970, a year after the takeover of Bond Cars by Reliant Motors. It was an attempt by Reliant to target a younger audience, in particular drivers under the age of 25.

This is said to be one of the best examples in the country, so you can expect to part with anything up to £10,000.

5. Daf 33 (est: £2-3000)

Classic cars don’t get much more simple than the Daf 33 Variomatic. Launched in 1967, it was essentially a reheated Daf Daffodil, a car dating back to 1961.

Needless to say, the 33 was looking a little dated by the time this example was registered in 1973. And when Autocar tested the Daf 33 as part of an economy feature in 1974, it was said to be “no ball of fire”.

6. Fiat 126 (est: £1800-2500)

If you’ve been priced out of the market for a Nuova 500, take a look at its replacement. Launched in 1972, the Fiat 126 used a larger version of the 500’s platform and the same air-cooled engine.

The 126 Bis arrived in 1987, complete with a new water-cooled engine and hatchback body. This example was imported from Poland, where production started in 1973. It remained on sale until the year 2000.

7. Ford Capri 2.8 Injection (est: £7-9000)

It’s getting increasingly difficult to find a good Ford Capri for less than £10,000, especially if you fancy a six-cylinder version.

On the face of it, this 1984 2.8 Injection looks like it requires little more than some light recommissioning before it’s ready for the show season. The car has covered just 1500 miles since 2013 and is available due to the owner’s passing.

8. Ford Cortina Mk4 (est: £5500-7000)

This mid-range Ford Cortina L would have been a familiar sight on the roads of Britain in 1979.

This example was registered to a Ford dealer until 1981, when it was acquired by the second owner who kept it until 2019. Middle managers of Britain, your new company wheels have arrived.

9. Jaguar XK8 (est: £2-3000)

Celebrate 60 years of the Jaguar E-type by purchasing a… Jaguar XK.

A budget of £10,000 isn’t enough to buy even the ropiest E-type, while a budget XJ-S/XJS is a risky business.

Fortunately, the Jaguar XK8 remains an affordable alternative – dare we say it’s looking better with every passing year? The pre-sale estimate places this 1999 example at the lower end of the price guide.

10. Lancia Fulvia Coupé Rallye (est: £6-8000)

Even in this condition, the Lancia Fulvia Coupé Rallye is a super looking little classic.

Wearing our rose-tinted spectacles, we’d like to say that this would be a delightful project, although some specialist support will almost certainly be required.

It was last on the road in 1979, although the auction house states that the engine turns freely by hand. Would it be wrong to consider using this as a base to create a homage to the Fulvia Coupé 1.6 HF rally car? Probably.

11. Maserati Quattroporte (est: £8-10,000)

The Maserati Quattroporte V cost from £70,000 when it was new in 2004.

It boasted a glorious 4.2-litre V8, 394bhp at 7000rpm, a 0-62mph time of 5.2 secs and more elegance than just about any four-door saloon on the planet.

As we said in our own buyer’s guide, “this car is a highly complex and delicate piece of Italian engineering and be prepared to treat it as such – and you’ll be punished if previous owners have not looked after it.”

Make sure it has been serviced every 6000 miles. The ACA website shows a video of the car running, so that’s a positive start.

12. Mercedes-Benz 190E (est: £4-6000)

The ‘Baby Benz’ was built to rival the BMW 3 Series. Although it arrived in 1982, Mercedes-Benz started thinking about a smaller vehicle as far back as 1973. It needed something to sit below the W123.

Some 1.88 million units had been sold before production ceased in 1993, paving the way for the C-Class.

This 190E was imported from Japan in 2016. As daily classics go, this is probably our favourite in this weekend’s ACA sale.

13. Mercedes-Benz SLK200 Kompressor (est: £2-4000)

One day we’ll look back with wonder on the time when you could buy a good SLK for a couple of grand.

Launched in 1996, the SLK was designed to sit below the SL in the Mercedes-Benz range, and featured an innovative electric folding roof.

Although it didn’t have the sharp-edged precision of the Porsche Boxster, its blend of style, quality and image won a legion of followers. And this 2004 example has just 34,400 miles on the clock.

14. MGBGT LE (no reserve)

It wouldn’t be a classic car auction without an MGB. Actually, the ACA sale has no fewer than eight examples, along with a couple of MGCs for good measure.

We’ve shunned the more desirable chrome-bumper versions to focus on this 1981 MGBGT LE (Limited Edition).

As one of 580 cars built to mark the end of MG production in Abingdon, it’s a little slice of British motoring history.

15. MG Metro Turbo (no reserve)

Just 18 months after the closure of the Abingdon factory, British Leyland launched the MG Metro. Six months later, a Garrett turbocharger was added to create the MG Metro Turbo.

There are fewer than 100 examples on the road, although it will take an eternal optimist to suggest that this 1983 example will be joining them any time soon. ACA describes it as “an extensive restoration project”. Quite.

16. Nissan Sunny (est: £1000-1500)

“It’s difficult to find a lot to say about the Sunny,” confessed Chris Goffey when reviewing the Nissan in 1990. Not that this mattered to the car’s target audience, as some 500,000 units had been sold by the time the B13 model was introduced in 1990.

This example was registered in 1993 and still wears its original JS Holmes dealer sticker and numberplates.

It’s not exciting, but for a slice of retro sensibility, this Sunny looks surprisingly bright.

17. Rover P6 
(est: £3-5000)

The 3500S is the most desirable version of the Rover P6. Launched in 1971, the big news was the fitment of a four-speed gearbox, transforming the 3500 into a proper driver’s car.

Detail changes included Ambla vinyl seats in place of leather and stylish wheel trims. A perfect 3500S could fetch a five-figure sum, so this presentable 1972 looks like it might be a bargain.

A reminder of when Britain built cars good enough to take on the world’s best.

18. Maestro van (no reserve)

It’s always surprising to find a retro van in fine condition. By their very nature, vans are used and abused, before being disposed of like a Ginsters wrapper or an old copy of The Sun.

The Maestro van was surprisingly popular, with Austin-Rover able to include British Rail and British Telecom on its list of customers. BT ordered 3000 Maestro City vans in 1985, at the time the largest light commercial vehicle order in the UK.

19. Subaru Forester (est: £6-8000)

Can a 2004 Subaru Forester be classed as a classic? No, but we had to share this because it is practically a new car. It comes from a private collection and is being sold due to a lack of storage.

With just 2865 miles on the clock, this must be one of the best and lowest-mile examples in the country. It has missed just one MoT, but has not a single advisory to its name.

20. Zastava 750 (est: £1500-2500)

The Zastava 750 is a familiar sight in parts of Eastern Europe, although it’s rare to find one in the UK.

The Yugoslavian-built small car was based on the Fiat 600 and remained in production until 1985. This example appears to be a recent import from Germany.

Interested in this or any of the other classic cars you’ve seen here? Hurry and check out the full listing for Anglia Car Auctions’ 27-28 February sale here.