AUCTION WATCH
Abarth 124 Spider Price £17,9 95
Everyone raves about its sister car, the Mazda MX-5, but the chances are that the Abarth
124 Spider will be the one people pay a premium for in years to come. Its 168bhp 1.4 MultiAir
turbo develops maximum power earlier than the 2.0-litre unit in the Mazda, so you don't
have to wring its neck anything like as hard. There’s a sports exhaust, Brembo brakes,
Bilstein dampers and a limited-slip diff, too, but it’s the car’s Italian associations and its
exclusivity that will attract future enthusiasts. And the fact that it isn't an MX-5.
CLASH OF THE
CLASSIFIEDS
BRIEF
MAX ADAMS Oh, crikey Mark. You appear to have taken
John’s words way too literally and gone for something only
a five-year-old can drive.
MARK PEARSON John said to find him “my first EV”, so
what we have here is a wonderful homage to the Series 1 Land
Rover, beautifully made and fully electric, brand new and ideal
for a spot of (very) light off-roading. It’s got lights, a folding
windscreen, even a tow hook for a small trailer.
MA That’s not a proper car. My Leaf, on the other hand, was
praised for being as much when it came out back in 2013.
You can put five real people in it, and it has a decent-sized
boot. Plus my 24kWh example has a range of about 100 miles,
not 10 laps of the back garden.
MP Have you driven that generation of Leaf? You wouldn’t want
to go 100 miles in it, believe me. You’d be happy to attend any
fifth birthday party in my Landie, though, or be dropped off
outside nursery or the local zoo. And what better way to acquire
the necessary off-road skills a budding young farmer will
need as he or she grows?
MA I really don’t think you’re taking this
challenge seriously.
On the basis that you
never forget your first EV,
I’ll take the Leaf. JOHN EVANS
Find me my first EV for less than £7k.
VERDICT
USED CAR DESK DOES BATTLE
Toylander^ Land^ Rover^ Series^1 £
4150Nissan Leaf ( 24 kWh) £ 6995
USED CARS
14 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 75
FU
TU
RE^
CLA
SSI
CIn case you’re wondering, yes, this 911 has had a new
intermediate shaft bearing. The 996 of 1998-2004
has such a poor reputation – in particular pre-facelift
cars such as this one – that without it, it would
probably have been knocked down at least by the
price of the bearing job, not to mention a rear main
seal (which can also let go). The car showed 85,000
miles, was registered in 1999 and sold or £10,000.
Its four previous owners seem to have taken care of
it, if the 12 service stamps plus sundry later service
receipts are anything to go by.
PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 4 (9 96 )