2020-04-08_Autocar video and link

The Volkswagen Golf R rather

took the shine off the WRX, but

the 296bhp flat-four Scooby is

still an endearing prospect – more

mechanical and more exciting. It

also has more character. Our find

i s a 2 0 1 6 - r e g w i th 2 2 , 5 0 0 m i l e s.

We’d have preferred a 560 SEC but,

at this age, condition is all and this

500 looks good. It’s a 1988-reg with

just 72,000 miles and a full service

history. The interior is a welcome

shade of blue and, thanks be,

trimmed in exotic, old-school velour.

And still we keep seeing temptingly

priced 996-series 911s such as this

1999-reg. It has done 116,000 miles

but has 16 service stamps. The

potentially troublesome IMS bearing

was replaced in 2018. It has minor

corrosion on its lower sills, apparently.

The rare D4 has an uprated version

of the 3.0-litre diesel found in the

BMW 435d. For the record, it has

345bhp and 516lb ft compared

with the original unit’s 309bhp and

467lb ft. Our example is a 2015-reg

with 23,000 miles.

A 911

FOR UNDER

£ 10 K

RETRO

ROAD-LEGAL

GO-KART

BUY THEM

BEFORE WE DO

WILD CARD

o used car shopping and

sooner or later you’ll

stumble across a Mini

Cooper S. We’re talking

the R53-era model of 2002-06, with a

supercharged 161bhp 1.6-litre engine.

Prices range from £1000 for a runner

with some history and multiple

previous keepers, through average

c a r s for a r ou nd £2 5 0 0, t o £ 45 0 0 a nd

upwards for the best.

Our find is somewhere in between,

a one-owner 2005-reg with 72,000

miles for £3250. It has the desirable

Chili pack (alarm, manual air-con

and xenon lights), a part-leather

interior and a panoramic sunroof.

The wag selling it said it had War

and Peace history, which had us

looking for Tolstoy in the logbook

until someone pointed out that he

meant there’s lots of it. The last fettle

was at 71,000 miles and, according to

the seller, it drives perfectly.

Still, there can’t be any harm in

looking for oil leaks, a known issue

with the Cooper S’s Tritec engine,

where the oil exits past the sump and

timing chain covers. Tired gaskets

are to blame. There’s no temperature

gauge so we’d check the coolant

level in the expansion bottle and the

cylinder head for cracks. The stiff

s u s p e n sion a nd h a r sh , r u n-f l at t y r e s

can combine to crack the engine

mou nt s (ab out £ 4 0 0 t o r e pl ac e).

The supercharger needs fresh oil

every now and then and it can also

become noisy over time, which may

suggest changes have been missed.

A whining as the wheel is turned can

i nd ic at e t he s t e e r i n g pu mp i s a b out

t o go s out h. It ’s b e s t t o r e pl a c e it

without delay. Finally, we’d check

the front footwells for damp and that

the handbrake doesn’t slip off the

ratchet when engaged.

JOHN EVANS

G

Mini Cooper S £ 3250

Alpina D 4 convertible

£ 30 ,9 90

Porsche 9 11 Carrera 2

Tiptronic £ 9750

Subaru Impreza WRX STi

£ 20 ,0 00

Mercedes 5 00 SEC

£ 15 ,9 95

REFINED,

MUSCULAR

DROP-TOP

296 BHP

RALLY-BRED

FLYER

68 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 8 APRIL 2 020