Autocar UK – 31 July 2019

FIERY

HATCH FOR

THE BRAVE

GT FLAIR

AND PRICES

ON THE UP

BUY THEM

BEFORE WE DO

WILD CARD

ack in 2014, you could

get a 2001 Y-reg 3200

GT w it h 86, 0 0 0 m i le s

for £9995. Fast forward

five years and this 2001 Y-reg that we

found with 73,000 miles is £3000

more expensive. In fact, it’s one of

the cheaper ones. Next up the price

ladder is a 2001/51-reg auto with

55,000 miles for £14,700. They top

out at around £21,000.

So what caught our eye, apart from

it being the least expensive? First,

it’s the automatic. The ’box has only

four speeds but works well with the

370bhp twin-turbo 3.2-litre V8. In

any case, replacement clutches are

b e c om i n g a l mo s t i mp o s si ble t o f i nd

for manual versions.

Second, the car’s service history is

described as “fantastic”. It’s just had

a fettle and a cambelt change. There’s

lot s of pap e r w ork , t o o, s o it m ay b e

possible to assemble an invoice trail

that shows what was done and when.

A shame the numberplate appears to

be hanging off. Doesn’t say much for

the seller’s self-respect...

It ’s a r e m i nde r t h at w h i le w e ’r e

c o oi n g ov e r t h i s GT ’s s p or t y l i ne s ,

we should check for the engine’s

r e v s hu nt i ng at id le (a f au lt y t h r ot t le

potentiometer), for oil leaks from the

cam covers and for coolant leaks from

the top hose into the V of the engine.

We’ll cross our fingers that on start-

up t he r e ’s no ‘e n g i ne c he c k ’ l i g ht. It ’s a

common fault and early cars without

the later, universally compliant OBD

(on-board diagnostics) port require

main dealer or specialist diagnosis.

Fi n a l l y, on t he t e s t d r i v e , w e ’ l l fe e l

for looseness in the steering and

suspension and pray a pothole hasn’t

dislodged the captive nut on the top

front suspension mount. It requires

removal of the engine to refit.

JOHN EVANS

B

Maserati 3 200 GT £12,9 95

Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 TS

Turismo £ 2499

The GTV is a sweet-looking affair

destined for classic status and this

1999/V-reg has covered just 46,000

miles. It has piped leather trim and

full Alfa and specialist service history.

It also comes with a spare set of

Brembo brake pads. Nice touch.

Daimler Limousine 4 .2

£ 4150

Eight-seat Daimler limo, anyone? The

2000 W-reg car has done just 17,000

m i l e s , m o st of th e m , we su s p e c t ,

to and from departures... Still, we’d

be more worried about the effect of

all that idling and low speeds on the

engine. Best get it checked, first.

Vauxhall Tigra 1.4

£ 699

It was either this 106,000-mile

2005/55-reg Tigra or that other

sub-£1k coupé-cabriolet, the Peugeot

206 CC. We’ve gone with the Vauxhall

because it looks sharper, the roof

folds more neatly, the boot’s bigger

and the whole plot feels tauter.

Mini 1.6 John Cooper Works

£ 3490

Now showing 112,000 miles, this

2004-reg JCW represents a brave

purchase for someone. However, it

has full service history and it’s oddly

comforting that the floor mats are the

original, branded ones, suggesting

past owners have taken pride in it.

LOW-MILES

CLASSIC IN

WAI T ING

CUT-PRICE

OPEN-TOP

CUTIE

74 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 3 1 JULY 2019