4 AWESOME BUT POTENTIALLY FLAWED SECOND- HAND CARS

CAMERON OFFICER The Citroen C6; The Saab 900 ( below). Scandinavian firm was always pushing in its marketing.

The instrument binnacle was aeronautical! The windscreen was curvy like a cockpit! The ignition key went in the centre console!

There were compromises to be had in all this svelte engineering, though. Like its 99 predecessor, the engine was essentially backwards in the engine bay, with power delivered from the crank at the front of the car. The transmission, meanwhile, was bolted directly to the bottom of the engine to form the oil pan.

While this causes nightmares in terms of some aspects of regular servicing ( if you want to change the headlight bulbs you have to dismantle half the front end), the unique set- up ensured leadingedge designers and architects of the 1980s appreciated its quirky leftfield- ishness and wouldn’t be seen dead without their black turtleneck sweater, frameless glasses or their Saab 900.

And today, the 900 series remains a fan favourite. The first generation, which was in production from 1978 to 1994, is deemed the last ‘ true’ Saab, before General Motors took control of the company and swiftly lost interest in doing anything meaningful with it.

They regularly show up on auction sites even now.

Surprisingly, most are not only going, but have auction listings peppered with phrases such as “regretful sale” too. Whether they’re dabbing at their teary eyes with an enormous service bill however, is generally never mentioned. Born in the teeth of the messy insolvency and buy- out of the MG Rover Group ( the details of which could be succinctly outlined in