BUYING IS HARD

I’m not sure if you realise but buying a classic car these days is hard.

I recently sold a good original MK2 Jaguar (3.4 Auto) as I wanted a change after my 20-year custodianship.

My brief was to buy something convertible, manual, sporty and cool. The chief financial officer (wife) approved but only if I spent the $20k I got for the Jag. This proved to be much harder than you might think.

I finally settled on a 1997 Porsche Boxster that had low kays, good history and was in very good condition. It also had some interesting options that I had not seen on other 986s, namely performance pack, side airbags, electric seats, rear parking sensors, premium sound and a hard top. I saw

It advertised on a Saturday morning and was at a dealer in Melbourne. My being in Adelaide made it a bit harder. However I took a punt and bought it that day and managed to get it freighted here in a few days. All good.

So for anyone else in a similar situation, my advice is to start looking for a pre-classic. Maybe something 1990s that is affordable now, because in a few years it won’t be.

Greg McArthur

ED: You make some great points there, Greg. These ‘pre-classics’ or ‘youngtimers’ often represent great buying as they near the bottom of their value curve. They also make a bit of sense to have parked in the shed alongside the older car as something a little more modern and comfortable for the days you feel like moving up a couple of decades. You’ve also touched on another point, which is there is some fantastic buying out there in the earlier Porsche Boxster range.