Christmas is coming – treat yourself to a classic car

Christmas for classic car dealers is pretty grim. From the end of November until mid-January, nobody buys classics. Which is precisely why it’s a great time to buy one

Pass a classic car showroom between now and 2016 and you‘ll find little Christmas cheer. The smart ones are now stocking up with cheap Range Rovers and other sellable 4x4s to fill the revenue gap during the lean spell. So if you happen to spot the luxury car of your dreams, offered at a price just outside your reach, now’s the time to make a cheeky offer. You never know. Cash is king, and the dealer might well be feeling the pinch.

Many classic car soothsayers have been boring us all with their gloomy ‘the end is nigh’ predictions about the market. And it is true that some of the star cars of recent years might have have hit the buffers, like one of the best-loved Ferraris of all time, the 246 Dino. It rocketed to over £300,000 about a year ago but now seems to have run out of steam (and I should know, I have been trying to sell a good one for the past 3 months, so go on, make me a cheeky offer). Aston DB5s, Mercedes 300SL Gullwings and chrome bumper Porsche 911s also seem to be pausing for breath after vigorous price rises, along with a swath of million-pound plus classics.

So if you’re looking for something you can justify both to yourself and your other (more sensible) half, what should you be tempted by? You may be a little late to be thinking purely in terms of investment, but if you’re looking to indulge your passion without losing your shirt there are still some great cars out there with financial legs.

At the lower end of the price spectrum what about a piece of Japanese gold? The Datsun 240Z, while somewhat challenged in the brand department, was and still is an absolute corker with its purposeful snout, long, flowing bonnet and cheeky rump. Good, original and unmolested examples can be found for under £20,000.

If you missed the boy-racer boat back in the 80s there are some pocket rockets that have gone from zero to hero in the past couple of years, offering practicality, nostalgia and investment potential. The real stars of this particular genre were the Mk1 Golf GTi, which started off the whole hot-hatch fad, and the spectacular Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9, which eclipsed everything in its wake. Good ones now change hands from around £10-£12,000. Further up the pecking order was the Lancia Delta Integrale, which I hankered after but could never quite afford back in the day. A year ago you could bag one for under £10,000, but they have more than doubled since then (top-drawer Evo 2s have now pushed well passed the £30k mark).

If your taste is more classic European romance, then what about a 1960s Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider (pictured top)? Was there ever a car more evocative of La Dolce Vita or more certain to elicitspontaneous smiles from passers-by ? A restored beauty can be yours for just £50,000.

If you still hanker after a Ferrari, the 328 from the late 80s is properly gorgeous, great to drive and still rising in value (they too have doubled in the last 12 months). You can still get a good GTS (with a removable lid) for around £90,000. The F355, Ferrari’s next but one mid-engined offering after the 328, is similarly priced and also worth serious consideration with its thrilling exhaust note and ballistic performance.

The final 2 cars on my list are the very best of British. The Bentley Continental R (pictured above) was one of the most expensive production cars in its day (the 90s and early noughties) and it still oozes effortless grace and style along with some hooligan tendancies from its turbocharged 6.75 litre V8 engine. A good one can be yours for a frankly ludicrous £30,000

But probably the best value classic available today is the Aston Martin DB7 (pictured above). When it was launched in 1993 the motoring world swooned, with some even describing it as the most beautiful car…in the world. Unsurprisingly it sold like hotcakes, with final production numbers topping 7,000 units. It lost a little of its sparkle when it was replaced by the all-new DB9, but the DB7 is ageing well, emerging from that awkward transition between dated sports car and classic. Repair bills can be eye-watering so proceed with caution (as with all classics, get it inspected), but you can find a good straight-six engined coupe for less than £20,000. But the real gem is the V12-engined Vantage Volante, the 420bhp drophead version. A low-mileage example with full Aston main dealer service history can be yours for under £40,000. Or rather less around the 25th December.