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Buying Guides: The $10k dilemma

11 August, 2017

 


 

Following on from our team nominating what they’d be buying with $5,000 in their pockets, we generously doubled the hypothetical budget and sent the team on a mission. What would they be buying for $10,000?


Lachlan Jones — NZ Classic Car
Volkswagen Golf GTI (MK5): We had a MK5 GTI as a family car for a fair while that did everything we asked of it and more. The DSG gearbox was a revelation at the time (in fact, very little is different from the unit VW use in the MK7 GTI and R) and with 200hp out of the box, it was quick enough, too (an extra $1,000 for a remap will see the GTI up to 250-odd-hp quite easily). With a stiffer chassis and significantly reduced understeer from the lacklustre MK4, the MK5 GTI was a game changer for not just VW but what we’ve come to expect of the modern hot hatch.


Jaden Martin — NZ Performance Car
Honda Civic Type R (EK9): Coming in at ⅙ of the price that the latest incarnation commands, the EK9 still sits as the ultimate cheap hot hatch in my eyes. It still has that full road feel that more modern cars seem to lose in the name of comfort and its 1.6-litre screaming heart packs enough of a punch to chuck a smile on your face. They are probably the most attractive of the Civic Type R family, too.


Ashley Webb — NZ Classic Car
A Jaguar XJS. They’re on their way to becoming quite collectable and there is no denying they look fantastic.


Todd Wylie — NZV8
A WH Holden Statesman is a whole lot of car for the money, so much car that it’d be hard to beat in terms of luxury, presence and performance in my mind. I’ve owned a Statesman before, and still can’t understand why they’re cheaper than a standard wheelbase Calais or similar. If you’re in the market for a V8-powered family hauler, make sure to take a look, as you won’t be disappointed.


Connal Grace — NZV8
I could opt for a manual 308-powered VK Commodore, or an XE Falcon panelvan, but I’m going to go with the Nissan Stagea RS Four — manual, of course. The factory RB25DET turbo six will make over 300hp with minor modification, and with a gratuitous boot area, this is the perfect life-proof vehicle.

 

The motor car as an art form

12 March, 2026

We have certainly come a long way since the exhibition entitled 8 Automobiles, shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the autumn of 1951, the first exhibition concerned with the aesthetics of motor car design.
It was here that the often-used term ‘rolling sculpture’ was coined by curator Philip C Johnson, director of the department of architecture and design, when he said, “An automobile is a familiar 20th century artefact, and is no less worthy of being judged for its visual appeal than a building or a chair. Automobiles are hollow, rolling sculptures, and their design refinements are fascinating. We have selected cars whose details and basic design suggest that automobiles, besides being America’s most useful objects, could be a source of visual experience more enjoyable than they now are.”

More to the point

6 March, 2026

This Daimler SP252 is so rare, few people know it exists. It’s one of a kind. It’s the only surviving, in fact the only SP252 ever completed; the would-be successor to the SP250 Daimler Dart. It is also the last sports car to have been designed by Jaguar’s legendary founder, Sir William Lyons.
Perhaps one of the original Dart’s biggest problems was it’s somewhat-divisive looks. It certainly went well enough to win fans, although Sir William wasn’t among them. It crushed the opposition in the Bathurst six-hour race, finishing five laps ahead of anyone else, and it was snapped up by police forces in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as it was the fastest thing on the road.
So you’d think a stunning new body with the magic Lyons touch would have been a surefire success. Why this car never made it into production is still something of a mystery, as the official explanations barely stack up.