This week is one for those of you who want a little bit of class in your life and some nice soft touch plastics to make you feel like a grown-up. The budget is a little higher than that of the Ford Focus and Ka but it’s still amazing what you can have an AudiAudiGermany, 1909 > present83 models
8213 photos
27 videos
or a MINIMINI (BMW)Germany, 2000 > present15 models
2211 photos
7 videos
parked on your drive for…

MINI OneMINI (BMW) OneGermany, 2001 > present3 photos

If I was writing this in 2001 I’d have probably still recommended the MINI One such was the residual value of the MINI. Ok, so you’d have had to spend about £10,000 but you could have had a new car for a couple of years, with a warranty and kept most of you money – cheap motoring if you could afford the outlay.

However, times are different 12 years later and the opportunity to own a new MINI for peanuts has passed by – they still represent decent value if you fancy one, especially with the TLC servicing pack but they are no longer a no-brainer for the wealthy 17 year-old.

But, as the shape hasn’t changed a lot the good news is that you can still buy something fairly fresh looking for only a few thousand pounds. I wouldn’t recommend spending less than about £4,000, but you could if you find a good one. That represents a decent amount of ‘shape’ for the money when you realise that most people won’t be able to tell a 2012 model from a 2001 for all the tea in China.

The MINI has some great things going for it: the handling has to be a highlight – it is often referred to as ‘go-kart’ like and that is not a bad analogy as long as you don’t analyse it too much. The steering is nice and the body control is taught. It may not be the most powerful but the One is the engine variant to go for if you want even half a chance of getting insured…just listen to the sound of silence on the end of the phone as soon as you mention ‘Cooper’ to the insurance broker, aged 17.

A word of caution though, the MINI is not the cheapest car to maintain, or if you buy a shoddy one, to get going again. Early cars suffer from power steering pump failures and plenty of them will have had a hard life. So try and buy a good one.

The good news is that if you find the right car it is ideal for boys and girls and is great fun to drive and ostensibly well made. Happy motoring!

Encyclopedia MINI (BMW)MINI (BMW) MINIMINI (BMW) MINI Gen.1 [50]MINI (BMW) One

Engine Straight 4 Displacement 98 cu in Top Speed 115 mph Transmission 5, Manual Maximum power 90 hp @ 5500 rpm Type Hatchback Fuel Petrol Fuel consumption (combined) 36.18 US MPG

price -- annual ownership cost $ 912

Audi A2Audi A2Germany, 1999 > 20056 versions
12 photos

So, this one is a bit off the wall, I’ll admit that much.

When the Audi A2 came out in 1999 it was lauded for being ‘interesting’ more than anything else. This was an era, and one that VW and Audi have tried very hard to shake off for cost reasons, when Audis were over-engineered and aluminium was in vogue.

It is fair to say that we won’t see that level of over-engineering for a long time to come in today’s climate and with cars becoming ever more homogenous with increased platform sharing it is unlikely that we will see a small one-off like the Audi A2 any time soon.

Being a small car, and a light one at that, that A2 isn’t bad to drive either and it is very economical, especially if you find a diesel.

The Audi A2 is a forgotten gem in my book. The revolutionary Mercedes A-ClassMercedes-Benz A-Class Gen.1Germany, 1997 > 200438 versions
42 photos
stole its thunder due to it’s practicality and packaging and the A2, due to its construction, was expensive to buy and difficult to justify for most people.

Perhaps it is in part down to the times that the A2 never really caught on, but it now has a cult following and still plenty to offer. You can have a 1.4 petrol too, which shouldn’t be ridiculously expensive to insure. In fact…I quite fancy one!

Encyclopedia AudiAudi A2Audi A2 1.4

Engine Straight 4 Displacement 85 cu in Top Speed 107 mph Transmission 5, Manual Maximum power 75 hp @ 5000 rpm Type Hatchback Fuel Petrol Fuel consumption (combined) 39.2 US MPG

price -- annual ownership cost $ 1.826