I have become controversial. Again. As a journalist, even a motoring one, you have to be judged not just on what you write but also by who you upset. Currently, I’m poking environmentalists with a gearstick and standing up for private transportation in the wake of the Science and Technology Committee in parliament suggesting private car ownership has a ‘best before’ date. What this means is: hurry now while stocks of interesting cars exist for you to enjoy. Don’t drive something boring when the used car market offers so much for so little money.  Let’s start with a car you definitely should not buy under any circumstances: a Mazda RX-8. Except they are pretty and quirky and we will never see their like again. Or their fuel and oil consumption. So get a functioning one and enjoy it for as long as you possibly can. They can be bought for buttons and I did see a 2004 RX-8 with a fresh engine at £2800. It’s probably better to buy a really late-model 2010 one that seems to have been looked after and is showing 40,000 miles. At £5999, the price seemed reasonable to me.  The utter frivolity of motor cars is no better demonstrated than the existence of the convertible. Now combine that with some sort of off-road ability. Just imagine how that would annoy those people who loathe cars, let alone 4x4s. Drive forward the Land Rover Freelander Softback. As the all-new Defender takes centre stage, the old-school Freelander remains the most affordable interpretation. So let’s make it worse by going for a diesel. A 1999 2.0 Di doesn’t sound good but, in the real world, makes all sorts of sense and the mileage is a reasonable 120k. It comes with full leather, decent tyres and just the three previous owners. All that wonderfulness for £995.  Then again, the whole point of a drop-top is to have huge fun. Obviously, you should get a 1997 Caterham Seven 1.6 K-Series Supersport for something in the region of £14k. If you can’t stretch to that, go for a Tiger kit car for £5k.  If, like me, you really do want to trigger those who despise any sort of automotive excess, then get yourself an S-Class. It is the very finest vehicle that Mercedes has ever made. It is complicated in all the right aspects and topped off with apocalypse-surviving quality, which will come in handy if the climate doomsters have a point. Anyway, a 1998 example would be the last of the incredible breed and I found a privately owned one with a modest 110,000 miles at £5995, which is so very tempting. See you at the end of the world. How controversial is that? What we almost bought this week Volkswagen Bora 2.0 SE: It’s not the most exciting car on the planet but a Bora is at least as solid as a rock, and if you’re buying a sub-£1000 car, that’s important. We found a one-owner 2004-reg 2.0 SE with full service history for £970. Described as being in excellent condition, it has done 92,000 miles but you can be sure it won’t feel like it. Tales from Ruppert’s garage BMW 320, mileage – 83,585: Oh dear. This isn’t good. I got the Baby Shark back from my local garage and used it for a week. Then I left it for a few days and it basically died. I turned it over and over and even applied the magic 40-year-old can of Quick Start and nothing happened. Fuel does not seem to be getting to the carb at all.  I haven’t paid my local garage yet and it’ll be going back there. They’ll have to come and get it as there’s no way it’s going to start.  Reader’s ride Three-car Toyota garage: Guy Maylam will be mobile this winter. He tells us about these beauties: “The Toyota Hilux is a 1995, with just 75,000 miles, and purchased quite recently for £1100. Not mint, but pretty much rust-free, well serviced and a double-cab, so you can even carry people!  “The 1993 Toyota 4Runner is not a Surf. This is an original UK car with the smooth 3.0 V6 petrol. It has done just over 100,000 miles. I purchased it a couple of years ago for £850. It hasn’t given any trouble so far.  “The 1993 Toyota Land Cruiser is the unbeatable VX 4.2 turbo diesel automatic, which I have owned for 19 years. It just turned 100,000 miles yesterday. I paid £10,900 for it back in 2000. Due to the classic market, it now seems to be worth what I paid for it again!” Readers’ questions Question: The PCP is ending on my three-year-old 82,000-mile Honda CR-V and I’m facing a £3000 mileage penalty. Should I pay it and hand the car back, pay the £16,500 MGFV and buy it or part-exchange it for a CR-V of the same age with 37,000 miles that costs £16,500? Patrick Butler, via email Answer: You face the perfect storm of a high MGFV (minimum guaranteed future value) with a mileage penalty. The CR-V isn’t worth enough to make buying it and then selling it for a profit an option and the one the dealer is offering you will just add to your costs. You could buy your old car for £16,500 and regard it as owing you £13,500 if you write off the £3000 penalty, but it’s still expensive. Why not pay the £3000
Origin: James Ruppert: Enjoy owning your car while you can