SecondHandSense:HAVING HAD plenty of fire sales in the past few months, many car dealers will continue to keep their level of second-hand stock limited this year.
But the second-hand market has proved more attractive than the new one and there is a good deal of movement, especially with smaller, cheaper cars.
But what about those who don't want to go down the ageing Ford Focus route? There are very attractive options, such as the Porsche Boxster which will allow you to have a true classic for less than €10,000. The Boxster has been around since 1996, having been introduced as the entry level Porsche and, while the 911 brigade tended to look down their noses at it, they had few good reasons to.
The Boxster is a mid-engined sports car with a very well designed shape that belies its age. It has only been revised once since its launch and that had more to do with engine size and tuning than the overall design.
Porsche still practically hand builds its cars, so the lasting appeal extends beyond looks. In its 14-year history the Boxster has only been reported to have almost negligible faults.
The original engine choices are big by today's standards (2.5 and 3.2) but many Porsche owners tend to use their cars with discretion and for some the Boxster is a second-car indulgence. The sound of the Boxster's engine is sweet but the car is not all about performance.
It has a refinement that makes its engineering elegant and it is very pleasant to drive. It handles really well with the mid-engine mounting and the steering feedback makes other cars feel as if you are using a tiller. It is even practical, with room front and back for storage. As a two-seater it is also comfortable, even for taller people. When the roof comes down it really comes into its own.
The Boxster hasn't undergone a Euro NCAP crash test but it does have quite a bit of active and passive safety equipment. The rest of the car is fairly sparsely equipped, but what is there in terms of instrumentation and so on is well presented.
You can get a 1997 version with the 2.5 engine and 130,000km for much less than the asking price of €9,945, or a similar car of the same year with 70,000km for about €10,600.
STAR RATING: 7/10