You have those models that used to be on every street corner and that you now never see again. Most of them have been treated as disposable and simply gone to scrap. However, a few have been cherished, have been neatly preserved and are far from finished. The latter category includes these five gems that we would like to highlight.
Opel Kadett (1990) – € 3,750
Once the most sold car in the Netherlands, now a true rarity. The last generation of the Opel Kadett is now almost extinct in the Netherlands and seems even more thinly seeded than the older generations. The majority of Kadett buyers must have “just needed a car” and discarded it when the cake was gone. That does not apply to this wonderfully typical colored Kadett sedan from 1990. It has remained with its first owner for the past 30 years and apparently he handled it calmly. Not in the least because it looks neat, but also because there is only 42,800 on the counter. Even the original radio is still in it! A true time capsule that deserves to go to a real enthusiast.
Volkswagen Golf (1986) – € 4,749
The Volkswagen Golf II is of the same caliber as the Kadett above: once you were thrown to death with it, now they are all apparently gone. As they got older, they fell by the wayside into the hands of eager ‘home tuners’ who put fat exhausts and other junk on them and kicked them off completely in a short time. A few were spared such torture and stayed with their original task: unpretentious transport. Like this white Golf from 1986. Nice white, nice with mud flaps, nice with small steel wheels underneath. In short, all right. And it looks like even the wheel arches are spotlessly clean and seemingly rust-free. Just like its Opel counterpart, the counter does not yet reach 50,000. He is extremely spartan, but very nice. If you want to spend that money on it, you just have to get really excited about it. We suspect that there are people who are talking about it.
Renault 9 (1986) – € 3,450
Slightly less commonplace than the Golf and the Kadett, but still an old acquaintance, this Renault 9 from 1986. Well, you saw them less than the cars above, but now it is even more rare. Maybe they pop up in the warm south of France, but in the Netherlands your scribe has not seen one for years. It is all the more fun that this copy is also so common. The interior in particular almost looks like you just walked into a Renault showroom in the 80s. On the counter, which in this case does have six turntables, the almost virgin score of 29,652 can be read. The only pity is that it is not an original Dutch car, but we immediately believe that mileage. Francophiles, make your move!
Peugeot 305 (1985) – € 3,950
Anyone who is fond of old French cars, but prefers looking for it at Peugeot, should take a look at this 305 (due to a malfunction, the photos are only temporarily not working very well, unfortunately). Another friend of everyone from a bygone era, who has seen his brothers and sisters disappear rapidly to demolition or abroad. Although it must be said, you did not find this copy here in the Netherlands in the heyday of the 305. It concerns an imported car that, according to its provider, has been part of a private collection of a Peugeot dealer for a while. He probably only swapped the French roads for a Dutch garage at a later age. In any case, it did him good. Optically it looks as though it looks tight and with 25,130 on the counter it is actually a museum piece. Yet you can also just drive it, because it has a fresh, two-year MOT.
Suzuki Alto (1989) – € 1,500
In a slightly different category and from a completely different part of the world, comes this Suzuki Alto. The ideal cheap ‘A-to-B transporter’ of many Dutch people in the years that lie behind us. The utterly unpretentious, pure utility that the Alto already radiated from itself is perfectly emphasized by its white paint, black bumpers and miniscule steel wheels. This is just a means of transport, no fuss. And yet he has become so nice, almost endearing. Something tells us that only an old lady really drove in here and that she handled it with velvet gloves. Right down to the last screw, this looks like a flawless specimen. The Alto has only finished 26,000 kilometers and you can count on it that he will effortlessly stick many more. The only question is who will do that. By contemporary standards, with its 39 hp 0.8 and its crumple zone from front to rear bumper, it is almost even less car than a modern 45 km car, but someone must be able to catch this gem? Because of the price you can not leave it alone.