The new youngtimers of 2022

In any case, 2022 is already a good year for the business convertible driver. Two new convertibles will be given youngtimer status: the BMW 3-series Convertible of the E93 generation and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster. The latter is obviously rare and quite pricey, but there’s probably no better way to enjoy business trips with the hood open and the hammering of the naturally aspirated 4.3 V8 under the hood as background music. The BMW is a lot more common and the first and only 3-series Convertible with a steel folding roof. Predecessor E46 had a fabric roof and its successor was no longer called a 3-series.

BMW 3 Series Convertible

Would you prefer a closed roof, but the elegance of a coupé? Even then there are a lot of possibilities. At BMW, the 1-series Coupé came on the price list for the first time in 2007. This was also available from 2007 as a 135i Coupé, a 306 hp bomb that is quite incognito from the outside. 2007 was also the year in which the Audi A5 Coupé was born, designed by master designer Walter de’Silva. In a way, the shape of the original A5 even carries over to the current model. A design that really lasted a long time was the Maserati GranTurismo. With the exception of a few external changes, the Maserati coupé ran until 2021! That means that with an early model you don’t look dated in the least, although that should never be an issue with a Maserati.

SUVs

2007 was also the year in which the Nissan Qashqai appeared on the scene. It was the beginning of a bestseller for the Japanese, because in Europe the Qashqai is by far Nissan’s best-selling model. In fact, with the Qashqai, Nissan ushered in the chapter of the crossover: a car that is somewhere between a hatchback and an SUV. Another option for the business driver will be the Volkswagen Tiguan from next year. Less popular in our country were the Citroën C-Crosser and the Peugeot 4007, both of which were derived from the then Mitsubishi Outlander.

retro party

More or less the same silhouette since 2007.

The Maserati GranTurismo is not the only car from this list that has a long life. That of the Fiat 500 is at least as impressive. In 2007, Fiat revived the iconic model. As with the Maserati, for the 500, you don’t exactly have a dated-looking car with one from 2007, precisely because it lasted so long. A car that is often compared to the Fiat 500 is the Mini three-door, which is often referred to as ‘Mini Cooper’. In 2007 the R56, the second generation Mini from BMW, came on the market. In the same year, it also immediately appeared in the showroom as a larger Clubman, with the two side-opening doors at the rear and an extra rear-opening side door on the right. So plenty of choice for the business driver.

middle class

A model that has the potential to do well as a youngtimer is the third generation of the Volvo V70. After all, the second generation of the V70 is still a popular car today. It is now only quite old, where that applies to both the exterior and interior to a much lesser extent with the third generation. A representative appearance, comfortable seats and plenty of space: what more could you want as a business mile-eater? You could of course also opt for the Ford Mondeo, which also came on the market as a third generation in 2007. The Mondeo was not only available as a station wagon, but also as a liftback and sedan. Like the Volvo, the Ford has also been available with five burners under the hood.

The new youngtimers of 2022

The list of youngtimers has been compiled according to the criterion that the models must have been for sale in the Netherlands for the first time from 2007. This means that cars that were unveiled in 2007, but only came on the market in the Netherlands in 2008, are therefore eliminated. Examples include the BMW X6, Dacia Sandero, Hyundai i10 and Jaguar XF.