I understand that a third of us Brits are too scared to drive abroad. It has, however, never been easier, what with sat-navs and all that. I was on the radio telling listeners not to be so wussy.
My ‘kiss the kerb’ mantra went down well enough with the listeners. That’s because in a right-hand-drive car in a left-hand-drive country, drivers will always be adjacent to where the pedestrians are. Why not, though, make it all so much simpler for those who voted Brexit and simply buy a left-hooker?
Unlike the old days, it may not make motors that much cheaper, just more difficult to sell — unless you know how to market it. Some exotics, though, do seem to be a tad more affordable. Best of all, looking at left-hookers brings to the fore motors you might never normally consider.
Everyone has got terribly excited by the new Ford Mustang, so why not go for a barely credible 1990s one? I stumbled across a 1995 3.8 V8, which had a stripe down the middle, at £4500. Now there’s a fun way to enjoy your touring holiday.
Even more exciting was a 1988 Maserati Biturbo with 56,000 miles. It was the coupé version, fashionably off white and £6995. It will, of course, break down, but even that may still get you a round of applause while it’s blowing steam at the side of an autostrada.
What keeps popping up, of course, are Corvettes and, inevitably, a Pontiac Firebird in Knight Rider black. But what I really wanted was a banana yellow BMW Z3M at what I think is a quite reasonable £23,995. After all, it is only going to climb in value.
When you get to £28,000, the rather appealing Dodge Challenger hoves into view. The specifications are varied, but the fact that you can get a V8 is enough.
Porsches are lurking around at most price points, and it is interesting to see that the once not-that-rated 964 Carrera is very much on the up, with an almost no-mile Carrera 4 being offered for £40k. However, a 2011 997 Carrera at £48k is easily the better buy. Then again, a 1990 Carrera 2 at £50,000 makes the previous C4 look suddenly rather cheap. Left-hand drive can do this to the used car buyer: it simply confuses them.
Clearly there are not so many rules when it comes to left-hookers, but at least looking for one is never boring — and we never even touched the Ferrari 360 Modena F1 at just over £50,000.
Otherwise, driving abroad just means being stuck in a traffic jam that has a foreign accent. But own a left-hooker in the UK and at least you can kiss the kerb here at home.
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Chevrolet UK did sell the
It may make sense for continental visits in the SouthEast of England, however in the corners of provincial UK where a trip from home to Dover can be longer than the trip from Calais to a few major European cities.
Do it quick then
Don't expect it to last long...
Don't expect it to last long...