W hilewe all love classic cars, we all know that the winter isn’t the nicest period through which to run one. Corrosion can run riot, the heater might not be good enough and the demister might not demist. There are reasons why so many of us have a modern car for winter, even if we drive classics daily in summer.
But it doesn’t have to be that way – as the 11 choices we’ve made below all show. Regardless of your chosen era, there’s a classic suitable for winter use provided you buy well and make sure to stay on top of its foibles. Tempted? Read on…
VW GOLF MK2
It might be an obvious choice, but the Volkswagen Golf Mk2 has become an everyday classic favourite for the simple reason that it’s a good one. We’d avoid the GTI models simply because they’re more expensive, and look instead for something like a nice CL or Driver model. A Golf will be austere, but well built and reliable transport comes at a price, and in this case that price is the likely lack of power steering, electric windows and other modern niceties.
Mechanical issues needn’t worry you; the engines and gearboxes are quite hardy and spares are available from myriad VW specialists – instead, check the lower extremities of the body for corrosion. If you want a Golf but you want better value, consider a Jetta – the Golf’s rarer booted sibling. Specification levels will
