Rockstarlet

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People argue all the time over how old a car needs to be before becoming a classic. But a simple rule could be that it’s any car that needs a WOF every six months, which just happens to be 25 years and older. It may make some readers feel positively ancient, but this 1999 Toyota Starlet Glanza S is considered a classic under the rule that I just made up, and you can buy it right now. Read on...

The only real downsides to owning this Starlet are the aforementioned 6 monthly warrants, and the safety features, or lack thereof. But on the plus side, it’s manual, cheap to insure, very low kms, lightweight and very reliable (for its age). There are “more classic” Starlets you can buy but the final EP91 version may be the easiest to live with – less rust, parts availability etc.

This car is a 1999 Starlet Glanza S. The Glanza was the sporty variant and the “S” is the non-turbo version. The 1.3l engine produces 84hp and the car weighs a mere 840kg. That may not sound all that exciting, but you have to remember that cars today can only dream of being that light (the Toyota Yaris comes in at 250kg heavier) and as a result what the Starlet loses in power it makes up in agility.

This particular Starlet has covered just 52,750kms in its 25 years of service, and the condition tends to back this up. It has a 5 speed manual gearbox, AC, a basic stereo and a drivers airbag. So if you were still smarting over my assertion that this is a classic, just compare its features to a modern car. This is motoring from a past generation with simpler technology, a car you can fix yourself. A classic, and an affordable one you could use everyday.

This Starlet is available now at Turners Penrose for $6990. More details here.