8 Awesome 90s Motors You Need To Buy Before Prices Rocket

The 1990s was a fun time to be a petrolhead. Car manufacturers busied themselves with sticking whatever engines they had available into ordinary hatchbacks or developing svelte new bodies for their humbler platforms.

But as time wanders on, these cars have been slowly forgotten and values have fallen. Now their numbers have dwindled and they’ve depreciated as far as they’re going to, it’s a good time to pick one up before they become the 90s version of the Peugeot 205 or BMW E30…

1. Alfa Romeo 145 QV

Alfa’s 145 marked the start of the modern Alfa Romeo brand, with a new platform derived from the Fiat Tipo and a body designed by a young, up-and-coming designer Chris Bangle.

With a 150hp version of the famous Alfa Twin Spark engine strapped in, the QV - or Cloverleaf in the UK - was a proper hot hatch and well worth getting hold of while prices are hovering at the £1000 mark.

2. Citroen Xsara VTS

The Xsara VTS was always in the shadow of its much more lauded twin, the Peugeot 306 GTI. Less popular but mechanically identical? Those are the ingredients of a bargain right there, especially with the Xsara’s rally heritage.

While 306 GTIs are hard to find for sale, you don’t have to hunt to find a Xsara VTS being broken for parts for greedy Peugeot owners. Now’s the time to grab one and restore it to health.

3. Fiat Bravo HGT

Like the Alfa Romeo 145, the Fiat Bravo is based on the Tipo platform, but with the wonderful five-cylinder Fiat Coupe Turbo engine strapped into the nose.

The problem you may have with these, is finding one. They were never exceptionally popular cars anyway, so if you find one, get it snapped up!

4. Mazda MX-3

Like the Puma, the MX-3 was one of those attempts to make a coupe-shaped hatchback out of a more generic two-box car - the Mazda 323 in this case - but Mazda added in a party piece in the shape of a dinky, 1.8-litre V6 engine.

Alongside attracting a lot of praise for the sweet engine, they’re typically Mazda-like to drive. Produced from 1991 through to 1997 they never sold in huge numbers, so although prices are low you’ll have to hunt for a good one or be prepared to spend a lot on restoration!

5. Ford Puma

The Puma was, in essence, a Ford Fiesta in a fancy frock. Famously it took under a year for the car to go from drawing board to production and was launched with one of the coolest car adverts of all time, featuring footage spliced in from the film Bullitt.

Between 1997 and 2001 nearly 50,000 Pumas hit the UK’s roads with a variety of engine choices - the Yamaha-developed 1.7 being the pick - but their big problem was the dreaded tinworm. Even though they’re the newest car here, many examples are now no more than an engine with a block of rust attached.

6. Nissan Almera GTi

The Almera may have been one of the most boring cars in the universe, but with the Primera’s 138hp, 2.0-litre engine - the famous SR20DE - dragging it along, it made for quite a surprising motor.

Unfortunately, the engine means that the Almera GTi has the same problem as the Xsara VTS, in that it’s far more common to find them being broken for the valuable bits than to find them whole and running. If you can get one, they’re likely to rapidly gain value as a result.

7. Renault 19 16v

The Renault’s little brother - the Clio - is a far more famous hot hatch, and that’s what makes the R19 a good bet.

Much like the Peugeot 205 and 309 GTI from the previous decade, the little car gets all the attention while the bigger car uses exactly the same engine - a 133hp 1.8-litre unit - with no less effect. It arguably looks better too, particularly as you could get it in cabriolet form…

8. VW Polo G40

The Polo G40 is an oddity on this list in that it has already started appreciating in value - you could probably buy three other cars here for one G40. Volkswagens do attract a lot of scene tax but, fortunately, it’s affecting the Polo less than more common Vee-dubs.

This makes the G40, with its supercharged 1.3-litre engine, less of a bargain but you’re more likely to find a car in top condition that you can run straight away and keep as a surefire investment!