As Prince Harry announces his engagement to his actress girlfriend Meghan Markle, discussion in the MR office naturally turned to how much the big wedding of 2018 will cost. And, naturally, that turned into a discussion about all the cars young Harry could buy instead of putting a ring on it.
Now, in an attempt to keep things real life, we’ve hit Auto Trader with the average budget spent on a wedding in the UK. That figure is, brace yourself, a whopping £27,161. So what did we fish out?
Volkswagen Golf Clipper
Price: £2,400
Cash remaining: £24,761
If we were to divvy up that fund equally, it’d equate to £2,716.10 per car. We’re not going to stick strictly to that, but we’re starting slightly under budget. November is a great time to buy a convertible, as everyone’s saving for Christmas and no one wants to splash out on a soft-top in winter. This Volkswagen Golf Clipper caught our eye as a future classic, and it’s utterly classless. A bit of TLC and we could totally imagine the future princess pulling up a Kensington Palace in it.
Mercedes-Benz W124
Price: £2,995
Cash remaining: £21,766
This one’s over budget, but it could actually be used as a wedding car. Rent it out and earn some cash towards its keep. It’s not exactly clear what this W124 has been used for, but we’d hazard guess that it’s been abroad -– a foreign-looking number plate in the boot is a giveaway, as is the lack of any MOT history. We count six seats, meaning it’s futureproof if children are on the horizon.
Range Rover
Price: £2,750
Cash remaining: £19,016
Proof that you can live like a prince on a pauper’s budget? Range Rover Classics are now firmly in the upward curve of appreciation, but admittedly this looks like it could take a little work to turn it into a minter. The seller describes the chassis as ‘perfect’, which is a good start, and the thirsty V8 petrol engine has been replaced with a diesel to help fuel economy.
MGB GT
Price: £2,750
Cash remaining: £16,266
The go-faster stripes make this MGB, in our opinion. Described as a “local Devon car”, presumably for local Devon people, it’s has a full length Webasto roof – perfect for standing up through and waving to your friends and family as you head off on your honeymoon.
Austin Metro
Price: £2,750
Cash remaining: £13,516
Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, drove an Austin Metro when she first started courting Prince Charles in the early 80s. And if it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for us. This one looks positively royal in its gold metallic paint, while a tweed interior adds a touch of class.
Mercedes-Benz S500
Price: £1,500
Cash remaining: £12,016
Our cars have been unintentionally getting older while the budget has been slowly creeping up. So we’re heading down to earth for a minute, with a 1999 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Its 5.0-litre V8 engine means it won’t be the most frugal (officially it returns 21.1mpg), while we’d hate to see the repair costs if and when it goes wrong. But it’s got massage seats, and that’s cool – right?
Porsche Boxster
Price: £3,490
Cash remaining: £8,526
Oops, there goes the budget again. But for reasons previously discussed, now’s a brilliant time to buy a convertible. And we’re big fans of the Porsche Boxster, even if some will accuse you of not being able to afford a 911. Do your research first, a 142,000-mile Boxster has potential to sting you. Not as much as a divorce, though.
Mini One
Price: £1,299
Cash remaining: £7,227
Do things get more British than a red Mini with a faded Union Jack roof? This would fill the role of the sensible urban runaround in our bachelor-life fleet. The original Mini is not only great to drive, but also a definite future classic in our books. You’ll just have to get used to “it’s not a proper Mini” jibes.
Ford Focus ST
Price: £6,995
Cash remaining: £232
We’re in danger of ending under budget, so let’s splash out on a five-cylinder hot hatch bargain. This 2007 Focus ST is finished in our favourite colour, Electric Orange, and it’s been converted to LPG which makes it a very sensible purchase. It looks tidier than most cars featured here, as you’d expect for the price. Oh…
Subaru Impreza
Price: £250
Cash remaining: -£18
Things were going so well and then we had to go buy an orange Focus ST. Oh well. Who hasn’t dreamt of owning a Subaru Impreza? This is a humble 2.0-litre GX, not quite a rally car, especially as the seller explains that the engine doesn’t start and he “don’t know why”. Better than an unwanted crockery set though, right?
