If you’re buying...

If you’re buying a classic car and don’t want to spend your weekends clutching the spanners, you need to get a good one. And for little more than ?3,000 you can buy a mint Fiat 500. For your money you’ll have one of the cutest cars ever made and a motoring legend all of your own.

Buy soon, and you’re also sure to enjoy a healthy dose of financial

appreciation as everyone else realises where the all-new model – due here this autumn – gets its cheeky retro looks.

Okay, so you won’t break any speed records, but think of the benefits of having a tiny two-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine at the back! There’s no risk of speeding tickets, combined with minute insurance premiums and more street cred than you can imagine. Run­ning costs will be low, too, and with an air-cooled engine, buying and looking after an old car is rarely this simple.

Admittedly, you’ll struggle to use one as daily transport, and the rear seats are cramped to say the least, but this adds to the charm. Most collectable are the sporty Abarth versions, which feature uprated suspension, flared wheelarches and a bigger 594cc engine. They arrived in 1963 and fetch serious money.

If you’ve got a modest budget, the standard cars have enough charisma to make them fun summer transport – just don’t expect to enjoy many long motorway jaunts on your travels.