The New York International Auto Show was chockablock with all the glamour, glitz and gilding you'd expect from a show staged in The Big Apple.
But you know the best thing about any auto show? The concepts. Indeed, in New York, the grand Lincoln Continental was among a handful of these one-off, tangible dreams bowing in Manhattan. Lincoln officials say the car that will see production next year will be close to what was on the stand in New York.
That doesn't happen often; while a concept may show the direction of a car maker's styling, it's usually done so with a wild imagination that doesn't translate well to a production car. But sometimes, the buying public is happily rewarded with a vehicle that retains much of the style of the concept.
We'll look at a few of the more recent concept-to-reality vehicles available on the used-car market; as precious few of us can afford a Ford GT or a Lexus LF-A, let's stick to those for less than $15,000.
Sensible
At the 1994 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Volkswagen shocked the world with its Concept One, a modern take on its iconic Beetle, which by then was only being built for Mexican and South American markets. Public demand for the new Bug was so great that VW just couldn't say no, and the New Beetle went into production in 1997, based on a Golf platform and retaining the round, bubbly shape of the concept. Today, you can find models from about $5,000 and up for one in decent shape. Reliability was reasonable though not stellar, and power, ride and handling weren't exactly scintillating, but styling is the main reason for owning this ride. Recalls were varied depending on the year but nothing major.
Toyota also mined its own history with the FJ Cruiser concept at the 2003 Detroit show, loosely based on its classic and rugged FJ40 off-roader that ended production in 1984. The FJ looked like a Tonka toy and, again, because of public support, Toyota put it into production a couple of years later, true to the concept's design. It has proven to be a rugged and capable off-roader, though at the expense of its on-road demeanour. A 4.0-litre V-6 gained power through the years, from an original 239 horsepower up to 260 horsepower, depending on which one you can find. At this price, it will be an early one, as our $15,000 budget is as cheap as these come on the used market. But it's been reliable, with its only major recalls being for Bridgestone tires on the 2007 models and a faulty seat-belt retractor on a few model years. The FJ Cruiser was discontinued last year.
Indispensable
The 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show was the perfect backdrop for the debut of the Bauhaus-inspired Audi TT. Its bulbous curves were like nothing on the road, and Audi put it on the road in 1998. First offered as a hard-top, a soft-top roadster was offered a year later. The TT was redesigned in 2006 with more hard angles and as a hatchback, but it's this first version that is sure to be a future classic. With a base 1.8-litre four-cylinder under the hood and front-wheel drive, its performance wasn't up to par with other German sports cars but, like the Beetle, the TT's unique styling was the draw. Quattro all-wheel drive and a 3.2-litre V-6 with added power were available. You can find these first-edition TTs starting at about $6,000, though be wary of the mileage and condition. Depending on the year and model, recalls included faulty fuel lines, a defective water pump, rear control arms and front stabilizers.
Questionable
Here's a car that's affordable, with early versions going for about $3,000. But when we're talking about the Pontiac Aztek, there really is no bargain. The buzzword for ugly, the production Aztek borrowed heavily from its concept that debuted in 1999 in Detroit. That car, which was still ugly, was better looking than the production version. It hit showroom floors in 2001 and, thankfully, was discontinued after 2005.
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