Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 17 August

Peugeot 106 GTi, £2995:

Boot it; flick it; catch it: the 106 GTi was a tiny and lightweight hoot, beautifully balanced in its chassis and blessed with a 120bhp DOHC 16-valve 1.6-litre engine up front. It’s rare now, and still overlooked in favour of the larger 205 and 306 GTis, but this one’s a bit of a steal.

Honda Legend, £5800:

A Legend by name but, alas, not quite by reputation. That's a pity, because under its so-so exterior styling is a lot of high-tech goodness, including a typically lovely Honda 3.5-litre V6 and a remarkably clever four-wheel-drive system. Today, it makes for an intelligent and reliable used buy.

TVR 350i, £5495:

You won’t need a lot of wedge to buy this wedge. When it comes to pure hairy-chested and slightly brutish fun, TVR is without peer. A 3.5-litre V8, unassisted steering and a glass-reinforced plastic body and, as a bonus, 0-60mph in 6.9sec. All this and the wind in your hair, too.

AUCTION WATCH

Jaguar XJS - Jaguar fanciers will kick themselves for having missed out on this XJS, sold at auction recently for just £2544. This one dates from 1992, so it’s one of the later cars in the XJS’s long and rather chequered history. Although not the stately V12, its 245bhp 4.0-litre inline six offers turbine smoothness and graceful delivery.

Of course, buying an old Jag requires a leap of faith and a great deal of money, but this car comes with a substantial back catalogue of MOTs (plus a current one) and a warranted mileage of 160,000, and it has been in the same hands since 2002.

GET IT WHILE YOU CAN:

Renault MeÃgane RS - Price new £28,995, price now £16,995 - The new Renault Sport MeÃgane is a very fancy piece of work indeed, with a 276bhp engine and four-wheel steering to make it more agile than ever in the corners. However, those with less dosh to burn might like to consider a 2017 version of the old model, itself no mean performer. What you’ll get is arguably a better-looking three-door car (the new one is a five-door hatch only) with pretty similar performance for around £12,000 less.

CLASH OF THE CLASSIFIEDS:

Brief: Gentlemen, the warmer weather has prompted me to desire a fun convertible car. Maximum spend £10,000, please.

Honda S2000, £9950:

This tidy Honda has covered only 46,000 miles and comes with plenty of history and a clean MOT. In other words, it’ll cope with a B-road thrash, no sweat. So sit back and imagine yourself with the hood down, revelling in its 9000rpm redline and outstanding rear-wheel-drive chassis. It’s a much more agreeable convertible than Alex’s front-wheel-drive Lotus, I think you’ll find... MAX ADAMS

Lotus Elan, £6995: