Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 19 February

We would just check that the water pump and timing belt have been replaced in the past few years, there are no signs of rust creeping in around the windows and there is no evidence of damp inside.

Renault Clio Williams, £16,950: Given that you could pay more than £70,000 for a new Mégane RS, prices for the Clio Williams seem palatable. This plucky 145bhp homologation special weighs less than a tonne and has added kerb appeal courtesy of its gold rims and off-centre Naca duct.

Nissan Patrol, £11,695: You could corral your kids, dog and kitchen sink into an old Land Rover or Toyota Land Cruiser, but isn’t that a bit unimaginative? This hardy 1990s Nissan can comfortably carry seven in its ballroom-sized cabin and will laugh in the faces of urban potholes.

Ford Escort RS Cosworth, £44,495: Haven’t the years been kind to the Cossie? Not only are values climbing by the day but also its towering rear wing, flared arches and aggressive intakes still look great. This is a left-hooker but also one of the cleanest on sale, so worth the inconvenience.

Jaguar XJ220, £399,850: It’s no secret that the XJ220 didn’t turn out as originally promised, but that hardly matters. Its twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 will send it past 200mph, it still looks every inch the UFO it did in 1992 and its cabin is plusher than the Ferrari F40’s (it’s all relative…).

What we almost bought this week

Alfa Romeo 33 1.5 TI Veloce: It’s often hard to know whether to go and collect a 1980s Alfa with a trailer or a dustpan, but – assuming the factory-fit Zender bodykit on this sporty 33 isn’t hiding any chronic corrosion – sometimes you get a real peach. This £4999 car’s plucky 1.5-litre four-pot boxer engine should be in fine fettle at 48k miles, and the interior looks minty fresh.

Auction watch

Fiat 500: There are those who argue the historical significance of the Gulf Oil racing livery has been diluted by its inauthentic application on all manner of cars; and those who think it suits just about every vehicle going. Take the original Fiat 500, for example: it never jostled with Ferrari 250s and Porsche 907s at 200mph on the Mulsanne Straight and couldn’t be further removed in its conception from the Ford GT40 that did, but it wears that hallowed blue-and-orange livery remarkably well. Just £9056 bagged this lightly restomodded 1972 example, and the new owner can always paint over the stripe if it proves too controversial…

Future classic

Autozam AZ-1, £13,999: During the 1990s, Mazda’s short-lived Autozam brand specialised in budget-minded kei cars for Japan (and, curiously, briefly served as the official Lancia importer), but it’s perhaps best known today for one of its less successful models. This feisty little gullwinged oddity is the AZ-1: a mid-engined two-seat coupé weighing just 720kg and powered by a buzzy turbocharged 657cc three-cylinder engine producing 63bhp and 63lb ft. Like its Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino contemporaries, it’s a huge amount of fun to drive without risking your licence. Sadly, fewer than 5000 examples were produced and prices for imports are soaring, so many are being tucked away rather than enjoyed. Why not rectify that?

Clash of the classifieds

Brief: How about a cool Korean car for £5000?

Hyundai Coupé, £2695

Hyundai Veloster, £4297

Felix Page: I wanted to offer you a Daewoo Espero or original Ssangyong Musso, but both appear to be extinct. No matter, this nippy little 2+2 Hyundai Coupé is probably conventionally cooler anyway. I’ve gone for the mid-range 2.0-litre motor for tax purposes but held out for a manual gearbox and leather interior. The thinking man’s Audi TT, I’m sure you’ll agree.