Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 31 May

Jaguar XJR 4.0, 5195: Old X300s are coming into fashion and this 1995 N-reg XJR with its magnificent supercharged 4.0-litre straight six is just the job. It’s the auto version but the GM ’box is tough. It’s done a reasonable 90,000 miles but the service history looks patchy.

Audi A5 1.8 TFSI Sport, £3649: Everyone homes in on the diesels but this 1.8 TFSI petrol is a more interesting buy. It’s done 144,000 miles but has full service history and it’s an Audi so probably feels newerthan most new cars. No scratches or dents and it’ll do 0-62mph in 8.4sec.

Land Rover Discovery 2.5 TD5, £1590: If you’ve a job for an old Disco, it might pay to be brave and take the plunge. This 132,000-mile, 2004 Pursuitspec car has full service history. The owner has off-roaded it but says it’s been rust protected and pictures of the underside show it’s graunch-free.

Auction watch

Lotus Esprit Turbo: ‘Morris Marina door locks’ was the fact most quoted about the Esprit Turbo. No matter – after a spin up the road in one, its knobs were the last thing on your mind. Hethel’s supercar still looks an eyeful and this 1985 example is a stunner. It’s a left-hooker imported from the US but that just means you’ll have a ready market on the continent if you ever want to move it on. This car has done only 47,000 miles and has had £18,500 lavished on it – including a full engine rebuild – taking it to the next level. It sold for just £23,310.

Get it while you can

BMW 640d M Sport Gran Coupé, Price new £69,345, Price now £31,500: BMW’s big sports barge slipped its moorings last autumn. Now, if you want a Six, BMW only offers the GT, although it is all new. Meanwhile, the 8 Series Gran Coupé comes out this autumn. But back to the 6 Series GC. You can’t buy a new one but there are some late-platers around including the 2018/18-reg 640d we found. The private-sale car has done 7000 miles and, given it has had two owners, sounds like it was a heavily discounted pre-reg model. 

Clash of the classifieds

Brief: Find me a hard-charging V8 for £15,000, but please play nicely.

BMW M5 'E39', £13,995: If ever there were a car to make enthusiasts frothy, it would be the ‘E39’ M5. Not only does it have a fantastic 400-horsepower V8 engine but the best styling out of all the M5s produced so far, brilliant handling and a wholesome manual gearbox to give your legs a workout. This one may have had a few owners, but they’ve all been careful custodians because the service history is full of BMW rubber stamps. In other words, it’ll still be fit enough to take on any V8 upstart you care to throw at it. Max Adams