For the car enthusiast, Christmas is a time of giving to oneself. And what better gift than a quality used car?
To kick off, we've suggested five dream motors with which to indulge yourself, but so friends and family can't accuse you of unseasonal selfishness, we've selected a further 20 cars, arranged across four categories, that should cast you in a more charitable light.
Best dream cars
What the heart wants for Christmas
Aston Martin V12 Vantage S 2013-2018
Price range: £100,000 - £175,000
No doubt this Christmas you will observe, on your TV, an Aston Martin being driven unfeasibly quickly by a chap in black tie. It could be a DB5, a DBS, a Volante... But it won't be a V12 Vantage S, because James Bond never drove one. He should have, though, if only to savour its wondrous engine before Mercedes-AMG V8 power was shoehorned in. Full service history essential.
BMW M3 CSL 2003-2004
Price range: £80,000 - £100,000
One for the heart but one for the head, too, because as a rare but sought-after modern classic the CSL's value is only going one way, as our find proves. What do you get for your money? A car as happy on the track as it is on its way to the shops. Be sure the rear subframe isn't cracked.
Audi R8 GT 2022-2023
Price range: £110,000 - £190,000
Another film likely to inspire feverish searches of the classifieds this Christmas is I, Robot (2004), in which Will Smith, driving Audi's RSQ concept car, evades a swarm of deadly robots. Three years after its release the R8 arrived, first in V8 and then V10 forms, both four-wheel drive. However, the one dreams are made of is the rear-drive V10 GT of 2022.
Porsche 911 Dakar 2023-
Price range: £190,000 - £250,000
The things that make the Dakar an off-road 911-long-travel suspension and less grip than other versions - are also what make it a comfortable and surprisingly entertaining sports car. True, it's noisy and the handling is a little blunted, but as a means of escaping the Dancing on Ice Christmas Special, little comes close.
Ford Mustang Bullitt 2019-2020
Price range: £35,000 - £45,000
Hollywood is ripe for car-buying inspiration, and having watched Frank Bullitt give chase through San Francisco, who hasn't lusted after a '68 Mustang GT Fastback? You'll pay around £60,000 for one today. Take the plunge but save it for fun runs, then for your daily driver blow £40k on its modern equivalent, the sixth-gen 5.0 Bullitt special. Beware worn front suspension.
Best MPVs
Something to carry the relatives
Dacia Jogger 2021-
Price range: £10,000 - £15,000
Passengers adopting the crash position will point out that this value-for-money MPV was awarded a measly one-star safety rating by Euro NCAP. They're right, but it was because it lacks some electronic safety systems, including a seatbelt reminder for the third row of seats. Otherwise, it scored four stars for adult occupant and three for child occupant protection-two areas that actually are crash tested. Check interior trim is holding up.
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All this suggests the need to spend an awful lot of money! Why not have some fun with what you already own and go for a long drive or book a track day event?
Yeah I kind of agree, I bought an M3 about 18yrs ago,always wanted one, I had it six months or so and decided to move it on because of tyre punctures, I had two in succession and at the time a Trye for the M3 cost about£300.00 a corner,so I couldn't afford this because low profile tyres punctures quite easily because the sidewalls are so then even a sharp stone would do it, I did enjoy the car, it taught how to be a more thoughtful driver and not drive like a loon..all the time.