Fun for all wages: Bag a bargain sports car this spring

We all love a bargain, but what exactly is a bargain? According to the dictionary, it's something that costs less than its true value. It's difficult to imagine the motor trade offering anything for less than its true value, but nevertheless we reckon we've mustered 25 used performance cars that cost less than you might have expected. Of course, the risk with such an exercise is confusing 'bargain' with 'cheap'. There are plenty of fast cars for sale at cheap prices, but they're usually undesirable, being very old, very tatty, extremely leggy and probably all three. We hope you agree the cars we've singled out are better than that. New car prices may be up in the clouds, but used ones like these are firmly on the ground. Porsche Cayman S Price: £10,000-£30,000 A Porsche Cayman coupé with a mid-mounted, naturally aspirated flat-six engine, below-average mileage and a full Porsche service history for a little over £10,000: there's no doubt about it, you can find a bargain. The first-generation (987) Cayman is a raw thing: lively at the wheel and offering tremendous feedback. Like the contemporaneous 986-generation 911, a few early cars suffered intermediate shaft issues but most sellers flag if their car was one of them and has been rectified. Ferrari 360 F1 Price: £43,000-£80,000 A 'bargain Ferrari 360' is surely a contradiction in terms, but they have always existed, and the best right now is the 360. Immaculate manuals in Rosso Red still command £75k, but at £45k there are plenty of nice, well-specced F1 autos in lesser shades with solid histories. It's surprising, given the 360 represented a huge leap forward in terms of tech, build quality, reliability and relative ease of ownership - plus it looks sensational and is thrilling to drive. The answer probably lies in the sheer number built: some 16,300. Porsche 911 Carrera Price: £9000-£25,000 Prices for this firm favourite with bargain hunters are beginning to climb, but there are still tidy examples to be had for reasonable amounts. Condition and provenance trump mileage, and beware anything too cheap because recommissioning expenses will turn your hair white. The 996 was the first liquid-cooled Porsche 911, of course - the one with the divisive 'fried egg' headlights. It shared some major parts with the then new Boxster but not enough that its defining qualities were diluted. Some cars with the early 3.4-litre engine and its 3.6-litre successor suffered problems including failure of the rear main seal and intermediate shaft bearing, plus issues including bore scoring. Happily, there are tried-and-trusted fixes. Nissan 350Z Price: £3000-£25,000 Few 20-year-old Z cars have avoided the attentions of boy racers, which is a real shame when they were such fantastically fun toys straight out of the factory. But cherished and unmolested cars do exist: we found one whose owner has treated it to a new clutch, brake discs and pads, plugs and coil packs and new rear bodywork when rust struck. Talking of which, a common problem is corrosion of the transmission brace, shaped like a W; better-quality replacements are available. Porsche Boxster S Price: £6000-£25,000 Sister car to the 987 Cayman, the second-generation Porsche Boxster is slightly less focused but still enormous fun and brings the added appeal of roof-down motoring. No Porsche is cheap to own and many optimists have fallen for a cut-price Boxster only to have their fingers burned, so buy the best you can afford, checking for smooth operation of the fabric hood and gearbox, oil leaks from the rear main seal and that the electrics are trouble-free. Volkswagen Golf R Price: £8500-£28,000 Anyone who has flip-flopped between buying a Mk7 Volkswagen Golf GTI Performance or an R will know the latter is a relative bargain in comparison. At launch in 2014, Volkswagen pushed the Golf R hard. The result is that today, like for like, a 2014-reg R commands a premium of only around £2000 over the GTI Performance. In 2017, both models, by then identified as facelifted Mk7.5s, gained extra power, but this has only served to narrow the price gap to around £1000. Check the gearbox oil changes have been done. BMW M135i Price: £7000-£19,000 The M135i isn't an M car in the purest sense; more like a punchier M Sport model. No matter: it only means this six-cylinder hatch is more affordable while offering more than a touch of M thrills. We found a rare manual; the quicker-shifting auto is a bit faster but we will trade that for greater engagement. Look for rust and overspray and check all features work. Ford Fiesta ST Price: £6000-£21,000 Quick, sure-footed and with 197bhp from its 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine, the tiddler in our selection is no less fun than the mightiest and, in the right hands, a lot more. When it was withdrawn in 2023, the ST-3 version (18in alloys, auto headlights, heated seats) was knocking on the door of £27k. Low-mileage 2023 cars still cost around £20k today. Beware cheap tyres, poor repairs and loose trim. BMW M240i Price: £12,000-£25,000 Like the M135i hatchback, the M240i isn't a full-fat M car but is thoroughly entertaining. A brand-new, current-generation M240i will set you back around £50,000. This 3 Series-based coupé is more rounded and better equipped than its 1 Series-based rear-drive predecessor featured here. However, this car is almost as quick and has the same 3.0-litre straight-six engine, albeit in slightly less powerful form. We found a low-mileage example at a shade under; a shoo-in. Check for coolant leaks and sensor issues and with automatics ensure the gearbox has been given fresh fluid. Maserati Granturismo S Price: £16,000-£30,000 Its exhaust note alone is sufficient reason to consider £19,500 a price worth paying, but in addition there's the 4.7-litre V8 engine's performance to enjoy and the car's looks to savour, not to mention levels of handling and ride comfort that are impressively high. It's all right for us, of course, because we're not buying one and we won't have to pay the running costs (18mpg at best), but we can dream. Look for oil and coolant leaks and a saggy roof lining and try to get one with the optional Skyhook suspension. Jaguar F-Type V6 Price: £17,500-£40,000 Less than £20,000 for one of the world's prettiest performance cars? That will do us. The V6 sits between the 2.0-litre four (the best-handling F-Type of the lot and good value at £20k) and the various mighty 5.0-litre V8s (prices now from £25k). The S version adds a mechanical limited-slip differential and launch control plus a useful 40bhp (up from the standard 335bhp), although torque-wise there's little between them. Beware a leaky rear diff, split suspension bushes, wayward panel gaps and a tired battery. Aston Martin V8 Vantage Price: £17,000-£70,000 A DB7, a DB9 or a V8 Vantage? That's the choice facing the aspiring Aston Martin owner with £19,000 in the bank. The Vantage is the sensible choice, but you will have to settle for an older, higher-mileage example (fine if it has a franchised or specialist service history) and the 4.3-litre engine rather than the 4.7-litre unit of 2008. The Vantage was usefully improved through its life but young or old it looks every inch an Aston. Beware irregular servicing, worn suspension and a decaying interior. BMW M3 Price: £19,000-£40,000 M3s hold their value well: many older examples still command prices of £15,000 and more. With prices starting at £19k, the F80-generation saloon isn't exactly cheap, either, but the earliest are only 12 years old and their mileages are still reasonable. Consider that these cost around £55k new and one such as our find begins to look like value. In M3 terms it's not best of breed, but with 425bhp from its twin-turbo straight six it's still thrilling to drive. Note that sunroof-equipped cars have a steel roof rather than one made of lighter carbonfibre-reinforced plastic. On pre-2015 cars, check if the crank hub has been upgraded - a good thing. Jaguar I-Pace Price: £9000-£19,000 I-Pace prices are low for a reason: poor reliability. Many owners complain of issues ranging from charging system and battery management faults to frozen infotainment screens and air suspension gremlins. The I-Pace is an old car now too. On the flipside, when it behaves itself - and there are many owners who will swear to having experienced zero problems - an I-Pace is a cracking electric car, offering a good range (around 260 miles in the real world), strong performance (395bhp) for 0-62mph in 4.5sec and excellent handling. Its roomy interior looks and feels premium too. Maserati Ghibli V6 Price: £9000-£35,000 In new car comparison tests, the Ghibli invariably lost out to the BMW 5 Series, but testers always acknowledged the Italian saloon's character and rarity. The same still applies, only used Ghiblis are now temptingly cheaper. We found an early V6 S (which was £64k new), whose twin-turbocharged petrol engine, assembled by Ferrari, puts out 399bhp for 0-62mph in just 5.0sec. Rear-wheel drive, a limited-slip differential and quad exhausts complete the package. Check the sensors and driving modes and look to see that the interior is holding up. Jaguar XFR Price: £7000-£16,000 With its E5-guzzling 5.0-litre V8, a good XFR can still post 0-62mph in 4.7sec, but more impressive is that Autocar's testers awarded this hot saloon their full five stars. They said: "On one hand it plays the role of refined mile-eater at least as well as any luxury car, and on the other it has sufficient raw dynamic ability to drop a BMW M5 in a heartbeat." Beware fuel and coolant leaks, timing chain noises and worn rear suspension. Tesla Model 3 Price: £9000-£22,000 Successive new car price cuts have forced down prices of used Model 3s while the cars themselves have remained reliable, good to drive, well equipped and easy to rapid-charge. The Long Range version has a 350-mile range, but most buyers should be comfortable with a Standard Range Plus's 250. Insist on a battery health report, watch out for creaky front suspension and poor panel fit and check the parking brake releases and engages. BMW M5 Price: £14,500-£26,000 Like the F80 M3, the F10-generation M5 followed a more glamorous predecessor, in its case the howling V10-engined E60 of 2004-10. Prices for that model presently start at around £18k and rise to as much as £50k. They make this twin-turbo V8-powered F10 look surprisingly like value for money. Its engine is more reliable, powerful and torquier too. And it goes without saying that it's similarly thrilling to drive. A new F10 cost around £75,000 but most were specced to £100,000. Check the oil level, coolant pipes and differential mounts. Skoda Octavia VRS Price: £7000-£20,000 With the muscular 'EA888' in its nose (making 217bhp, 227bhp or 242bhp, depending on age), the sporty Octavia is a compelling alternative to VW's Golf GTI. What it lacks in image and perceived quality it makes up for with a roomier cabin and lower prices: a 2019 GTI Performance with 35k miles is around £23k. Even well-maintained starship-milers are worth your money. Kia EV6 GT Price: £26,000-£35,000 About to buy a 2023 Porsche Taycan GTS? Stop: the original Kia EV6 GT is just as quick yet costs half as much. Okay, so it lacks the Porsche badge, some range and that final dollop of handling finesse, but you will be laughing too much to care. Also, Kias of whatever persuasion are impressively reliable and cheaper to own. Get a battery health certificate and check the tyres are EV-spec. Porsche Macan Diesel S Price: £13,000-£25,000 At launch, the V6-engined Macan Diesel S was the star of the range. With 254bhp and 427lb ft on tap it gave little ground to the petrol V6 but with a light foot would return around 45mpg. Today, a well-maintained example should perform equally as well. Given the Macan's strong image, a good 10-year-old example (our find has a full Porsche service history) with a modest mileage looks like value. Check for particulate issues, timely PDK gearbox fluid changes and PCM infotainment glitches. Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Price: £15,000-£23,000 You can have a W204-generation C63 in saloon, coupé or estate form. The estate is our choice partly because we know of an example that continues to delight its owner. A former Mercedes-Benz World track car bought in 2011, after 15 years and 100,000 miles it's still capable of racing away with a demonic roar one moment and quietly ferrying kids to school the next. Beware irregular gearbox fluid changes, a noisy timing chain, cracked wheels and worn front control arms. Audi SQ7 TDI Price: £21,000-£50,000 Big diesel SUVs will soon be a thing of the past, but there's still time to bag one of the most outrageous. With as much torque as the LaFerrari (664lb ft), this SQ7 makes light work of its 2400kg kerb weight, sprinting from 0-62mph in just 4.8sec, yet in careful hands can return 39mpg. All very well, but is it a bargain? In 2016, a new one cost around £70k or up to £80k with options. With almost 80,000 miles under its 21in wheels, our find is around 65% cheaper. There will always be a market for its badge, space, pulling power and economy, so with a full service history and a thorough pre-purchase inspection, it looks a handy buy. Skoda Superb 2.0 TSI 280 4x4 Price: £11,000-£35,000 Q cars don't get much more Q than this big Skoda. Its 2.0-litre turbo four can muster 276bhp for 0-62mph in 5.6sec-or slightly slower if its huge 1950-litre boot is brimmed. Add a smooth-shifting dual-clutch gearbox and, in Laurin & Klement trim, features including heated front and rear seats, and our find with a full Skoda history looks a snip. Check for timely Haldex and transmission fluid changes, smooth 4WD operation and AEB glitches. BMW 530D Price: £4500-£20,000 The 530d is ULEZ-friendly, yet is powered by a 3.0-litre straight six making 254bhp and almost 400lb ft. So muscled, the F11 BMW 5 Series takes less than 6.0sec to go from 0-62mph yet under a light foot will return 50mpg. It still has a fabulous image among those who know, making our £8995 find a decent buy. Beware a sticky turbo wastegate, jerky gearchanges and worn brakes.

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Fun for all wages: Bag a bargain sports car this spring

Factory-fresh performance is the preserve of the wealthy, but the used market is full of affordable diamonds

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Fun for all wages: Bag a bargain sports car this spring

Factory-fresh performance is the preserve of the wealthy, but the used market is full of affordable diamonds

More from Autocar

Top 10s

Latest car reviews

Top manufacturers

Quick search

We recommend

Legal bits

About Autocar