This week our trawl through the classifieds is focused on bringing the maximum amount of bang for the minimum amount of buck.
The ‘E39’ BMW M5 is a genuine all-rounder, combining supercar performance with saloon versatility. Values have been falling hard recently, and although bad ones can quickly turn into money pits, we reckon it’s worth taking a punt on this 2000 X-reg example, selling for £9000 with 87K on the odo. The price includes xenon headlights and sat-nav.
Something more modern? Well if you can afford the fuel bills then the Vauxhall Monaro is a storming buy. Picking the 5.7-litre V8 version means that you have to make do with ‘only’ 349bhp, compared to the VXR’s 400bhp, but depreciation has really got its teeth into the big Vauxhall and we managed to find this 05-plate minter with just 38,000 miles showing for £10,995.
There are lots of AMG Mercs out there and earlier, less fashionable examples are getting attractively cheap. The C32 AMG uses a supercharged V6 engine instead of the later V8 power, but it’s still got 354bhp, and we dug out this 52-plate example with 58,000 miles for £11,000.
The Jaguar S-Type always struggled to be taken seriously as a rival to the 5-series and E-class, with the upshot that secondhand versions are becoming exceptionally keen buys. The supercharged ‘R’ version uses the same 4.2-litre V8 and transmission as the XKR, with the blower delivering massive performance. Not only is it more discreet than an AMG E-class or M5, it’s massively cheaper, too – this 03-reg example is on offer for £10,000, with just 60,000 miles showing and a full history.
Getting slightly silly now – how about a Bentley? A bit of digging unearthed this 1993 K-reg Bentley Turbo R for just £10,000. it’s done 102,000, but that comes backed with a fully-stamped service history - and all the toys still work.