“If you have been looking to acquire an NSX on a realistic budget, this is the cheapest, best-value NSX available today.” The seller’s words and not ours. It’s some claim, but there’s no arguing with that price. Honda NSX, £30,000: There’s a sting in the tail, of course. The 1991-reg car has done 180,000 miles but, rather than go cold, think positively. Such a mileage proves an NSX is that rare thing: a supercar you can drive every day, rain or shine, without it going pop or costing a fortune in bills. It would be a flimsy theory but for the fact that, on the sales website we visited, we counted three NSXs with over 100,000 miles and 11 with over 50,000. They’re tough cars and, more to the point, their owners love driving them. So, having been bitten, what should we look for when sizing up this particular NSX? It helps it’s being sold by an NSX specialist who claims it’s passed its MOT with no advisories, that the engine oil pressure is normal and that the transmission is in rude health. Still, you can never be too careful, so we’d check valve cover gaskets, rear cam plug seals and the VTEC solenoids for oil leaks and that the VTEC system itself operates smoothly. We’d want to know when the belts were changed, too. Given those miles, we’d have a squint at the tyres looking for irregular wear that might point to alignment issues, and want to be sure that bushes, ball joints and bearings show no signs of track-day abuse. The NSX’s aluminium body is a devil to repair so we’d be on high alert for wonky panel gaps, filler and nonfactory panel seams. Fingers crossed it’s sound because good, affordable NSXs are rare. This 1994-reg 306 has done 67,000 miles and has full service history. The one-owner car is totally original and has the factory-fit sports seats and a glass sunroof. The price looksa little stiff but we’ve a good feeling about tidy old 1990s motors… 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. 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.  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 ‘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’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 Do you come from a land down under? Do I ’eck. If you’ve never driven a VXR8, your mind will already be made up: it’s uncouth, unseemly and unlikely to sway you away from an M5. If you’ve driven one, though, you’ll be forever smitten. It’s large, uncomplicated and gloriously quick, and can play the rapid cruiser or the utter hooligan with equal ease. That 6.0-litre V8 pumps out 414bhp, so think 0-60mph in five seconds. This well-kept example’s a peach, with a low mileage and a full history. Ripper, mate. Mark Pearson Verdict: The head says M5 but the heart yearns for a bit of rough-and-ready charm. The VXR it is. John
Origin: Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 31 May

With its swollen haunches and smarter back end, the refreshed Z3 of 2000 looked the business. BMW Z3 2.2, £4995: The 146bhp 2.0-litre six survived the facelift but had been replaced within a year by the 168bhp 2.2. It was one of these, a 2002-reg Sport manual with 62,000 miles, that caught our eye. Finished in classic Estoril Blue with black leather and riding on bright BBS alloy wheels, it’s offered with the rare removable hard-top, although that does mean we’d need to find a safe place to store it. Still, ’tis a small detail. What isn’t is the lack of information concerning the car’s number of previous owners as well as its service history. Cross that bridge etc. While we’re preparing to do that, we’ll recall a few checks pertinent to it and other Z3s. They include looking for problems with the camshaft position sensor on the Vanos variable valve timing system, and listening for a rattly dual-mass flywheel and for gentle tapping on start-up (which fresh oil should cure). Turning to the gearbox, we’ll feel for clutch drag and check the rear differential mount isn’t about to give way. While poking about there, we’ll check the fuel tank for damage. On the test drive, we’ll listen out for rattly drop links and rear suspension top mounts and feel for rumbly front lower ball joints. Our find looks neat but tin worm can break out on the door bottoms. Inside, stray warning lights and a worn driver’s seat bolster will be on our radar. All well and good but that service history is an issue. We want evidence of 6000-mile oil changes, of fresh plugs, transmission and diff oil at 18,000, and of fresh brake  fluid every two years – or its yours. Here’s a handsome load-lugger and a welcome change from all the porky SUVs rolling around. We found this 2017/67-reg SRi Nav 2.0 Turbo D with full Vauxhall service history. It’s done 50,000 miles but they were probably motorway ones – the best ones of all.   The Focus CC of 2006-11 was one of the better-looking mainstream coupé-cabriolets but went by largely unnoticed. Now they’re popping up at tempting prices. How about this smart 2008-reg 1.6 with 85,000 miles and full Ford service history? Who knows: perhaps we’re looking at a future classic. With its three-door crossover styling, the Paceman – related to the Countryman – lasted just four years (2012-16). We spotteda 2014-reg Cooper with 62,000 miles and just one owner. Here’s that unusual thing: a rare A4. It’s a special from 2005 made to mark Audi’s success in German touring car racing. It has carbonfibre trims, a larger exhaust, lowered suspension and 217bhp. Our 98,000-mile one is tidy but the service book’s missing… Auction watch Old SECs never die: they just become even more distinguished. That, at any rate, is what one brave bidder must have believed when he scooped this 1990 5.0 V8 for £6660. Brave? In fact, it only had 114,000 miles on the clock and was, according to the auction house that presented it, in three-star condition (out of five, by the way). In simple terms, that means it had some history and looked and drove perfectly well. Built in 1981-1991, SECs aren’t uncommon, which means more choice and a wider price range for canny buyers.  Get it while you can Autocar recently reported the death of the Golf R manual. Time, then, to bag a nearly new one before they’ve gone. We found a 2018/68-reg with 1500 miles at a Volkswagen dealer for £29,000. The manual shift is a slick affair, so shame on us Brits for preferring the auto. You can be sure that future generations will regard the few remaining stick-shift Rs differently and pay top money for the best. Hang on to the one we found and you may just cash in later down the line.  Clash of the classifieds Brief: Find me a cool cabrio for £10k, please. Mercedes-Benz SL500, £9950: There’s nothing cooler than cruising along in a classy convertible with the wind blowing through your hair – and, for many decades, the smartest-looking convertible has beenthe Mercedes SL. The one I’ve chosen is a 1996 SL500 with the desirable M119 5.0 V8 engine. The car still has its original hard-top and stand, and comes with a full service history. What’s more, there’s some investment potential with this SL because prices are beginning to firm up as people realise how good these things are.  Max Adams Honda S2000, £9995: You want a really cool drop-top? The S2000 is a perfectly balanced, rear-wheel-drive two-seater of prodigious performance and low polar moments. At its heart is a wonderful 8300rpm, 237bhp 2.0-litre VTEC engine, a work of art that can potter around or hammer like a racer at the switch of a cam profile. It has aluminium double-wishbone suspension, supersharp steering and a hood that is quick to erect and lower, too. This one is immaculate, has a full history and shows only 60,000 miles – and, of course, it’ll never go wrong… Mark Pearson Verdict: That Honda is hot but the Merc is so cool and just what the
Origin: Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 24 May

Lotus Evora, £27,995: If Matt Saunders’ brief tribute to the original Lotus Evora whetted your appetite for the Toyota-powered 2+2 launched in 2009, then you’ll be pleased to know clean, early cars are now below £30,000.  We found an early 2010/59 VVT-i with 39,000 miles for £27,995 at a specialist. It’s a Launch Edition car so has the Tech (nav, parking aids, cruise), Sport (cross-drilled discs, deeper spoiler, uprated exhaust) and Premium (extra leather, heated seats, reversing camera) packs.  For £500 less, there’s a privately advertised 40,000-mile 2010/60-reg, also with all three packs and finished in Solar Yellow. Interestingly, it’s had many of the model’s common issues addressed, including having new handbrake cables and a new window motor, a water leak in the passenger footwell plugged and its ‘peeling’ headlights sorted. We’d go for the dealer car. It looks better value and comes with a 12-month warranty. If you’re tempted by the yellow one or to look at others, checks should include quizzing the ECU to see how often the engine has been over-revved. Also make sure it’s been serviced every 9000 miles and that the engine mounts are sound (they were an early warranty issue).  If gearchanges are difficult, suspect stretched gear cables. Inspect the brakes and tyres for signs of track abuse and listen for the front anti-roll bar bushes knocking. Look for a red dot on the air-con condenser showing it was replaced under warranty (early ones were troublesome) and check the pipes aren’t draining into the cabin. Pray for even body panel gaps and, last but not least, check that the door handles work.   With MPV versatility, all-wheel-drive capability, estate practicality and saloon comfort, the R-Class had an answer for almost everything. This 2011/61-reg seven-seat R350 CDI auto with 100,000 miles and full Merc history is less than £11,000. The basic Panda is shaded by modern fare but few cars hold a candle to the 4×4 version. It’s short and light with a willing engine and runs rings around more gung-ho alternatives. This 2016/16-reg 1.3 petrol has 20,000 miles and all the trimmings. The R version stole the headlines but the RCZ’s concept-car looks means a 1.6 Sport still turns heads. This 2010/10-reg car with full history has done 115,000 miles. Be aware that diesel versions might have potentially expensive problems lurking. Your sensible side says pay no heed to the self-regarding X6, but there’s no denying this 2011/61-reg 4.4 V8 M with full BMW history and just 65,000 miles looks fun. The 0-62mph sprint goes by in less then five seconds. On the other hand, road tax is £570.  Auction Watch  Ferrari Testarossa: This Testarossa project must be one of the more expensive basket cases. It made £29,415, although it does at least have a totally restored and rust-proofed chassis, all of its panels (in need of stripping and restoring) and its seats (they’ve been retrimmed). It’s got new tyres and all of its glass, too. Also present, fortunately, are the mechanicals, ECU and wiring loom. Good luck with that. It looks like a job for an expert, but we know someone who, with next to no marque knowledge, bought a Ferrari in similar condition and now has seven of the things. Get it while you can Nissan Juke Bose Personal Edition 1.6 112, price new – £19,355, price now £13,480: An all-new Juke arrives later this year, so Nissan is clearing out the old one. As a result there are a number of pre-reg examples on forecourts, at prices that mean they won’t be around for long. We found a 2019/19-reg 1.6 Bose Personal Edition with five miles on the clock for £13,480. It costs £19,355 new, although you can get £2200 or so off for cash or, via the PCP route, a £2700 deposit contribution from Nissan. Still makes that pre-reg look cheap, though.  Clash of the classifieds Brief: Find me a mouth-watering V12-engined something for £5000 or less. BMW 750IL LWB, £4999: V12-powered cars are complex machines, so I’ve gone for something a bit more straightforward than my colleague’s E65 7 Series: a 2000 E38 7 Series. Yes, it has terrible aftermarket wheels, but it’s still very tidy, is far less leggy and has much less troublesome electronics than Mark’s later car. And it has some truly wonderful period pieces, such as a wired-in car phone and walnut picnic tables. Buy one now before it becomes sought after, just as the E32 has become in recent years. Max Adams BMW 760LI LWB, £3495: Imagine the thrill of owning a plush limo that purrs down the motorway yet leaps like a leopard when you push pedal to the metal, then think of the sheer joy of opening up the bonnet to reveal a magnificent naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12. This is a Bangle BMW for the price of a knackered Renault Clio, so look on the 5.5sec 0-62mph performance as a welcome bonus and the hushed, luxurious and capacious interior as your birthright. This clean 2003 example is up for peanuts, so don’t be a fool. Mark
Origin: Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 10 May

A Mini Cooper S of the so-called R56 generation that ran from 2007 to 2013 makes a great hot hatch buy. It’s powered by the BMW/Peugeot-developed Prince engine – a 1.6 turbo with an overboost function.  The bad news is that cars up to 2010 were powered by a version of the engine codenamed N14, which used BMW’s infinitely variable single Vanos valve timing. It wasn’t the most reliable thing, so in 2010 it was replaced with a better version, the N18, which featured a double Vanos system and produced more power. It also had lots of mechanical upgrades. If you’re unsure which is which, the N18 has a large plastic engine cover. At the same time the clutch was improved, although it’s still fragile.  And then a few months later the model was facelifted, receiving restyled bumpers, a revised interior, LED tail-lights with pulsating brake lights and additional air intakes. Finally, in 2011 the engine gained the revised timing tensioner it had been crying out for since day one (it had a nasty habit of throwing its chain).  We found a 2013/63-reg Cooper S Sport Chili with 69,000 miles for £6990. The car has a full BMW service history, it’s had two owners from new and is described as being in excellent condition.  Oil leaks were a problem with older cars but shouldn’t be an issue at this age. Given the BMW history, neither should the cooling system, which can develop cracks in the plastic coolant thermostat housing. We’d check if the water pump was replaced at 50,000 miles and the condition of the radiator lower support bracket. On the test drive we’d feel for a worn clutch – they can go from as low as 20,000 miles.  The FR-V (flexible recreational vehicle) of 2004-09 was Honda’s reply to Fiat’s Multipla. It had three front seats and three in the back and petrol or diesel power. This cherished 2005/05-reg 2.0 i-VTEC SE with 100,000 miles is £1850. Tempting. Little feels as capable and solid as an A6 Avant. We found this 2007/07 3.0 TDI with 85,000 miles in excellent condition and with full history, and it’s the rare Le Mans edition with 19in wheels from the RS4, the Luxury Pack and an exclusive colour.  This classic 900 Turbo (the low-pressure LPT, not the much-lusted-after T16 S), has been restored by a specialist. It’s a 91/H-reg model with 100,000 miles but just two owners. “A fantastic example for any classic car lover,” he gushes.  The undersung 3.2 V6 Eos cabrio can do 0-62mph in 7.3sec. It was one of the prettier coupé-cabrios of its time (2006-15), benefiting from VW’s attention to detail and classy build. This 2005/56-reg example with 56,000 miles looks a proper eyeful.  Auction watch  One of our number recalls, back in 1985, watching his boss drive his gleaming beige SD1 into the company car park, locking the car and, as he walked away, glancing back to savour its stylish shape one last time. Our colleague laughed then but he’s not laughing now. What he’d give to have this 1986 SD1 3.5 V8 Vanden Plas, finished in Silver Birth and with a blue velour interior, on his driveway now. It belonged to a fiercely enthusiastic SD1 club member and has an extensive service history file. It made £6600 at auction, a snip for something so charismatic, stylish and opulent. Worth a backward glance any day.  Get it while you can Hurry and you may just grab the last unsold BMW M140i, perhaps even a Championship Edition, before stocks run out. BMW has stopped making it ahead of production starting on its replacement, the M135i xDrive, in July. Can’t find an unsold M140i? Then have a go at a pre-reg, such as the one we found. It’s a 2019/68-reg car in tasteful black with a paltry 150 miles on the clock (fingers crossed they’ve been gentle). There was only one available last time we looked, so it really is a case of get it while you can.  Clash of the classifieds Brief: Find me a groundbreaking car to delight and amaze my friends for less than £5000. It’s hard to know what would impress your friends because I’m not part of your posse, but I do know that the only truly groundbreaking car of recent times has been the firstgen A-Class. Its unique ‘sandwich’ construction kept the mechanicals separate from the passengers and gave a totally flat floor, while the engine slid beneath the car in a crash, so it wouldn’t intrude into the cabin and cause leg injuries. This LWB version has tons of space for your mates. With prices being so low, you can take them – us? – somewhere nice. Max Adams Why is the rip-snorting X1/9 groundbreaking? Because it was the first truly affordable mid-engined car. It had grip and incomparable handling and a Targa-topped body of immense strength. It was great straight out of the box, but the thing to do to it was tune the brilliant Lampredi-designed SOHC engine (which was easily done) and then throw away everything that added weight, starting with those hideous bumpers. Finally, fit some sticky tyres. This fully restored 1988 example is a gem.
Origin: Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 3 May