James Ruppert: Think you can't afford a performance car? Think again

Being a ton of fun to drive and easy to own, these rarities remain popular and prices quite firm. They start at around £11,000 now. For instance, a 91,000-mile BRZ from 2016 with just the one owner and a full history and in tidy condition wants only £11,500. That would be a jolly good place to start and to finish.

Tales from Ruppert’s garage

BMW 320, mileage: 85,401

The queue for an MOT test at our place is getting longer, and until the Baby Shark gets its ticket, we can’t move onto the next one. Just at the moment, it could be given a clean bill of health, with some suspension arm cover replacement. My local garage sort of dropped me in it by suddenly saying that they couldn’t source a new exhaust for the old girl. That’s now down to me. More updates are hopefully coming soon once the postman delivers some boxes (middle and back) from Europe. Meanwhile, I’ve dug out my Innocenti Mini, and the slow puncture it had seems to have fixed itself. I had a close look at all of the tyres and took sample pressures. What fun.

Reader’s ride

Ford Mondeo

Thanks to Tim, who has relayed some rather important news: “I’m still driving my 2005 Ford Mondeo, bought at 16 months old for £7000. That’s less than £500 per year in depreciation. Indeed, it has gone up in value this year: when I thought about changing it last year, one online car buying service offered me £43, but this year said £80. Isn’t an old car that goes up in value a classic?

“More seriously, it has never broken down or failed to start, except for when its idiot owner flattened the battery (although it has done only 80,000 miles), and the heated front window and air-con no longer work. “The only non-consumables that I’ve had replaced are the reversing-lights switch and both front springs, costing £280 from a mobile mechanic. I’ve never given it a full service, so it might even have the original spark plugs. I like my motoring cheap, as you know…”

Readers’ questions

Question: I own a Mitsubishi L200 for towing my rally car on a trailer and a Jaguar F-Pace 3.0 S for towing my caravan. Which EVs could do these jobs and let me get to places without needing hours of charging? Alan Stark, via email

Answer: There are a few electric cars that can do both of those jobs, notably the Tesla Model X, which can tow up to 2268kg and generates instant torque of 800lb ft. Its range will take a hit, of course, but Tesla’s Supercharger network is the best. A 2017-reg 100D with 50,000 miles costs around £60,000. Too much and too precious for rally duties? Try that halfway house, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. This hybrid’s towing limit is a reasonable 1500kg and its pure-electric range 28 miles. JE