Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 25 June

Lexus RX 400h SE-L £7950: The RX 400h has seen many changes throughout its production run, but this 2008 model packs some good options, including climate control, black leather trim, heated seats and sat-nav. It’s powered by a petrol V6 plus an electric motor at each axle.

Honda CR-Z £4290: Even as something with a more overt sporting bent, this 122bhp, 1.5-litre Honda CR-Z will return 56.4mpg. We found this 87,000-mile car with a detailed service history for less than £5000, despite some harder-driven examples selling for far higher sums.

Mercedes C300 Hybrid Estate AMG Line Premium £17,450: A diesel hybrid might not be your first idea when you think of clean energy, but this two-owner 2017 C-Class can own your work commute in style, while returning up to 68.0mpg. It’s done 60,513 miles in four years, but does come with a full service history.

Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid £19,999: This 2011 Cayenne has 100,000 miles under its wheels and can now be bought for a third of its original £66,000 asking price. It certainly looks the part with its tan leather interior, and Porsche’s auto ’box makes for supremely refined cruising.

Auction watch

Suzuki Cappuccino: With its 50:50 weight distribution and tipping the scales at just 725kg, Suzuki’s tiny Cappuccino roadster was popular on release. It made use of a turbocharged 660cc engine producing a meagre 63bhp, but still managed to hit 62mph from rest in 8.9sec. Only 1100 examples made it to the UK after its release in 1992, and silver ones like this 1994 example are especially rare, originally outnumbered four to one by the more popular red cars. It sold for a strong £8100 thanks to its exterior and engine, both in good condition after 22 years of very light use and garage storage.

Future classic

Honda Integra Type R £16,985: It may not match up to the more radical sports offerings of today, but Honda’s hot Integra offered a truly unique driving experience as a stripped-out road-racer, with a 187bhp 1.8-litre VTEC engine. A top speed of 145mph and a 0-62mph time of 6.7sec helped to make it an entertaining track car, with all of its available power delivered at 8000rpm. The lack of vanity mirrors, cruise control and rear wipers clearly doesn’t put off owners, who instead revel in the Integra’s pure driving experience, such as that offered by this 2003 model with 60,000 miles.

Class of the classifieds

Volvo V70 2.4D £2995

Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI Estate £3989

Felix Page: Handsome, poky and none too thirsty, this big old Volvo brick is exactly what you need. I’ve gone for the 2.4-litre diesel, which the seller claims can muster 41mpg, so James won’t tarnish his trip around the world with too many fuel stops. It’s a perfect blank canvas for all your comical rally decals.

Max Adams: Middle England may have grown to love a Volvo estate, but what they actually covet is a Mercedes-Benz, like my selection. This 2004 E320 CDI pulls more than yours, because it has not only a beefier engine but also a greater cargo capacity: 695 litres with seats up to the V70’s 485.

FP: For sure, it’s a lovely thing, but wouldn’t James be a bit worried about such a posh car getting scraped on the trip by a Tunisian taxi driver or a Mongolian motorcyclist? Stunning though my Volvo is, I reckon it would look even more characterful with some peeling stickers and battle scars.

MA: Look, I doubt that the S211-generation E-Class will ever reach the classic status of the S124, so nobody will care about an extra ding or two during James’s epic rally. Besides, my Benz is better for wafting than a manual Volvo will ever be.