Buy them before we do: second-hand picks for 12 April

Check the rear drum brakes have been serviced (the adjusters seize) and there are no clunks when you turn the steering wheel (a broken steering rack or front road spring). 

Above all, examine the floor and carpets for damp. Water gets in through the windscreen scuttle and roof but, most serious, through the bulkhead, where it drenches the body control module. If you can store your Roadster in a garage, you should.

Renault Modus, £3495: “One of the best small cars ever made” was Autocar’s generous verdict on the Modus of 2004-12, with its versatile interior and relaxed driving manners. We chanced upon this 2010 1.5 dCi Dynamique with 47,000 miles and full service history.

BMW 550i, £5490: If the E60 M5 terrifies you, how about its calmer cousin, the 550i M Sport of the same era, whose 4.8-litre V8 produces 362bhp? Our example, a 2006/ 56-reg, has done 122,000 miles. 

Vauxhall Corsa VXR, £6000: Discover your inner hooligan with this 186bhp turbocharged pocket rocket. Torque is 170lb ft from just 1950rpm, but if you need more, an overboost function gives an extra 26lb ft for five long seconds. We found a 2012/61-reg car with 49,000 miles for £6000.\

Peugeot 605 3.0 V6, £6495: Memories of running two long-term 605 V6s back to back – a manual and an auto – that never once put a foot wrong in 12 months of hard motoring resurfaced when we spotted this lovely 1992 K-reg example. It has done just 35,000 miles. 

Auction watch

Ford Fiesta XR2: The odometer of this 1988 XR2 read just 15,900 when someone snapped it up at auction for £3975. Recent work includes a new cambelt and water pump but doubtless the new owner is going through it, checking for split hoses, clogged fuel lines and perished seals. 

With only 96bhp to hand, the XR2 lacked the sparkle of the later, 110bhp XR2i that took on the 115bhp Peugeot 205 GTi 1.6, and lost. Still, our example’s pepper-pot alloy wheels look the business and there’s no doubting that it was a smart buy, since most clean XR2s with higher mileage are around £10,000.

Get it while you can

Fiat 124 Spider 1.4 S-Design, price new - £26,905, price now - £18,995: Fiat pulled the plug on the Spider in January. Global sales were low and, as reported in Autocar, there’s speculation that the car’s 1.4 Multiair petrol engine required expensive work to get it through the new WLTP emissions regulations. Still, the new car showroom’s loss is the used car forecourt’s gain, with pre-reg Spiders being knocked out at huge savings. We spotted a 2019/68-reg 1.4 S-Design for £18,995, almost £8000 less than the new price. You’d be lucky to get a late Mazda MX-5 2.0 184 Sport Nav for less than £22,000.

Clash of the classifieds

Brief: Find me an intriguing rarity for £4k.

Subaru SVX, £3000: If you’re after something rare, take a look at this oddball. Made in the early 1990s as a sporty looking, Giorgetto Giugiaro-styled coupé that was also comfortable on longer trips, the SVX was a bit of a technological tour de force. It had flush glazing, four-wheel drive and a unique 226bhp 3.3-litre flat six engine. Fewer than 25,000 were sold worldwide, making it an exceptionally rare beast. This one has had lots of work done and comes with loads of spares, including a bonnet, front wings, bumpers, rear diff, sunroof, door cards, steering rack… Max Adams