30 Dream Cars for under £30k

After all, who doesn’t spend half their waking hours scrolling through car ads, imagining themselves at the wheel of something they can’t afford, such as a Ferrari or a Lamborghini?

It passes the time but leads nowhere – so instead, scroll through these 30 choice motors no dearer than £30,000. Agreed, it’s a significant sum, but many of them are less than half that and some cheaper still. Dream on…

Although the V8 Vantage never graced the 007 franchise, it still looks like something Daniel Craig might have driven in Casino Royale in 2006, had the DBS V12 not got the gig instead. No worries; today, used DBSs start at around £60,000, while for half that you can get into a Vantage with the later and more powerful 4.7 V8 rather than the launch 4.3.

WE FOUND Aston Martin 4.7 V8 Vantage auto, 2009/09, 50,000 miles, £29,000

After perhaps on a motorcycle, life doesn’t get much more exciting than behind the wheel of a Caterham Seven. There’s a bewildering number of varieties to choose from, so keep things simple with a straightforward, Ford Duratec- powered 1.6 putting out 135bhp. It’s not a lot of grunt, granted, but in a car weighing only slightly more than a bag of sugar, it’s enough. Pay an expert to scrutinise it.

WE FOUND Caterham Seven 1.6 Ti-VCT 270 S3, 2018/67, 8000 miles, £18,995

Autocar once put an i8 up against a Porsche 911. The 911 just edged it, but we accepted that people might have preferred the i8’s futuristic design and technology. Those attributes remain and, better still, prices now start at £25,000. They’re reliable things, so concentrate on the condition of the body and doors.

WE FOUND BMW i8, 2014/64, 78,000 miles, £27,490

The noughties poster car still stirs the blood. The 5.2 V10 is the one people want, but prices start well above our £30,000 ceiling, so the 4.2 V8 it is. Fret not, though, because back in 2007, when it was launched, Autocar’s testers voted the R8 4.2 the best car they had driven all year. Budget for a clutch every 20,000 miles.

WE FOUND Audi R8 4.2 FSI V8, 2009/59, 87,000 miles, £27,500

Prices are all over the place for this perfect little slice of hot hatch heaven, so research the field thoroughly. Fortunately, it’s fine to buy a cheap project car, because the 205 is easy to work on and parts availability is excellent. There’s also a very knowledgeable community you can tap into. The 1.6 versus 1.9 debate still rages, but it’s the drive that counts and that’s special whichever engine you choose.

WE FOUND Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi, 1989/G, 126,000 miles, £10,995

Autocar awarded the M2 Competition four and a half stars and declared it one of the best driver’s cars of 2018. In these times of obscenely expensive cars, that you can get one in rare and desirable manual form for just under £30,000 – or a little over half the model’s new price before the inevitable extras (which, incidentally, our find has) – is a cause for celebration.

WE FOUND BMW M2 Competition, 2019/19, 46,000 miles, £29,200

Are we having a laugh? In fact, there are enough 2CV fanciers around to suggest this quirky car with its clattery, air-cooled, twin-cylinder engine, roly-poly suspension and have-a-go gearchange is a genuine dream car. Aside from checking the cardboard air tubes aren’t about to self-combust or the kingpins about to seize, check for terminal rust.

WE FOUND Citroën 2CV, 1989/G, 55,000 miles, £7500

Unless you were around in 1993, you won’t know of the excitement that accompanied the arrival of the Fiat Coupé. Back then, Fiat was a brand with an image little better than it has now, yet there it was springing one of the most daringly styled cars imaginable. Happily, the Coupé drove well and was powered by a choice of three delightful engines – but, boy, can it rust…

WE FOUND Fiat Coupé Turbo 16v, 1996/N, 38,000 miles, £9995

Obviously, the real Mustang dream car is a 1968 GT 390 Fastback in Highland Green. On our hunt for its £30,000 present-day equivalent, we chanced across a 2019 Bullitt edit ion 5.0 GT with 80,000 miles for £31,450 – too much, so our pick is a standard GT. With early Mustangs like it, check the interior is holding up, the clutch is good and the engine isn’t rattly. Our find has a full Ford history so should be fine…

WE FOUND Ford Mustang 5.0 GT, 2016/66, 31,000 miles, £25,995

“The 300bhp [Mk2] Focus RS shreds the rulebook on front-wheel-drive dynamics,” said Autocar and duly awarded it five stars. Checks include pulling out the dipstick to listen for escaping air while the engine is running and feeling for driveshaft, clutch and suspension wear.

WE FOUND Ford Focus 2.5 RS, 2009/09, 57,000 miles, £22,975

The F-Type R’s 5.0-litre, 32-valve V8 packs 542bhp and 502lb ft, enough to catapult the car to 62mph in 4.0sec. It also costs impressive numbers to tax (£735) and insure (it sits in group 50). Make sure its numerous recalls have been followed up, the cam-chain tensioners aren’t noisy, the fuel pumps aren’t failing and the rear differential isn’t leaking.

WE FOUND Jaguar F-Type 5.0 V8 R, 2014/14, 66,000 miles, £29,995

Old, slow and crude it may be, but for many people, an old Defender is their dream car. For some, it’s the compact and chunky 90 model; for others, the longer and more practical 110 we’ve featured here. It’s a later model powered by the trusty and torquey Puma 2.4-litre diesel motor from the Ford Transit. Whatever you track down, condition is more important than mileage.

WE FOUND Land Rover Defender 110 2.4 TDCi XS, 2010/59, 38,000 miles, £28,495

In the Evora, Lotus chassis brilliance meets Toyota reliability. Our find, an approved used example with the Sport (switchable modes, oil cooler, titanium exhaust) and Tech (rear parking sensors and camera, upgraded media system) packs, looks tempting. Prices start at around £23,000 for 276bhp cars and a couple of thousand more for the cheapest 345bhp S models.

Check gear cables on early cars, the ECU for over-revving, signs of track abuse and the cabin for wear and tear.

WE FOUND Lotus Evora 3.5 V6, 2011/61, 62,000 miles, £27,990

Unfortunately, the era of cheap Elises is behind us, but buy a good one today and it’s unlikely to lose anything. What you will get is one of the most enjoyable cars this side of a Caterham but with a dash more civility.

By now the engine should have been cured of most issues (head gasket and radiator among them), so instead examine body gaps and paint condition, check the rear subframe isn’t hanging off, listen for a whiny diff, feel for tight steering and suspension and make sure the hood is okay.

WE FOUND Lotus Elise S1, 1998/S, 47,000 miles, £19,995

A neighbour has owned one of these since it retired from life as a Mercedes-Benz World track car. Almost every weekday morning for the past 13 years, he has hoofed it, from cold, down the road. Its sound alone would qualify it for dream status, except the C63 is also a terrific driver’s car, and - especially in wagon form - also practical with it.

Check for lambda and thermostat issues, excessive oil consumption, cracked rims and an overly creaky interior.

WE FOUND Mercedes-Benz C63 V8 AMG Estate, 2013/13, 87,000 miles, £17,995

There are plenty of small hatches we could have chosen, but beside the first-generation Mini GP, they’re all a touch ordinary. Here’s a car with an extreme bodykit, a proper mechanical diff and an extra 7bhp over the regular JCW’s 208bhp.

That doesn’t sound like much, but the GP is 50kg lighter than the standard model (it has no rear seats and little soundproofing). The result is a car that’s quick, even sharper in the bends and, yes, a bit noisy.

WE FOUND Mini 1.6 Cooper S JCW GP, 2006/06, 84,000 miles, £13,500

Enough folk have grown up believing claims that the Morgan Plus 8 was once the fastest- accelerating car, and that you had better put your name down for one at birth if you want it before you retire, that acquiring one has become a life’s ambition for many. That it was produced by bearded artisans in the shadow of the Malvern Hills just adds to its allure.

Best bought from a specialist or its owner.

WE FOUND Morgan Plus 8 3.9i, 1994/L , 24,000 miles, £28,750

Yes, £18,500 does seem a lot for a 16 -year-old Vauxhall, and we would have preferred it to be the later, supercharged 6.2 GTS-R version, but with just 15 of those cars delivered to the UK and one recently selling at auction for £71,000, the ‘standard’ model it must be. Behind the griffin badge, it’s a Holden Special Vehicles Clubsport R8 from down under, so imagine you have been dreaming of owning a genuine Aussie muscle car and here it is.

The VXR8’s V8 makes a decent 425bhp and drives the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox (there was an optional automatic). The engine can take more power, but be sure any performance modifications have been expertly done, and check the foot wells aren’t damp and the interior is holding up.

WE FOUND Vauxhall 6.2 VXR8, 2009/09, 50,000 miles, £18,500

The 997-series 911 built on the achievements of its predecessor, the 996, being even better to drive, available with the brilliant PDK dual-clutch automatic gearbox and still reasonably compact. Stories of bore scoring and IMS bearing failure haunt both generations, but they were rare events and, in any case, many cars have since had pre-emptive fixes.

WE FOUND Porsche 911 3.8 Carrera S PDK, 2009/09, 88,000 miles, £28,995

With more varieties of Impreza Turbo than Heinz soup, you really need to know your WRX 22B from your P1. So just go for a limited-edition RB5 instead. Launched to celebrate Richard Burns’s return to the Subaru rally team, it’s one of the best versions of the first- generation Impreza Turbo and now a future classic that’s still relatively affordable.

Beware poor mods, body repairs and over-stretched engines.

WE FOUND Subaru Impreza RB5, 1999/T, 87,000 miles, £15,995

The Mk1 Golf GTI is a genuine dream car, perhaps more for what it represents than anything. That said, you will love the heightened sense of connection and the visibility past those narrow pillars. GTIs are not cheap, as our find – a two-owner car in good, unrestored condition – shows.

However, the seller has just replaced all the consumables and fitted new Bilstein suspension struts, brake callipers, belts, a clutch and an exhaust.

WE FOUND Volkswagen Golf Mk1 GTI, 1983/Y, 80,000 miles, £18,450

A former winner of our Britain’s Best Affordable Driver’s Car competition, and a Britain’s Best Driver’s Car podium finisher, the 257bhp, 266lb ft GR Yaris was brilliant out of the box. The 0-62mph-in-5.5sec Circuit Pack sharpened it further with the addition of stiffer springs, dampers and roll bars, lighter wheels and Torsen limited-slip diffs front and rear. New it cost £33,500, so our four-year-old find represents a handy saving.

WE FOUND Toyota GR Yaris Circuit Pack, 2021/70, 43,000 miles, £24,990

The growly Granturismo 4.7 is more than an antisocial nuisance. It’s a full four-seater, for a start, and then there’s the ride and body control, which, on standard springs, is impressive. Choose a well-used and well-serviced car over an apparently mint low-miler and run a mile from the optional and potentially troublesome Skyhook suspension.

WE FOUND Maserati Granturismo 4.7 Sport auto with MC Pack, 2014/64, 51,000 miles, £29,999

Honda could have named this model the Integrity, because that’s how the firm approached it. No corner-cutting here: the Integra had a stronger bodyshell than standard models, balanced by lighter wheels, a thinner windscreen and less sound-deadening material.

Its 1.8-litre engine got high-compression pistons, hand-finished intake ports and a modified VTEC system, too. It made 187bhp but was required to haul just 1170kg. Beware rusty rear wheel arches and underside.

WE FOUND Honda Integra Type R, 2000/W, 90,000 miles, £12,750

A near-perfect size, remarkably communicative and powered by a characterful 3.2-litre straight six, the E46-gen M3 numbers among Autocar testers’ favourite used M cars. However, it has its problems, including a potentially troublesome Vanos timing unit, the risk of head gasket failure and the possibility of a worn rear axle carrier.

WE FOUND BMW M3, 2002/02, 67,000 miles, £22,990

Prices for early Contis have been low for a long time, but signs are they’re firming up. These cars end up on all sorts of forecourts, but we favour a private purchase such as our find. It has done the mileage but counts only two former keepers and comes with a full Bentley service history.

WE FOUND Bentley Continental 6.0 W12 GT Speed, 2008/58, 92,000 miles, £18,995

Shoehorning 10 cylinders into a family car is, of course, bonkers. The C6-gen RS6 may have delivered supercar performance, but the price was supercar levels of technical complexity. Our find is a private-sale car, giving you a chance to quiz the owner in detail about its history.

WE FOUND Audi RS6 V10 Avant, 2008/58, 112,000 miles, £22,995

There are many great M5s, but most enthusiasts of a certain age would agree the E39 of 1998 -2003 is the one they lusted after for its perfect chassis balance, V8 power and slick gearbox. Today, the best ones cost £50,000, but high-mileage examples start at around £18,000.

The model is tough but the steering and suspension need careful checking. From cold, listen for the Vanos unit playing up and be sure the differential isn’t leaking.

WE FOUND BMW M5, 2000/X, 102,000 miles, £25,990

To create the Z3 M Coupé, BMW engineers took the Z3 roadster, attached a solid roof to it and stuffed the 3.2-litre straight six from the E36-gen M3 under the bonnet. The market wasn’t persuaded. Then, for some reason (probably to do with its rarity), prices skyrocketed, but they have recently started falling again.

A sloppy gearchange is an expensive fix, and also check the boot floor for cracks and listen for engine and suspension noises.

WE FOUND BMW Z3 M 3.2 Coupé, 1998/S, 59,000 miles, £29,990

Cruising the riviera then gunning it down the autobahn: the R230-gen SL 55 AMG with folding Vario-roof is two cars in one. Our 2003 find is the 493bhp version, good for 0- 62mph in 4.7sec. Repairs and upkeep aren’t cheap, so buy the best you can, taking care to check the engine is oil- and coolant- tight, the electrics and suspension system are behaving, the aluminium body is dent-free and the roof operates smoothly.

WE FOUND Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG, 2003/03, 63,000 miles, £12,995

With each of the cars featured on these pages, we have suggested specific things that you should look out for when buying one. In addition, there are some general dos and don’ts you should follow.

DO…

Test drive a few examples to establish a benchmark.

Buy with your head, not your heart.

Check the car’s mileage, provenance and MOT history.

DON’T…

Research the market and widen your search beyond the obvious classified sites.

Buy privately. You can tell a lot about a car from the person selling it.

If necessary, pay an expert to check the car for you. They could save you money in the long run.

Prioritise a low mileage over condition and service history.

Buy from a dealer with little experience of the model.

Spoil your dream by compromising too much on colour and specification.

Buy the first car you see. There will be a better one.