Classy used Italian cars you can buy for a song

The designer wasn’t talking about vehicles, but the phrase could apply to Italian cars. We’ve stitched together a list of 30 classy Italian cars you can buy on a threadbare budget. The prices vary, but these timeless classics are you sure to suit:

The Fiat Coupé is still turning heads, nearly three decades on from its debut in Brussels. A disgraceful number of these Chris Bangle-penned cars were lost to the 2009 scrappage scheme, but this serves only to increase its desirability. Come for the ‘bambino Ferrari’ styling, stay for the colour-coded fascia strip.

With a name chosen to represent the cities of Milan and Torino, you’d be forgiven for expecting the Alfa Romeo MiTo to add some style to the supermini segment. There were plenty of reasons why you might choose the Ford Fiesta/VW Polo/Renault Clio/Mazda2/Hyundai i20 [delete as appropriate] over the MiTo, but styling wasn’t one of them. Still a class act.

In Italy, even the names sound more exotic. ‘Maserati Four-door’ doesn’t have the same glamour as Quattroporte, which rolls off the tongue like freshly scooped gelato. There’s a V8 engine for some fruity flavour, rear-wheel drive handling for sideways fun, and more style than an Italian football coach. Just do your homework before you hit the penalties.

Put aside any thoughts of buying or running a Lancia Thema 8.32 on a budget, because that isn’t going to happen. Owning a ‘four-door Ferrari’ would deliver some bragging rights in the espresso bar, but don’t be too quick to dismiss the ‘lesser’ models. The 2.0-litre turbocharged models are particularly good, especially in 185bhp 16-valve guise. Your biggest challenge will be finding one.

Another example of cars sounding better in Italian. ‘Barchetta’ means ‘little boat’, a reference to its styling rather than its ability to float. The stylish roadster, which looked prettier before its 2003 facelift, is more likely to be sunk by corrosion, because rust is a big problem on the Barchetta. Still, rust also affects the Mazda MX-5, and we reckon the Fiat is more stylish.

Is the Alfa Romeo Brera the most beautiful car you can buy for less than £5000? The three headlights remind us of the Alfa SZ, albeit in circular rather than square form, while the pert rear would grace any Italian catwalk. The rather laboured driving experience doesn’t live up the promise of the styling, but a Prodrive-fettled 3.2-litre V6 Brera S would do nicely.

From an Italian style icon with glorious headlights to one with legendary rear lights. You’d have to be mad to consider buying a used Maserati 3200 GT for the price of a new entry-level Ford Fiesta, right? Quite possibly, but a Fiesta doesn’t have boomerang-shaped lights or a V8 under the bonnet. This was the first production car to use LED rear lights.

The misunderstood Lancia Thesis wasn’t sold in the UK, so you’re in the hands of a specialist importer or classic car dealer. You can buy a cheap Thesis on the continent for a couple of thousand euros, but our guide price reflects the fact that, a) you want a good one, and b) a classic specialist needs to make a profit. The styling is a bit ‘Marmite’, but that’s better than vanilla; all will of course be left-hookers.

Is there a more desirable small car than the Fiat 500? The 500 remains the chic runabout for girls and boys of all ages. It’s utterly classless and timeless, loved by students, OAPs and a legion of marketing and PR executives.

The Alfa Romeo GT was conceived by Bertone to keep its Turin assembly operation profitable after the demise of the Fiat Punto Cabriolet. It was a clever mix of Alfa Romeo 147 and 156, with almost an entirely new body. To Bertone’s chagrin, it was built alongside the 147 at Alfa’s plant near Naples, powered by a range of engines, including the 3.2-litre V6 Busso. Subjectively, the Brera is prettier, but there’s not much in it.

Launched in 1981, the Biturbo represented a new direction for Maserati. Say goodbye to the likes of the Khamsin, Merak and Kyalami, and hello to tussling with the BMW 3 Series for compact executive supremacy. Available in coupé, convertible and saloon forms, it never managed to topple the 3 Series, but it did have an enviable clock.

Saloon, Coupé, Spider or High Performance Estate (HPE): there was a Lancia Beta for all tastes. It showed remarkable good use of the Beta platform, with the shorter Coupé finding room for four adults, the Spider showcasing a targa-style roof, and the HPE hoping to tempt a certain Princess away from the Reliant Scimitar. All are joined by beauty and a tendency to rust.

In our review of the Fiat X1/9 in 1977, we said: ‘All the ingredients for a “today” sports car – pop-up headlamps, a spoiler, flared wheel arches, alloy wheels and rather gaudy side stripes. The Fiat attracts a lot of attention. The interior is bright and stylish.’ It’s a mid-engined Italian exotic you can afford.

Read our used car buying guide and you’ll be turning to the Toyota Avensis or Ford Mondeo faster than you can say ‘broken cambelts and tensioners’. Warranty company shareholders are still having sleepless nights in 2023. Venture beyond the first few paragraphs of our guide, and you might decide that it’s worth taking a punt on the stylish 156. Company cars never looked better.

Fans of The Italian Job will remember the trio of Mini Coopers hiding in plain sight in a garage forecourt in Italy. It appears to be a regular Mini dealer but look again and you’ll spot the Innocenti logo. The Italian company built the BMC Mini to a higher standard and with a superior level of specification between 1965 and 1975. Importing one is your best option, although it’s easy to spot a few at a UK Mini event.

Badged as the Autobianchi Y10 in its domestic market, the little Lancia added some Italian style to the British small car market. The sharply cut-off back gave the Y10 a wedge-like appearance, giving it a styling edge over the more mundane Metro, Nova and Fiesta. We’d love a Y10 Turbo but our hopes of finding a Y10 of any description are slim. There are reportedly 5 on UK roads today.

The Autobianchi A112 was the hugely successful forerunner to the Lancia Y10. Although never officially offered in the UK, the A112 arrived in 1969 and remained on sale until 1986. During that time, around 1.2 million found homes across Europe, although rust has led to the premature demise of many. A cool car that’s worth importing.

‘In Turismo trim, the Abarth 595 is the closest competitor to the Mini Cooper S.’ High praise from our Richard Bremner, although we should point out that his review went on to describe the ride as ‘uncomfortable’. It’s a car for those with a chiropractor on speed dial, but a 500-based Abarth of any description is great fun in small doses and superb to look at.

Not many mainstream cars look this good at 50. It’s hard to believe that the Alfasud arrived in the same year as the Morris Marina. We’re not here to drop a piano on the Marina, because it was better than its reputation suggests, but the pert and pretty Alfa Romeo is close to the top of the list of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s finest work.

A lot has been written about the Integrale and, to a certain extent, the HF Turbo, but few column inches are devoted to the regular Lancia Delta. Some would argue that the original hatchback of 1979 is the prettiest of all the Delta models, with Giugiaro’s design undiluted by body enhancements and trinkets. Our guide price is a shot in the dark, because so few cars remain.

Squint hard, and the Giugiaro-designed Fiat Punto looks like a fun-size Maserati. Fiat didn’t build an unattractive Punto, although the facelift of the second-generation model left a lot to be desired. The Punto outstayed its welcome, leading to the first-ever zero-star Euro NCAP safety rating, but it remains an attractive small car – but don’t crash it.

Before Volvo started dishing out swish wagons, the Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon could claim the title of the world’s most handsome estate car. With such a pretty face, you’d think twice before taking a 159 Sportwagon to the recycling centre or asking a muddy dog to jump into its 460-litre boot. That’s the first time we’ve mentioned practicality in a story devoted to Italian style.

The original Mini shouldn’t have lived beyond the 1970s. It should have evolved into a hatchback, which is why Innocenti briefed Bertone to create the 90/120 to tackle the dominant Fiat 127. A few of these stylish small cars have fallen into the hands of UK owners, including our very own James Ruppert, who has christened his ‘The Italian Job’ (pictured). At least his made it across the Italian border… 

With a production run of 11 years, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta was one of the longest-lived mainstream cars in recent history. Launched with the help of Uma Thurman, the Giulietta danced its way into our affections thanks to its stylish good looks. The VW Golf and Ford Focus might be better used buys, but the Giulietta would look better parked on your driveway.

Can a small car built for functional and practical purposes be stylish? It’s more charming than stylish, but it holds strong appeal for motorists who favour function over form. The Mk1 Panda is extremely rare now, but you can buy a 2005 or 2006 Panda Mk2 for as little as £999. A bargain.

The Italians would argue that good food, fine wine and plenty of fresh air are the key ingredients of a long and healthy life. The Alfa Romeo Spider demonstrates that it’s down to good looks. From its birth in 1966, the pretty Spider graduated and lived through four generations, and it’s the third- and fourth-generation cars that are the most affordable. Our price guide is for the later cars.

Short of buying a 500 with an insurance write-off category to its name, the Grande Punto is the cheapest way to take on an Abarth. It looks fabulous, with Abarth taking the good looks of the Fiat and adding just the right amount of muscle. The 1.4-litre turbocharged engine delivers brisk rather than exhilarating performance, but it looks a million lira.

Is this Fiat here because its name is Italian for ‘style’? Perhaps, but the three-door Stilo looked rather stylish, certainly more so than the five-door and Multiwagon estate. We’d take a Fiat Stilo Abarth, preferably the Michael Schumacher. Overall, the Stilo is a car Fiat would rather see the back of. The company reportedly lost £1.77 billion on the project.

It’s certainly stylish, but you might be wondering why the Ferrari F355 is appearing on a list of budget beauties. We’re talking about those Toyota MR2-based replicas you might have seen at a classic car show. A good job done or a waste of a good MR2? You decide. Whichever way, it’s going to be cheaper than the minimum £75,000 you’ll pay for a real F355.